Innovative Technology | Micro-nano hot stamping can actually solve so many cigarette pack printing problems, the results are amazing!

Technological innovation drives industry transformation. In the current progression of the printing industry toward green, digital, intelligent, and integrated development-the 'four modernizations'-various new technologies are emerging one after another, and new products are continuously being launched. Printing companies are actively preparing to compete, striving to create their own 'gold-mining tools.' It can be said that technological innovation has become the most prominent slogan and the brightest symbol of our era. To this end, we have launched the [Innovation Technology] column, aiming to disseminate leading technology and guide industry development. In the development of new cigarette packaging products, stamping is an important process for improving product quality. Stamping the main text and logos is particularly critical in packaging processing, adding the finishing touch. Traditional stamping processes, such as flat stamping or embossing, make it difficult to integrate decorative patterns with text and logos, often appearing bland. Micro-nano stamping can transform text and logo graphics, creating rich textures and reflective effects, significantly enhancing the quality of the entire cigarette pack.Micro-nano stamping involves transferring stamping foil onto printed surfaces using a metal plate with optical-grade patterns to create high-precision graphic images. These high-precision graphics reach the micro-nano level, offering advantages such as high accuracy, brightness, anti-counterfeiting capability, and low cost. Because micro-nano stamping employs a two-step process-stamping first, pressing second-to replicate high-precision graphics, the manufacturing of micro-nano structured stamping plates is particularly important.Traditional stamping plate manufacturing mainly uses physical engraving and chemical etching methods. Due to process limitations, a 0.03mm embossed plate represents the mechanical processing limit, making it difficult to accurately reproduce fine graphics. Micro-nano stamping plates use laser technology to create patterns with microstructures on special metal plates. These optical-structured graphics can achieve effects such as relief, platinum, laser, and Fresnel lenses through different microstructures. The graphics are versatile, allowing for richer expressions and making main text and logos more refined, elevating product grade and enhancing anti-counterfeiting functions.In this article, the author briefly shares the practical applications of micro-nano stamping by outlining several key problems that micro-nano stamping addresses in new cigarette pack development.Solving the problem of text and logo texture in stampingUsually, main text and logos are processed mainly through stamping, primarily embossing, which provides a strong metallic texture and three-dimensional effect, clearly highlighting the brand concept. Typically, the size of individual characters on cigarette pack main text and logos is about 1cm, with line thickness around 1mm. However, the stamping plate processing method limits precision, and even embossed plates offer little room for improvement. Micro-nano stamping plates provide micro-nano level precision, allowing patterns or textures to be added to main text and logos, such as relief, platinum, or lens-like photolithography effects, making the text brighter, more transparent, more three-dimensional, and more sophisticated. In Figure 1, the main text 'Cloud Premium (Medium)' on the cigarette pack is produced using micro-nano stamping, with text line thickness of 0.5mm, employing Fresnel relief photolithography technology to present an outstanding sense of relief and transparency.

Figure 1: Micro-Nano Hot Stamping Embossing Effect of the Main Text on the 'Cloud (Medium)' Cigarette Pack

Solving the Alignment Issue of Aluminum-Plated Holographic Paper

A commonly used material in the development and production of new cigarette packs is aluminum-plated holographic paper. The main text can achieve a hot stamping effect through printing first and then embossing. With the application of photolithography technology in the packaging industry, photolithographic positioning paper has become popular, and the combination of photolithographic patterns and printed overprint has become a common process for products. However, in actual production, issues such as stretching deformation during mold pressing, unstable paper cutting, and paper deformation during printing often lead to misalignment of the main text and Logo. By using micro-nano hot stamping for the text and Logo, it is possible to achieve three-dimensional embossing effects, solving the issue of precise alignment in production. In Figure 2, on the 'Liqun (Zun Medium)' cigarette pack, the main text 'Liqun' and the English text are overprinted using micro-nano hot stamping combined with a photolithographic base pattern, achieving accurate alignment and a strong embossed text effect.

Figure 2: The main 'Liqun' text on the 'Liqun (Zun Zhong branch)' cigarette pack shows the micro-nano hot stamping embossed effect.Solving the cost issue of holographic positioning hot stamping.Traditional holographic positioning hot stamping patterns are created by photolithography molding into holographic hot stamping films, which are then transferred onto the surface of printed products using an equal-step principle. Although positioning hot stamping has always been favored by consumers for its aesthetic and anti-counterfeiting properties, the cost remains high. Additionally, precise alignment in positioning hot stamping is limited by equipment accuracy and deformation of the stamping film itself. In the new tobacco bidding environment, how can companies meet customer needs while reducing costs and improving efficiency?Micro-nano hot stamping is undoubtedly a powerful solution, capable of ensuring high-quality products while addressing cost issues, and it can even partially replace holographic positioning hot stamping. Micro-nano hot stamping achieves this replacement in two steps: first, using a standard metallized aluminum film for flat stamping, then applying micro-nano plates to emboss the patterns and images. Micro-nano hot stamping can perform flat stamping followed by reverse pressing on dual units, producing embossing, platinum, and laser effects, and it also allows for precise alignment.Therefore, using ordinary metallized aluminum film with micro-nano hot stamping can replicate the effects of holographic positioning hot stamping. The process is simple, the equipment requirements are low, and it effectively reduces the cost of holographic positioning hot stamping. In Figure 3, the 'Golden Leaf (Tianxiang)' cigarette pack uses micro-nano hot stamping to replace holographic positioning hot stamping, achieving embossed and shimmering effects in images while enabling 1:1 precise alignment.

