Digital printing of packaging has come a long way since its early days of being used primarily for printing coding and expiration dates. Driven by its benefits over conventional printing processes, digital printing has made major inroads in label and narrow web printing, with new opportunities emerging in corrugated, folding carton and flexible packaging.

As a result, digital ink and equipment companies are optimistic about further growth in the coming years.

Benefits of Digital Printing for Packaging

Much as is the case for digital printing in other segments, benefits such as short runs and personalization are helping to drive growth in packaging.

Paul Edwards, VP of the Digital division at INX International, pointed out that the benefits are quite typical for the implementation of digital.

“Shorter runs and personalization are great digital drivers, and it is likely the ROI for digi-tal is improving as labor costs increase and the ability to rapidly change from job to job without extra man hours is a real factor,” Edwards said. “The rate of technology develop-ment and the hardening of single-pass technology into the industrial environment im-proves both the ROI and the confidence of the customer to implement the technology.”

Mike Pruitt, senior product manager, Epson America, Inc., said that growth is being driven by a variety of factors, including flexibility, predictable costs, time to market, and the need for a lower skill set.

“Digital printing allows for easy customization and quick changes, reducing the need for an expansive set up and enabling rapid production,” Pruitt said. “This results in cost savings and faster market response times. Additionally, the simplified operation of digital printers requires less specialized training, making high-quality packaging accessible to smaller businesses and startups.”

Simon Daplyn, product & marketing manager, Sun Chemical, noted that as designs evolve and run lengths become shorter, the flexibility of digital print emerges as a key to its growth.

“Brands and converters can adapt to shorter print jobs with less inventory requirement, helping manage cost by minimizing print time, storage of stock and print cylinders, and potential waste,” Daplyn said.

Daplyn also observed that print growth is in part driven by the rise of e-commerce and regional promotions.

“Digital print enables simplified solutions for regional pack variations, variable data, unique product identifiers and personalized messaging, and on-box advertising on the outer package,” he added. “In all cases, digital print provides the ideal platform for converters to accommodate regional and market needs and allow on-demand, high-quality print in shorter production runs. In many areas, digital print is being used either in combination with, or as a complement to, analog processes to provide converters with the agility to deal with evolving packaging demands.”

“The desire to move to complementary technology, including inkjet and other digital print to address short-runs economically as run-lengths generally continue to reduce,” said Gary Barnes, head of sales and marketing, FUJIFILM Ink Solutions Group. “Other benefits are versioning or imprinting of variable information such as anti-counterfeit, product data, languages or regional legislation.”

“The growth of HP TIJ in package coding compared to other inkjet technologies is driven by a combination of factors, including the absence of maintenance, ease of use, reliability, cost efficiency, faster speeds, higher resolution, wide print swath, improved throw distances, and an increasing breadth of more sustainable inks,” Olivier Bastien, HP’s business segment manager and future products – coding & marking, Specialty Printing Technology Solutions, said. “This versatility positions HP TIJ as a powerful solution for a wider range of printing and packaging needs as consumer and industry demands cause manufacturers to rethink their approach to supply and production.”

“As ink development aligns with the emergence of new packaging styles and materials, consumer and industrial products manufacturers are well-equipped to adapt to packaging trends,” said Melissa Bosnyak, project manager, sustainable packaging solutions, Videojet Technologies. “As an industry, we get to support the efforts to make products more sustainable. There is no one solution, and in being prepared for what comes next, we can continue to support the growth in sustainable packaging offerings.”

Outlook for Digital Printing of Packaging

With these benefits in mind, the outlook for growth in the inkjet packaging market in the coming years looks promising.

“Sustainability will drive the development of exciting new packaging types, inks, and printers,” said Bosnyak. “While embracing mono-material packaging to increase recyclability is a positive move, more sustainable substrates will be developed to meet consumer demand. Factors such as hygiene, safety, aesthetic appeal, and product longevity will also continue to influence the evolution of new packaging forms and substrates.”

“As the global population grows and global standards of living increase, we expect there will be an increase in demand for packaging,” Bastien said. “The nature of packaging will likely change, and we’ll see the use of less material per package, more sustainable materials, and more direct print on packaging as opposed to adhesive labels. The need for pack-age coding and the opportunity for digital packaging printing will only continue to grow because of this.”

“I anticipate a 4-6% growth rate in the packaging market over the next few years, driven by technological advancements such as on-object decoration with an increasing interest in environmental sustainability,” Pruitt said. “Additionally, I predict there will be an increase in consolidation among packaging manufacturers, possibly leading to a more automation and efficient production.”

“In one word, I would say ‘exciting’,” said Edwards. “There is no doubt the digital packaging market will not only expand significantly, but the applications will be addressed by digital technology. The new decoration opportunities that will emerge will only be capable of being created digitally.” 

“Sun Chemical has been investing in developing solutions for digital packaging for a number of years, with the expectation that partnerships with key market players will lead to new solutions that can enable easier adoption of digital print technology across a range of packaging segments,” Daplyn said. “Sun Chemical engages with customers using analog processes, as well as with equipment manufacturers and integrators to drive the direction for future developments. This is an exciting time in the journey of digital packaging, and Sun Chemical expects increased activity in the coming years with significant growth in integration of the technology across the packaging sector.”

“Packaging is still adapting to the impacts of the move from central/regional production to local production, exposure of the supply chain and limited availability of raw materials,” Barnes said. “Product versioning is here to stay, which has an impact on run-lengths, and this will further drive the suitability of digital. The move for e-commerce to improve the unboxing experience and to improve the attractiveness of transport packaging will create more opportunity for folding carton and corrugated digital printing.

“In the drive for sustainability, packaging will continue to move to more sustainable materials such as monoplastics and materials with higher recyclable content,” Barnes added. “There will be more attention to recyclability, and new national schemes to enforce packaging recycling or reuse will be made possible through innovative solutions that use the latest technologies in combination with digital printing.”