Digital’s Bite

Ones and zeroes seem to rule the roost—digital is everywhere. In the printing world, digital has a firm grip in the commercial arena where variable-data printing is the “killer app.”

According to Jeff Wettersten, director, Digital Print Solutions for Sun Chemical, “Digital printing has gained a strong position in commercial printing due to its variable-data capability. The ability to personalize messages in printed media where they are reaching an audience of one has transformed the use of the product.”

In package printing, it’s not so simple; variable-data printing doesn’t have the same play as it does in the commercial sector. “Variable data belongs in the direct mail and transaction printing industry, where the demand really exists,” says Soren Ringbo, manager, digital products for Nilpeter. “We do not see a huge demand for variable-data printing [in packaging], but versioning in combination with value-added processes is clearly the tendency.”

Product versioning is one of the prime factors driving the trend toward shorter production runs, which plays into digital printing’s strength. “We see a huge potential in digital printed labels, driven by trends in the consumer market, such as small production series and more versioning,” says Ringbo.

Versioning is one of the factors that is posing a challenge to all printing technologies used in packaging. “All packaging segments are faced with the need to do it better, faster, and for less,” says Wettersten. “In many instances, conventional technologies and processes struggle with the new requirements placed on them. They simply have not been designed to effectively perform the tasks digital technologies have been. Like any new technology, the market will define the share. Based on the reception from converters, product manufacturers, and designers, digital printing will certainly carve out a prominent position in packaging.”

For marketing programs, the value created by versioning may be a function of how small a company can define its target market (approaching the “market-of-one” ideal state). “The use of variable data to support marketing initiatives will depend on how companies elect to define their markets in the future,” says Wettersten.

According to Donald Allred, ­director, business development, inkjet printing solutions for Kodak’s Graphic ­Communications Group, how small these markets can be defined is limited by current distribution methods. “The effectiveness of variable-data package printing being able to drive increased revenues for packaged-goods companies is somewhat hindered today because of the existing product distribution methods,” he says. “Packaged-goods companies typically do not designate specific batches or products to a narrow delivery zone.”

Out in time, the use of RFID in inventory tracking could impact this to a large degree, believes Allred. “The use of RFID tags will allow the packaged goods factory to track a specific crate or box of product through the factory and onto a specific truck, and have that crate delivered at a specific location. Once the packaged goods factory has a predictable distribution system, then the package may be used for more micro-zoned marketing messages, which will make variable print on packaged goods the norm, not the exception,” he predicts.

UV inkjet in the mix

There are a number of digital technologies that are staking a claim in package printing. These include digital printing systems such as HP Indigo’s offset technology and Xeikon’s toner-based electrophotographic (EP) systems.

Non-contact, single-pass inkjet systems represent a relatively new technology that will have an increasing impact over time as technical developments continue and costs come down. A number of companies have been moving into this space with aqueous and solvent-based systems and even more recently, with UV inkjet systems.

Aquaflex started into UV digital printing about nine years ago with its Argio™ system. According to Mac Rosenbaum, VP for Aquaflex, the company entered into a strategic partnership with Jetrion to provide an upgrade path for printers that needed variable-data capabilities.

“Aquaflex still views UV inkjet as a specialty application where variable-data printing is a requirement of the job,” notes Rosenbaum. “In these cases, the digital process provides a function and adds value to the package. Even though the single-color digital process is slower than a traditional flexo process, inline converting and diecutting efficiencies make the combination practical.”

Jetrion, which was founded in 2003 as part of Flint Ink’s expansion into digital printing, was sold by Flint Group in November 2006 to EFI. According to Sean Skelly, director of marketing and service for EFI Jetrion Industrial Inkjet Systems, the Jetrion 3025 UV inkjet system can be mounted on existing narrow-web presses or rewinders to provide hybrid printing of labels, “allowing converters to get the best of both worlds (low total label costs and high speeds).” With this hybrid printing approach, the Jetrion technology can be used to print short-run or fully variable black content such as text, numbering, or graphics.

“We also see growth in pharmaceutical labeling applications for drug authentication,” continues Skelly. “Each prescription unit must have a unique serial number and the Jetrion 3025 is ideal for producing these, as well as other track-and-trace or e-pedigree applications.”

