Growth for digitally printed packaging

Printing companies like Mediaware are starting to see the potential that digital technology offers for the packaging market.

Sep 9th, 2010

Prime labels, folding cartons, and flexible packaging offer significant opportunity for the printing industry. The digital packaging market has proven to be recession-proof. There’s no displacement of printing in packaging by electronic media. Instead, packaging is growing with the human population, and color digital print is growing within packaging.

According to industry research firm InfoTrends, gross billings from color Print On Demand systems used by packaging and label converters topped $1.9 billion worldwide in 2009. InfoTrends expects this market to roughly double to nearly $4.5 billion by 2014. This represents a compound annual growth rate of 15.7% between 2009 and 2014. Digital, on-demand printing of labels and packages has become critical in the context of the current economic downturn and lean manufacturing initiatives, based on reductions in material, energy, and ink consumption. Digital artwork files in standard formats (including Quark, Adobe Illustrator, PDF, Adobe InDesign, and EskoArtwork) can be received online, quickly preflighted and impositioned, and then sent directly to press for digital printing. Jobs that once took several days now ofer same-day turnaround times, enabling the just-in-time supply chain solution sought by brand owners.

Mespack to Host Exhibit of Flexible Packaging Innovations

On May 10th, Mespack will host an event at its facilities in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda to welcome those attending the Plastic Pouches event organized by AMI and sponsored by Mespack, which will be held May 10-12.

Women Drive Innovations in Sustainable Packaging, Digital Printing

A recent issue of Packaging World magazine covers sustainable packaging innovations from Mars, Aveda, and Brita Water and new direct-to-shape digital can printing—all led by women.

PCR Retort Pouches

ProAmpac’s ProActive PCR® retort pouches, EU and FDA compliant for food contact in retort applications, are designed for pet and human food packaging.

Monomaterial Pouches from P&G’s Pantene Japan Refill Durable Aluminum Bottle

In another entry into the refillable packaging systems category, P&G’s Pantene Japan asks consumers to refill aluminum bottles with product packaged in a PE/PE flexible pouch.

Live at PACK EXPO East: Flexible Packaging Machinery & Materials on the Brain

There was lots of interesting news on both the materials and machinery sides of the PACK EXPO East coin. We’ll look at a couple of pouchers and baggers and check out a commercialized monomaterial pouch for P&G’s Pantene Japan, done by Zacros.

Wrap It. Strap It. Secure It.

Wrap It. Strap It. Secure It.

While there has been an increased focus on automation investments across the supply chain – with an estimated $244 billion forecast in 2022 – an often-overlooked area is the importance of consumables of all types.

This bag immediately draws attention with its vibrant colors and captivating image of a blue-and-gold macaw, and a see-through window allows shoppers to ensure the product is fresh and pest-free.

Digital and Flexographic Printing Create Appealing Birdseed Package

Creating a fresh, pest-free seed product can be a challenge since insect eggs and larva can be hard to detect when seeds and grains are being harvested and then packaged. A window in this pouch lets a consumer know that the contents are indeed pest-free.

The face mask needed a single-dose pack that would simultaneously deliver on luxurious looks and nearly three-year’s worth of shelf life.

High Quality Gold Print Earns Gold Award in Printing

Repêchage and its suppliers leaned into the gold theme with high-quality flexographic printing satisfying the prestige-brand appearance, coincidentally earning them an FPA Gold Award for Digital Printing.

Scrumptiously Printed ‘Box Pouch’ Expands Distribution, Consumer Convenience for Gourmet Popcorn

To expand merchandising options for its tube-packed gourmet popcorn, Popcornopolis introduces a resealable, stand-up box pouch decorated with images of the iconic tubes.

To ensure the highest level of graphic quality could be maintained with the sustainable materials, Printpack had to complete a 'square one' press 'fingerprint,' including modified dot-gain compensation curves.

Frito-Lay Achieves Ambition for a Quieter, Industrially Compostable, 100% Bio-based Snack Bag

The Off The Eaten Path bag is unique in that the entirety of the materials used—the print web, barrier sealant webs, inks, and adhesive—had to meet current, often stringent, third-party certification requirements for industrial compostability.

The proprietary overlacquer, applied in-line on the press, adds heat-resistance and protects the surface-printed paper from rubbing and scuffing in use.

Nestlé Canada’s Smarties Pouch Moves from Plastic to Paper

The bag material converted into premade pouches for Nestlé Canada comprises Forest Stewardship Council-certified, surface-printed paper, a heat-resistant overlacquer, and a water-based dispersion coating.

The dates are individually packed to maintain a smooth texture and sold in a striking stand-up pouch.

Recyclable Stand-Up Pouch Boasts Luring Design

Eight-color gravure printing makes the pouch distinctive with a matte surface and a high-resolution product image.

The tube is made with Forest Stewardship Council- (FSC) certified virgin kraft paper, which helps reduce the tube’s body weight by up to 45%.

Paper Cosmetic Tube Changes Game for Skincare Products

WoW Skin Science uses a tube developed to reduce plastics and the overall impact on the environment compared to that of a traditional plastic tube used for skincare and cosmetic products.

