Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

Esko Sees Closer Collaboration Between Brand Owners and Packaging Suppliers

Published August 28, 2019

Bernard Zwaenepoel, Chief Technology Officer Software for Esko, talks to David Zwang at Eskoworld about the increasingly close collaboration between brand owners and packaging suppliers, especially when it comes to using and sharing data.

Esko Brands Focuses on Brand Development and Management

Published August 22, 2019

David Zwang speaks with Ali Moosani, Esko President, about Esko Brands, the growing division that focuses on brand development and management.

The Ricoh Pro VC70000—Breakthrough Inkjet Technology

Published August 21, 2019

David Zwang talks to Mike Herold, Director of Global Marketing for Ricoh, about the company’s new award-winning Ricoh Pro VC70000 continuous-feed inkjet printer. The new Extended Gamut ink and unique compact drying system are designed for a wide media range including commodity offset coated papers.

Production Inkjet: Welcome to the Revolution—Let’s Talk Corrugated

Published August 20, 2019

One of the hottest topics in packaging print today is corrugated, and for many reasons. One of those is that it is a market area showing a solid growth trajectory. So, what are the areas of growth, and what are some of the challenges that will affect the growth of digital print, more specifically production inkjet, in corrugated?

Quik Print’s Extended Family Business

Published August 7, 2019

At Ricoh Interact, David Zwang talks to Mark Little, VP of Operations for Quik Print of Oklahoma City. Quik Print was founded in 1963, and is today an interesting family organization with about 40 locations across six states, run by a "team of bothers." Through cooperation, they have found a way to use assorted print production technologies to create a strong and growing presence.

Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA) Acquiring NAPCO Media

Published August 7, 2019

The state of printing industry associations is still very much in a state of flux with a few still trying to survive. This latest move may tip the scales.

Production Inkjet: Welcome to the Revolution—Front Line Report from Rochester’s Mercury Printing

Published August 6, 2019

This article is a part of a series looking at production inkjet solutions leading up to and through drupa 2020. We will look at what’s new, how it’s being used, and how it’s transforming print service providers. In this article, we go to the front lines and we take a look at Mercury Printing of Rochester, N.Y., a perfect example of a digital technology and business transformation. And for all the right reasons…

Mercury Printing: On the Front Lines of the Production Inkjet Revolution

Published August 6, 2019

David Zwang talks to Christian Schamberger, President of Mercury Printing, about the history of the company and its current focus on the educational publishing market. Mercury has a wide variety of offset and digital equipment (toner and inkjet) to serve its clients, but is now almost completely digital, and has transitioned much of its work from toner and offset to inkjet.

Production Inkjet: Welcome to the Revolution—Time to Take Stock

Published July 23, 2019

Production inkjet solutions are proliferating at an ever-increasing rate. The quality of many of the solutions has finally reached that of offset, and the productivity has surpassed that of toner. There are also a lot more options and opportunities. Perhaps it is time to step back and take stock of where we are and where things could be going?

Landa: And They’re Off…

Published July 9, 2019

Benny Landa first introduced the concept of “Nanography” at drupa 2012. There was a reaffirmation of the introduction at drupa 2016, and since then, lots of quiet. It turns out the quiet was self-imposed, and in the interim Landa has been very busy building an organization and shipping presses.

Sepire: The New Company on the Block

Published June 27, 2019

How would you like to start up a new company with a full complement of hardware, software, and workflows tailored specifically to your requirements with no legacy technology debt? Sepire, which launched only last May, found a way.... At Ricoh's INTERACT, David Zwang talks to Josh Bonham of Sepire, which is an omnichannel solutions provider for the health care and financial services industries.

EskoWorld: Packaging Connected

Published June 25, 2019

Esko held its 28th EskoWorld in Nashville with an audience of over 550 attendees. Since its inception, this has been a go-to event for those in packaging production and signage, although the audience is now growing with about 25% of which were brand owners. This plays nicely into the theme “Packaging Connected.”

Creating a Connected Packaging Value Chain

Published June 25, 2019

Newly appointed Esko President Mattias Byström shares his observations on the opportunities that he sees in creating a connected packaging value chain, as well as early impressions of, and excitement about, his first EskoWorld.

