PA - Packaging for Printers Spring 2019 by annexbusinessmedia

PLUS Trends

How innovative packaging establishes a link to the vending experience P.9

BRAND IDENTITY

Six creative ways packaging communicates brand storytelling P.12

Spotlight

Q&A with Debbie Gilbert, Owner and Co-founder, PRX Print P.16

New products

The latest packaging solutions and technologies from Bobst, Cascades, Hybrid Software, Kodak, Scodix and more P.19

Editor

Alyssa Dalton

adalton@annexbusinessmedia.com

416-510-5225

Associate Publisher

Stephen Longmire

slongmire@annexbusinessmedia.com

416-510-5246

Media Designer - Team Lead

Lisa Zambri

lzambri@annexbusinessmedia.com

Account Coordinator

Alice Chen

achen@annexbusinessmedia.com

416-510-5217

Circulation Manager

Barbara Adelt

badelt@annexbusinessmedia.com

416-442-5600 ext. 3546

Circulation

apotal@annexbusinessmedia.com

Tel: 416-510-5113

Fax: 416-510-6875 or 416-442-2191

Mail: 111 Gordon Baker Rd., Suite 400, Toronto, ON M2H 3R1

Group Publisher

Diane Kleer

dkleer@annexbusinessmedia.com

COO

Scott Jamieson

sjamieson@annexbusinessmedia.com

President and CEO

Mike Fredericks

Annex Business Media

111 Gordon Baker Rd., Suite 400, Toronto, ON M2H 3R1 printaction.com

Tel: 416-442-5600 • Fax: 416-442-2230

FEATURES

How innovative packaging establishes a link to the vending experience

Six creative ways packaging communicates brand storytelling

Q&A interview with Debbie Gilbert, Owner and Co-founder, PRX Print

DEPARTMENTS

3 Contiweb appoints imPRESSions Worldwide Canadian sales partner, Supremex now the sole Canadian maker of Conformer packaging, Charles Hatheway joins FLEXcon, and more

INSTALLS

6 Alpha Poly Corp., Ellis Packaging, Jet Label & Packaging, Le Groupe Stylex du Progrès, Maritime Labels & Packaging, Précigrafik

19 New packaging products and solutions from Bobst, Cascades, EFI, Herma US, Hybrid Software, Kodak, Sappi North America and Scodix

imPRESSions Worldwide maintains an inventory of used newspaper and commercial presses and auxiliary equipment.

Contiweb has signed a sales agreement with imPRESSions Worldwide, a supplier of presses, enhancements and services to the newspaper, commercial and packaging market, to become its sales partner in Canada and Western U.S. The agreement sees imPRESSions Worldwide assume responsibility for the growing integration of Contiweb’s flagship Thallo hybrid web offset

printer, along with the Contiweb CD unwinder and CR rewinders. Targeting the digital and converting market, the systems also provide workflow enhancements for Contiweb’s existing splicer and dryer customers. Designed on a modular inline platform, Thallo is described as being fully compatible with all flexo and rotogravure systems, “providing customers with greater flexibility and seamless integration,”

Contiweb says, with offset plates produced in-house.

North American manufacturer of envelopes and paperbased packaging solutions

Supremex has acquired exclusive rights to manufacture Conformer packaging products in Canada. The company operates 12 facili-

ties across seven provinces in Canada and three facilities in the United States, employing approximately 830 people. Conformer Products is a New York–based company that has developed patented packaging that requires no assembly and no void fill, noting its heavy-duty mailers and corrugate mailers can ship small goods up to two inches thick.

Jet Marking Systems (JMS), a provider of label application solutions and ancillary equipment, has become a certified partner for product identification and traceability solutions manufacturer Markem-Imaje, increasing parts, servicing and machinery availability for MI customers in Western Canada.

For JMS, the partnership will yield 200 new customers that had previously dealt exclusively with Markem-Imaje.

The collaboration, the parties say, will also result in a wider range of packaging, marking and coding offerings and enhanced service options.

For JMS, the partnership will yield 200 new customers that had previously dealt exclusively with Markem-Imaje.

