Fathom Optics for Shorter Print Runs

Holographic foils and lenticular lens sheets are established methods for introducing moving colour and dynamic effects to product labelling. But what happens when the label print run is too small to justify the start up costs of these methods? Fathom Optics thinks they have the solution.

In the craft beer business, competition for shelf space and consumers’ attention is fierce, so imaginative, impactful labelling is hugely important for a small, independent brewery such as Iowa craft beer producer Confluence Brewery. In the case of Confluence’s ‘Wizard’ ale, the branding of the label opened all sorts of creative possibilities for a colourful, moving 3D image that would capture shoppers’ attention as they walk by, and further engage them as they pick up the can and rotate to explore the image further.

Confluence worked with cdesign agency 818 Iowa, who created the original design, to enhance the most characteristic features of the label – the wizard, staff and orb. To make the design into a reality, Confluence turned to its established print and label supplier, Grace Label – one of the oldest and largest regional converters in the Midwest US, operating as a full-service supplier that handles every step of the design-to-delivery process.

Short label print run

Traditionally, such an effect is achieved using either holographic foils or lenticular lenses, but the short label print run made both these options too expensive.

Coincidentally, John Martin, owner and founder of Confluence is a family friend of Tom Baran, CEO of Fathom Optics, who, along with his co-founder Matt Hirsch, was marketing their new approach to packaging embellishment, Fathom Effects. The technology came out of the partners’ PhD work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The visual effects on the ‘Wizard label’ appear to be on three different levels: text and graphics on the label surface, a ‘Northern Lights’-type effect seemingly moving within the can itself, and finally, at the top of the wizard’s staff, a rotating orb that appears to emerge from the surface of the label.

‘The idea behind Fathom Effects is software-based, not materials science-based,’ explains Tom. ‘The foundation of it is to take large-scale computational algorithms and use them to change the way materials interact with light. We compute complex interference patterns that can be printed on the front and back surfaces of film. They’re not interference patterns, like in holograms, but signal interference, as in moiré.’

Although the technology behind Fathom seems relatively complex, adding the special effects in the print works is quite straightforward. Designers simply drop files into Fathom Designer, a free online tool, where they assign motion and depth effects which can be previewed and shared with other stakeholders.

After two years of making the technology robust enough for long flexo runs, Tom and Matt settled on primary labels, shrink sleeves and product authentication as their principal markets.

Says Matt: ‘we realised there are brands wanting totally custom packaging appeal but for whom the traditional holographic and lenticular solutions are too expensive. We differ in that we deliver 1-bit TIFF files to production sites – unlike holographic foil, where if you want a customized design, you have to order a truckload of film. On shrink sleeves, for example, with Fathom Effects there’s no additional cost – you’re just printing both sides of the film.’ 

KODAK FLEXCEL NX System

Crucial to the success of the ‘Wizard’ project was the KODAK FLEXCEL NX System, which Grace Label installed in 2011. ‘With the ability to hold a dot and sharpen an image, it was like getting a brand-new press on some levels,’ recalls Steve Grace. ‘The plates last longer, we set up faster, dial in colour faster, and reduce our wastage.’ 

The team at Fathom Optics were also happy that the KODAK FLEXCEL NX System was to be used on the Wizard project. ‘When we realised Grace was a FLEXCEL NX Plate user we were delighted,’ says Tom. ‘We’d already experienced good things with the technology, getting incredibly regular and consistent results. Compared to other systems we’ve worked with where variables come into play, it’s one cohesive system, so you know what you’re going to get.’ 

Although the print run for the Wizard project was relatively short, Fathom Effects is also gaining traction with larger brands, simply because it’s a software-based technology. ‘Large multinational consumer product groups often don’t want to get into new things because the qualification process for a new material can take months, even years,’ said Tom.

‘But because our technology uses the same substrates, inks and flexo presses, no qualification process is required, and they can get to market faster. And, as we’re not adding a dissimilar material, like a lenticular lens or a hologram, there’s a sustainability advantage because recycling or reuse is easier. All these factors add a whole new level of acceptance.’