The Turn Bar Blog

Welcome to The Turn Bar blog! Here you’ll find the latest on our innovative printing inks and coatings, technical & regulatory information and industry insights for all of your food, pharma and medical device print applications.

Distinguishing Your Egg Brand from Shell to Shelf

Distinguishing Your Egg Brand from Shell to Shelf

Eggs are a staple in many households, and making your brand stand out can be a challenge. But did you know that edible inks can be the game-changer you need?

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Are You Making the Most of Your Throwaway Items?

Are You Making the Most of Your Throwaway Items?

In the restaurant and food service industries, marketing branding is crucial for companies who want to build – or reinforce – brand loyalty. Printing logos and other identifying marks on packaging is common – and effective.

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Are You Consumed with Safety? The Benefits of Food-Grade Direct and Indirect Printing Inks

Are You Consumed with Safety? The Benefits of Food-Grade Direct and Indirect Printing Inks

Packaging standards are critical since packaging is designed to keep food fresh and free of contaminants from the time it’s produced and leaves the store or restaurant to the time it arrives on your plate. Packaging also needs to comply with current health standards.

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Creating Vibrant Sustainable Packaging for the Circular Economy

Creating Vibrant Sustainable Packaging for the Circular Economy

Food and medical brands are looking for ways to minimize environmental impact. Here's how sustainable packaging is changing the food packaging industry.

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Sustainability Concerns Are Changing the Food Packaging Printing Industry

Sustainability Concerns Are Changing the Food Packaging Printing Industry

The growing demand for sustainable single-use items such as paper drinking straws is creating challenges, and will require the right approach to ensure consumer safety.

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Food Packaging Inks for Indirect Food Contact

Food Packaging Inks for Indirect Food Contact

Even if products aren't designed for direct food contact, it can happen. No-tox ink can provide an extra margin of safety.

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Choosing an Ink for Direct Food Contact – Understanding the Threshold of Regulation

Choosing an Ink for Direct Food Contact – Understanding the Threshold of Regulation

Food packaging colors and design play an essential role in successful marketing and consumer response. Many people select food items because of their eye-catching, artful wrappings. But most consumers generally give little thought to the safety of the packaging.

That’s the manufacturer and printer’s job

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Contamination Concerns in Medical Device Inks

Contamination Concerns in Medical Device Inks

As a rule, we accept that medical devices and surgical instruments must be manufactured under strict FDA guidelines. These regulations are designed to ensure products consistently meet applicable requirements and specifications to prevent contamination.

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Achieving Color Consistency in Food Packaging Inks

Achieving Color Consistency in Food Packaging Inks

Lot-to-lot ink color consistency is critically important for every brand – and it goes beyond ensuring that each package stands out and attracts attention on the shelf. Logo and identity-specific colors must be accurately represented not just most of the time, but every time.
Color match accuracy has always been important to ensure brand recognition. But the near-exponential growth of food brands in today’s marketplace means colors need to match consistently – from batch and batch – to build and reinforce buyer recognition and loyalty.

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Understanding FDA IFC & DFC Compliant Inks

Understanding FDA IFC & DFC Compliant Inks

As consumers, there is an ever-increasing focus on the safety of the products we purchase for our families but even the most educated consumer rarely thinks about the safety of the inks used on the packaging. Often these inks are in direct contact with the food we eat. Even in our industry we sometimes neglect assessing the safety and suitability of the inks we choose for packaging. However, safety, suitability and regulatory compliance should be major considerations when choosing an ink for direct (DFC) or indirect food contact (IFC).

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Thinking Inside the Box (or the Bottle, Bag, Lid or Wrapper…)

Thinking Inside the Box (or the Bottle, Bag, Lid or Wrapper…)

If you’re in the food and beverage business, chances are you’d like to say a lot more on your product’s packaging than the available space can accommodate. Yet the vast majority of packages on the market today aren’t taking advantage of a significant amount of promotional “real estate” that’s inside the packaging.

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Food Packaging Inks – Navigating a Complex Regulatory Landscape

Food Packaging Inks – Navigating a Complex Regulatory Landscape

Over the last few years, a consumer battle was launched and subsequently raged over straws. Yes, drinking straws. This battle was part of the larger ‘paper versus plastic’ war, which has carried on for decades.

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