Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

Lifelong Learners Come to Feast at the Xeikon Café

Published May 21, 2019

Kevin Karstedt reports from last week’s Xeikon Café, two days of forward-thinking presentations, nearly 40 solutions partners, and some new “killer apps” that are pushing far more than envelopes in today’s digital printing environment.

Report from drupa 2016: The Latest in Short Run and Digital

Published August 30, 2016

What will motivate packaging printers to adopt digital presses? Personalization may be a key selling point, but it isn’t primarily what will drive installation of these machines.

Hybrid Press Setups for Flexographic Printing

Published October 13, 2014

Chris Lynn, VP of Sales & Marketing for Prototype and Production Systems, talks about their Dice products for the labels and packaging industry.

Kodak's Schweinfurth on "Hybrid" Printing Systems for Packaging

Published October 2, 2014

Kevin Karstedt interviews Bill Schweinfurth of Kodak about digital print for packaging and the unique nature of hybrid systems that combine traditional lithography with digital printing.

The Importance of Workflow Automation in the Packaging Sector

Published October 1, 2014

Terry Milano, Marketing Manager at Esko, talks to Kevin Karstedt about the need for workflow enhancements and integration in digital and offset package printing.

How Digital Printing Enables Changes in Brand Management in Packaging

Published September 18, 2014

Linda Casey of Package Design magazine returns to talk to Kevin Karstedt of Karstedt Partners about how digital printing fits into the trend of expanded brand and SKU presence in the packaging marketplace.

Trends in Packaging Design and How that Impacts Printers

Published September 11, 2014

Linda Casey, Editor of Package Design Magazine, talks to Kevin Karstedt about trends she's seeing in package design and how that impacts packaging printers into the future.

Kraft Foods Seeks to Understand Digital Print for Packaging

Published September 4, 2014

Mike Onderwater, Senior Manager for Design to Print at Kraft Foods Group, talks to Kevin Karstedt about their interest in digital print for packaging and the reasons they are learning more about this area.

HP's T400 Changes the Game in Digital Print for Packaging

Published September 3, 2014

Steve Shannon, Sales Manager for Industrial Packaging Solutions at HP, and Kevin Karstedt of Karstedt Partners, discuss some of the new things at HP for packaging including the T400 inkjet webfed press.

Collins Inkjet Helps Packaging Brand Owners Go Digital

Published August 27, 2014

Kristin Adams, Marketing Manager at Collins Inkjet, talks to Kevin Karstedt about their business and their involvement with brand owners in digital print for packaging.

Small Brands Creating Big Change in Digital Print Adoption

Published June 30, 2014

Brandi Parker, Head of Realization for design agency Pearlfisher, talks to Kevin Karstedt about the rate of adoption of digital printing in packaging. They talk about how the smaller brands are creating change in this area.

4over Packaging – A new way of looking at Short Run Packaging

Published April 28, 2014

We read a lot of articles and company profiles in the packaging trades that describe companies who are growing their businesses by focusing on a specific niche of the market and developing specialized offerings to serve that niche. I recently interviewed Preston Herrin and Patrick Green of trade printer 4over headquartered in Glendale California who described for me their new offering 4over Packaging.

Thoughts on Digital Print for Packaging from bluemedia President Jared Smith

Published April 18, 2014

Jared Smith, President of bluemedia, talks to Kevin Karstedt about digital print for packaging and what they are doing in their shop. They discuss digital workflow, color management, and finding the right technologies.

Digital Value Discovery

Published April 14, 2014

Those developing systems for packaging applications need to understand what brand owners are interested in, and what are their perceptions of digital printing.

Why it’s Important to Understand the Disruptive Technology Adoption Curve

Published April 11, 2014

All members of the packaging supply chain are under pressure to better address the needs of their customers and offer more efficient products and services. This has led to the development of systems that are classified as “disruptive” to address “areas of need” or “pain points” in the process.

Open House at Mark Andy had a few Stars

Published March 31, 2014

On March 26th I attended an open house at Mark Andy’s global headquarters in Chesterfield, Missouri. The main reason I was invited was to be part of the formal introduction and “coming out” of the company’s Digital Series press.

The Value Proposition for Digital Package Printing; Part Two – The Two-Track Approach

Published March 25, 2014

In Part One of The Value Proposition for Digital Package Printing, we discussed the operations (material and operations planning) and marketing benefits relating to digital printing. Recognizing the reality of this operations and marketing dual purpose for digital, we break the compelling reasons for digital printing in packaging into two tracks.