Digital Print, Inc. has been providing UV inkjet systems to the industrial printing market for more than six years, reports company President Jack Farr. Although Digital Print has supplied UV printing systems to virtually all segments of the packaging market, “most users tend to use the equipment for tickets, tags, and labels,” he says.

The ability to print on a wide variety of substrates is one of the driving forces for UV inkjet, notes Farr. “Adding the variable UV print capability to our product line now enables users to print on substrates that other toner- or water-based inkjet technologies can’t. The UV-curable print heads can print on a wide variety of substrates, including coated stocks, films, foils, and mylar,” he says. For applications, Farr believes that UV variable print, combined with high-quality imaging capabilities, will create “a whole new dimension of product enhancement.”

Videojet Technologies has been manufacturing UV inks for more than 15 years. Chuck Ravetto, director of small character marking for Videojet Technologies, points out that UV fluorescent inks are used for covert variable-data codes used on many forms of packaging.

“Covert codes facilitated through UV inks help provide security and brand protection from threats like diversion, counterfeiting, and warranty fraud, which are common in many markets,” says Ravetto. “Videojet helps customers combat these threats by combining digital imaging expertise, proprietary software, and inks, including UV inks, to uniquely identify products at the item level.”

Nilpeter introduced its entry into UV inkjet printing at Labelexpo 2007 in Brussels. This modular CMYK inkjet system, called CASLON, can be integrated into Nilpeter’s press platforms.

According to Ringbo, “Digital label printing has been part of Nilpeter’s business since the mid-90s, but UV inkjet is the first real feasible digital printing technology in terms of speed and combination capabilities.” Nilpeter is initially targeting the label industry, building off its existing product lines (13˝ to 16˝), but Ringbo says that flexible packaging will be part of its next project phase.

Sun Chemical has supplied UV inkjet inks for more than 12 years. At drupa 2004, it announced plans to offer a total solution including hardware, software, consumables, and service, says Wettersten. At Labelexpo ­Americas 2006, Sun Chemical introduced ­SolarJet™, a 4-color web-fed press designed for label converters.

“Initially, Sun Chemical, through its Digital Print Solutions business, is targeting corrugated converters and narrow-web label converters,” he reports. “Converters are seeking digital solutions capable of extending beyond traditional sampling and prototyping requirements and into production requirements.”

Where it stands

UV inkjet printing is in its early stages of use in packaging. As such, its viability is very much dependent on factors such as run lengths, substrates, and quality and performance requirements.

Ringbo believes that UV inkjet can compete very favorably with EP-based technologies in terms of cost. He claims that UV inkjet print speeds can be as much as two times those of EP systems, which results in higher productivity and higher profitability for the same investment. In addition, “UV inkjet requires no pre-coating and is capable of printing on a lot of substrates that are impossible for EP systems, which has a great impact on the cost per print,” he says.

Sun Chemical has developed UV inkjet cost models vs. flexo printing based on corrugated and label converting. For labels, SolarJet is cost-effective for runs up to 50,000 labels. “Most converters see the need for digital to manage label runs between 1,000 and 10,000 labels,” says Wettersten. In addition, he says that cost reviews with label converters show SolarJet being very cost effective vs. thermal and EP processes.

According to Rosenbaum, further developments are needed. “The current limitations are obvious—speed, consumables costs, and quality,” he says. “The technology is maturing—every year digital gets better and better. However, it’s still no match for flexo’s, gravure’s, or offset’s abilities to deliver high-value, low-cost mainstream packaging.”

In the future, though, Rosenbaum believes that versioning will open up applications for digital’s strengths. “There is a point where practical capability and need converge to create opportunity,” he says. “I can see a future with regionalized packaging and event-based promotions all made possible by cost-effective, high-speed digital printing processes.”

Because inkjet technology is a relative newcomer to industrial packaging applications, Wettersten sees a lot of opportunity for its use in the future. “Packaging is a market undergoing significant change in order volume and print requirements that conventional print technologies are struggling to keep up with,” he says. “Inkjet is viewed as a technology with great promise to packaging converters and brand owners. The challenge of large markets, such as packaging, is developing the right technical solution to meet the specific application requirements of the market.” pP