Ricoh Interact 2019—A Very Engaging Experience

Published June 11, 2019

David Zwang reports from Interact 2019, Ricoh’s annual customer event comprising nearly 60 sessions which covered a wide range of topics, both high-level and highly detailed. It also provided an opportunity to meet some of the new Ricoh leadership team.

Ricoh Users and Execs Interact in Denver

Published June 11, 2019

David Zwang talks to Heather Poulin, Director of Marketing for Ricoh USA, at Interact 2019, Ricoh’s annual user conference. The goal of the event is to get customers and Ricoh executives to “interact” with each other to find best practices that Ricoh users can take back to their shops.

BOBST and the Rebirth of Flexo—Part 2

Published May 29, 2019

Frederico d’Annunzio, Hybrid Program Manager for BOBST, continues his discussion with David Zwang about the BOBST REVO initiative that has helped bring about the “rebirth of flexo."

Rebirth of Flexo: Part 2...Can This Type of Effort Translate to Other Analog Printing Technologies?

Published May 28, 2019

In Part 2 of “Rebirth of Flexo,” David Zwang looks at an example of a flexo solution and its components that provides a significant deterrent to the onslaught of production inkjet in packaging production.

BOBST and the Rebirth of Flexo

Published May 28, 2019

Frederico d’Annunzio, Hybrid Program Manager for BOBST, talks to David Zwang about BOBST initiatives that have helped bring about the “rebirth of flexo.”

Rebirth of Flexo: Technology Shifts…Are We Asking the Right Questions?

Published May 21, 2019

During new printing technology introductions there has usually been displacement and realignment of the existing print technology roles. During those transformational times, there are many old and new options. Packaging production is now going through one of these periods, raising the question: what type of print technology is best? In packaging production, this decision is getting harder, as a result of the rebirth of flexo printing.

The Role of Digital Printing in Packaging—and the Rebirth of Flexo

Published May 21, 2019

David Zwang talks to Francois Martin, Senior Communication Advisor, Bobst Group, about the role of digital printing in packaging. Although digital has the ability to optimize production, speed time to market, and offer other benefits, flexo is improving dramatically. When it comes to packaging printing, no one technology is better than another; the best-suited printing technology will be application-specific.

A RIP Designed with Label and Packaging Production in Mind: Harlequin RIP v12.1

Published May 14, 2019

We are seeing significant advancements in label and packaging production in both digital and analog production. However, one thing in common is rapid growth. Global Graphics released the Harlequin RIP v12 about a year ago with some of the new PDF 2.0 features. This new Harlequin RIP/Renderer v12.1 has added many additional features designed for print and further targeted at label and packaging production. David Zwang takes an in-depth look at this new release.

Kodak Flexographic Packaging Reborn—Introducing Miraclon

Published May 7, 2019

In this age of digital print transformation, what is so exciting about the rebirth of a plate manufacturer? Well, first of all, it is a flexographic plate manufacturer, and second, it was formerly owned by Kodak. With this new life, how will Miraclon leverage their expertise to grow into a market leader?

DALIM Software: Bridging Print Business Silos

Published May 2, 2019

David Zwang talks with Dr. Carol Werlé, CEO of DALIM Software, at DUO2019, the DALIM Users Group Conference. DALIM, which develops productivity workflow and communication software, was founded in 1989 and has changed as the industry has changed, serving now as a “bridge between the solos” in a print business.

Muller Martini Offers a Full Workflow System

Published April 30, 2019

Andy Fetherman, VP of Sales and Technology for Muller Martini, talks about the company's complete Finishing 4.0 ideology that helps customers beyond finishing, taking advantage of automation and connecting it to drive variability in finishing.

Kodak Rolls Out Inkjet Innovations in Packaging

Published April 29, 2019

Will Mansfield, Director of WWMarketing EISD for Kodak, talks about the company's recent announcements surrounding new developments packaging, specifically as they pertain to Kodak's Stream and UltraStream inkjet technologies.