Figure 3: Micro-Nano Foil Stamping (Combination of Embossing and Fine Lines) Effect on "Golden Leaf (Tianxiang)" Cigarette PackSolving the Material Issue of Stamping Before PrintingCigarette pack substrates can generally be simply divided into aluminum-coated paper and non-aluminum-coated paper. As the tobacco industry continues to demand higher quality and grade for packaging, combining photolithography technology with packaging materials and customizing photolithography paper has become a trend in the development of some new products. Photolithography patterns combined with offset printing can express patterns in multiple dimensions, especially through the use of embossing and lenticular effects, which can create a strong sense of depth and visual impact. Aluminum-coated paper can directly have photolithography patterns embossed on it, and UV embossing can improve paper registration accuracy. However, during the development of new cigarette packaging products, dealing with high-lightness colors such as white or bright yellow is problematic, as aluminum-coated paper often cannot prevent grayish tones even when a white base is applied. Non-aluminum-coated paper, especially white card stock and medium paper, cannot achieve the effects that aluminum-coated paper can.Micro-nano foil stamping can achieve a metallic texture for localized photolithography patterns. On non-aluminum-coated paper, using micro-nano foil stamping to achieve the effects that aluminum-coated paper would present involves stamping the photolithography pattern onto the paper using a micro-nano plate first and then registering the color 1:1 with offset printing. This approach maintains the brightness of the base color while allowing localized patterns to be more refined, with clearer and more vivid detail reproduction.In Figure 4, the large leaf on the "Golden Leaf (Tianye Soft)" cigarette pack uses micro-nano foil stamping combined with KMY three-color printing. Stamping is done before printing, creating a vivid and embossed effect for the large golden leaf.

Figure 4: 'Golden Leaf (Tianye Soft)' cigarette pack large-leaf micro-nano hot stamping and KMY three-color printing effectsSolving the anti-counterfeiting issueHot stamping can be divided into two types according to the method of transferring the image information layer: one is the transfer of the graphic image information layer on the hot stamping film, and the other is the transfer of the graphic image information by copying from the stamping plate. The process of transferring the graphic image information layer on the hot stamping film involves transferring the graphic image information onto a hot stamping film with a release layer through photolithography-coating-embossing, and then thermally transferring it onto paper using the stamping plate. This method is limited by photolithography equipment and produces relatively simple effects.Micro-nano hot stamping primarily involves the replicated transfer of graphic image information from micro-nano plates. By combining, splicing, and overlaying the plates, multiple microscopic structures are created to showcase the image's texture, layering, and visual effect. Therefore, multiple processing methods of micro-nano plates become the technical core of micro-nano plates.For example, in the micro-nano plate manufacturing process, special microscopic structures processed by precision milling can be integrated with photolithography effects. By varying materials and directions of light reflection, the image contrast is stronger, the layers more enriched, and the anti-counterfeiting effect enhanced. In Figure 5, the crown uses multiple photolithography technologies combined, such as embossed borders, pearl micro-lenses, and tiny laser dots, making the overall appearance more magnificent and with extremely high anti-counterfeiting capability. In Figure 6, the Yunyan Ruyi pattern combines Philine embossed photolithography technology with CNC machining technology, presenting different optical microscopic structures on the same plate. The strong material contrast achieves excellent anti-counterfeiting effect.

Figure 5 Crown micro-nano hot stamping (embossed, lens, fragmented dots)

Figure 6 Yunyan Micro-Nano Hot Stamping (Phenyl Relief Lithography CNC Machining)Micro-nano hot stamping represents a new method of hot stamping that enhances the delicacy of text and logo embossing. It not only resolves registration issues during production but also offers significant advantages in terms of cost and anti-counterfeiting. Furthermore, micro-nano hot stamping requires high performance from both the stamping film and its applicability. Therefore, during the stamping process, different stamping films should be selected according to the surface being stamped to ensure that the micro-nano hot stamping is "flat and glossy," and to successfully replicate the complete microstructures during the back-pressure process, achieving high-quality embossing. Micro-nano hot stamping involves the interdisciplinary integration of graphic image processing, optics, materials chemistry, and CNC machining, providing substantial room for technical exploration in each step. With the continuous improvement in lifestyle quality, people's expectations for packaging quality are increasingly high, and micro-nano hot stamping is expected to be applied more widely in new products.