GLOSSARY

Aluminium free films
Films without metalized PET / aluminium. 


Alox-PET
Aluminium oxicde (Alox) coated Polyester (PET) film is providing an exceptional barrier for a long shelf life of your products! At the same time it gives you the opportunity to include a window in your packaging and improve your product presentation. 


Anti-wobbling bottom or curved bottom
The anti-wobbling bottom ensures that the pouch remains very stable when standing and doesn't wobble.
Specially designed by PouchDirect!

Barrier
With many material structures, we can create a barrier against: moisture / odor / light / oxygen. 


BPA free
A product that is BPA free is one which does not use the organic compound Bisphenol A in its construction. All our products are BPA free. 


Bio-based films
Bio-based materials refer to products that mainly consist of a substance (or substances) derived from living matter (biomass) such as paper, wood, and leather. We have 100% kraft paper and PLA as bio-based material in many combinations. Partly or 100% compostable (bio-based) 


Bio degassing valve
The WICOVALVE® W606E was developed especially for the coffee industry and can be composted pursuant to industrial standard EN13432 in combination with biodegradable laminates. The extensive range of valves has now been ideally complemented with the biocompostible W606E. It is based on the highly popular W606 coffee valve and is designed for heat-sealing. In combination with bio compostible laminate materials, the coffee roaster can now offer a packaging system that is totally biodegradable and provides optimized protection of whole-bean coffee against aroma loss. 


Bleed
Printing that goes to the edge of the sheet after trimming. The bleed is the art that gets printed over the trim line which gets cut off during trimming.

Carbon Neutrality (CO2 neutral)
Carbon neutrality means having a balance between emitting carbon and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere in carbon sinks. Removing carbon oxide from the atmosphere and then storing it is known as carbon sequestration. In order to achieve net zero emissions, all worldwide greenhouse gas emissions will have to be counterbalanced by carbon sequestration. 


CMYK
Colours used in the 4-colour printing process – Cyan (c – blue), Magenta (m – red), Yellow (y) and Key (means black) (k).

Coated Pantone colours
A coated Pantone colour is printed on all coated materials. The colour shows the colour result on a coated surface.

Compostable films
Compostable materials are materials that break down at composting conditions. 


Cylinder
In gravure printing, the image is engraved onto a copper cylinder.

Cutting margins
We can not print descending images on one side of the bag. Suppose we start cutting and there is a small deviation of 2 millimeter in cutting. Without cutting margin would you see the colored edge on the other side of the printed matter. This kind of beauty mistakes we can avoid during cutting thanks to the extra 2 millimeter margin.

Declaration of Conformity (DoC)
A declaration of conformity, also called a declaration of agreement or declaration of compliance (DoC), is a document that shows that the product meets the legal requirements that apply to that product.

Degassing valve
The CO2 generated by freshly roasted coffee beans must be allowed to escape from the packaging without letting oxygen (O2) enter. This function is handled by the one-way-WICOVALVE®. 


Die-line or template
The template that ensures proper layout of the stand up pouch. It is a diagram or technical drawing that shows all the cutting lines, features and folds in the correct size in flattened form. Available in .ai file or pdf.

Digital printing
Digital printing takes a different approach and assembles the images ready for print, from a complex set of numbers and formulas. These images are captured from pixels, and the digitalised image is used to control the deposition of ink, toner and exposure, to replicate the image you would like to print.

Front zipper
Zipper on the front of the bag, for a wider filling opening. The top can be sealed with a heat sealer. The zipper must be torn open by the consumer. 


FSC certified
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international organisation for the preservation of responsible forest management worldwide. By buying bags of FSC-certified paper, you are contributing directly to the protection of the world's forests and to a healthy living environment for people and animals. 


Flexo printing
In flexography printing (abbreviated to flexo) the plate cylinder is covered with a cliché. This is the image carrier and contains all the text or images which eventually get printed on the substrate. The cliché contains raised printing surfaces which prints the ink on the substrate. So, all the raised surfaces on a cliché make the image of the run.

Handle
It is possible to provide pouches with a handle. For example, for easy carrying of bags with heavy products. 


Hang hole (euro-lock)
It is possible to provide the bags with a hang hole / euro-lock, to easily hang the pouches in a presentation rack . 


Heat sealer
A heat sealer is a machine used to seal products, packaging, and other thermoplastic materials using heat. This can be with uniform thermoplastic monolayers or with materials having several layers, at least one being thermoplastic. 


Home composting
Home composting creates conditions with much lower and less stable temperatures than industrial composting. There is no CEN standard for plastics that are suitable for home composting but several countries have developed and applied national standards for testing and certifying of home compostable materials. 


