The advantages of digital printing for your packaging:
With competitive price and timely delivery, uprintingplus sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.
- Speed & Agility: Digital printing slashes set-up times and enables swift updates, making it ideal for quick, customized product launches.
- Personalization Powerhouse: Leverages variable data printing for customized, engaging packaging designs that resonate on a personal level with consumers.
- Cost-Effective for Smaller Runs: Saves on set-up costs and avoids large minimum order requirements, benefiting small to medium-sized businesses.
- Enhanced Brand Protection: Incorporating unique anti-counterfeiting features with digital printing safeguards your brand integrity.
- Eco-Friendly Innovation: Digital printing minimizes waste and emissions, aligning with sustainability goals through efficient, small-batch production.
Brand owners regularly look for ways to innovate, including how they produce their packaging. With recent technological developments, digital printing has become a powerful addition to more traditional printing options, among other packaging trends.
While traditional printing methods remain standard throughout the packaging industry, and for good reason, digital methods come with several undeniable advantages.
What Is Traditional Printing?
Traditional printing methods, such as offset lithography ('offset") and flexography ("flexo"), involve multiple make-ready steps to transfer an original image to a substrate. These methods require the production of a series of plates mounted on a cylinder to transfer ink that forms the desired image when combined on paperboard and other packaging materials.
Plates, labor, and machine setup is costly for small runs, but efficient when producing larger orders. These methods also enable you to add intricate decorative touches to your folding cartons and packaging such as specialty inks, laminates and coatings, embossing/debossing, spot UV printing, hot foil stamping, and inline cold foil stamping.
It's the quality and cost-effectiveness over medium to large volumes that make offset printing the industry standard. However, the possibilities of digital printing give your brand more options for its packaging.
The Benefits of Digital Printing for Packaging
In contrast to traditional methods, digital printing has taken off in recent years and continues to expand in capabilities.
Provides for faster turnaround. Bypassing much of the heavy set-up time demanded by traditional printing, the simplified process also enables easy updates. Printers change a digital file in a matter of clicks instead of manufacturing a new plate for offset printing.
Digital printing is best suited for small to medium print runs, which means it can be a preferred method if you're introducing new or customized products on a much faster timeline.
While digital printing is a viable option for most short-run print jobs'special occasions, prototyping, or other considerations'its modern capabilities really show in fast turnarounds.
Makes the most of variable data printing. Being able to customize packaging through variable data printing has opened up new opportunities for you to engage with your customers in more personalized ways. Digital printing, with fewer moving pieces, is more agile than offset in this regard.
You can produce folding cartons to celebrate special occasions, say thank you to loyal customers, or design packaging specific to particular regions. It's a way to blend your packaging and marketing strategies.
Saves on costs for low- and medium-volume runs. Reduced set-up time saves money on the front end. And since these are not massive bulk orders, smaller businesses can afford to print without having to meet the higher and more expensive print thresholds of traditional printing.
Implements anti-counterfeiting. Digital printing helps protect your brand against counterfeiting by incorporating overt and covert solutions on your packaging. Digital inks can produce unique marks or microtext that are quite impossible to replicate.
Increases sustainability. Advancements in technology mean digital printing produces both less waste and lower emissions, including the Heidelberg Speedmaster press employed by Oliver Inc. Since digital printing is cost-effective for small print runs, you can reduce the amount of materials needed during the proofing process when rolling out new packaging.
Your brand can save money while reducing its ecological impact.
Plus, you can further enhance your green efforts by integrating digital printing with other sustainable packaging design printing principles, such as right-size packaging and sourcing timber-based products from responsibly managed forests as certified by the nonprofits Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
Be sure you collaborate with a printing and packaging partner who has the right certifications.
Approaching the Digital Printing Process
While eleventh-hour printing and customization are a huge benefit, digital may not always be the best method for you. For example, offset printing has the advantage of cost-effectiveness with large print runs, especially those with advanced decorative effects and specialty coatings.
This is why it's important to collaborate with an experienced printer who can navigate you through the various printing options and outline their folding carton design process upfront.
