More and more packaging manufacturers are choosing digital printing

In the increasingly crowded packaging and printing market, the need for efficient printing operations is more urgent than ever. For many packaging manufacturers seeking to optimize production, digital printing has become a viable alternative. Understanding the digital printing packaging market can help manufacturers make better decisions about their current printing business and future investment. Moreover, as Robert Seay, vice president of digital printing solutions at atlanta-based Hummingbird, explains, the potential for digital printing packaging is growing. “There are a lot of possibilities for where digitization is going in the marketplace, but none of them are there yet,” Seay said. “We're starting to see more demand and the ability to deliver effectively to customers.” One of the biggest changes Seay has seen in digital printing is corrugated packaging, he says, and with the help of digital printing, packaging can be put on the market in a few weeks, while aggregating batches allows for creative flexibility while eliminating packaging obsolescence and warehouse requirements. “Almost all short-form printing and some level of presentation are digitally processed; this is the most efficient method,” he said. “Another key issue is that lithographic labels -- and the massive lamination and associated switching supply chain -- can be reconsidered. In the past you might have put labels on multiple large boxes, but now many are being replaced by digital. You can make it on three layers of paperboard or backing paper and then use the preprint to make it into corrugated paper.” Another big trend Seay has seen recently is e-commerce packaging, now more and more use of digital printing, its advantage is easier to achieve the traditional flexo can not achieve double-sided, personalized and high-end graphics.Pent-up demand is also stimulating existing markets, said Kristi François Duval, vice president of sales at The Boxmaker, based in Kent, wash. . She explains that customers who have not done much to rebrand or update markets to test and launch new products are looking to go digital to speed up these efforts. Ed Zumbiel, president of digital Packaging at Zumbiel Packaging in Hebron, Ky. , expressed genuine admiration for his peers, noting that EPAC and its digital-based manufacturing model are an inspiration to digital evangelists around the world. “The EPAC concept uses digital printing (HP 20000 Electroink printers) to capture short-term soft-packaging businesses where analog printing is less suitable for production,” he says. “Of course, this is a niche application-albeit a very large one-but we will see the greatest progress in digital printing in a niche until digital consumables reach a level of relative parity with analog consumables.” Evolutionary digitisation has evolved from small, toner-based devices-what many consider glorified colour copiers and multi-channel inkjet devices-to today's high-speed, single-channel industrial machines. Actual printing engines, whether continuous or on-demand, can now achieve the production speed required by mass packaging manufacturers. Digital Printing International Label & Printing Co. . President and CEO Mark Turk shared some of the latest technologies that have made a splash in digital printing, including 1,200 dpi ink-jet resolution, ink-jet finish, increased speed and metallic ink.“From 2010 to today, we have witnessed the evolution from four-color modules to seven-color modules to eight-color modules (including white) ; 300 to 1,200 DPI; 75 to 250 feet per minute; manual cleaning of the nozzle to automatic; lower ink costs; improvements in electronic injection and print heads; and the last color of the white module down for reverse printing on a thin/shrink film without support,” he said. As big consumer-goods companies increasingly focus on creating a circular economy, not only do they want to replace plastic packaging with greener cardboard, but they also find that digital printing is far more sustainable than analog printing. For example, Zumbiel points out that lithography uses petroleum-based inks and a lot of energy to dry the paper. Digital uses water-based ink, generates almost no waste, and is powered by 100% green energy. “We are currently working with both analog and digital providers to calculate the difference in greenhouse gas emissions for each process, and early indications are that digital printing can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. The data will be welcomed by print packaging buyers, who are increasingly using digital printing as a tool to achieve their brand's environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) goals, François Duval reports, without sacrificing speed. “They can change artworks more frequently without worrying about plates going into landfills, and they can adapt more quickly to regulatory changes,” François Duval said. “This is driving more small and medium-sized brands to go digital.”The benefits of digital printing The Boxmaker's most recent customer for a digital printing solution is Anderson Hay & Grain