Green Gains
Efforts to increase the return on greenbacks are helping spur a focus on environmental sustainability.
March 2007 by Jack Miller
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The global packaging market is approaching a half-trillion dollars, and North America represents nearly one third of this, most of it printed. While many print segments in North America are stagnating, packaging is growing at more than 4 percent per year. Market trends are creating the demand, and technology is creating solutions and opportunities.
Consumers, retailers, and brand companies are continually raising the bar:
• Better quality: fresh, natural, food ready-to-go;
• Environmental sustainability;
• Better graphics, more color, but with less material;
• Shorter runs, quicker turnaround;
• Packaging that delivers more than just the product;
• Supply chain efficiency.
Technology has not only kept pace with increasing needs, but in some cases is even ahead of the market, as certain emerging technologies have yet to realize the critical mass and economies of scale necessary for them to achieve their full commercial potential. Key developments include: digital technology, improvements in flexography, printed electronics, and new materials that enable smart paper, smart inks, and smart packages.
Digital packaging
Digital is making inroads in packaging in a number of ways. Supply chain efficiency requires that packaging be printed closer to the point of use, and this is also consistent with environmental sustainability—less waste, less fuel burned in transport. Digital also permits versioning—Peyton Manning on the package in Indianapolis; Eli Manning on the package in New York.
Improvements in color management and soft proofing techniques have also facilitated the growth of digital package printing. The product manager in Chicago can be sure that the color on the box in Indianapolis matches the color on the box in New York and that both match the color in the promotional brochure printed in Dallas—and this can all be done electronically. As globalization marches on, the boxes in London, Buenos Aires, and Tokyo will also match.
Digital prepress enables quicker turnaround and shorter runs, reducing waste and minimizing environmental impact. Outsourcing of prepress work to China or India further reduces cost and increases efficiency.
A key to optimizing the use of digital technology is the use of digital asset management systems to increase revenues through one-to-one marketing and integration with e–media campaigns.
Improvements in flexography
Laser engraving of flexo plates, improvements in flexo sleeves, and improvements in the presses themselves have allowed flexo print quality to compete with offset and rotogravure. Flexo allows shorter runs and quicker turnaround than rotogravure, and sleeve technology further facilitates this.
Consumers, retailers, and brand companies are continually raising the bar:
• Better quality: fresh, natural, food ready-to-go;
• Environmental sustainability;
• Better graphics, more color, but with less material;
• Shorter runs, quicker turnaround;
• Packaging that delivers more than just the product;
• Supply chain efficiency.
Technology has not only kept pace with increasing needs, but in some cases is even ahead of the market, as certain emerging technologies have yet to realize the critical mass and economies of scale necessary for them to achieve their full commercial potential. Key developments include: digital technology, improvements in flexography, printed electronics, and new materials that enable smart paper, smart inks, and smart packages.
Digital packaging
Digital is making inroads in packaging in a number of ways. Supply chain efficiency requires that packaging be printed closer to the point of use, and this is also consistent with environmental sustainability—less waste, less fuel burned in transport. Digital also permits versioning—Peyton Manning on the package in Indianapolis; Eli Manning on the package in New York.
Improvements in color management and soft proofing techniques have also facilitated the growth of digital package printing. The product manager in Chicago can be sure that the color on the box in Indianapolis matches the color on the box in New York and that both match the color in the promotional brochure printed in Dallas—and this can all be done electronically. As globalization marches on, the boxes in London, Buenos Aires, and Tokyo will also match.
Digital prepress enables quicker turnaround and shorter runs, reducing waste and minimizing environmental impact. Outsourcing of prepress work to China or India further reduces cost and increases efficiency.
A key to optimizing the use of digital technology is the use of digital asset management systems to increase revenues through one-to-one marketing and integration with e–media campaigns.
Improvements in flexography
Laser engraving of flexo plates, improvements in flexo sleeves, and improvements in the presses themselves have allowed flexo print quality to compete with offset and rotogravure. Flexo allows shorter runs and quicker turnaround than rotogravure, and sleeve technology further facilitates this.
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