Xeikon

There have been some notable developments in the digital production landscape for folding cartons, but overall the landscape has not changed significantly in the past year and a half.

At its 2013 Annual Conference in Orlando, FL, NPES The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies elected a new chairman, two new directors and re-elected several returning directors.

This year's Labelexpo Europe reported its largest ever edition with record-breaking attendance figures. In addition, numerous market exhibitors increased their presence at the event, and the debut of several new busy feature areas was highly successful.

The Print Industries Market Information and Research Organization (PRIMIR) will examine the impact of current trends throughout the supply chain in a new study titled "Tag & Label Printing Trends." The study will provide a comprehensive assessment of the North American tag and label supply chain and marketplace.

PRINT 13 and CPP EXPO had a successful five-day run in McCormick Place. "Two common themes seemed to be repeated by attendees and exhibitors alike at the show this year," reported Ralph Nappi, president of the Graphic Arts Show Company. "First, a sense of optimism existed that has not been evidenced in our industry for a few years; the second was the surprising number of deals that were inked at the show."

Xeikon's role in digital printing and prepress technology has been reinforced after Bencis Capital Partners completed its purchase of Punch International controlling interest in Xeikon, making Bencis the largest shareholder of the company.

With the next edition of Labelexpo Europe around the corner, Mike Fairley looks at how label printing technology has changed over the years and considers some of the press investment decisions that label converters are facing today.

Seeking more productivity and higher quality for short-run jobs, CDigital has expanded its heat transfer capabilities with the purchase of two new presses from Xeikon.

In the world of packaging, labels lead in the adoption of digital with rapid growth in both electrophotography and inkjet. While the main force behind this is the proliferation of SKUs, driven by the brands, there are many other factors that are enabling this growth.

I had the privilege earlier this month of attending the Smithers Pira Conference in Atlanta on the topic of Digital Printing for Packaging. Having been on the advisory board for the conference, it was rewarding to see the fruits of our labor being so well received by those in attendance.