Digital package printing comes of age

The digital printing industry continues to make strides in all areas as it looks to expand the technology’s market share in packaging, from technical aspects with faster machines and enhanced finishing capabilities, to new and innovative applications by brands and their printers with digital at their heart.

Oreo, Nutella, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Yooji and many more are now finding clever ways to implement new packaging which is more easily enabled by, if not only achievable using, digital printing. Speed to market, infinitely variable designs and one-to-one communications are being used to refresh legacy brands, place new brands on the shelf and engage a new generation of consumers in new ways.

Last year, Labels & Labeling spoke to key players in both the digital flexible packaging and digital folding carton markets, with the consensus being that there was movement already taking place in adoption and application of digital print for packaging. The following 12-18 months would see a snowball, it was predicted, and more rapid adoption of the various technologies available as the supply chain right up to the consumer saw the true potential and value of digital print for packaging.

Market developments

Fast-forward to spring 2016, and things have definitely moved on. ‘We have seen great and amazing growth over the last two years,’ says Amir Raziel, labels and packaging segments and solutions manager at HP Indigo. ‘Brands are making big waves and the equipment has been in the market for a couple of years, so there are now many successful examples using it.’

Press manufacturers have continued to make advances with the capabilities of their technology. Press speed, formats, color matching and repetition, and set-up optimization have all been amongst the focuses for equipment vendors looking to advance their position in the market for digital package printing. The HP Indigo 20000 digital press, as an example, now features a fully upgraded package that enables compatibility with new substrates, new color capabilities and support for the new HP Indigo ElectroInk Premium White in high-concentration, 20kg ink pails for industrial-scale productivity. Another example is Fujifilm’s Jet Press 720S which can now be configured for folding carton applications thanks to increased vacuum pressure around the drum, together with a redesigned vacuum jacket, which allows the press to accommodate a more diverse range of heavier cartonboard commonly used in packaging applications.