Co. . The company is one of the largest exporters of hay in the United States. As a start-up, the company is looking for a packaging supplier that can provide superior print quality and low-volume high-quality finished products to meet the changing needs of art and SKU, at the same time accurately reflect the brand color. Duvall explains that The BoxMaker incorporates an image of artificial vellum into The design and prints it on uncoated white boxes to help it stand out. In addition, because digital printing does not require a printing plate, Anderson Hay & Grain can change its graphics each time it is printed. When the company introduced the new organic version of Timothy Hay, this provided significant cost savings and the ability to simply update its printing design without incurring new plate costs. In addition, digitally printed boxes can be bought in small batches cost-effectively, allowing Anderson Hay & Grain to start small and grow as the business grows. Seay explained that one major consumer goods company might not want to run down $1 ten million of obsolete inventory by the end of the year, while another could not predict their demand and needed to move faster. Therefore, the supply chain efficiency brought by digitization is of great importance to both sides.“Turnaround time is important, as is the improvement of the overall supply chain, even though it's cost-effective because digital printing isn't always cheaper,” Seay said. “In some cases, it may be cheaper.” Digital printing can also improve the design of the maturity curve, because it allows companies to rethink their artwork and get more aesthetically pleasing, more offset-quality boxes. When comparing digital printing corrugated paper with more traditional technology, “When compared with one-sided lamination, the lead time is eight to 12 weeks, depending on the time of the year, whereas for digital printing it usually takes a few weeks after the proofing has been approved,” says François Duval, adding that digital printing allows the same documents to be printed on the same press in two different locations, and still meet the same criteria. This can further save packaging procurement cycle time. “Typically, when a customer buys from a company that might have regional support, you have to go to multiple suppliers, and the same image doesn't print out the same image on different types of printers,” François Duval says. “It's very important to have brand consistency and The ability to print nationally,” says Caffe Vita, whose BoxMaker uses digital printing to get The product out of production in three weeks.Looking ahead, Turk believes there will be more improvements in digital printing tomorrow. “Production speed will continue to increase, decoration such as glazing, spot color, metal/fluorescent ink will be improved, printing head costs will be reduced, ink costs will become more competitive, and ink will become more food safety,” he said. Two challenges to the widespread adoption of packaging digital printing are (1) achieving the scale required to reduce the cost of digital ink, and (2) the industrialization of machinery. “As digital printing grows, the free market will address the cost of ink,” Zubier said. “At the same time, manufacturers of digital printing equipment face the challenge of exporting machines that can compete with analog machines in terms of reliability. While digital printers have little down time compared with analog machines, their Mean time between failures times are much shorter. And, because of their technical complexity, they tend to have a longer average repair time.” Optimizing packaging and printing operations when discussing important techniques for optimizing digital printing operations, françois Duval points out that you can reduce the SKU because you can replace multiple inserts by printing the inside of the box and linking the QR code to the information, providing a more interactive experience for the customer.“All the information that would normally be on a card insert is now printed on a box,” she says. “In the end, it should reduce costs,” Seay said, noting that it was important to work with experienced packers and printers in the digital space to improve operations. “Digital is evolving, and what you can do yesterday is different from what you can do today and what you can do in the future,” he says. “Start with people doing cool, compelling things, and work with them to achieve what's possible. If you don't see what you want, work with them to see what they can do to help you achieve your goals.” Turk shared that pressing and proofing actual materials used in production can save time and material. “Printer module/print head maintenance is key,” he says. “Keep the machine running.” Zumbiel's best secret to optimizing digital operations is to reduce inventory levels in the systems of printing service providers. “Packaging manufacturers tend to invest one million per cent in the finished productwip inventors, and inventories rarely appreciate in value,” he says. “If you can use digital technology to reduce inventory, then the price of digital devices starts to look very attractive.”