AIPIA Asia Summit 2021: Toppan Printing to showcase visually-appealing metallic NFC labels

17 Jun 2021 --- Toppan Printing is set to unveil NFC labels combining high-quality metallic design with communication performance at the AIPIA Asia Summit 2021 (June 23), an international congress for smart packaging. 

The company says little attention has traditionally been paid to high-quality visual design for RFID tags and QR Code labels for product management and authentication due to a focus on essential functions.

Labels have also generally been attached in positions that ensure they are inconspicuous and do not negatively impact the overall design of the product or package.

However, the ubiquity of smartphones has prompted heightened demand for consumer product experiences through NFC tags.

Businesses are therefore considering ways to attach NFC labels in positions that make them easier for consumers to access, Toppan indicates.

The importance of maintaining the quality of the product or package design has created a demand for higher-quality NFC label designs. To meet these needs, Toppan has developed NFC labels with high-quality metallic designs.

The company will also exhibit its metallic NCF labels at Luxe Pack Shanghai 2021 (July 7-8), a premier trade show for luxury packaging.The ubiquity of smartphones is driving demand for NFC tags.

High-quality metallic designs
Toppan’s attractive NFC labels are designed for high-end items such as wine, spirits, and luxury brand goods. Two types of label are available – a metallic decor type and a metallic surface type.

The metallic decor type label features decorative metallic designs achieved by combining various printing techniques, including metal foil transfer employing digital printing.

High-quality designs can be produced at low cost and with short lead times as no printing plates or cylinders are required. The metallic surface type, meanwhile, uses metalizing via vapor deposition to produce a metallic mirror finish.

In addition to gold and other metallic colors, matt finishes are also available.

NFC tag antenna design
Metal materials can inhibit NFC communication performance. Toppan has addressed this by leveraging NFC tag antenna design expertise, ensuring communication performance when metallic decoration techniques are applied.

Toppan’s metallic decor type NFC label.“We have taken advantage of Toppan’s wealth of decorative techniques and extensive antenna design know-how to develop labels offering excellent visual quality and optimal NFC communication performance,” says Takamitsu Nakabayashi, senior R&D manager in Toppan’s Security business.

“They can be applied seamlessly to high-end and luxury product packages to provide all the benefits of NFC-enabled customer engagement and supply chain management, and we plan to add to this series of products in the future.”

Toppan is a global leader in communication, security, packaging, décor materials, and electronics solutions.

Edited by Joshua Poole