Embellishments: What’s Old Is New Again and Still Adds Value!—Part 2

Published April 23, 2019

Embellishment has been a function of print production for as long as there has been printing. In fact, it almost goes back to the beginning of the writing of documents. There is no doubt that embellishment does add value to the printed product. Especially with the more recent introduction of digital embellishment technologies designed to complement digital printing. Now that embellishments have finally begun to capture market awareness, new developments are happening all the time. In part 2 of this series, David Zwang will look at new mainstream technologies that add embellishments and value to print and packaging production.

Embellishments: What’s Old Is New Again and Still Adds Value!—Part 1

Published April 9, 2019

Embellishment has been a function of print production for as long as there has been printing. In fact, it almost goes back to the beginning of the writing of documents. There is no doubt that embellishment does add value to the printed product. Especially with the more recent introduction of digital embellishment technologies, designed to complement digital printing technologies. New developments in digital embellishment are happening all the time now that it has finally begun to capture market awareness. In part one of this two-part feature, David Zwang will look at the added value and long history of embellishments.

There Are Opportunities in Labels and Packaging—But Where Do You Start?

Published March 26, 2019

Whether you are already a converter or are a print service provider looking at expanding your product and services portfolio, it is important to develop a long-term strategy in order to capture your share of the changing and developing market. In this new series, David Zwang takes a deep dive into the opportunities, changes, and challenges that you need to focus on in Labels and Packaging.

Is Personalization Important to Labels and Packaging?

Published March 19, 2019

We have all seen the studies and even experienced first-hand the value of personalization in direct mail and other forms of communication. But what about the value of personalization in products and packaging? There are a lot of projections into what the market value “could” be, but how do you take advantage of that?

Hunkeler Innovationdays Does It Again!

Published February 26, 2019

Hunkeler Innovationdays is a biennial event that brings together some of the latest digital press workflows and equipment with the latest finishing equipment to showcase complete solutions. Surprisingly, this is done in an atmosphere that presents exhibitors as equals, without much of the hype or fanfare that you might expect at a print show. The theme of this year’s event “Success with Automation” is a very timely topic considering the growth and impact of production inkjet technology. As they have done in the past, they have accomplished their goal.

Kodak Doubles Down on Packaging

Published February 12, 2019

Kodak Enterprise Inkjet Systems Division (EISD) has officially put a stake in the ground—and that stake is positioned in the heart of volume label and packaging production. While they have been flirting around the edges of packaging production since drupa 2012, outwardly their focus has seemed to be in their legacy wheelhouse; transactional, direct mail, and commercial print. That is about to change, and in fact it already has….

Enfocus' Vendor-Neutral Automation Platform

Published February 11, 2019

Toon Van Rossum, product manager for Switch at Enfocus, talks to David Zwang about the development of the vendor-neutral automation platform and how it has grown in popularity in recent years.

Production Printing Presses: How Do You Compare Them?

Published February 5, 2019

Today we have many different print technologies available, including a variety of offset, electrophotographic, and inkjet presses from many different manufacturers using a variety of unique manufacturing and design techniques. Additionally, all of these at a minimum have a DFE which controls the file processing prior to print. They all have the potential to be used to produce commercial print, labels, packaging, and industrial printing. So how do you determine that the press you are using or about to purchase is up to the challenge? And how do you compare it to other similar and even different presses?

Cloudprinter.com's Global Print Hub

Published January 31, 2019

David Zwang talks with Martijn Eier, CEO of Cloudprinter.com, about the cloud-based, global print fulfillment business. The Cloudprinter.com platform serves as a hub that integrates print providers from around the world.

MGI AlphaJET: An Industrial Print Factory?

Published January 22, 2019

MGI’s AlphaJET is unique and it goes to the core of their company’s DNA: building “application-based” printing presses. However, it is designed to support a much wider range of solutions than just commercial printing applications, with a primary focus on packaging and industrial. It sure looks like a print factory…

Royal Printers Succeeds with Sustainability

Published January 8, 2019

Royal Printers believes sustainability is good for them and their customers—and it's working.

Welcome to 2019: The Beginning of the Next Chapter in Print and Packaging?

Published January 8, 2019

2019 has all the potential to become a pivotal year in print and packaging. It is a Hunkeler Innovation Days year and the leadup year to drupa 2020…and available technology is maturing. Strap yourselves in for an exciting year!