The Value Proposition for Digital Package Printing; Part One

Published March 18, 2014

Most decisions made by brand owners related to digital printing have a basis in their understanding of the value proposition that digital brings to their organizations. In our report; Is Digital Printing Part of Your Brand or Operational Strategy? we describe how this value proposition is directly tied to unmet needs.

The Value Proposition for Digital Package Printing; Part One

Published March 6, 2014

Most decisions made by brand owners related to digital printing have a basis in their understanding of the value proposition that digital brings to their organizations.

Brand Building – A Marketing View

Published February 27, 2014

The days of one-way messaging through TV or print ads to appeal to consumers’ purchasing decisions have given way to “engagement marketing”. Two-dimensional (two-way) communication where consumers participate, share, and interact with a brand creates crucial interaction resulting in business and personal success. The bi-directional nature of social media enables a two-way marketing channel.

Learning About Color Trends with X-Rite

Published February 10, 2014

Shoshana Burgett, Strategic Marketing Director for X-Rite, talks to WhatTheyThink Labels & Packaging's Kevin Karstedt about the color of the year and the process by which it is selected each year. They also discuss Pantone View, a way to keep up to date on color trends.

Megatrends in Packaging: The Digital Age

Published February 3, 2014

The digital age is changing our world. Forces driving the change are: people, information and technology.

Adding Value to Packaging with Scodix Technology

Published January 17, 2014

Kevin Karstedt interviews Dror Danai of Scodix who talks about their unique coatings technology and how they are applying them to the folding carton segment of the industry.

The Importance of PantoneLIVE for Packaging Printers

Published December 20, 2013

Patrice Aurenty of Sun Chemical talks to Kevin Karstedt about the importance of getting color right throughout the entire package printing workflow and how PantoneLIVE accomplishes that goal.

Sun and PantoneLIVE Help Packaging Printers Get Color Right

Published December 13, 2013

Patrice Aurenty, Business Leader at Sun Chemical, talks to Kevin Karstedt about their involvement in the packaging segment and their partnership with PantoneLIVE.

Moving from Density to Spectral Displays in Color Management

Published December 6, 2013

Dr. Danny Rich, Senior Color Physicist at Sun Chemical, speaks with Kevin Karstedt about how the X-Rite eXact Portable Spectrophotometer.

The Technical Details of X-Rite's eXact Product

Published November 22, 2013

Dr. Danny Rich of Sun Chemical talks to Kevin Karstedt about the technical details of the X-Rite eXact product.

The Technology of the New X-Rite eXact System

Published November 18, 2013

WhatTheyThink's Labels & Packaging's Kevin Karstedt talks to Dr. Danny Rich, Senior Color Physicist at Sun Chemical, about the X-Rite eXact system.

Digital Package Printing – The Value Proposition for the Brand Owner

Published November 15, 2013

With all the news chatter around digital printing for packaging coming out of Print 13 and Label Expo this fall I thought it appropriate to bring the readership some insights we have on the topic.

Sun Chemical: More Than Just Ink!

Published November 15, 2013

Tony Bean, Field Marketing Manager with Sun Chemical, talks to Kevin Karstedt about some of the innovative coatings they offer to brand managers to enhance the "curb appeal" of their products.

Interview with Benny Landa about the Announcement of Komori as a Strategic Partner

Published November 4, 2013

Last Friday, Landa announced a strategic relationship with Komori for the manufacture of the transport systems for all of Landa’s sheetfed systems, the first being the S10FC. Kevin spoke with Benny to get a bit more information on this topic.

Where is Digital headed for Folding Cartons?

Published November 1, 2013

Eighteen months is a long time in the world of politics, consumer electronics, the growth of an infant and the gain or decline of a 401K but in the development of digital printing solutions for folding cartons that time is not so long at all.

Update from Benny Landa on Digital Press for Folding Cartons

Published September 26, 2013

Print 13 started out very nicely for me as my first official meeting was a breakfast meeting on Sunday morning with Benny Landa and three of my “packaging” colleagues.

The Label Sector; excerpts from 2012 PRIMIR Research

Published August 6, 2013

In past articles we have brought forward excerpts from a 2012 PRIMIR study that Karstedt Partners was commissioned to write titled Packaging: Evaluation of Vertical Markets & Key Applications. This study was unique to many industry studies in that it looked at the force being placed on Brand Owners, the originator of packaging orders.

Schawk's Bruce Miller on Trends in Digital Print for Packaging

Published August 2, 2013

Bruce Miller, Director of Technology at Schawk!, talks to Kevin Karstedt about the trends he's seeing in the packaging area of digital printing.

