Why habit of documentation while working for pharma packaging is good

Though every packaging company should adopt the habit of documentation, but with pharma packaging companies this habit should be mandatory. There are number of reasons to support this statement. Pharmaceuticals are severely crucial product, hence anyone lying anywhere in the loop of manufacturing till supplying of medicines has extremely vital role.  

When packaging pharmaceuticals, there are several issues that have to be taken care of. For instance, information to be printed on the pack, shape, design, size, leaf lets, material types, and so on, which can be well maintained if listed in documents. Each type of medicine has its own requirements for information printing & packaging. Keeping a record of what client ask for can help printer know what things to be accomplish, what has been done so far and what is left.

When discussing with client next time, you can take those documents and refer them to inform them about latest developments. This also helps in managing time. Each requirement can be assigned specific time period by which the work has to be accomplished. This is a good way of fragmenting and distributing given time among each job and to accomplish the entire work within stipulated time period. 

You can make it more effective if you write the requirements of clients in front of them and get it confirmed at the initial level of conversation. This will help you build trust and show your professionalism to the clients. If you have yet not started it, start doing it from today and make it your regular practice.

Why to it is important to test pharmaceutical packages before final delivery

Be it any product, whether a food item, containers, or software, they are not produced to the users without cross checking their quality. When for these products testing is integral then how can we miss testing part for pharmaceutical packaging, which is practically one of the most vulnerable product? This is very logical because the significance of quality matters a lot for pharmaceutical packaging, as much as more than any product in the market. 

Medicines are packed sometimes in unit doses, in bottles and sometimes in tubes, depending on their forms. Most of the medicines, in fact all the medicines are likely to change their composition or chemical structure (in simpler terms their original form) when they come in contact of air or any other elements that can even turn medicine toxic and sometimes deadly. When doses are packed, it is quite possible that a source of leakage left accidentally in the package, after all machines may fail. 

The possibility of damage is not only exist while the packaging process but also during their transportation or handling. No matter if damage occurs during packaging or transportation, such accidents are not acceptable for pharmaceuticals and this is exactly where the role of testing comes into play. 

Testing of pharmaceutical packages is done in various ways. Products are tested for leakage, ability to survive bad handling, ability to resist pressure or weight, survive in adverse temperature, and several other bad conditions. To check their ability many different types of machineries and equipments are used. Such detailed testing of final packages ensures that the each pack is perfect to reach end users. Whereas testing a medicine pack before final delivery is important to resolve health concerns, it also helps build brand reputation of the manufacturers.

Why experience matters for pharmaceutical packaging

Look at around and you can spot several packaging companies claiming to provide industry standards services. But the question is – are they really that capable to offer the quality you are after? Probably, not all can actually keep up to your expectations at the top, especially when it comes to pharmaceutical packaging. While there are hundreds of big and small companies offering services for medicinal products, the matter of fact is that pharmaceutical packaging demands potential, skill, knowledge and experience, which cannot be expected from a small scale and inexperienced service provider.  

Drug products along with their packing are extremely sensitive and are entitled to many rules and regulation. Though the regulations vary from country to country but are strict everywhere and has to be respected by all medicine manufacturing companies. These rules are applied only after several rounds of successful tests, since they are made to protect the consumers from fatal consequences. Disobeying any of them can not only cause damage to the consumer but can also result into cancelling of your license. Therefore it is important that your service provider is well aware of the rules and regulations applicable on the drug products.

The other side of the story is that these rules are somewhere beneficial for the manufacturers too. If consumers get your product in its original and safe form, you will definitely expect good response. When planning to get one such service, make sure you contact an experience holder who ensures your product is launched in the market with safety, security and follow appropriate laws.

What does die cut means in printing press?

In printing industry various types of printing methods are used which not necessary always produce printed products. One of them is die cutting - though a part of printing method but does not involves ink and press machines. Instead it deals with machines that cut, score, stamp, emboss and deboss. 

Die cutting is a process of cutting pieces of paper out of paper sheets. The process use steel rules die which when applied to the paper sheet with required pressure cut out the piece in desire shape. This type of printing is used to produce greeting cards, wedding cards, business cards, designer boxes, and so on. Door-hangers, pocket folders and tabs are just other products which use die cut method.

