Beer Bottle Labels Get Smart
Staff -- graphic arts online, 6/1/2007
Not sure the beer is cold? Read the label. Hallcrest, a manufacturer of temperature-sensitive inks and promotional products, worked with Molson Coors Brewing Company to produce beer bottle labels that change color based on temperature. When introduced to cold, the label changes from white to blue (shown) to indicate the beer is ice cold. The label is now the centerpiece of Coors' 2007 national marketing campaign.
The label was printed with Hallcrest's Thermostar ink. The ink is formulated using Thermographic Measurements' ChromaZone pigments. The ink color on a printed item changes as the temperature rises above the response threshold of the thermochromic ink, and then it reverses back to its original color when the temperature falls below the response level. The inks contain micro-encapsulated thermochromic liquid crystals.
Like standard inks, ChromaZone inks are customized to a specific printing process and final application. www.hallcrest.com, www.chromazone.co.uk