“We are honoured that Markem-Imaje chose to leverage our strong presence throughout Western Canada for a partnership that will benefit not only both companies, but also our

customers,” Dan Stickney, General Manager of Jet Marking Systems, says. As a sister company of Jet Label, Jet Marking Systems serves customers from seven locations across B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Significans Automation is now a full dealer for the entire GMG Color product portfolio in Canada and plans to integrate the portfolio into its service offerings in the U.S., Mexico and Latin America. A producer of colour management software, GMG’s latest product, GMG OpenColor, aims to be an easy and reliable all-in-one solution to change the way packaging printers manage colour.

Using spectral data calculations, OpenColor is de-

scribed as using minimal press data to produce separations, contract proofs and prototypes for colour environments that include CMYK, spot colours and an expanded gamut. In addition to OpenColor, GMG’s portfolio includes ColorServer, InkOptimizer, and FlexoProof products.

HP Inc. in February reached a milestone 1,000 HP Indigo Series 4 presses sold as customer momentum for its 29-inch (B2) platform across commercial and labels and packaging digital printing applications grows. “Supplying 1000 presses to customers in 65 countries is an exciting milestone,” Alon Bar-Shany, General Manager, HP Indigo, HP Inc., said at the annual HP Indigo

2019 Global Customer

Event. Ryan Printing, a New York-based, print service provider, was recognized as the 1000th worldwide installation of an HP Indigo Series

4 press with its purchase of an HP Indigo 12000 HD Digital Press.

FLEXcon Company has named Charles Hatheway Regional Sales Manager, North East/ Canada, for FLEXcon North America. As Regional Sales Manager for FLEXcon, Hatheway will lead sales strategies in Canada and the North Eastern United States, and will help customers throughout his region develop new markets.

Kregg Albrecht

Matik, a North American distributor of European print and packaging technologies, has hired Kregg Albrecht as its new Sales Manager, Label Products, where he will represent Matik label products throughout Canada and the eastern half of the U.S. The company explains Albrecht has had a very accomplished business career in printing and packaging, with sales, marketing and engineering experience.

Conference will offer insight on global market trends and the latest technology in this competitive space. Session highlights include: Exploring the Canadian cannabis market; Equipment and skillset requirements for label converting; Equipment drill down; and The voice of the label converter.

Kernow’s Cobalt Coating Technology, described as a new benchmark for HP Indigo synthetics print performance, is now available

The Canadian Label and Package Printing Conference 2019 is set to return to Toronto, Ont., alongside commercial printing trade show Graphics Canada. Featuring experts from Labelexpo and Labels & Labeling, The Canadian Label & Package Printing

exclusively in North America from Mohawk. Specifically optimized for HP Indigo presses, new Mohawk Synthetics with Cobalt boast “ultimate ink adhesion, built-in static control, and best-in-class runnability.”

With a range of calipers in white, coloured and metallic films offered, the new Mohawk Synthetics with Cobalt portfolio aims to enable new print applications using four colour, white or clear ink, and is made up of synthetics that are designed to be tear resistant, suitable for perforating and die-cutting, and offer a built-in static control.

Kernow’s Cobalt Coating Technology is now available exclusively in North America from Mohawk.

M o re p ro ﬁ t f ro m your cur rent ﬂ ex o p ress ?

We kn ow i t ’s ha rd to believe . It really is as amazing as it sounds. The Illumina UV-LED retrofit curing system from Fujifilm expands production capabilities while reducing energy costs up to 94% – all on your existing flexo press. With the rapidly growing number of installations, the system has increased running speeds up to 70%. And, when

Maritime Labels & Packaging of Bedford, N.S., has chosen the HP Indigo 6900 digital press for high-volume variable printing of digital shrink sleeves, making it the first supplier of digitally printed shrink sleeves in the region to its clientele, it says.

“We believe in thinking outside the box as we develop our product offerings, aiming to add the highest quality products. After considering the available technologies, we concluded the print quality and flexibility the new HP Indigo 6900 shines,” Paul Sproule, Operations Manager, Maritime Labels & Packaging, says.

Maritime will also use the new HP Indigo 6900 to print on premium label substrates, while adding embellishments such as foiling, embossing and screen printing.

Quebec printing company Précigrafik is seeing “significant increases” in its production capacity, thanks to its new RMGT 7 series LED-UV 5-colour offset press. Purchased through KBR Graphics, the new system also enables the company to better penetrate the packaging market.