Mostly, this printing process is applied when digital or offset printing press job is over. It can be called as a part of post press stage. To carry out this process a steel rule is required that has two different types of rules – one is cutting rule, to sharply cut the paper; two is scoring rule having round shape at the top to crease and fold the paper with ease and accuracy. After the cutting process is over, die cut pieces are separated from the rest of the sheet. 

Since, the process needs well experienced labor and special machineries, small scale printing companies often don’t include this into their services. In other case, even large scale companies don’t prefer to bear the burden of die cutting services as it is expensive to have those machines and next not all printing projects need die cutting. Hence, such projects are handed over to the third party having specialization in this method. So far it was not a wide spread service, but they are gradually becoming a part of services offered by printing press company.

What are the types of pharmaceutical packaging

Pharmaceutical packaging is extremely versatile in design and style. If you start looking for varieties you will find them endless. However, none of the design is unintentional. Each of them has some purposes to suit the medicine and its doses. Here are few basic types of pharmaceutical packaging used for tablets and capsules.

Bottles: Bottles are very common types of packaging for tablets and capsules. In early days, glass bottles were often used but today plastic bottles are more preferred, because of its non-breakable and non-reactive property. They are mostly available in dark color to protect the content from overexposure of light and heat. Still the bottles are see-through to allow patient faintly view the content inside. The bottles are tightly packed either with aluminium cap or plastic cap, depending on the type of content inside. This type of packaging is preferred for drugs that are mostly prescribed with doses on monthly basis. 

Blisters: Blister packs are also called bubble pack or unit pack. In this pack a plastic cardboard is laminated with aluminium or plastic sheet. Sometimes they are see-through and sometimes they are opaque. The choice of blister material depends on the type of content. This type of packaging is preferred for unit doses on weekly basis. The benefit of blister pack is that it is easier to keep track on number of doses consumed.

Foils: Foil packaging is a pure opaque pack that completely blocks the path of light. This is ideal for extra sensitive drugs. For this pharmaceutical packaging aluminium foils are used that laminated one after another with capsules/tablets in between. This is also a kind of unit packaging and are available in the pack of ten doses.

Types of printing & packaging

Packaging alone cannot meet the requirements of commercial market until and unless it is accompanied with printing part. Therefore, printing & packaging is together referred for commercial product and their types are categorized as per their handling, storage, shipment and product. Types of printing and packaging are categorized as follows:

1. Primary packaging: This is where product is enveloped and held with the material to give the primary layer of protection from external elements. This type of packaging is typically the smallest unit of distribution in which content is in direct contact with the packaging, like carton for fruit/flower packaging, bottles for liquid products and so on. Here, the packaging is labeled with precise and more direct information related with the content, expiry date, etc.
2. Secondary packaging: This comes next to the primary packaging. Basically it is used to group primary packages together. For instance, cartons for bottled/tube products, poly-bags for content, etc. Printing has major role in the form of leaf-lets. Secondary packaging is accompanied with additional leaflets or the information is printed directly on the pack, typically on the cartons or any outer material used for the purpose.   
3. Tertiary packaging: This is the one packaging which is used for bulk handling, transport shipping and warehouse storage. This also where the pack is printed with handling, storage and shipping information.

Typically all three types of packaging are used for commercial products. However, it is not necessary that all of them are together used for all products, yet printing part holds the importance in every step. 

Why you should know about the papers used in press

Selecting paper is the most primary and significant job in printing, no matter whether you want to print newsletters, business card, magazine or simply a brochure. Moreover, you should have a basic yet broad knowledge of papers for printing before you approach any printing shop. This is due to the reason that.. 

• There are different types of papers and

•  All papers cannot be the best for your job.

If you contact any large printer he will bring you a number of papers samples and will ask you to select the one that you like or find suitable for project. That might include paper types such as Text grade, Bond grade, Cover grade, Bristol grade, Index grade and Newsprint grade. Similarly he may ask you about your choice for finishes like….

• Matte-coated paper
• Glossy paper
• Dull-coated paper
• Antique paper
• Vellum paper
• Felt paper
• Linen paper
• Wove paper
• Smooth paper
• Laid paper
• Parchment paper

Each of them is different in weight, texture and brightness, and hence are meant for different purposes. So until and unless you know about each of them and their purpose you may not make the right choice, resulting into undesired result. To avoid any such outcome do your home work properly and gather as many information about the printing press papers as you can. This will help you have an idea about what to choose for what job. Though printer will surely help you in making decision, yet it is better be well knowledge about the services you want to avail.