Digital Printing Opportunities in the Packaging Segment

Packaging must protect the product, convey information, and sell the product. This means that package printing is often more demanding than commercial printing, and a number of technical factors have limited the use of digital print for packaging. Since consumer packaging must sell the product, this means high ink coverage. So far, high-speed inkjet has been problematic beyond 40 percent ink coverage. Substrates such as coated papers, heavyweight paperboard, and flexible films also present different challenges for printing. Digital presses at 20˝, or even 30˝, are wide enough for labels but not wide enough for most folding cartons or litholam, and many digital presses cannot handle paperboard as thick as 18 point to 24 point, key calipers for folding cartons. Moreover, most digital presses are not designed to be compatible with diecutting, folding, and converting, and do not offer inline converting systems.