“Our new RMGT 7 series war machine has increased production capacity by 30 percent while generating impressive energy savings. The press prints at speeds of 16,900 sheets per hour, and since it’s equipped with LED-UV technology, the ink is already completely cured as is reaches the delivery, even at full speeds. As part of Précigrafik’s eco-friendly commitment, the LED-UV system provides a safer and cleaner workspace, it can print with no ozone pollution, heat, odour or powder sprays,” Gilles Blais, President of Précigrafik, says.

Flexible packaging manufacturer Alpha Poly Corporation celebrated the completed installation of a Windmoeller & Hoelscher Miraflex II 10 colour press with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony. Established in 1989, the Brampton, Ont., family-owned company manufactures roll-stock, bags and pouches boasting HD printed quality to food manufacturers, industrial manufactures and private label brands. With 53,000 square feet of manufacturing space, Alpha Poly is equipped to handle a range and styles of roll-stock, bags and pouches in small to large volumes.

Jet Label & Packaging has installed a single-pass RFID inserting system involving an existing Mark Andy flexographic press and an RFID application unit from Tamarack. Engineers from Mark Andy retrofitted an existing press at Jet Label’s manufacturing facility to allow room for the Tamarack components. The resulting single-pass RFID insertion sees label stock briefly opened for RFID inlay, then relaminated via finishing operations. The new system then verifies RFID function with a reader system after die-cutting. Jet Label says it selected the Tamarack system for its unique profiling motion that smooths inlay feeding, allowing for insertion at increased speeds.

Ellis Packaging of Pickering, Ont., has purchased a new Komori GLX 6-colour 41-inch press from Komcan Inc., the Canadian dealer for Komori presses. The facility is part of The Ellis Group, with locations in Mississauga and Guelph, Ont. The Group will now have the largest number of GLX presses in Canada and a total of six Komori presses, Komcan explains.

The highly automated GLX is an 18,000 iph machine that sits beside another GLX 8c machine installed three years ago at Ellis Packaging.

Le Groupe Stylex du Progrès is the first in the province of Quebec to acquire Konica Minolta Business Solutions’ flagship MGI JETvarnish 3D Evolution for personalized short, medium and long runs for packaging applications. Designed to produce digitally-embellished images, text, data and brand designs using spot varnish, 3D raised varnish and digitally embossed foil in a single pass, the MGI JETvarnish 3D Evolution is described as the world’s first B1+ scalable sheetfed digital enhancement press. The system, Konica Minolta explains, eliminates the need for films, dies, screens and make-readies for foil stamping jobs from one to thousands of sheets.

Deliver

CREATE A BIGGER FUTURE FOR YOUR BUSINESS

HP INDIGO 30000 DIGITAL PRESS

Deliver a differentiated Folding Cartons offering

HP INDIGO 30000 DIGITAL PRESS

Expand

Deliver a differentiated Folding Cartons offering shaped to today’s market

HP INDIGO 30000 DIGITAL PRESS

Deliver a differentiated Folding Cartons offering shaped to today’s market

HP INDIGO 12000 DIGITAL PRESS

Expand your offering with versatile digital Folding Cartons production capabilities

Deliver a differentiated Folding Cartons offering shaped to today’s market

HP INDIGO 12000 DIGITAL PRESS

Expand your offering with versatile digital Folding Cartons production capabilities

HP INDIGO 12000 DIGITAL PRESS

Expand your offering with versatile digital Folding Cartons production capabilities

Unfold new opportunities to grow with HP Indigo digital printing solutions for Folding Cartons

HP INDIGO 12000 DIGITAL PRESS

Unfold new opportunities to grow with HP Indigo digital printing solutions for Folding Cartons with HP Indigo digital printing solutions for Folding Cartons production

Deliver a differentiated Folding Cartons offering shaped to today’s market

INDIGO 12000 DIGITAL PRESS

Win more business and grow, by expanding your offering, increasing your efficiency, and with HP Indigo digital printing solutions for Folding Cartons production

Expand your offering with versatile digital Folding Cartons production capabilities

Unfold new opportunities to grow with HP Indigo digital printing solutions for Folding Cartons

Win more business and grow, by expanding your offering, increasing your efficiency, and gaining the flexibility to meet brands' complex requirements. Empower your customers to optimize their supply chain and boost their brand and sales, with engaging packaging digitally printed with offset-interchangeable quality.

