Ball Baltimore Sales

Digital Printing

Welcome to the modern era of metal decorating! Ball Aerosol & Specialty Container’s digital printing process is the state of the art for producing customized, highly-decorated metal tins in economic order quantities. As a result, packaging creativity is no longer reserved exclusively for customers purchasing tins by the truckload.

In order to speed your order, we have prepared this list of Frequently Asked Questions to guide you through the process.

Digital Printing FAQ

How does Xccelerate™ Digital Printing work?

Unlike conventional offset (analog) printing, which is designed for large order quantities, digital printing is designed to eliminate the non-value added cost and associated lead time of printing plates. While analog printing is still cost effective for large orders, digital printing technology offers exciting customization capabilities previously unavailable with metal packaging. As with conventional offset printing, the Xccelerate™ pre-press process is fully digital. Artwork is designed on Adobe® Illustrator® software or similar graphic arts software. However, unlike conventional offset printing, this digital file isn't used to create color separations and burn printing plates. Instead, the digital file is ripped and sent to a Print PC, a specialized computer which serves as the driver for the digital printing press. The digital printing press uses ‘Piezoelectric, Drop-On-Demand inkjet technology.’ In short, the digital printing press is able to interpret a computer-based digital artwork file (rip file) and jet ink directly onto the steel substrate. Immediately after application, the ink is cured using ultraviolet (UV) light. The process reduces the air emissions and utility costs typically associated with offset printing and solvent inks. As the metal sheet is decorated prior to fabrication, Ball has developed proprietary technology which guarantees ink adhesion to the metal substrate. Following the printing operation, the decorated flat sheets are processed into finished product using the same technologies used with analog lithography.

I would like pricing for an Xccelerate™ digitally printed tin. Who can I contact to discuss this project?

Please call Customer Service at (888) 619 - 1795. Someone will be happy to explain the benefits of Xccelerate™ and generate a quote based upon you requirements.

I am ready to prepare my designs. How should artwork be formatted?

As the majority of graphic artists develop in Adobe® software, Xccelerate™ digital printing is compatible with the following formats: .eps Adobe® Illustrator® Vector-Based Files .tiff Adobe® Photoshop® Raster-Based Files Please do not provide artwork files as PDF documents. (These files are typically compressed and the output resolution may be compromised.) Files should be developed in CMYK format The required resolution is 300x300 dpi at 1:1 output scale Black text will appear strongest when built from: 60% Cyan 40% Magenta 40% Yellow 100% Black Text fonts may be included in either of the two methods listed below: As a Collected Fonts Folder, or As an Adobe® Illustrator® EPS file with Embedded Fonts

Can I fill food or cosmetic products inside digitally-printed cans?

Ball's Baltimore Plant manufactures tins for the food and pharmaceutical industry, following the requisite Best Manufacturing Practices. Plain electrolytic tinplate, side seam stripe and compound sealing materials are approved for food contact under Title 21 CFR § 175.300. Additionally, lubricants used in the manufacture of decorative tins are USDA H1 approved and also meet the FDA requirements defined under Title 21 CFR § 178.3570. However, for specific instances where products come in direct contact with the top curled surface of a decorative tin, a secondary barrier must be employed.

Can I print my design on plain tinplate?

Certainly! Designs printed on plain tinplate will have a metallic appearance. My design features areas where the background white is 'reversed out.' Why do the white areas appear to have slightly more gloss than the CMYK printed areas? In order to reduce the time required to process your order, we digitally print on white pre-coated stock metal sheets. While these white sheets are specially coated to enhance the digital printing process, there is a slight difference in gloss level between the white coating and the digital ink.

Can I spot print white on plain tin?

Not at this time.

Can I print PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM® spot colors?

The Xccelerate™ system currently employs eight process colors to reproduce your artwork. Printing with PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM® spot colors is currently not available. However, with the PANTONE® color bridge™ solid to process guide, you can find a process approximation of your PMS spot color. The PANTONE® color bridge™ guide is available online at www.pantone.com or by phone at (888) PAN-TONE.

How can I visualize the final product?

We will happily provide a metal proof that has been produced on our digital printing press - the same press that will produce your order!

My design features barcodes and small character fonts. How can I format these elements for improved appearance?

The printed appearance of small characters can be improved through the following measures: For most font styles, a minimum size of 10pt is acceptable. Digitally printed characters smaller than 10pt may be hard to read. Characters ‘reversed out’ of the background should be a minimum size of 12pt. Boldfacing smaller font sizes will also help with readability of ‘reversed out’ characters. Apply caution when using Script fonts as they may be hard to read. Printed text clarity and the barcode scanning performance are improved when designs adhere to specific orientation recommendations: The barcode should be a minimum 100% symbol. When viewing printed text in the correct orientation, the barcode lines should form a picket fence orientation. Barcodes can be printed with a ladder orientation, but the text clarity of small fonts may be compromised.

I have never developed artwork for a tin before. Where should I place my graphics?

Please follow the guidelines on the template drawings. These layouts illustrate the positioning for text and graphics. The final artwork should be developed to the exact size of the template. For tin bodies, the template size is the overall size of the body blank. For tin covers and bottoms, the artwork should extend to the touching circle. For final art delivery please place artwork in the “your artwork here” layer of the Adobe ® Illustrator® template. Please keep all other layers intact and save file as an EPS with the “Embed Fonts” option checked.

I have an artwork development question. Is there an Xccelerate™ help line?

Yes! Please route all graphic arts questions through our artwork coordinator, Larie Gallagher, at (800) 226-6490 extension 7118.

Wow! That was simple. Now how do I send my final design to Ball?

In order to guarantee data integrity, Ball prefers to receive graphics files via recordable media in either CD or DVD format. Please save final art in the Adobe® Illustrator® EPS template with fonts embedded. Don’t forget to include any placed Raster-Based Files in Adobe ® Photoshop® TIFF file format. Please include the following when mailing your CD/DVD data disk: Contact information A sample paper proof (to verify graphic content, not color)

Where do I send the package?

Please send the completed development package to: Ball Aerosol & Specialty Container Attn: Larie Gallagher, Artwork Coordinator 1101 Todd’s Lane Baltimore, MD 21237 (410) 682-7118