Create Your Own Packaging With Short-Run Printing

Even if you have heard it a lot by now, it is a fact: The Corona pandemic has caused big changes at many companies over the last 1.5 years. After all, a crisis like this requires adaptation, like switching to online sales, in order to retain customers and continue to secure sales. For print service providers, in particular, diversification was and is elementary. It is essential to develop profitably and at the same time to work on sustainable solutions that ensure positive growth. Companies have to assert themselves against the competition. Why does packaging offer great potential here? Find out now!

The Growth of The Value For Printing Packaging

Compared to long production runs, short-run packaging printing consists of minimum order volumes and lengthy lead times. However, thanks to modern digital production methods, companies no longer need a setup for digital printing, eliminating, for example, the production of films and colour proofs, the manual assembly of parts and the production of plates.. This leads to a more cost-effective short-run production, since you are not forced to purchase large quantities when you actually need less. This saved money can be put back into the business and used in various other branches, such as the product’s design, development of new products or marketing. Right now is the time to consider lower volume orders and explore the feasibility of packaging production. According to the  report The Future of Packaging Printing to 2025, the value of printing packaging and labels is expected to grow to 416,5 billion euros in 2025. Although the coronavirus pandemic and the global lockdown have affected the volume of printed packaging, the scale is much smaller than for publications or graphic works, declared Smithers. 

The Implementation of Personalized Packaging and Short Printing Runs 

Besides the expected increase in the printing packaging and labels value, the demand for personalized packaging is also creating new prospects for printing businesses. Personalization has become a big trend in the retail sector and makes products even more special and fosters an emotional connection with the brand. The European Brand & Packaging Design Association summarizes it well:

“We want what we own to be as unique as we are. One size does not fit all.”

A very well-known and successful example is Coca-Cola and its personalized Coke bottles with names on them. The Packaging Innovations and ThePackHub study underlines this: 63,7 percent feel personalized packaging increases sales and 52,8 percent think that personalized projects have a positive impact on consumer loyalty. But printing personalized packaging requires shorter print runs. Companies have to hold on to smaller orders until it’s profitable for a print run. However, new innovative generation printers enable short-run printing with one compact device so that print service providers don’t have to invest in various production machines. These special devices for short-run digital printing allow businesses to expand their services and can print on a diverse range of substrates. 

Now is The Time for Short-Run Packaging Printing

Modern technology, such as short-run digital production devices, can offer companies new opportunities to produce packaging in shorter runs cost-effectively and profitably. Some devices are even no larger than a standard printer and still are capable of many print applications. So the hurdles of short-run packaging are a thing of the past. Especially in current times, the pressure on companies to stand out from the competition is increasing. This makes it all the more important for companies to produce vibrant and eye-catching designs that are tailored to the needs of the target group, for example with personalized packaging. Dare to print packaging in-house!

Do you already have experience with short-run packaging production in-house? Feel free to share about it in the comments!