ABSTRACT
The fastest growing packaging forms in the world are now, and will be for some time to come, made from flexible materials.
So versatile are papers, films, and foils that new types and combinations of types are continuously being developed. The choices are further complicated by the many ways in which such combinations of materials, adhesives, and coatings can be made to alter and enhance the properties of the basic materials. It is a truism that no single material can provide all of the requirements for all products. Hence, the continuing effort to improve strength, barrier properties to moisture and oxygen, flavor retention, odor resistance, heat-sealability, scuff protection, and machinability (by reducing surface friction and blocking). How these improvements are achieved is the subject of this chapter.
