UPDATE 1-Nampak says FY headline EPS down 4 pct

* Trading income down 13.7 pct

* Investing 2 bln rand in new projects

* Sees better trading but higher finance costs

(Adds details)

JOHANNESBURG, Nov 21 (Reuters) - South African packaging firm Nampak Ltd (NPKJ.J) posted a 4 percent fall in full-year headline earnings per share on Friday, in line with its own forecast, and said higher tax and finance costs would offset any recovery in trading.

The company said revenue in the year to end September rose 8.5 percent to 18,457.5 billion rand ($1,732 billion) but trading income before abnormal items fell 13.7 percent to 1.537 billion rand.

Shares in Nampak rose 1.16 percent to 12.26 rand bt 1221 GMT, slightly lagging a stronger Johannesburg All-share index .

Headline EPS -- the main profit gauge in South Africa which strips out certain one-off, financial and non-trading items, fell 3.9 percent to 177.3 cents.

The company, which is investing 2 billion rand in new projects to spur growth, said it expected to see an improvement in trading income looking ahead but that would be erased by higher interest costs and tax charges.

Nampak said earlier this month it expected full-year headline EPS to fall by as much as 6 percent and predicted trading income would fall 10-15 percent. (Reporting by Rebecca Harrison)