The packaging marketplace has a clear need for more functionality in barrier technologies that can provide varying degrees of preservation and protection for many substrates used in food and other packaging. Packaging products need to deliver enhanced shelf life, as well as sustainable, recyclable, metal-free and waste-reducing solutions. Traditional structures of glass, tin and foil are often seen as formidable barriers but, like all barrier technologies, have their disadvantages. Weight is considered a limiting factor for many of these substrates. A new approach replaces current barrier technology with printable barrier coatings.