Esko—Firing on All Cylinders

Published December 4, 2018

Esko has been the premier provider of software and hardware solutions for label and packaging prepress. Now that the market is changing, what are they doing to address these new requirements? A lot!

Warneke Paper Box Company Installs the First Heidelberg Primefire 106 in the U.S.

Published November 20, 2018

Steve Huppert, Vice President and COO of Warneke Paper Box Company in Denver, Colo., talks to David Zwang about the company's installation of a Heidelberg Primefire 106. Heidelberg is positioning the Primefire for industrial printing applications in the packaging market.

Heidelberg 2.0—Reinventing a Classic

Published November 20, 2018

How do you reinvent a 160-year-old business to address the new market requirements? This is a challenge that we have been seeing over and over again, and many companies have not been able to make that change. Heidelberg seems to have found the formula that looks at their internal organization, but more importantly, at their customers’ changing requirements as well.

Flexo’s Transformation—It’s All About Controlling Variables

Published November 6, 2018

Flexography is going through a renaissance. While it has been around since the late 19th century, it has never really had a role in “quality” printing, although that seems to be changing. This change is proving that it can fight off the increased use of digital printing for packaging production with better productivity and lower cost. In this article, David Zwang looks at one of the more significant changes facilitating that transformation.

Kodak Celebrates 10 Years of FLEXCEL Plates

Published November 6, 2018

Chris Payne, President of the Flexographic Packaging Division at Kodak, talks to Dave Zwang about the 10th anniversary of the FLEXCEL NX flexographic plate line and how it has transformed the flexographic packaging industry.

Labelexpo 2018 Part 2—Digital Embellishment Going Mainstream

Published October 23, 2018

Labelexpo 2018 in Rosemont, Ill., and PRINT 18 in Chicago are over, and it they were pretty exciting shows. The crowds were enthusiastic and buying from early indications. In this second of two parts I will look at how embellishment is moving from a standalone mechanical process to digital mainstream production.

HYBRID Software and Global Graphics Firming Up Relationship

Published October 16, 2018

Guido Van der Schueren, Chairman of the Board for HYBRID Software, talks about the company and plans of a Global Graphics acquisition.

Tilia Labs: Imposing Software

Published October 10, 2018

Sagen de Jong, CEO and Co-Founder of Tilia Labs, talks to Dave Zwang about the company's imposition, planning, and workflow software, and how imposition for labels and packaging differs from general commercial printing.

Labelexpo 2018—Looking at Hardware

Published October 9, 2018

Labelexpo 2018 in Rosemont (Chicago area) is over, and it was an exciting show. The crowds were enthusiastic and, from early indications, buying. In this first of two parts, I will look at interesting press hardware trends.

Labelexpo 2018: First Look

Published September 26, 2018

Labelexpo 2018 in Rosemont (Chicago area) was very busy for the first day. This is David Zwang’s initial report from that event and that day. More to come.

HYBRID Software’s Next-Generation Workflow Solution Deployed by SGK

Published September 5, 2018

HYBRID Software has been growing at a fairly good clip and this new $20 million software deployment by the SGK Brand Solutions subsidiary of Matthews International is going to give it an additional boost. More importantly, the new software, Shockwave, their development project name, is a great example of a next-generation workflow solution that was developed for the new market requirements.

Labelexpo Americas 2018 Is Not Just for Labels and Packaging

Published August 28, 2018

Labelexpo is coming to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 15 minutes from Chicago’s O’Hare airport, on September 25–27. This is the biggest Label and Print packaging event in the Americas. However, what will be seen there will also prove to be a harbinger for many of the new developments coming to other print production applications.

Labels and Packaging: Predicting and Achieving Consistent Color Across Disparate Press Platforms and Media

Published August 14, 2018

Color management standards and process controls have helped raise the bar on defining and meeting client expectations in color reproduction. However, as we see more cross-platform and cross-media packaging and marketing campaigns, how can we accurately predict, prepare, and communicate expected results?

Adobe PDF Print Engine 5: PDF 2.0 Coming Soon to a DFE Near You

Published July 24, 2018

Adobe announced Adobe PDF Print Engine 5, their core technology used by many Digital Front Ends driving print production equipment. This release makes PDF 2.0 print-related features available for OEM implementation.