Unfold new opportunities to grow with HP Indigo digital printing solutions for Folding Cartons

gaining the flexibility to meet brands' complex requirements. Empower your customers to optimize their supply chain and boost their brand and sales, with engaging packaging digitally printed with offset-interchangeable quality.

Win

Expand your offering with versatile digital Folding Cartons production capabilities with HP Indigo digital printing solutions for Folding Cartons production

Find out more: hp.com/go/labelsandpackaging

Packaging innovation

Establishing a link to the vending experience

By Michelle Brisebois

Steve Jobs once said, “Packaging can be theatre, it can create a story.” Anyone who has purchased an Apple device knows the products are presented in the most premium way. There’s a sense of gravitas to the first opening of the box. While Jobs is correct in noting packaging’s role in the brand experience, it’s also expected to serve functional requirements. Protector, marketer, salesman, environmental steward and, increasingly, digital beacon: The humble package will play a key role in all retail channels going forward.

Mintel explored five key packaging trends in its look ahead in the future of packaging, so we wanted to examine

those trends as they relate to vending and micro markets.

The [re]union of package structure and branding

Mintel notes that one-third of U.S. adults say they perceive a food product housed in high-quality packaging to be of quality as well. A solid construction protects the product and communicates freshness. Mintel also reports that “21 percent of Canadian consumers are interested in re-sealable or re-closeable packaging in order to reduce waste.”

Although clean label messaging continues to trend around the world, there is some confusion as to exactly what the term “clean label” means.

According to a Canadian survey, most respondents who recognize the term “clean label” think it means the product is free of pesticides, chemicals or artificial ingredients, or is organic. Some believe it means the product is allergen-free.

In 2016, KitKat chocolate bars in Japan were offered in a mail-friendly package that converts to a smartphone holder with space for a personal message in response to the Japanese tradition of giving a pack of KitKat chocolate to students for luck on exams. Photo: Nestle Japan

According to Canadean’s Q4 2015 global survey, 34 percent of consumers don’t understand its meaning. Canadean also found that of those respondents who do recognize the term “clean label,” most consumers

think it means the product is free of pesticides, chemicals or artificial ingredients, or is organic. Some believe it means the product is allergen-free.

Social media hashtags, such as #cleaneating, are promoting the trend.

Examples of the structure and branding synergy can be found in the various yogurt products aimed at children. Formats include drinkables and delivery by squeezing a tube-like toothpaste, and the result is a fun but nutritious product that’s easy for parents to feed kids while on the go or to pack in a lunch. Branding is bright, exciting, interactive and easy to hold, and packaging is often shaped like animals.

The face and role of packaging online

The grocery industry is keen to grow its online share, and increasingly, vending channels and micro markets are leveraging digital tools to allow consumers to view inventory and order from afar. As e-commerce continues to develop, packaging must pop – both on the shelf and on the screen – to appeal to consumers. Many companies are enlarging their brand presence on packages and removing visual clutter as they understand the product is often viewed on mobile devices as a thumb-

nail image. Other companies such as Nutpods dairy-free creamers have designed the package to have a large image of the creamer being poured into coffee so the consumer can see easily online what it does. The structural integrity of the package is shatter-proof, resistant to fluctuating temperatures and compact for ease of shipping.

Packaging gets smart, active and intelligent

The Internet of Things will see our homes, cars and consumer packaged goods all connected to the Internet. The first wave of packaging seems to use this technology to communicate product origin stories. According to Mintel, “50 percent of U.S. consumers are interested in scanning food packaging to learn more about the provenance of fresh produce.” Electronics company Insignia has developed a label containing a dot that changes colour with time to communicate product freshness. Best-before dates –

often so hard to read – are no longer required. Xerox has created a thinfilm rewritable label with 36 bits of non-volatile memory. This technology is designed to prevent counterfeiting, a popular concern for highly regulated products such as drugs and alcohol. Smart labels can store a lot more information than traditional barcodes can. QR codes allow consumers to connect to instruction manuals, video content and data sheets. The individual product’s supply chain experience, including storage, transportation, handling and inventory, can be tracked. As vending moves increasingly from products with longer shelf lives and more additives to an offering more skewed to perishable foods, smart tags will help both operators and consumers track freshness.