They might advise you in a few ways:
Manage expectations. They'll recommend digital printing when it's appropriate for your brand, but won't force your company into using or abandoning traditional methods. Try digital out in its most effective ways, such as in a short-run test or personalized print job.
Faster isn't always cheaper. Digital printing's true strength is speed and getting new products to market. While time efficiency can save on costs, it isn't necessarily a less expensive option. A knowledgeable printer will help you determine the most cost-effective printing method for you.
Simplify the workflow. Your printer should set out a clear plan, ensuring you understand which traditional steps are no longer relevant and how automation or artificial intelligence integrates with the remaining manual steps to avoid bottlenecks.
Examine all price factors. Your printing partner should compare prices between running the same job through a digital printer versus an offset printer, accounting for total expenses, including all the machinery tools for both platforms. That will help reveal a more comprehensive comparison, ensuring your company makes the smartest decision.
While offset printing retains its primary role in packaging, digital expands the available options with added benefits, including fast turnarounds, simplified workflows, variable data printing, flexibility, and excellent print quality.
Just be certain your company gives careful consideration to everything that goes into a comprehensive comparison between digital and offset printing. What works for one job may not work for another.
Oliver Inc. is the nation's leading independent supplier of custom paperboard packaging solutions. Our pressrooms are populated with a selection of press formats, including flexography, digital, and offset printing. We leverage leading-edge equipment in printing systems to produce secondary packaging, marketing collateral, and labels with perfection, every time. Contact us today to learn more.
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Benefits of Digital Packaging Printing is Leading to Growth
Shorter runs, regionalization and personalization are some of the key drivers to digital printing making inroads in packaging.
For more Printing and Packaging Solutionsinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.
David Savastano, Editor
As a result, digital ink and equipment companies are optimistic about further growth in the coming years.
Benefits of Digital Printing for Packaging
Much as is the case for digital printing in other segments, benefits such as short runs and personalization are helping to drive growth in packaging.
Paul Edwards, VP of the Digital division at
'Shorter runs and personalization are great digital drivers, and it is likely the ROI for digi-tal is improving as labor costs increase and the ability to rapidly change from job to job without extra man hours is a real factor,' Edwards said. 'The rate of technology develop-ment and the hardening of single-pass technology into the industrial environment im-proves both the ROI and the confidence of the customer to implement the technology."
Mike Pruitt, senior product manager,
'Digital printing allows for easy customization and quick changes, reducing the need for an expansive set up and enabling rapid production,' Pruitt said. 'This results in cost savings and faster market response times. Additionally, the simplified operation of digital printers requires less specialized training, making high-quality packaging accessible to smaller businesses and startups.'
Simon Daplyn, product & marketing manager,
'Brands and converters can adapt to shorter print jobs with less inventory requirement, helping manage cost by minimizing print time, storage of stock and print cylinders, and potential waste,' Daplyn said.
Daplyn also observed that print growth is in part driven by the rise of e-commerce and regional promotions.
'Digital print enables simplified solutions for regional pack variations, variable data, unique product identifiers and personalized messaging, and on-box advertising on the outer package,' he added. 'In all cases, digital print provides the ideal platform for converters to accommodate regional and market needs and allow on-demand, high-quality print in shorter production runs. In many areas, digital print is being used either in combination with, or as a complement to, analog processes to provide converters with the agility to deal with evolving packaging demands.'
'The desire to move to complementary technology, including inkjet and other digital print to address short-runs economically as run-lengths generally continue to reduce,' said Gary Barnes, head of sales and marketing,
'The growth of HP TIJ in package coding compared to other inkjet technologies is driven by a combination of factors, including the absence of maintenance, ease of use, reliability, cost efficiency, faster speeds, higher resolution, wide print swath, improved throw distances, and an increasing breadth of more sustainable inks,' Olivier Bastien,
'As ink development aligns with the emergence of new packaging styles and materials, consumer and industrial products manufacturers are well-equipped to adapt to packaging trends,' said Melissa Bosnyak, project manager, sustainable packaging solutions,
Outlook for Digital Printing of Packaging
With these benefits in mind, the outlook for growth in the inkjet packaging market in the coming years looks promising.