Don’t Box Me In—Boxes On Demand Are Coming Just in Time!

Published July 17, 2018

Ecommerce has created a new demand for custom corrugated boxes. To satisfy that demand, the purchase of Plymouth Packaging by WestRock has created a new momentum for producing custom sized boxes on demand at a time when the demand for variable-sized boxes in exploding.

The Customer is Central to Ricoh

Published June 26, 2018

Mike Herold, Director of Global Marketing and Production, Inkjet Technologies, at Ricoh, discusses what we can expect from Ricoh going forward, including the new VC70000.

Production Inkjet—The Waves Continue: Ricoh Pro VC70000

Published June 26, 2018

In 2011, David Zwang began a series that looked at the current production inkjet product offerings from a wide range of vendors, discussing how they are being, or could be, used. Since then he has continued to evaluate and report on new developments. The latest product is the new Ricoh Pro VC70000, which rounds out the Ricoh VC Pro production print offerings with an impressive press targeted at higher-quality offset-to-digital migration with the ability to print on many commodity coated offset papers with higher ink densities and without the need for precoat.

Safety In Numbers: From Gen X to Gen Y

Published June 25, 2018

Kenneth W. Gronbach, a demographer with KGC Direct, LLC, talks to David Zwang at Ricoh's Interact Conference about how the number of members in a given generation can impact the overall economy. The fewer number of Gen Xers than Baby Boomers had a negative effect—but Gen Y is bigger and will have a highly positive impact.

What's Next from Ricoh

Published June 21, 2018

At Ricoh INTERACT 2018, Brian Dollard, Director of Strategic Planning and Business Development at Ricoh USA, Inc., talks with David Zwang about the past year, and what customers can expect to see from Ricoh going forward.

From Antibacterial Substrates to Smart Labels, Nanotechnology Comes to Print

Published June 14, 2018

Nir Waiskopf, Ph.D., team leader for a nanotechnology project at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, explains the uses of nanotechnology in biomedical, industrial printing, and display and packaging applications.

Aldo Peretti Discusses the Advantages of Conventional Printing Technology

Published June 13, 2018

Aldo Peretti, CEO of UTECO and President of the Italian Machine Manufacturers Association, shares his thoughts on the future of digital technologies in packaging and why he feels digital will share a place with conventional printing technology for while.

Océ LabelStream 4000 UV Inkjet and Flexo Hybrid Press Development and Strategy

Published June 5, 2018

Crit Driessen, VP Strategy and Alliances at Canon Océ talks about the launch of the Océ LabelStream 4000. The Océ LabelStream 4000 is a 5-color UV inkjet hybrid press. Océ selected two strong partners in the development of this new press: Edale Ltd. for the transport and FFEI for the imaging engine.

Update on Canon Océ Product Strategy

Published June 5, 2018

Christian Unterberger, CMO & EVP of Production Printing Products at Canon Océ talks about the organizations “Inkjet DNA” and its approach to bringing production inkjet products to market.

Canon Launches Océ LabelStream 4000 5-Color UV Inkjet and Flexo Hybrid Press

Published June 5, 2018

Canon is not just entering the label and packaging press market, but challenging the current label press market with the new Océ LabelStream 4000, a 5-color inkjet hybrid UV press that continues to show their strengths in production inkjet.

Lumii: A Unique New Solution for Label and Packaging Security

Published May 23, 2018

At RADTECH, David Zwang saw an interesting solution from a young startup company, LUMII, for label and packaging security. Imagine a high-tech moiré that can provide visually 3D security printing inline without the need for external embellishments or to apply post print.

Xeikon Cafe Opens in Chicago

Published May 22, 2018

Benoit Chatelard, CEO of Xeikon, talks to David Zwang at this year’s Xeikon Café in Chicago about the evolution of the Café and its move into the U.S. market. He also talks about recent changes at Xeikon and its decision to focus—to a greater extent than before—on industry segments in which the company offers a unique value.