The experience of packaging

This trend speaks to the ways in which packaging can entertain, engage and

give the consumer an experience that enhances their enjoyment of the product. Mintel cites globalization and production efficiencies as factors contributing to a sea of mediocre packaging overloaded with information. Smart brands are decluttering their labels and some are effectively tapping into the consumer hunger for brand co-creation and personalization. CocaCola’s European limited-edition label with a roll-fed feature that creates a bow is intended to reinforce its brand values of happiness and sharing. KitKat chocolate bars in Japan were offered in a mail-friendly package with space for a personal message. This option was offered in response to the Japanese tradition of giving a pack of KitKat chocolate to

students to wish them good luck on exams.

Extend my brand

“21 percent of Canadian consumers are interested in re-sealable or re-closeable packaging in order to reduce waste.”

While price is an important consideration for consumers’ purchasing decisions, strong brand equity and trust can allow a brand to extend its reach into new channels of distribution. Kraft Snack Trios leverages Kraft’s brand equity to tap into the growing healthy snack market. The chambered package contains dried fruits and granola along with the cheese curds for an indulgent energy kick. In a more dramatic departure from its core business, Carlsberg launched a line of male grooming products containing the beer’s main ingredients. Originally designed to be a limited-edition release, the line was

expanded due to its success. The packaging ties directly to the beer brand and taps into the growing movement around male beauty products. This trend is driving the estimated $579 million of growth in the Canadian men’s beauty product market by almost 70 percent between 2003 and 2008, according to Euromonitor.

The vending industry’s trajectory is now solidly linked to that of emerging technology. Self-serve delivery has been completely reinvented and it’s incredibly exciting for operators. When you consider what products to offer your customers, think about their paths to purchase, consumer trends and then build in a bit of fun. If you choose well, packaging can function as the sales associate that never leaves the store.

This article was originally published in Canadian Vending, www.canadianvending.com, a sister publication of PrintAction at Annex Business Media.

Brand identity

Six creative ways packaging communicates brand storytelling

By Phil Bagdasarian

Today’s packaging does more than protect a product, it is a vessel designed to convey a brand’s unique story. Every customer who purchases a product sees its packaging, thus creating an opportunity for businesses to establish a perfectly controlled interaction. The right strategy will generate engagement by crafting an informational, yet emotional, story.

Modern shoppers want more than product details, they crave a story that establishes a personal connection with the product’s creator. Once the perfect brand identity and story have been created, it is vital to express and bolster the narrative though the package’s design elements. A clear, min-

imalist design is highly recognizable in multiple settings, and is an efficient strategy for directing consumers to a brand’s evocative tale. Every design component is crucial, communicating a brand’s message through colour, shape, size, content and materials.

The following six creative strategies will help efficiently communicate a brand’s story and create a lasting, positive impression that will enhance consumers’ shopping experience.

Know your target

Failure to target the right audience will result in packaging that falls flat, regardless of how attractive the design is. An overreaching strategy that attempts to sell a product to everybody

will probably sell to no one, so it’s essential for businesses to conduct a market analysis that targets the right message to the right people. An effective design will be composed of aesthetically pleasing components that speak to the company’s targeted consumers, conveying its message with visual efficacy. To accomplish this, designers need to ask themselves several questions and establish their approach on the answers. Information

such as shoppers’ age, employment, income level, gender, education, interests, location and marital status for instance, can help designers adopt a neutral, unbiased view that will assist them in creating a visual expression that reflects the emotional needs of consumers. Knowing an audience’s preferences is invaluable, so designers should perform research that sheds some light on lifestyles, personalities and tastes, and then translate

these into colour, typography and layout that exudes the right ambiance and attitude.

First impressions

It takes seven seconds for consumers to make a decision after visualizing a product, which means businesses only have a small timeframe to make a first impression. Recent studies have shown that “people form first impressions very quickly based solely on appearance, and that these first impressions persist over time and aren’t changed easily.” An attractive packaging design is the ultimate motivator when it comes to impulse shopping, triggering a delightful feeling of reward. By integrating a story into product packaging, businesses can make their brand more relatable to consumers and establish an important connection that will drive engagement. But first, customers must be drawn to the design through original colours, unique shapes and appealing

materials that offer a tactile experience. Once the initial connection has been elicited, the packaging’s words can do the rest of the talking. The same is true for e-commerce packaging, which makes an impression the moment it arrives on a consumer’s doorstep, regardless of what is inside.

