Funny Printing Words: "Converter"

Perhaps you have heard the term "converter" and immediately thought of the device that interprets inches, miles, and pounds to its metric equivalents. Or maybe you thought of that clunky device under your car that, hopefully, changes toxic emissions from your car into less toxic fumes into the atmosphere. And still, there are plenty of other definitions in everyday life.

But in the printing world, there is yet another definition of "converter" and International Label & Printing is known to be such an operation. Today you will learn how flat rolls of label material are converted into rolls of die-cut labels and stickers for your products.

A "converter" is a company that specializes in modifying or combining raw materials such as polyesters, adhesives, silicone, adhesive tapes, foams, plastics, felts, rubbers, liners, and metals, as well as other materials, to create new products. Materials such as paper, plastic film, foil, and cloth are often produced in long, continuous sheets rolled up for more convenient handling and transportation. These rolls of material vary significantly in size and weight — ranging from 2–203 inches (5–516 cm) wide and weighing as much as several tons. The converting industry takes these continuous rolls of thin, flat materials — known as webs — and threads them through processing machines (such as printing presses, laminating, coating, and slitting machines) and converts or changes the web of material into an intermediate form or final product. For example, a converter’s equipment might take a web of plastic film, cut it into lengths, and fuse its edges, thus converting it into plastic bags. This activity is known as web processing. (Source: Wikipedia)