As commercial print shipments continue to decline, at least in North America, there is increasing interest on the part of manufacturers of print in the packaging market, which continues to grow. Traditionally, it has been a challenge for commercial printers to enter the packaging market in a big way. Why? Packaging is mission critical to a consumer goods company. Problems with packaging will cause a myriad of other problems throughout the supply chain. So many brand owners likely say, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Unless there is a really good reason, they are loathe to change vendors in this area.

Plus, packaging is a very different sale as compared to commercial printing. It requires different contacts within the client organization, different skills within the manufacturer organization, and quite often, very different equipment and software—which equals big investments in a difficult economic period.

That being said, packaging is undergoing an analog-to-digital shift much like the shift that has impacted the commercial printing industry over the past few years, and this can open up opportunities for enterprising manufacturers who may now be able to offer an entirely different sort of value proposition to the brand owner. The big question is where this value proposition will come from. Will traditional converters lead the charge, or will “outsiders” be the true change agents here? Either way, there were some interesting packaging developments at drupa. This article only contains a sampling, so if I have overlooked anyone, they are certainly welcome to post a comment pointing out my deficiencies!