Showcase the human connection

The layout of a product’s package is of utmost importance. Proper use of layout will direct consumers’ eyes the right way, drawing them to the brand message in a clear and emotional manner. Once the connection has been made, it needs to be maintained through proper use of colour, negative space, graphics and compelling content. Developing a strategy that encompasses a human factor will attract shoppers and help establish a brand’s unique character. In packaging, consistency is key, so this aspect must be present in each and every design variation. Humanizing specific elements of a brand, such as its employees or stellar customer service, by showcasing team photos or easy

methods of contact, will help form the kind of relationship with shoppers that will make them feel valued and appreciated.

Set the mood with colour

The right combination of colours can evoke specific feelings, helping to express and enhance a brand’s storytelling. But oftentimes, colour choices in packaging are dictated by a brand owner’s personal tastes rather than what resonates with potential customers. To find the perfect colour palette, designers need to perform a delicate dance that can satisfy both consumers and brand owners. Colour theory can predict an audience’s reaction with surprising accuracy, but it’s important to apply a guideline that will prevent a disconnect between colour and messaging, which could turn customers away.

Guidelines can be developed based on colours’ emotional associations. Red, for instance, conveys passion

and demands attention, green signifies nature, stability and growth, while the colour white represents purity and health. When it comes to packaging, colours are vital tools. They possess the power to make or break a connection, so it’s essential to apply this type of methodology to craft the right design. Typically, brand colours involve the use of three colours: An emotive base colour, an accent colour, and a neutral tone that will harmonize with the base colour. To strengthen brand awareness, the chosen colours should be consistently implemented across each design element.

Conveying an experience

To design a packaging experience that expresses a story, careful consideration must be applied to materials, graphics and finishes. The right elements will create balance and a sense of fluidity that will make a positive and memorable impression during the unboxing experience. To create a eu-

Let’s be honest

Today’s market demands transparency. Since the 2008 recession, consumer trust is at an all-time low, so a brand message that lacks honesty and integrity will fail, despite the use

phoric and rewarding packaging event, several factors must be implemented. Functionality is key to keeping a product protected during handling and shipping, but is also crucial to providing shoppers with a smooth, relaxing and dynamic unboxing experience. Sensuality plays a significant role in the process, and can be tapped into by stimulating the senses with several features such as soft touch finishes, embossing, crisp edges, natural elements and crinkly materials. Adding these stimulating layers will appeal to the senses, helping to build excitement and anticipation. Lastly, a box’s contents should be akin to a display case, presenting each element in a perfect sense of order. When all of these design features are carefully orchestrated and brought together in a single package, the unboxing ritual can be greatly enhanced, sending customers on an unforgettable journey.

of effective and creative design elements. Authenticity is at the top of shoppers’ lists, which is why businesses need to be completely open about their values and the products they offer. A great way to convey transparency through packaging is to replace generic stock photography with real images. Showing photos of the actual product and the team of people behind it will let consumers know the brand can be trusted. What they see is what they want to get. Modern shoppers are savvy, so there’s no point in altering product shots. Instead, companies should lay out their core values in an open manner and hold themselves accountable, proving to existing and potential clients they can be trusted.

Phil Bagdasarian is the co-founder of Packwire, an online printing and packaging service that enables businesses to create their own box design, including branded mailers, folding cartons, shipping boxes, and gift boxes.

– High-speed Over-Cutter Camera registration now available for all Zünd cutter series (G3/D3, S3) – Zünd Board-Handling System BHS150 for industrial-level automation

– High-powered 3.6kW routing system with automatic tool/bit changer ARC

Debbie Gilbert / Owner and Co-founder / PRX Print

In August 2018, Mississauga, Ont., full-service label manufacturer and print agency

PRX Print announced it had installed the Mark Andy Digital One, an investment it says will result in 50-percent growth. PRX Print Owner and Co-founder Debbie Gilbert researched a variety of digital label printing technologies and product offerings, and her search led her to the recently launched Mark Andy Digital One hybrid label press.

Why did PRX Print decide to go with the Mark Andy Digital One?

DG: We began as a brokerage in 2010 and identified a need in the marketplace for a single-source packaging company that could integrate all of the packaging services clients need: Consulting for form and function, concept, design and printing. Using a traditional “push” strategy, we created sales opportunities by looking at packaging we thought could be improved and going to see the clients,

rather than just trying to sell labels. We were brokering most print services but adding value by being a packaging consultant [with the goal of] helping customers market their products on the shelf more effectively to increase sales and market share.

