Printing Flexible Packaging with Production Inkjet

Inkjet is everywhere. Inkjet technology is moving fast; leveraging new fluids and creative chemistries to print on new and challenging substrates. More substrate compatibility has opened exciting markets within manufacturing

Release from Kodak on growth in the personal care market, a $188B industry, expected to grow to over $230B by 2022. Inkjet Printing Solutions now offer the same advantages as flexographic printing in terms of speed, quality and cost with both digital hybrid printing in this market.

Ralf Schlözer provides an overview of key technology launches this week at InPrint Munich as well as insight into why this event is different and valuable.

Customization and personalization is now happening throughout the supply chain. Data on customer buying preferences – what, where and how they buy – is driving change in inventory management, distribution, product design and marketing.

Inkjet Insight maps out I.T. Strategies North American print volume data to explore opportunities for production inkjet technologies. The map looks packaging, publishing, and document application categories. Production inkjet has been successful with applications that have light ink coverage printed on uncoated stocks … namely, transactional, direct mail, and some book applications. Many of these applications were converted from high-speed roll-fed toner devices and inkjet provided economic and process benefits and by adding color. Inkjet also provided the ability to add value to printed pages. It’s useful to look at the entire market to help put this area of success in perspective and to think about the requirements for expanding adoption.

Highlights from the latest Smithers Pira report: The Future of Inkjet Printing to 2023 project that the value of the global inkjet market will rise at 9.4% over the next five years. As the global print market transforms, shifts in buyer demands—short runs, versioned and personalized products—and higher quality are aligning with the capabilities of inkjet. This is making it a key focus for technology developers. This analysis shows that inkjet will grow by deepening its penetration into existing markets and exploiting new emergent market opportunities through 2023.

Chris Lynn continues his packaging series with a look at what has held inkjet back in the label market and, by extension, what has caused even slower adoption in the rest of the packaging market – and how these limitations are being overcome.

The package printing climate is changing, and waves of new technology are breaking on the shores of short-run work, but the packaging mainland is mostly unaffected so far. Chris Lynn offers insights on the packaging market for inkjet.

This week I had the opportunity to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony at the new 225,000 square foot EFI innovation center in Londonderry New Hampshire. In his opening remarks Guy Gecht, CEO of EFI said “the future of packaging is inkjet printing” and based on EFI’s massive investment in this very impressive facility, they are ready to meet demand.

Today we talk with Marco Boer of I.T. Strategies about areas of opportunity for shifting from toner to inkjet, or adding inkjet to a toner portfolio.

David Zwang joins us for an initial look at an interesting new screening software development that significantly improves the quality of inkjet imaging. The software referenced is only available as an option from an OEM as part of their RIP, or as a component in a custom-developed (bespoke) hybrid inkjet printing solution.