Hot stamp
A hot stamp a printing method of relief printing in which is a metallic foil that is pressed onto a surface by means of heat. The metallic foil gives an exclusive look to the print and packaging.

Impuls sealer
Instead of heat, the impulse sealer provides an electric shock, causing the material to fuse together. The impuls sealer is suitable for sealing 3-layer materials, depending on the thickness of the material and the number of sealings per day (because of the wear sensitivity of the sealing wires). The more power that is required, the faster the seal wires break. 


Industrial composting
Industrial composting conditions require elevated temperature (55-60°C) combined with a high relative humidity and the presence of oxygen, and they are in fact the most optimal compared to other everyday biodegradation conditions: in soil, surface water and marine water. Compliance with EN 13432 is considered a good measure for industrial compostability of packaging materials. 


K-Seal bottom
If your product exceeds a certain weight, you may wish to consider using stand up pouches with a K-Seal bottom gusset. In this style, seals on both sides rise at 30-degree angles from the bag. This takes stress off the seals on either side of the package, and allows for additional volume. 


Lamination
Lamination is the technique/process of manufacturing a material in multiple layers, so that the composite material achieves improved strength, stability, sound insulation, appearance, or other properties from the use of the differing materials, such as plastic.

Laser score
Laser scoring allows packages to be opened effortlessly, resulting in higher consumer satisfaction and allowing brands to outperform competitors with inferior packaging. In consumer testing, laser-scored packages are consistently preferred by consumers because they are so easy to open. Mind it does affect the barrier properties of the material.


LEAK-PROOF - Effects of overpressure
The standard atmospheric pressure is 1 Bar / 1000 mill bar. Our standard PE pouches withstand an overpressure of maximum 0.5 Bar / 500 mill bar, the pouches will be leak-proof. Nylon (PA) material withstand an overpressure of maximum 0.8 Bar / 800 mill bar.

Margin
In print, "margin" typically refers to page borders.

Met-Pet
It means metalized PET. The material consists of PET which has been metalized with aluminum. The material serves great as a barrier against: oxygen, moisture and light. Also the PET is giving the pouch it’s strength. The material is often used instead of aluminum and has the benefit that it doesn’t ‘wrinkle’ as much as aluminum. 


Migration report
The overall migration limit is a measure for the inertness of the material. Specific migration. A Specific Migration Limit (SML) applies to an individual substance and is based on toxicological studies. Analytical techniques are used to identify the presence of these substances in food (and food simulants).

Measure a pouch
Stand up pouches have three fundamental measurements. Width (W), Height (H) and Bottom Gusset (BG). It is written out W” X H” x BG”

Width: measured from the outside left-side edge to the right-side edge of the pouch.

Height: measured from the outside bottom edge to the very top of the pouch.

Bottom Gusset: two times the dimension from the outside bottom edge of the pouch to the maximum depth of the internal fold.


Opacity
The amount of show-through on a printed sheet. The more opacity or the thicker the paper the less show-through. (The thicker/heavier the paper the higher the cost.)

Outline
A font format that makes use of fillable geometric outlines of letters and symbols, allowing fonts to be scaled up or down while still retaining their intended shape. Also called: vector font.

Overlap
The overlapping occurs when a text field is not wide enough for the text it contains, causing the text to automatically scroll below the first word. The second word is invisible on the electronic copy, but is visible when printed. To remedy this, you can expand the text field by dragging the handles on the field.

Oxygen barrier (OTR)
OTR values are used to compare the relative oxygen barrier capabilities of packaging films. 
 


PDF for approval
We will provide an electronic proof of your artwork which is known as a die line. This will indicate all dimensions, gussets, zippers, tear notches, Euro-hole slots, sealing thickness and any other features that you have requested. This proof will also show the separation of colors that are needed and which a separate cylinder will have to be produced for. This document needs to be signed off by the customer before we print their artwork.

PE (LLDPE)
Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) is the most flexible of the plastic sheeting films. LLDPE is blended form of LDPE where the film has much more flexibility, tensile strength, and more conformability. It is more pliable and softer. The LLDPE can be in direct contact with food products and ensures that the bag can be sealed. 


PET
Polyethylene terephthalate is a type of resin and a form of polyester;it is commonly labelled with the code on or near the bottom of bottles and other containers. PET has some important characteristics such its strength, thermo-stability, gas barrier properties and transparency. It is also lightweight, shatter-resistant and recyclable. We use the PET material to give the pouch more ‘body’. 


Process colours:
Another name for CMYK which is the 4-colour process we use. Cyan (blue), magenta (process red), yellow (process yellow), black (process black).

