drupa Essentials of Print: Tiziano Polito
With our series drupa Essentials of Print, we provide printing professionals with a platform to share their views on industry-related topics.
“Now really is the time for packaging to enter into the digital arena. Of course, the number of digital presses sold in this new segment is still much lower than the number of presses sold for labels production, but everything suggests that it is only a matter of time..
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This packaging revolution has already begun and impacts not only large companies but also smaller producers of products such as jams, energy drinks or skincare creams. Add to that the rise of e-commerce and with it the beginnings of production-on-demand.
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The second reason to believe that digital printing will soon develop across packaging is down to the technology. Over the last decade, enormous improvements to print quality have been achieved. Whether in electrophotography or inkjet, the results in terms of resolution are impressive: increasing from 600 to 1200 dpi. This is such a good quality that only a keen eye can distinguish an offset rendering from a digital rendering.
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This paradigm shift is also because the market is no longer the territory of specialists. Big traditional printer’s introduction to digital such as Koenig & Bauer, Heidelberg or Bobst diversifies the print-offer, increases competition and lowers prices. Above all, the arrival of these general manufacturers brings print know-how and the necessary control over medium and longer runs. Printing itself is not everything: to go fast on a machine, you also must know how to hold and pull the sheet or the reel and the big press-manufacturers also know just how that’s done.”
In the drupa article series Essentials of Print, Tiziano Polito reveals in his article “Digital printing: from strength to strength in packaging“ that the first entirely digital printing and converting lines for packaging production will be born in a few years.
About the Author:
Tiziano Polito, Emballages Magazine. “Individual consumers are becoming more particular… They must be offered products that match their needs. […] This packaging production revolution will require packaging converters to review their entire supply-chain system.”
Header picture © Messe Düsseldorf/ctillmann