Xerox: Innovation and/or Investment

Published May 9, 2018

Xerox has just introduced the very interesting Xerox® IridesseTM Production Press into the global market, the latest electrophotographic machine in its product lineup. With all of the media hype surrounding the Xerox Fujifilm merger, this new press shows how well Xerox and Fuji Xerox can work together to create technology that brings innovation and value to the market and the company, something you may not be hearing in the distracting news streams. Read on for more.

New Ideas Abound at RadTech 2018

Published May 8, 2018

Gary Cohen, Executive Director of RadTech, talks about what attendees to RadTech 2018 can expect at this week's conference and expo. From new ideas in start-up companies to the latest UV+EB technology, excitement is brewing.

A Significant Speed Boost and Cost Reduction with Hybrid Production Inkjet for Flexible Packaging

Published April 23, 2018

UTECO Group, in conjunction with Kodak, has released and will be installing the first Sapphire EVO aqueous-based production hybrid inkjet press for flexible packaging. This newly designed press significantly raises the bar on production speed while lowering operational costs compared with existing digital solutions.

Mr. Aldo Peretti, CEO of UTECO Group, Discusses the State of the Packaging Market

Published April 23, 2018

Packaging requirements are changing and the technology to meet those new requirements need to change as well. Aldo Peretti, CEO of UTECO Group, shares how UTECO, one of the largest flexo press manufacturers in the world, is adapting their press offerings to meet those challenges head on.

Harlequin 12: PDF 2.0 and Then Some, Almost Ready for Prime Time

Published April 11, 2018

Global Graphics today announced what appears to be the first PDF 2.0-compatible RIP/Renderer available to OEM partners. Technology Editor David Zwang delves into the details and explains what this means for the market. Read more.

Bespoke and Hybrid Processes and Manufacturing: Facilitating Technologies Part 2—The Successful Marriage of Ink and Media

Published April 10, 2018

In this series, David Zwang will look at the new requirements for print and packaging manufacturing, and how the demands and opportunities of Industry 4.0 are being facilitated by new bespoke production and workflow methods. In this article in the series, he looks at ink and why it is the key technology.

HYBRID PACKZalyzer Brings Packaging Tools to HP PrintOS

Published March 28, 2018

At DScoop 2018 this week, HYBRID Software announced PACKZalyzer, HP PrintOS-compatible software that “will allow order entry or customer service personnel to receive files from clients and get them ready for production before they enter the prepress department.” David Zwang comments on this announcement.

Bespoke Processes and Manufacturing: It Can Be Done, but Where to Begin?

Published March 27, 2018

In this series, David Zwang will look at how the new requirements of print and packaging manufacturing, and how the demands and opportunities of Industry 4.0, are being facilitated by new bespoke production and workflow methods. He will look at the requirements, technologies, methods, and educational processes necessary to bring it all together. In this article, he looks at some of the issues that can and should drive a decision.

Bespoke Processes and Manufacturing: Unique Screening Software Solution that Drives Quality in Labels and Packaging

Published March 13, 2018

In this new series David Zwang will look at how the new requirements of print and packaging manufacturing, and how the demands and opportunities of Industry 4.0, are being facilitated by new bespoke production and workflow methods. He will look at the requirements, technologies, methods and the educational processes necessary to bring it all together. In this installment of the series, he takes an initial look at an interesting new software development that significantly improves the quality of inkjet imaging.

Bespoke Processes and Manufacturing: What Technologies Facilitate the Development of These Systems?—Part 1

Published February 27, 2018

In this series, David Zwang will look at the new requirements for print and packaging manufacturing, and how the demands and opportunities of Industry 4.0 are being facilitated by new bespoke production and workflow methods. He will look at the requirements, technologies, methods, and the educational processes necessary to bring it all together. In this article in the series, he takes an initial look at facilitating technologies that are driving the growth of these solutions.

Arna Marketing: “A Technology Company That Happens to Print”

Published February 21, 2018

New Jersey’s Arna Marketing, “a technology company that happens to print,” builds custom programs for its customers, heavily leveraging variable data and digital printing via Canon Solutions America’s Océ Varioprint and Colostream systems. David Zwang talks to Steven Hegna, President and “Concierge” of Arna Marketing, about the work he currently does for his customers, as well as where he sees his business going.