Pantone colour
Pantone colours are colour codes that stand for a specific shade. The formula developed by pantone is a spot colour. This means that the colour is created from a palette of 18 basic colours.

Pixel
A pixel is a single-coloured dot on the computer screen or in a digital image. Many pixels together form an image. Everything that can be seen on the screen is made up of pixels. If you purchase a display with a pixel density that is too low, the image quality may be poor.

Recycling
Material recycling is defined in European standard EN 13430 and EN 16848 (adapted from ISO 18604) as the reprocessing of a used product material into a new product. Plastic which after use can be collected, sorted and reprocessed into new products is called mechanical recycling. 


Resolution
The quality of the digital image measured by pixels per inch or dots per inch (same thing). The fewer dots in the inch the less the quality. We need at least 300 dots/pixels per inch when the image is at approximately the finished size.

Reverse printing
this technique the ink is printed on the inner layer of substrate and it do not become in direct contact with human skin, weather conditions and other substrates because in most of cases the ink is sandwiched between to substrates by lamination process.

RGB
RGB is an additive light-based colour used for computer monitors that includes red, green & blue. It is additive since direct light is used to display colour.

Rotogravure printing
Gravure printing—also known as rotogravure printing—is primarily a long-run, high-speed, high-quality printing method. Like engraving, gravure is a form of intaglio printing that produces fine, detailed images. It works well for Pantone colours as well as CMYK printing , where each colour of ink is applied by its own cylinder and with drying steps in between.

Rounded corners
Instead of right angles, we can also cut the corners round. This is to prevent cutting and a better presentation! 


Round bottom gusset
In this style, the edge of the gusset is welded to the sides of the supporting walls, giving the package the extra strength and support it needs to stand up. Stand up pouches made with the round bottom gusset are considered the most common in the industry and are ideal for products weighing less than one pound. 


Sealer
Protect your products well by completely close the bag with a heat sealer. Still easy to open with a tear notch or scissor.

Silk printing
Screen printing is the process of transferring a stencilled design onto a flat surface using a mesh screen, ink and a squeegee. Fabric and paper are the most commonly screen-printed surfaces, but with specialised inks it’s also possible to print onto wood, metal, plastic, and even glass. The basic method involves creating a stencil on a fine mesh screen, and then pushing ink (or paint, in the case of artwork and posters) through to create an imprint of your design on the surface beneath.

Spot Colour
A spot colour is an ‘extra’, or ‘special’ colour that is used in addition to the CMYK four colour process. The extra ink is added to its own roller on the printing press, so as to more accurately print certain colours that are hard to reproduce with CMYK inks. There are a number of companies that manufacture and specify spot colours, most common of these is the Pantone colour matching system (PMS).

Spot varnish
Varnish used to highlight a specific part of the printed sheet.

Surface printing
Printing surface definition is - a prepared surface (as set type, an electrotype, a lithographic stone, an offset or gravure plate) from which printing is done.

Tear notch
A tear notch makes packages produced on vertical form/fill/seal baggers easier to open. This small slit in the end seal allows consumers to easily tear the film in order to gain access to the product. The slit is produced by a carbide notch punch that is affixed in the sealing face of the jaw. 


Tin Ties
Strips for closing bags and pouches (flexible and with or without adhesive glue). 


Transparency
A positive photographic slide on film allowing light to pass through.

TUV Certification
A TUV certificate or TUV quality mark is a confirmation that a product, service, process or organization meets requirements set in legislation, standards and quality marks.

Uncoated Pantone colours
A uncoated Pantone colour is printed on all coated materials. The colour shows the colour result on a coated surface.

UV-spot
UV Coating is a tough clear-coat applied over printed matter. Spot UV refers to the application of this UV Coating to a specific area (or areas) of a printed piece rather than coating the entire surface. Spot UV is a creative way to add depth and contrast through varying levels of sheen and texture.

Water-based ink
Water-based ink is an ink made with water rather than plastic or PVC. Water-based inks can be split into two main ingredients, water and pigment. 


Window
It’s possible to have a transparant or milky transparant window on the front or back of your pouches. 


Water vapor transmission rate (WVTR)
WTR values are used to compare the relative moisture barrier capabilities of packaging films. 


Varnish
A clear liquid applied to printed surfaces for looks and protection.

Zipper
Plastic or plastic compostable zipper to close the pouch (mind we always advise to use a sealer to close the pouch 100%). 


Doypack
A doypack is also called a stand-up pouch and is characterized by the oval-shaped gusset at the bottom, which enables it to stand upright on its own. Because of this property, it has been very popular since its advent in the 1960s.