PA - Packaging for Printers Spring 2022

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DIGITAL BLOCK

Packaging manufacturers aren’t fully harnessing the power of digital printing P.7

PLUS Print 4.0

Thanks to variable data printing, hyper-personalized, small-batch, fast applications are now possible P.12

Finishing touches

Digital finishing offers many benefits for companies using web-to-pack P.17

New Products

Driving packaging innovation with new gear from Bobst, Xeikon and more P.19

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FEATURES

An exploration of the factors limiting the use of digital presses in packaging manufacturing

Printers can rapidly create hyper-personalized, short-run applications

The digital difference

How digital finishing is becoming increasingly agile in the packaging sector

DEPARTMENTS

NEWS

3 Durst North America appoints Philip Hampson as its national sales representative in Canada, Color-Logic certifies the Mark Andy Digital Series iQ Label Press, Flint Group achieves Silver status from EcoVadis, the Paper Converting Machine Company opens a new packaging innovation centre, ePac Flexible Packaging names Tracy Butler as chief financial officer, and more

INSTALLS

5 Gerrity Corrugated Paper Products, Corporate Source Graphic Solutions, and Ellis Paper Box

19 Products and solutions from Ricoh, Hubergroup, Xeikon and Bobst

Durst North America appoints Philip Hampson as its national sales representative in Canada. Hampson brings a wealth of printing industry experience. He previously served in several national sales roles supporting various print markets. “I’ve always admired Durst as a company and am honoured to represent Durst throughout Canada,” said Hampson.

“Philip’s experience in inkjet sales and support makes him

a strong and welcome addition to the Durst sales team,”

said Larry D’Amico, sales director, Durst North America.

“He reflects our ongoing commitment to customer satisfaction before, during and after the sale.”

Color-Logic certifies the

Mark Andy Digital Series iQ

Label Press. Discussing the certification, Mark Geeves,

Color-Logic director of sales and marketing, said, “With the

Mark Andy Digital Series iQ

Label Press, digital printing is now available to mainstream label producers in a familiar equipment configuration with inline processing. Color-Logic is pleased to certify the new

Mark Andy press and to partner with one of the leading label equipment suppliers, ensuring label converters can

enjoy the ease and predictability of digital metallic embellishment printing as well as digital metallic variable data printing.”

Flint Group , including all business units within its

Packaging and Commercial

Publication and Web divisions, has achieved a Silver status from EcoVadis , the world’s largest provider of business sustainability ratings. The company was con-

sidered to be in the top 21 per cent of companies rated by EcoVadis in the manufacture of paints, varnishes and similar coatings, including printing inks. It was rated in the top nine per cent of companies in

Philip Hampson
The Flint Group earns a Silver status from Ecovadis.

the Sustainable Procurement category, as well as in the top seven per cent for Ethics.

ePac Flexible Packaging names Tracy Butler as chief financial officer.

Located in Austin, Texas, Butler will be responsible for

driving ePac’s overall financial strategy with a focus on growth. She brings more than 20 years of experience as a finance executive in startup, mid-sized and large firms.

“We’re thrilled to have Tracy join ePac. The dedication she has shown throughout her

career in unlocking the potential of both businesses and people will be invaluable as we continue to grow our footprint globally,” said Jack Knott, ePac’s CEO.

The Paper Converting Machine Company (PCMC) is opening a new packaging innovation centre in Green Bay, Wis. The multi-purpose space is more than 4,700 sf, and will serve as a hub for demonstrations, training, education, industry trials and research and development.

The Packaging Innovation Center will be the home of a Fusion C flexographic press, Hudson-Sharp’s Ares 400SUP stand-up pouch machine, a Meridian Elite laser anilox cleaner, an ELS-MAX inline press and the ION digit-

al printing platform. The centre also features tools and supplies for anilox sleeves, plate-mounting, colour-proofing, plate and print inspection, sleeve-cleaning and plate sleeves and tapes.

MacDermid Graphics Solutions names Meghan Richburg as global program manager, Experience Centre. Richburg’s primary responsibilities will include managing the day-to-day operations and providing outstanding experiences for visitors of the Flexo Xperience Center (FXC) at MacDermid Graphics Solutions.