Wim Fransen on Handling Disparate Data in Automated Workflow

Published February 20, 2018

David Zwang talks to Wim Fransen, Managing Director, at Enfocus about building lights out automated workflow through job on-boarding, preflight, and its automation mix of software platforms.

Canon Solution’s America’s Francis McMahon on the Company’s Stellar 2017

Published February 14, 2018

2017 was a good year for Canon Solutions America, in terms of both production inkjet and wide-format. From the One Canon 2018 event in Hollywood, Fla., David Zwang talks with CSA’s EVP Francis McMahon about the hot spots in the company’s portfolio.

Bespoke Processes and Manufacturing: What Are They and What Are They For?

Published February 13, 2018

In this new series David Zwang will look at how the new requirements of print and packaging manufacturing, and how the demands and opportunities of Industry 4.0 are being facilitated by new bespoke production and workflow methods. He will look at the requirements, technologies, methods and the educational processes necessary to bring it all together. In this article in the series, he takes an initial look at drivers and solutions.

Xerox PARC CEO on Industry 4.0 and the Packaging Internet of Things

Published February 6, 2018

David Zwang speaks with Tolga Kurtoglu the CEO of Xerox PARC, the global technology research organization about what we can expect in the near and midterm future, and how it may affect Industry 4.0 and packaging IoT.

Bespoke Processes and Manufacturing: The New Reality?

Published January 30, 2018

In this new series, David Zwang will look at how the new requirements of print and packaging manufacturing, and how the demands and opportunities of Industry 4.0, are being facilitated by new bespoke production and workflow methods. These new methods are becoming available as a result of the evolution of current and emerging digital technologies. He will look at the requirements, technologies, methods and the educational processes necessary to bring it all together. In this first article in the series, he takes a look at the changing landscape to lay the groundwork for future discussion.

PDF For Packaging: Facilitating Process Automation

Published January 16, 2018

The PDF format is gaining acceptance in packaging production. As a result, prepress and converting companies are finding new ways to automate and optimize their processes.

Trends and Futures at Labelexpo Europe: Flexo Goes 21st Century, Embellishments, Emerging Inkjet

Published October 31, 2017

It seems like we just finished with drupa 2016, yet Labelexpo Europe 2017 appeared to be a subset extension of that event. Everyone in Label production on any level from around the globe was there, showing and looking at the latest products and trends. It is a very exciting time, with a very promising future for label production. In part one of this two-part series, we looked at some of the major trends and product announcements at the show. In part two of the series, David continues to look a bit deeper at some trends and some interesting futures.

Canon Solutions America Expands Inkjet Portfolio with Océ ProStream 1000

Published October 9, 2017

Canon Solutions America is celebrating the US launch of the Océ ProStream 1000 production inkjet system with customer tours at its Customer Experience Center in Baco Raton. Eric Hawkinson talks about the ProStream market and provides an update on the companies expanding production inkjet portfolio.

Labelexpo Europe 2017 - Views and Trends

Published October 2, 2017

It seems like we just finished with drupa 2016, yet Labelexpo Europe 2017 appeared to be a subset extension of that event. Everyone in Label production on any level from around the globe was there, showing and looking at the latest products and trends. It is a very exciting time, with a very promising future for label production. In part one of this two-part series, we look at some of the major trends and product announcements at the show.

Digital Print for Packaging Market to 2022

Published September 27, 2017

Sean Smyth discusses some of the highlights of the newly released Digital print for packaging market to 2022. Evolution or Revolution?

DataLase Brings New Tech to Label Printing

Published September 27, 2017

Chuck Pemble of DataLase discusses amazing new technology that will allow clean printing on labels or packaging up to the point of sale!

HP PageWide C500 – Corrugated Inkjet Production Goes Mainstream

Published September 26, 2017

HP and others introduced a new range of inkjet corrugated printing presses at drupa 2016. Many of them were improvements and advancements on existing multi-pass machines, but a few, including the EFI Nozomi and the HP PageWide C500, offered unique single-pass inkjet mainstream production solutions. These new machines open up a wide range of new opportunities for using corrugated in mainstream packaging. However, the HP PageWide C500 may be the only solution at this point that can bring this to primary ‘food safe’ packaging.