'Sustainability will drive the development of exciting new packaging types, inks, and printers,' said Bosnyak. 'While embracing mono-material packaging to increase recyclability is a positive move, more sustainable substrates will be developed to meet consumer demand. Factors such as hygiene, safety, aesthetic appeal, and product longevity will also continue to influence the evolution of new packaging forms and substrates.'
'As the global population grows and global standards of living increase, we expect there will be an increase in demand for packaging,' Bastien said. 'The nature of packaging will likely change, and we'll see the use of less material per package, more sustainable materials, and more direct print on packaging as opposed to adhesive labels. The need for pack-age coding and the opportunity for digital packaging printing will only continue to grow because of this.'
'I anticipate a 4-6% growth rate in the packaging market over the next few years, driven by technological advancements such as on-object decoration with an increasing interest in environmental sustainability,' Pruitt said. 'Additionally, I predict there will be an increase in consolidation among packaging manufacturers, possibly leading to a more automation and efficient production.'
"In one word, I would say 'exciting',' said Edwards. 'There is no doubt the digital packaging market will not only expand significantly, but the applications will be addressed by digital technology. The new decoration opportunities that will emerge will only be capable of being created digitally."
'Sun Chemical has been investing in developing solutions for digital packaging for a number of years, with the expectation that partnerships with key market players will lead to new solutions that can enable easier adoption of digital print technology across a range of packaging segments,' Daplyn said. 'Sun Chemical engages with customers using analog processes, as well as with equipment manufacturers and integrators to drive the direction for future developments. This is an exciting time in the journey of digital packaging, and Sun Chemical expects increased activity in the coming years with significant growth in integration of the technology across the packaging sector.'
'Packaging is still adapting to the impacts of the move from central/regional production to local production, exposure of the supply chain and limited availability of raw materials,' Barnes said. 'Product versioning is here to stay, which has an impact on run-lengths, and this will further drive the suitability of digital. The move for e-commerce to improve the unboxing experience and to improve the attractiveness of transport packaging will create more opportunity for folding carton and corrugated digital printing.
'In the drive for sustainability, packaging will continue to move to more sustainable materials such as monoplastics and materials with higher recyclable content,' Barnes added. 'There will be more attention to recyclability, and new national schemes to enforce packaging recycling or reuse will be made possible through innovative solutions that use the latest technologies in combination with digital printing.'
Digital printing of packaging has come a long way since its early days of being used primarily for printing coding and expiration dates. Driven by its benefits over conventional printing processes, digital printing has made major inroads in label and narrow web printing, with new opportunities emerging in corrugated, folding carton and flexible packaging.As a result, digital ink and equipment companies are optimistic about further growth in the coming years.Benefits of Digital Printing for PackagingMuch as is the case for digital printing in other segments, benefits such as short runs and personalization are helping to drive growth in packaging.Paul Edwards, VP of the Digital division at INX International , pointed out that the benefits are quite typical for the implementation of digital.'Shorter runs and personalization are great digital drivers, and it is likely the ROI for digi-tal is improving as labor costs increase and the ability to rapidly change from job to job without extra man hours is a real factor,' Edwards said. 'The rate of technology develop-ment and the hardening of single-pass technology into the industrial environment im-proves both the ROI and the confidence of the customer to implement the technology."Mike Pruitt, senior product manager, Epson America, Inc ., said that growth is being driven by a variety of factors, including flexibility, predictable costs, time to market, and the need for a lower skill set.'Digital printing allows for easy customization and quick changes, reducing the need for an expansive set up and enabling rapid production,' Pruitt said. 'This results in cost savings and faster market response times. Additionally, the simplified operation of digital printers requires less specialized training, making high-quality packaging accessible to smaller businesses and startups.'Simon Daplyn, product & marketing manager, Sun Chemical , noted that as designs evolve and run lengths become shorter, the flexibility of digital print emerges as a key to its growth.'Brands and converters can adapt to shorter print jobs with less inventory requirement, helping manage cost by minimizing print time, storage of stock and print cylinders, and potential waste,' Daplyn said.Daplyn also observed that print growth is in part driven by the rise of e-commerce and regional promotions.'Digital print enables simplified solutions for regional pack variations, variable data, unique product identifiers and personalized messaging, and on-box advertising on the outer package,' he added. 