Ball

Cans are printed using spot colours carefully matched to a customer specified target.

The brilliance of the metal in combination with special inks give your can design a premium look.

colour guidelines

interact here
colour targets

take a look
basecoat
& over - varnish

take a look
how it’s made: ink
for cans

watch the video
special finishes

take a shortcut

Colour guidelines - overview

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The process used to print cans is called “Dry-offset letterpress”. This means that all colours are transferred via printing plates to one common blanket. The blanket transfers all the ink for your design in one rotation to the can.

During the printing process all colours are wet. After printing the cans travel through an oven where the inks are cured.
Colour guidelines – spot colours

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In the dry-offset letterpress process it is not possible to print using CMYK inks. Colours used in this process are referred to as “spot” colours. Spot colours are matched to a customer supplied target during the pre-production process.

It is not possible to create a third colour using two colours printed on top of each other.
Colour guidelines – ink stations

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The maximum number of colours available to print your design depends on the number of ink stations available on the can decorator. The number of ink stations vary by plant and by can size: the minimum number of colours available in Ball is five, the maximum number is eight (excluding the substrate). We recommend you to reference the What’s available section on this website for more information on colour availability for each of our can sizes.
Colour guidelines – large area of colour

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A large surface covered by the same colour has to be split over two ink stations.
Colour guidelines – screen & solid

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Solid colour & screen in the same colour has to be split over two ink stations
Colour guidelines – text & block of colour

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Fine text and an area of the same solid colour has to be split over two ink stations

colourTargets
Colour targets - reference guide

Colour targets – ink transparency
Every colour on your design has to be specified by a clear colour target. This target can be anything from the colour of a bottle label or a cardboard pack, to the colour of your car.

The most common used target reference is the Pantone Formula Guide (solid coated). During the design development process take some time to consider the shade for each of the colours on your design and find the corresponding reference number in the Pantone Formula Guide. Communicate the Pantone reference numbers for each of the colours as well as your key brand colours as part of your artwork to Ball.

During the reproduction process Ball matches the ink to print your design to the specified target.

If your target is on white paper we will show you an interpretation of your reference colour on the metal substrate as part of the approval process. Due to the metal substrate the colour will always be slightly different from the original target as the metal reflects the colour different than white paper.

Target on white background

Interpretation of colour on metal

It is possible to achieve special effects for your can-design using different ink transparency. Using a transparent version of a colour allows the metal to reflect which gives your design a premium appearance. When using a more opaque version of an ink the illusion is created of the colour printed on a white background. It is possible to combine various transparencies for an ink on your design. It just means that every different ink takes up its own ink station in the decorator.

Opaque ink

Semi Transparent ink

Transparent ink

It is important to consider the graphic elements for which you are choosing the colour. Some examples:

colour for text should present a good contrast to the colour of the background to ensure readability

illustrations benefit from using opaque inks to stop the metal reflection

pictures or screens / vignettes benefit sometimes from using transparent inks

If opacity is important to you, supply the information for each of the colours to Ball together with your artwork. If no information is received our standard operating procedure states that our experts decide the best opacity for each of the colours on your design.

If you require advice on colour and ink transparency just contact Ball during the development of your design. Our colour / ink experts are ready to help you.
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substrates

ink
opacity
colourBasecoatAndOverVarnish

Basecoat

Ball Europe has the possibility to apply a basecoat to the cans prior to printing. The most common used basecoat is white.

The coating is applied evenly around the can and forms the base colour for the design. It is not possible to apply the basecoat only underneath certain design elements.

The shade of a colour printed on a white coated can appears opaque. The reflection of the metal on a can no longer appears. Gold and silver colours which benefit from the reflection of the metal also appear opaque on white coated cans.

Contact your local Ball sales team for the latest information for basecoat availability and prices.

Metalic base

White basecoat

Over varnish

As soon as the design is printed on the can a layer of over-varnish is applied to the can-surface. This protects the inks and provides the can with a layer of the same consistency. It also aids mobility on the transportation systems of the production lines.

The over-varnish can also be used to provide your can with a special finish to create a premium look and feel to your brand.

For more information refer to the Special finishes section on this website.

Colours

Colour is important to define your brand identity.

One main advantage in can printing is that cans are printed using spot colours. Spot colours, referencing a customer defined target, are matched during the pre-production process. Try to take the beautiful shine of the metal into account and use it to create the special appearance of your design on a can.

In this section we guide you through colour selection for your design and give you an idea on how to create your design using our special finishes.

colour guidelines

colour targets

basecoat& over - varnish

how it’s made: inkfor cans

special finishes

Colour guidelines - overview

Colour guidelines – spot colours

Colour guidelines – ink stations

Colour guidelines – large area of colour

Colour guidelines – screen & solid

Colour guidelines – text & block of colour

Colour targets - reference guide

Colour targets – ink transparency

Basecoat

Over varnish

Colours

basecoat
& over - varnish

how it’s made: ink
for cans