State of the Industry-Tags and Labels

There is no doubt that digital printing is finally beginning to make inroads in the package printing market. In his paper titled, "Labels and Packaging Papers in 2003: Custom, Color, Digital, and Security," published in GATF World's Technology Forecast '03, Paul Simpson, senior VP of sales for SMART Papers states, "While the installed North American base of digital presses devoted to package printing is relatively low, the segment will be among the strongest areas of growth over the next two years. Here's why: Shorter production runs and greater customization—as well as more test marketing, just-in-time delivery, and increased segmentation to niche markets with variable data—are profoundly impacting consumer goods packaging and production."