Printing for the Pharmaceutical Market

Again with the shorter runs

An important trend in pharmaceutical packaging, according to Johnson, is that pharmaceutical brands are printing much smaller jobs, which means package printers must be able to accommodate these shorter runs. The reason isn't the usual "just-in-time" requirement. Rather, it's the regulation. "It's derived from the FDA's constant changing and adding requirements," he says. Basically, he asserts, as soon as you go to press, there are changes when you come back to the job. "And then throw in security features," he continues. "[These] are only good for six to nine months and then they want to change them."