Maximizing Success for Corrugated Printing

Trends in e-commerce, consumer and retail supply chains, and sustainability are providing tailwinds to fuel the recovery of the corrugated packaging market. Corrugated packaging producers’ continued investment in equipment with high productivity and presses with superior graphics capabilities has positioned the industry to meet market demands.

Corrugated boxes represent approximately 80% of the packaging demand required for retail e-commerce. With global sales at an estimated $5.8 trillion in 2023, retail e-commerce continues to grow exponentially. According to Statista, global e-commerce retail sales are expected to reach $8 trillion by 2027.

Many prominent consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies set ambitious sustainability objectives, such as reducing the use of plastics or increasing the supply of higher levels of recyclable or reusable packaging as soon as 2025. However, as it becomes clear that these original targets will not be met as their deadline quickly approaches, brand owners and the packaging industry are under pressure to make the necessary changes to realize the vision of a circular economy for packaging.

Credit: Sun Chemical

Since corrugated packaging is considered to be the most widely recycled form of packaging, it is an ideal option to help CPGs achieve their packaging sustainability goals. Some changes are already beginning to occur and can be seen when exploring retail shelves where items like personal care and snack products sold in bulk are increasingly turning to corrugated packaging.

These factors have aligned at just the right time to expedite corrugated packaging market demand and growth. To maximize success in the pressroom, corrugated printers and converters can produce higher value packaging, improve productivity, and enhance capabilities.

Producing Higher Value Packaging

Sustainable Solutions

Consumers want packaging that is sustainable. As the packaging industry works diligently to improve the sustainability profile and environmental impact of nearly all forms of packaging, corrugated packaging is already well positioned to contribute to a circular economy. Based almost completely on renewable resources, using high levels of recycled materials, and with established curbside collection and recycling infrastructure, corrugated packaging has already achieved what many other forms of packaging are still targeting.

Consumer-Engaging Graphics

While sustainability brings tremendous value, packaging still needs to accomplish its purpose of communicating the brand message and engaging the consumer. Durability and protection used to drive corrugated packaging, but with current e-commerce and retail demands, corrugated packaging has grown to play an ever-increasing role in marketing and consumer experience. Corrugated’s new role means it now must be produced with higher graphics and printed effects to achieve its full purpose.

Pre-print and post-print corrugated exhibit very high graphics capabilities, often in corrugated display production. Litho label applications are another area where digital print applications are growing and have long been used in the market for luxury, household, and electrical products. Many of these applications also take advantage of coatings, both for protection and printed effects. UV coatings can be used for high gloss and even applications like high contrast coating effects. These processes lend themselves to process printing and specialty products like metallics, pearlescents, and other printed visual effect options.

Even the more traditional post-print corrugated industry has seen a shift toward higher graphics demands. Markets like craft beer, spirits, and other beverages are commonly packaged in corrugated boxes and the associated graphics typically have much more print and ink coverage, as well as the use of some coatings.

With higher graphics comes an increased demand for color management. Gone are the days of a small handful of standard corrugated market colors controlled through visual color comparison. Corrugated print shops now need to manage hundreds of colors with strict color control and measurement.

Adding to the color control challenge is the issue of corrugated substrates often being natural and brown and more difficult to print clean colors on, rather than the bright, white surfaces of substrates in other segments. Tools such as corrugated-specific color guides, entry-level color measurement and control systems, and general color management systems can help corrugated printers overcome these challenges and achieve their desired print result.

These useful digital color tools — such as SunDigiGuide — can help corrugated printers streamline color specification and control, minimize and manage ink inventories, and ensure quality for their customers. The systems can also be used for color palette reviews for color rationalization and standardization.

Improving Productivity and Streamlining Operations

Corrugated packaging converters are always looking for ways to improve productivity in the pressroom. After all, nothing is more frustrating than downtime on press. Anytime there is an interruption during the printing process, it involves wasted paper, time, and ink. Here are some ways they are streamlining operations and considerations that could impact productivity.

Faster Press Speeds

Perhaps the most common way for converters to streamline operations is by investing in high-speed printing and converting presses. Today’s leading presses run several times faster than previous equipment with changeover times at a fraction of what they used to be.

As the equipment design and capabilities change, so do the inks and coatings that can be used on them. Presses with higher print speeds cause increased dynamic forces and air flow, as well as increased stress on inks due to new designs of ink chambers and pumping and mixing systems. Inks need to be developed to perform well under these conditions, maintaining resolubility, tack, transfer and flow, as well as foam control in order to perform through the print unit.

The inks also need to be able to dry and cure quickly to prevent tracking and smearing during the scoring and diecutting that occurs right after the high-speed print. Consistent, easy-to-use inks enable operators to focus on press set up and productivity, rather than ink management. High performance of inks is essential for corrugated converters to achieve targeted productivity and return on investment on their equipment upgrades.

Shorter Changeover Times

Another challenge that needs to be met is ensuring smooth print changeovers. Often, printers begin lining up a new print while another print is already running, with the expectation that the changeover will occur in only one or two minutes. To perform well during fast changeovers, inks need to be easily and completely cleaned to ensure the ink from the incoming print is not contaminated from the previous one. Anilox rolls need to be fully cleaned as well, to minimize plugging while continuing to deliver the volume of ink needed to achieve consistent color. Proper cleaner selection, both for everyday cleaning and periodic deep cleaning, can help extend equipment life and ensure consistency of quality.

Enhancing Capabilities

Troubleshooting Problems on Press

Given the various technologies, methods, and materials used for package printing, there is no doubt that problems on the press can arise. That’s where troubleshooting comes in to provide solutions to quickly get back up and running.

INKTSA: Sun Chemical’s Ink Troubleshooting site

To solve technical problems that may surface across any type of package printing, Sun Chemical has proactively developed a five-step technical service approach to help printers assess and solve challenges across multiple print processes.

1. Identify performance requirements: The first step is to define goals and objectives for the troubleshooting project, especially determining print performance requirements upfront that must be met to achieve a successful outcome.
2. Conduct a site audit: This step will provide a comprehensive review of press conditions and other variables that impact print quality.
3. Select Products: After the site audit, an ink is selected based on the conditions and needs of the pressroom and what the printer needs to achieve.
4. Run press trials: The ink is tested to ensure it delivers the desired results. A report is generated. Approximately 94% of the time, the right product was chosen and delivered because of the upfront audit work.
5. Finalize product qualification: If the ink delivers the quality the printer wants to achieve, then the product is qualified. The customer is the only judge of delivered quality and qualified product.

For quality results, it is important to have a checklist to ensure things are done in the right order and on press from the outset. All pressroom equipment that is critical to printing success comes with specifications that must be followed to maximize pressroom efficiency.

Sun Chemical has put together an Ink Troubleshooting Guide to help printers troubleshoot pressroom problems and offer potential solutions for all printing processes. The guide gives tips to help printers determine how to solve their challenges on press, such as dirty print and foaming or print striations and uneven print color, which are common challenges for corrugated printers.

Printers that offer higher value packaging, can enhance pressroom efficiency and strengthen troubleshooting capabilities will be able to bring great value to brand owners as the corrugated market continues to grow.

Jeremy Teachman is a field marketing manager at Sun Chemical. To learn more about inks, coatings, adhesives, consumables, color management, and printing plates solutions for the corrugated printing market, visit www.sunchemical.com/packaging_corrugated.