Consumers today demand something special and unique for their purchasing dollars. Even with large, proven brand products, customization is the name of the game. Now, corrugated packaging can be part of the customization experience even at high volume with new capabilities at Georgia-Pacific. 

The package can help brands tell their story and create an experience with the product from the first interaction at retail through consumption. Customization through digital print opens the opportunity for package design to play a more important role in the marketing mix. Brands can benefit from digital capabilities at a speed, quantity and efficiency not previously available. Georgia-Pacific’s own copy paper on-package promotion is an example of digital pre-print customization.

Based on the company’s experience with digital pre-print and post-print and its brand-building potential, Georgia-Pacific is the first corrugated packaging provider in the U.S. to purchase the new HP PageWide Web Press T1100S, which will uniquely give Georgia-Pacific the ability to provide customized digital pre-print for corrugated packaging at scale.

“Georgia-Pacific Corrugated is always looking for ways to enhance our customers’ brands and optimize their packaging,” said Sergio Morales, director – product and brand development at Georgia-Pacific. “The decision to purchase the new HP T1100S digital press was driven by our customers’ desire to bring new designs to market faster and provide more flexibility in customization and product quantity.”

Georgia-Pacific currently has two HP digital presses, a Scitex 15500 for merchandising displays and a HP PageWide Web Press T400S in use for corrugated packaging and display pre-print applications. Since purchasing the first North American T400S digital press in 2015, Georgia-Pacific has confirmed digital pre-print’s value in addressing its customers’ desire for solutions to improve omnichannel marketing, customization, promotions, and test marketing.

The T1100S produces pre-print that matches the width of a 110-inch corrugator and produces high-quality print with 4 process colors (CMYK) on coated and uncoated substrates. This will give Georgia-Pacific the capability to efficiently provide volume customization from a centralized hub. In addition to faster, more efficient production and customization, digital pre-print also opens new capability for variable data printing, track and trace and omnichannel marketing at a desired scale.

“HP and Georgia-Pacific have had a great working relationship since we initiated discussions to purchase our first digital web press,” said Ted Samotis, general manager – Georgia-Pacific Color-Box. “HP’s deep experience in digital print solutions and broad exposure across the graphics industry make them an ideal collaborator as we lead the analog to digital transformation in customized packaging to anticipate and meet the evolving needs of brands.”

As brands continue to seek new ways to increase engagement with their consumers through customization, the evolution of digital print provides greater flexibility and increases the options available to brand owners.