'In all cases, digital print provides the ideal platform for converters to accommodate regional and market needs and allow on-demand, high-quality print in shorter production runs. In many areas, digital print is being used either in combination with, or as a complement to, analog processes to provide converters with the agility to deal with evolving packaging demands.''The desire to move to complementary technology, including inkjet and other digital print to address short-runs economically as run-lengths generally continue to reduce,' said Gary Barnes, head of sales and marketing, FUJIFILM Ink Solutions Group . 'Other benefits are versioning or imprinting of variable information such as anti-counterfeit, product data, languages or regional legislation.''The growth of HP TIJ in package coding compared to other inkjet technologies is driven by a combination of factors, including the absence of maintenance, ease of use, reliability, cost efficiency, faster speeds, higher resolution, wide print swath, improved throw distances, and an increasing breadth of more sustainable inks,' Olivier Bastien, HP's business segment manager and future products - coding & marking, Specialty Printing Technology Solutions, said. 'This versatility positions HP TIJ as a powerful solution for a wider range of printing and packaging needs as consumer and industry demands cause manufacturers to rethink their approach to supply and production.''As ink development aligns with the emergence of new packaging styles and materials, consumer and industrial products manufacturers are well-equipped to adapt to packaging trends,' said Melissa Bosnyak, project manager, sustainable packaging solutions, Videojet Technologies . 'As an industry, we get to support the efforts to make products more sustainable. There is no one solution, and in being prepared for what comes next, we can continue to support the growth in sustainable packaging offerings.'With these benefits in mind, the outlook for growth in the inkjet packaging market in the coming years looks promising.'Sustainability will drive the development of exciting new packaging types, inks, and printers,' said Bosnyak. 'While embracing mono-material packaging to increase recyclability is a positive move, more sustainable substrates will be developed to meet consumer demand. Factors such as hygiene, safety, aesthetic appeal, and product longevity will also continue to influence the evolution of new packaging forms and substrates.''As the global population grows and global standards of living increase, we expect there will be an increase in demand for packaging,' Bastien said. 'The nature of packaging will likely change, and we'll see the use of less material per package, more sustainable materials, and more direct print on packaging as opposed to adhesive labels. The need for pack-age coding and the opportunity for digital packaging printing will only continue to grow because of this.''I anticipate a 4-6% growth rate in the packaging market over the next few years, driven by technological advancements such as on-object decoration with an increasing interest in environmental sustainability,' Pruitt said. 'Additionally, I predict there will be an increase in consolidation among packaging manufacturers, possibly leading to a more automation and efficient production.'"In one word, I would say 'exciting',' said Edwards. 'There is no doubt the digital packaging market will not only expand significantly, but the applications will be addressed by digital technology. The new decoration opportunities that will emerge will only be capable of being created digitally."'Sun Chemical has been investing in developing solutions for digital packaging for a number of years, with the expectation that partnerships with key market players will lead to new solutions that can enable easier adoption of digital print technology across a range of packaging segments,' Daplyn said. 'Sun Chemical engages with customers using analog processes, as well as with equipment manufacturers and integrators to drive the direction for future developments. This is an exciting time in the journey of digital packaging, and Sun Chemical expects increased activity in the coming years with significant growth in integration of the technology across the packaging sector.''Packaging is still adapting to the impacts of the move from central/regional production to local production, exposure of the supply chain and limited availability of raw materials,' Barnes said. 'Product versioning is here to stay, which has an impact on run-lengths, and this will further drive the suitability of digital. The move for e-commerce to improve the unboxing experience and to improve the attractiveness of transport packaging will create more opportunity for folding carton and corrugated digital printing.'In the drive for sustainability, packaging will continue to move to more sustainable materials such as monoplastics and materials with higher recyclable content,' Barnes added. 'There will be more attention to recyclability, and new national schemes to enforce packaging recycling or reuse will be made possible through innovative solutions that use the latest technologies in combination with digital printing.'
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