Over the last four to five years as the [global] digital market has exploded, demographics and the market for retail products have also changed dramatically. We now have a retail landscape that demands just-in-time products, a demographic with a desire for specialty and ethnic foods, and [trends] such as small-quantity, multiple-version printing and specialty effects, which have all combined to make the perfect storm for digital printing. To answer the demand for fast turnaround times and economical yet high-quality print solutions, last year we decided to look for an inhouse label printing solution.

People today are bombarded with special effects in everything they see — whether it’s

video games, movies or packaging on the shelf. We’ve even had the advent of virtual reality packaging. Now that consumers are getting used to it and are expecting it, wherever we can add these elements to labels creates a great opportunity-solution for customers. We have a blended desire for short-runs that can [accomplish] that, so flexo isn’t the only solution any longer — new digital presses offer embellishment like cold foils, spot colours and virtual reality.

Established in 2010, PRX Print’s product offering includes labels (digital, flexo and imprinting), shrink sleeves, printed retail boxes, forms, bags and various marketing collateral materials.

And we have the expertise to help them increase sales or penetrate new markets through improving their packaging. We also offer solutions that are cost effective for their specific needs – sometimes digital printing is best and sometimes flexo suits their needs better – we offer both solutions. Sometimes a label is best, and sometimes a printed cardboard sleeve is more suitable, or even a uniquely designed box – we provide solutions for any of them and guide the customer within their budget.

print people in another and the marketing department down the hall.

Everything has now become one. [The key is] for everyone to work together in an integrated approach. Design isn’t isolated; it is integral to the form and function of the finished product. Having the marketing resource collaborate with designers and a knowledgeable print resource ensures there are no surprises for customers and they get exactly what they need and want. [All parties have] to work together from the start.

— they demand information quickly, and it is important to provide clear and compelling information that conveys benefits to consumers as soon as they pick an item up of the shelf. With just a few seconds to do that, there is no better way to accomplish that than through effectively designed printed packaging.

What’s next for PRX Print?

What makes PRX Print unique?

DG: We take a consultative approach with our clients – looking at everything from the way their product is packaged and labelled, to the way it’s displayed on a shelf or in their tradeshow booth.

How important is the print+design collaboration?

DG: Very — and it really wasn’t a collaborative [effort] for a long time. You had designers sitting in one area,

How does print fit into a digital future?

DG: I think print will [continue to hold] a big role in packaging, and in our lives in general, going forward. Print is a primary means of communicating a message or a brand. People can see [a product] online but they still want to feel it and see it on the shelf. [Consumers] are savvier than ever today

DG: We’re in rapid growth mode right now and are still exploring the full features of the Mark Andy Digital One. We’re definitely going to focus on digital because we believe there’s so much potential out there and that’s only going to grow. [If you look at] the capabilities of the new digital presses coming to market today, they continue to offer [faster] speed, more and more features, and increased high-quality output – all of this means we can offer customers what they want at a price they can afford.

ROLAND 700

Technology to nurture

Canada Inc. 120 Jevlan Dr., Unit #3, Vaughan, ON L4L 8G3. T: 905-265-6300. E: gina.gigliozzi@manroland.ca The advanced technology of the ROLAND 700 EVOLUTION press delivers unprecedented levels of productivity which guarantees maximum output and efficiency with substantial cost savings throughout it’s lifetime.

The portfolio includes POS, displays, consumer and shelfready product packaging.

Cascades IMGN

Manufacturer of green packaging and tissue products Cascades has unveiled its new brand for retail solutions: Cascades IMGN retail solutions. The portfolio comprises POS, displays, consumer and shelf-ready product packaging, all of which are designed to improve in-store brand impact. The total offer includes high-resolution colour printing through flexography, lithography and digital. It explains the name IMGN is a contraction of the word Imagine, which embodies several qualities of Cascades IMGN retail solutions – “its ability to create products that stand apart, the ingenuity of its teams and the infinite possibilities of the solutions it offers customers through a simple, reliable process.”