The pouch also has laser scoring for easy tearing by the consumer.

KitKat Mini Moments Make a Big Shelf Impact

To make the lamination recyclable, OPP non-heat sealable film and metalized biaxially-oriented polypropylene (BOPP) are used on both sides of the treated material instead of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and metalized PET.

The FlexPrep portion-dispensing device is in action here in a foodservice setting. It uses pouches (inset image) with two coextruded transparent films (A) to form the pouch body, and a blue spout (B) for pressure-based dispensing.

Flexible Pouches Replace Rigid Containers at McDonald’s

Rigid containers for back-of-house condiment applications in McDonald’s foodservice settings were wasteful and bulky to store. So, the fast-food giant and its suppliers teamed up to invent a flexible packaging-based applicator solution.

The campaign generated considerable earned media, with hundreds of posts, reposts, and likes on social media platforms.

Digitally Printed Hershey’s Wrappers Celebrate Women

The Celebrate SHE Campaign was undertaken as a form of unique media and a vehicle to celebrate acts of courage and determination by women.

It takes 11 trucks to transport a year’s worth of empty bags to his manufacturing/filling sites. It would take 177 trucks to transport empty jars and caps.

Nearly Half PCR, Beachbody Pouches are Eye-Catchers

This pouch is novel as it incorporates 45% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content at a minimum, earning it Gold recognition in the 2022 FPA Awards for Sustainability.

The new material delivers high levels of clarity, stiffness, and heat and abuse resistance—qualities that are unavailable in any other recycle-ready films on the market today.

Tyson Meal Kit Shines Through in Flexible, PE-Stream-Ready Carrier Pouch

The Tyson and Amcor meal kit pouch collaboration received a 2022 Gold Award from the FPA for Expanding the Use of Flexible Packaging.

The cast and cure technique improves overall aesthetics, which landed the company a Gold Flexible Packaging Achievement Award in the Printing category.

Ahmad Tea Awarded Gold FPA Award in Printing for Anti-Counterfeit Package

Emirates Printing suggested to the brand that it use a cast and cure printing technique on the front panel of the quad seal pouch, which is made of high-barrier metalized PET film. The pack won a Gold Award in the Printing category from the FPA.

2022 FPA Awards Highlight User Experience, Shelf Impact

Sustainability, technical innovation, & print quality continue to be driving forces behind advances in flexible packaging. Noteworthy among the 2022 Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) Award winners was how consumers or end users interact with the packs.

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Monomaterial Refill Pouch is Easier to Recycle

Developed in concert between Zacros and P&G's haircare brand Pantene in Japan, this monomaterial polyethelyne refill pouch is more easily recycled than multi-layer laminated pouches.

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Rotary Vertical Form/Fill/Seal Bagger

The new Inspira from Ishida delivers up to 250 bags per minute, and uses an intuitive HMI.

Glenroy to Increase Adhesive Lamination Capacity

To address increase in demand for sustainable flexible packaging, Glenroy is investing in additional adhesive lamination capacity.

Seal Integrity: A Primer from a Pro

A provider of engineered solutions for the food and beverage industry for more than 40 years, Mark Green of Mark Green & Associates shares some thoughts on seal integrity testing.

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Gualapack Opens New Subsidiary in Florida

Flexible packaging manufacturer Gualapack opened a new subsidiary, Gualapack US & Canada, with a sales office in Miami.

Cheeba Chews taffies use packaging that borrow from pharmaceutical and confectionery industries, including a blister pack with a child-resistant multi-layer foil and paper lidding.

Cheeba Chews Tackles New Markets with Swabbing Station

Owners at Cheeba Chews noticed that a lot of early packaging solutions offered to the emerging cannabis market—whether machinery, materials, or child-resistance—lacked flexibility or customization. So they came up with a solution themselves.

Scholle Ipn Sig Acquisition

Scholle IPN to be Acquired by SIG

Scholle IPN, a supplier of flexible packaging solutions, has agreed to be acquired by SIG, an aseptic carton packaging company.

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Printpack and Sirane Announce Strategic Partnership

Printpack, a manufacturer of flexible and specialty rigid packaging announces a strategic partnership with Sirane, a UK-based manufacturer of paper coating and paper-based packaging.

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FPA Launches “Come Grow With Us” Campaign

The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) announces that its Emerging Leadership Council (ELC) launched, “Come Grow With Us,” a campaign designed to help promote and attract new talent to the flexible packaging industry.

Mailer Pink 500x

Recyclable Mailers

Tishwish's sustainable mailers are made from bio-based polymer (from corn), 100% compostable, and fully customizable.

Nuti Milk Eco Lean

Nutifood Differentiates Its Dairy with Packaging

When launching a series of child- and teen-targeted drinking milk products that aim to boost nutrition and catch the modern consumer’s eye, locally famous Vietnamese food company Nutifood chose Ecolean aseptic packs.

Recyclable Vacuum Bag

allfo’s VAC 95+ recyclable vacuum bag is made of a thin, high-barrier material that consists of more than 95% PP. It is suitable for use in food and packaging applications.