In my last article, I postulated that digital packaging production migration is going through almost the same process that commercial print went through starting in the 1990s. That process took over 20 years to reach a point where digital print production equaled that of analog, and the packaging transformation is on a trajectory to take a lot longer.

Granted, unlike commercial print, packaging is much less of a singular application. After all, packaging applications include folding carton, corrugated, flexible packaging, labels and shrink, etc. Digital production of labels, to date using EP (toner) and inkjet technologies, while growing, is still only about 8% of the total, and that started about 10 years ago. The other packaging application transformations are only a small fraction of that. So why is it taking so long?

Image quality is a given, but it is also relative. A black swish on a corrugated box is not quite the same as an eight-color label with foil, embossing, etc., so there is a wide range of quality requirements. Analog print technologies including flexography, offset, and gravure, as well as digital technologies including electrophotographic and inkjet, can all achieve the quality necessary for many packaging applications. However, unlike commercial print, printing on packaging substrates varies dramatically, adding new challenges. The requirements of printing on plastics for labels and flexible packaging are very different than that of kraft, SBS, or corrugated. Ensuring that the printing can meet the demands of the converting process presents even more challenges. Add to that the regulatory requirements for food, pharma, etc., and you can find yourself negotiating a very difficult path to success. Whether you are a press, ink, coating, or substrate manufacturer, or a converter or PSP looking to get into packaging, it affects all involved.