As discussed in part one, Labelexpo Europe 2017 was an exciting and very informative event. Labels, packaging and industrial print are the final frontiers of print growth. As a result, there is gravitation and even migration of service providers and hardware and software vendors to these verticals.

However, unlike commercial print which has significant digital print production technology penetration, these areas are still in their early stages of digital development and adoption. As a result, there are a few significant trends that were evident at the event.

In the previous article, we mentioned the MGI JETvarnish 3DWeb for labels and flexible packaging; however, MGI also showed the integration of the Color+ inline digital press (based upon the Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS C71cf) which included inline die-cutting with matrix removal and the MGI JETvarnish 3D Evo for embellishment. So now you have digital printing, digital embellishment and finishing all in one single line. The next phase of this hybrid approach, which will be seen in early 2018, addresses smart packaging with the addition of an inline printed electronics station using technology from another investmnet, Ceradrop. This should be one of the first end-to-end smart labeling solutions in the market.