Zwang on Advancements Across Toner and Inkjet Digital Printing

Published September 19, 2017

David Zwang provides his perspective on digital printing technologies from toner-based machines to production inkjet. The show marked the mainstreaming of expanded color capabilities in toner such as white inks and fluorescent inks. On the production inkjet side there are number of emerging next generation platforms to consider.

Landa Nanographic Printing – It’s Finally Showtime!

Published September 18, 2017

At drupa 2012, Benny Landa introduced a new inkjet printing technology to excited crowds with great fanfare. Now five years later, the first Landa Press is installed and there are two more right behind it, as well as a waiting list. David Zwang was one of about 100 people, mostly potential customers, from around the globe to visit with Landa at his facilities in Rehovot, Israel, to get a closer look at the man, his vision, and the machines.

Opportunities for Intelligent Packaging

Published September 6, 2017

James Lee, the Technical Director of Jones Packaging discusses the many opportunities now available to provide safety and even marketing information using intelligent packaging techniques.

Inside Mossberg & Company's Evolving Commercial Printing Operation

Published August 7, 2017

James Hilman, CEO of Mossberg & Company discusses their evolution from sheetfed commercial printing on paper to digital and flexo printing for packaging, even on cans!

PDF For Packaging: The Missing Link in Digital Packaging Production

Published June 20, 2017

In this article, David looks beyond the hardware at prepress, and how new developments will play a significant role in driving the growth of digital packaging production. This is not surprising, since we have been here before in other areas of the industry.

Technical Programs at Idealliance Expanding and Going Global

Published May 23, 2017

Tim Baechle, Vice President, Global Print Technologies & Workflows discusses current direction and new technical programs that Idealliance is developing for the industry.

Dave Fenske on Value Proposition of Direct Marketing

Published May 18, 2017

As one of the early adopters of production inkjet technology, Dave Fenske of Fenske Media discusses the whole value proposition of direct marketing and how it has enhanced his business and the business of his customers.

Landa Digital Printing Shares North America Rollout Plans

Published May 17, 2017

Nachum Korman, VP and GM, North America for Landa Digital Printing lays out the strategy for building a US sales and support organization, and discusses the three recently announced beta sites including the first installation in the US at Imagine! in Minneapolis, MN later this year.

Postal Update: Postal Reform and Rate Making Process Updates

Published May 16, 2017

Ken Garner, VP of Ideallliance explains the current state of the US Postal Service, what it will take to strengthen its position, and what it will ultimately mean for the mailing rates.

Industry Association Update: What's happening at Idealliance

Published May 15, 2017

David Steinhardt, President and CEO of Idealliance brings us up to date on its recent merger with Epicomm, and discusses plans and the challenges of keeping Idealliance in line with the industry's evolution

Labels: Hybrid Printing Production Solutions can bridge QPC

Published April 11, 2017

In this article, David looks at the role of Hybrid Press Solutions to bridge the gap between conventional and digital label production, and even a takes a glance at what these types of solutions mean for other types of packaging.

Xerox introduces a new line of Versant Digital Presses and More...

Published April 4, 2017

The new Xerox® has been very busy lately. In addition to its largest ever product launch of 29 workplace printing devices last week, today the company introduced a new line of Versant® presses to replace the existing models, with many new features that exceed the competition’s current offerings and complement the growing line of Xerox production print engines.

Xeikon introduces their first UV Inkjet Label Production Printer

Published March 28, 2017

Xeikon was one of the earliest entrants into digital label printing with their electrophotographic dry toner based production systems. Since that time, others have entered the market with a variety of electrophotographic and inkjet technologies and products. Xeikon is now ready to take their expertise in label production systems to the next level with their first UV inkjet production printer offering.

Ghent Workgroup PDF Study aims to Identify Gaps in the Standard

Published March 21, 2017

David Zwang, WhatTheyThink's Technology Editor and Chairman of the Ghent Workgroup, explains why the organization is conducting a landmark PDF study. The last study was conducted in 2008 and is not representative of todays workflow demands. They want to understand how people are using PDF and identify gaps in the standard that the Ghent Workgroup can help address for better process integration in commercial print and packaging production. Visit http://www.gwg.org/gwg-2017-pdf-survey/

Articles by David Zwang