Jim Goldman On the Evolution of Packaging Supply Chains

Published July 26, 2013

Jim Goldman of Global Innovation Professionals, talks to Kevin Karstedt about the evolution of packaging supply chains.

Rick Ferreira of Action Packaging on Getting Into Digital for Flexo

Published July 19, 2013

Rick Ferreira of Action Packaging talks to Kevin Karstedt about their business and how they got into the digital label printing.

Tony Swenson of General Mills on Digital Print for Packaging 2013

Published July 9, 2013

Tony Swenson, Packaging Development Manager for General Mills, talks to Kevin Karstedt about the reasons for attending the Digital Print for Packaging Conference in Atlanta recently.

Thoughts from the Smithers Pira Digital Print for Packaging Conference

Published June 21, 2013

I had the privilege last week 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.

Bob Scherer and Kevin Karstedt from Smithers/PIRA Digital Print for Packaging Event

Published June 6, 2013

Bob Scherer, VP and Partner with Scherer Sales Solutions, talks to Kevin Karstedt at the Smithers/PIRA Digital Print for Packaging Event in Atlanta.

Interview with JoAnn Hines, The Packaging Diva

Published May 16, 2013

JoAnn is a syndicated packaging writer who is arguably the most prolific “packaging person” on social media. I have been following her for years and thought it extremely appropriate to have her featured here for the WhatTheyThink Labels & Packaging audience. Following are the highlights from an interview with “The Packaging Diva”.

The Flexible Packaging Sector, excerpts from 2012 PRIMIR Research

Published April 30, 2013

To help us introduce the various packaging sectors to the growing WhatTheyThink Labels & Packaging readership we asked PRIMIR if we could pull excerpts from their 2012 study that Karstedt Partners was commissioned to write titled Packaging: Evaluation of Vertical Markets & Key Applications.

Interview with Ben Markens, President of Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC)

Published April 19, 2013

For the past 84 years, the Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) has been the leading industry association serving suppliers and converters of all forms of paperboard packaging. We spoke with Ben Markens, President of PPC, about the current state of the folding carton industry and the opportunities and challenges faced by its members.

Interview with Jay Willie of the Independent Carton Group

Published April 11, 2013

I caught up with Jay Willie, Executive Director of the Independent Carton Group (ICG) just before he struck out for one of the groups quarterly meetings. The ICG has an interesting business model and long history.

The Folding Carton Sector, excerpts from 2012 PRIMIR Research

Published March 26, 2013

To help us introduce the various packaging sectors we asked PRIMIR if we could pull excerpts from their 2012 study that Karstedt Partners was commissioned to write titled Packaging: Evaluation of Vertical Markets & Key Applications.

Interview with Steve Young of AICC

Published March 19, 2013

We recently had the opportunity to catch up with Steve Young, President of AICC, and asked him to share his thoughts around the mission of AICC, the role of AICC, and the opportunities and challenges facing their members.

Interview with Kristi Ledbetter of TAPPI

Published March 14, 2013

We recently had the opportunity to catch-up with Kristi Ledbetter, the Converting Division Manager for Tappi, and had the opportunity to get an update on what is happening at Tappi.

The Corrugated Packaging Sector, excerpts from PRIMIR Research

Published March 8, 2013

For the next few weeks we will be looking at the corrugated sector of packaging, which accounts for approximately $85 Billion in shipments globally and $24 Billion in North America.

What is coming in WhatTheyThink Labels & Packaging

Published February 28, 2013

With the launch of the Labels & Packaging section of WhatTheyThink now behind us, we wanted to give you a preview of upcoming topics and what to expect.

WhatTheyThink Kicks Off Special Labels & Packaging Section

Published February 18, 2013

Welcome to the inaugural post for WhatTheyThink’s Labels & Packaging website. The folks at WTT and I have been speaking for quite some time on the need a version of WTT that focused on the needs of those in the packaging supply chain. I am honored to be the Managing Editor of this new endeavor and will strive to bring meaningful and timely content to those in the packaging supply chain who are looking for information and intelligence in order to do their jobs better.

WhatTheyThink Labels & Packaging: An Interview with Randy Davidson

Published February 11, 2013

I thought it appropriate for the first post to WhatTheyThink Labels & Packaging to be an interview with the founder of WhatTheyThink.com, Randy Davidson to get his thoughts on the new venture. So on a snowy Saturday morning with a fresh cup of coffee in front of me, Randy and I had a chat.

Articles by Kevin Karstedt