Hybrid Software Stepz PDF layout tool

Concurrent with the opening of DScoop Edge Orlando, Hybrid Software has released Stepz, a native PDF step & repeat tool for digital label and packaging printing. Derived from the Packz editor tool, Stepz can be customized for the capabilities of different digital presses and finishing equipment, it explains. The first version of Stepz is designed for HP Indigo users migrating to the new Production Pro DFE, with step & repeat templates that match the form factor of HP Indigo label and packaging presses, plus intelligent marks for finishing devices. It also includes nested step & repeat for folding carton work, and full VDP functionality for variable barcodes and text.

Herma 500 label applicator

Scodix Ultra 101, 202

Scodix in February announced the commercial launch of the Scodix Ultra 101 and the Scodix Ultra 202 digital enhancement presses. The Scodix Ultra family of presses, including the Scodix Ultra 101 and the Scodix Ultra 202, was developed to meet the increased demand for business-generating digital enhancement and allow print service providers of all sizes to target new revenue opportunities, the company explains.

Herma US Inc. has introduced the Herma 500 Label Applicator, an IoT-enabled machine that leverages real-time metrics to help optimize production efficiency and consistency in a multi-factory setting. Capable of achieving labeling speeds up to 200m/min, the Herma 500 can handle label widths between 80 to 320 mm and roll diameters from 300 to 600 mm. Since launching North American operations in 2016, Herma says it has sold more than 4,000 of the Herma 400 Label Applicator in 2018, half of which were provided to original equipment manufacturers. The Herma 500, it explains, is a next-generation label applicator that builds upon its predecessor’s best features and integrates Industry 4.0 connectivity. The Herma 500 offers a maximum speed 70 ft/minute higher than the H400, while a maximum speed of 650 ft/minute can be reached.

Stepz will be available to HP Indigo users for rental or purchase on the HP PrintOS Marketplace.

The Herma 500 can handle label widths between 80 to 320 mm.

Bobst AR customer assistance

Bobst says its new Helpline Plus AR is the first ever remote assistance service in the packaging industry to incorporate a smart headset with augmented reality glasses. Developed to establish a secure, virtual connection with the customer’s machine, Helpline Plus AR is Wi-Fi connected. Customers requiring technical assistance can wear the smart headset and through two-way video and audio live stream, Bobst experts can simultaneously see what the user sees and offer real-time support.

Kodak Prosper Plus Imprinting Solutions

Kodak in February announced the Prosper Plus Imprinting Solution, the newest Kodak Stream Inkjet Technology component product line designed for packaging and product decoration applications. Based on Prosper S-Series Imprinting Systems, the Prosper Plus Imprinting Solution includes four new imprinting components as well as food safe packaging inks and pre-coatings for folding cartons, food wraps, paper cups and plates, and ream wraps. The four hardware products will include two narrow formats and two wider format models that print at speeds of up to 850 fpm or 2,000 fpm maximum. The components can be mounted inline with offset, flexo or gravure presses, and can be implemented in finishing lines such as folding/gluing systems.

EFI Fiery FS350 Pro

Electronics For Imaging says its latest digital front end (DFE) technology, EFI Fiery FS350 Pro software, will give graphic arts professionals more power, productivity and versatility in digital printing. The new Fiery offering, which debuted at EFI’s Connect Users conference in January, will be available starting this quarter. New DFEs based on EFI Fiery FS350 Pro software, the compa-ny explains, will drive digital printers and presses from manufacturers of sheetfed, high-speed con-tinuous feed, B1 folding carton, and corrugated digital production systems, including both toner and inkjet technologies. The new release boasts enhanced image control with Fiery JobMaster software; support for Adobe APPE 4.4; more efficient system maintenance; CMYK+ support; and new Fiery makeready features. Customers requiring technical assistance can wear the smart headset and connect with experts immediately through two-way video and audio live stream.

Kodak introduces the latest iteration of its Prosper imprinting system, Prosper Plus.

Sappi Proto, Spectro paperboard products

Sappi’s new Proto and Spectro paperboard products are now available globally. Proto C1S is described as a sturdy SBS for everyday applications, including magazine and book covers, shopping bags, POS materials, direct mail and consumer packaging. Spectro C1S is a single-ply SBS for high-quality packaging and graphic applications.

Whether using UV, aqueous or specialty coatings, hot foil stamping, embossing, special effects or varnishes, the line aims to bring a “substantial feel at a lighter weight with enhanced optics” to everyday products.