Welcome to International Coatings’ First Quarterly Newsletter

2007 marks our 50th Anniversary in the Screen Printing industry and with it we are introducing many exciting new products!  This year we are taking a more active approach to keep you, our valuable distributors, informed about what is happening at International Coatings.  Our quarterly newsletter will feature new product offerings, printing tips, additions to our IC family, and much more.
So read on!  We have a lot of news to share with you.

Our New Optilux® Reflectives Line Rocked at FESPA!

At the recent FESPA trade show in Berlin, Germany, the MHM Group demonstrated the workings of their printing machines using our new Color Systems’ Low-Cure, Phthalate-Free plastisol inks and Optilux® Reflective ink on two unique designs created by artist Denny Karchner. Our reflective ink contains actual micro glass beads designed to reflect light like a mirror, so it makes Optilux® the brightest reflective ink on the market. A “black box” mounted at our booth with various prints featuring Optilux® direct prints and transfers placed inside it became an instant hit with customers, as they could really see the reflectivity of the product when a flashlight beam bounced off the designs.

New 7900 Low-Cure Inks Allows Printing on Specialty Fabrics; Conserves Energy

International Coatings premiered its new line of low-cure inks at FESPA. Curing at 275º F (135º C), this product can save you up to 20% on energy bills.  The new products are part of our UltraMix® Color System line which can be mixed and blended to simulate Pantone® colors.  In addition, the ink is Phthalate-free and low-bleed.  A winning combination!

There’s No Limit to What You Can Do With FOREVER Transfer Paper

International Coatings’ new line of FOREVER transfer paper is truly amazing on dark backgrounds.  The opacity and brightness of color will astound you.  FOREVER is a leader in quality and innovation on transfer papers. At the recent FESPA trade show, we were able to hear from FOREVER customers first hand how the transfer stood up to 20+ washings without loosing its color. We carry a variety of transfer paper to meet your needs.  Whether you are printing on light or dark backgrounds, use laser or ink-jet printers, color copiers, or even sublimation inks, we have the right paper for you! In addition, FOREVER also makes papers for transfer on hard surfaces and cold transfer products.  Check out our selection here.

Introducing Our New Cotton White

What is so special about our new Cotton White that it needs a special premiere?  After all, all our whites are known in the industry for superior coverage and quality….

The new Cotton White is also a high pigment, creamy viscosity ink.  It excels in performance and coverage, but best of all, it is also very economical in price.  Hurray to an outstanding value!

IC Inks in Demand

At several workshops held at FESPA, printing guru Charlie Taublieb chose some of International Coatings’ inks to teach a number of special effects techniques. For example, he mixed our 156 Shimmer effect ink with our Optilux® reflective ink and printed T-shirts that sparkled! (See the difference in brightness when light strikes the print in the top picture left.) Charlie also demonstrated a special effect technique using our High Density ink and a brush.  The striated effect it created was spectacular!  In another workshop, he used our 3808 adhesive product and sprinkled caviar beads for a very 3-dimensional effect.  For more on Charlie, visit his website at www.TaubliebConsulting.com.

Charlie Taublieb Presents: Industry Trends

 

This is Charlie Taublieb and I’ll be a regular writer for this newsletter.  I’ll be writing about trends and items of interest that address the textile screen printer.

I’m writing this article from Istanbul, Turkey after having worked with several screen printers here that cater to the European market.  One of the big things here now, and has been for a while, is working with phthalate-free inks.  Fortunately, in the US, we don’t have to concern ourselves with these.  I’m not sure what phthalates are, but it seems that Europe always has something that they feel needs to be addressed or changed and this is one of those.  Prior to this, Europe was asking for PVC Free inks, which it isn’t as much any more.  Now, they have phthalate free.  What was interesting to me in talking to one of the best printers here, was the loophole that he pointed out that said something like “if the ink isn’t available as a phthalate free, PVC free ink, it’s OK to use a standard plastisol”.

As far as printer’s trends, they are not that different than some of the fashion trends in the US.  High density and special effect inks are still being used as well as a lot of water-based inks.  The nice thing about water-based inks is they can be ironed; otherwise, nothing that I see as a special advantage.   Other trends I see are garments with sewn- on additions, with prints that are off-center and printed over part of the sewn-on pieces.  Patches and prints over seams and anything else that can make a garment look like it’s similar to the others in the run, but not exactly the same.  Some are printed with water based inks while others are not. 

I’ll be reporting on more trends in my next segment.

Please feel free to e-mail me any technical questions or others you have and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Thank you,
Charlie Taublieb
drprint@aol.com
Member: Academy of Screen Printing Technology

Looking Forward to Seeing You at SGIA

Please stop by our booth at this year’s upcoming SGIA show in Orlando, Florida.  The show will take place October 24 – 27, 2007, and our booth location is 956.

Besides new displays, we will be featuring a live demo of FOREVER digital transfer papers as well as a live demo of some screen printing effects at our booth.  Don’t miss this opportunity to see all that’s new at IC.

IC Spotlight

We are pleased to announce that Juke Leman has joined the company as Marketing Director.  Juke will be based in Cerritos and will lead all of our marketing activities. She brings to International Coatings considerable experience in marketing, sales, and brand management.

Juke can be reached at: (562) 926-1010 x 347, or via e-mail at JLeman@iccink.com.  Please feel free to contact her with any marketing-related inquiries