The Hershey Company leveraged the power of digital printing technology to transform its iconic chocolate bar packaging into a celebration of women. The 2022 #HerShe campaign was run in collaboration with HP Indigo. The chocolate bar packages were printed with QR codes on an HP Indigo 20000 digital press. It helped make ‘invisible women, visible’ by supporting gender equality through a global movement that celebrated female achievements in science, business, sports, activism, and music.

The Paper Converting Machine Company opens innovation centre.
Meghan Richburg

The Sun Automation Group places Latitude Machinery Corporation’s (LMC’s) jumbo rotary diecutter (RDC) P-series at Gerrity Corrugated Paper Products in Concord, Ont. Gerrity chose the LMC Jumbo P-Series RDC because of its size, LMC’s reputation for quality and SUN Automation Group’s reputation for service and support.

Winnipeg-based Corporate Source Graphic Solutions has installed a Kongsberg X24 cutting table. “We are very pleased to be able to enhance our capabilities when it comes to custom cutting of almost any material. The Kongsberg cutting table will also help us with the speed of production,” said Mark Davis, president, Corporate Source.

Ellis Paper Box in Mississauga, Ont., installs a new Komori GLX 6 colour 41-in. press with a coater. The press comes with one of the highest levels of automation and inspection systems available in the market today. Some of the features include PQA-S Sheet Inspection and colour control, PDC-X scanner and logistics for skid movement.

What’s holding back digitally packaging?printed

An exploration of the factors limiting the use of digital presses in packaging manufacturing

When all the research of recent years is projecting market growth of between 10 and 15 per cent CAGR over the coming years, with corresponding advances in market share, it may sound unnecessarily provocative to suggest digital print in packaging has failed to fulfil expectations.

The value proposition of digital print is familiar enough: the ability to go from PDF to POS in a matter of hours not only makes short runs and cool customization campaigns economical, but also enables supply chain effi-

ciencies and leaner stock management. Digitally printing a package thus caters to a swathe of key market trends and demands from agile marketing campaigns and proliferation of SKUs to streamlining processes for faster time to market.

However, in off-the-record conversations over the last couple of years, both brand owners and digital print specialists have confided a mild disappointment that some of the more idealistic predictions of digital conquest have not yet come to pass. What are the reasons for this? Is the

Companies can now target messages for specific groups of customers or join social movements like Pride Months.

post-COVID world closer to the tipping point?

We don’t all need bespoke

We’ll start with perhaps the most basic and obvious point: the largest chunk of the market is still serving long-run jobs for packaging destined for the shelves of bricks-and-mortar retailers.

As Montserrat Peidro, former head of Heidelberg’s digital print business, remarks, “The main advantages of

digital print can be quantified in terms of cost per box in short-mid runs, in faster turnaround times that result in a leaner supply chain, and in its ability to produce unique boxes profitably. Examples include packages with security features, unique identifiers for the purpose of tracking and tracing products, codes for connected packaging, and those that are personalized for a specific individual.”

Yet, there remains huge demand for generic packaging produced in high volumes and at high speeds. Analogue presses, which are considerably cheaper than the digital ones, still handle the bigger runs more cost effectively. This is hardly news, but those of us who get intoxicated by disruptive innovation could do well to remind ourselves of the enduring gravitational pull of simple mathematics. As long as not everyone needs bespoke, there will be a place for analogue.

Agile tech won’t accelerate time

That said, there is a significant and growing packaging market space

where digital print can add value. Brand owners need to differentiate their multiple SKUs and increase frequency of marketing campaigns to maintain consumer attention. In this landscape, flexibility rather than raw throughput is key to productivity.

“The printing speed of analogue does not take into consideration all the presses’ set-ups, including colour calibrations, waste and plates making and mounting,” says Marcelo Akierman (HP Indigo marketing manager – EMEA region). “The time to market is dramatically reduced with digital printing. Brand owners can do the proofing onsite, and when the target is achieved

If digitally printed packaging represents a cultural, as well as a technological, revolution, I have the sense that what we are seeing today is an influential counterculture rather than mainstream.

sign on the final substrate.”

However, all too often the end user isn’t thinking as fast as the technology.

As a major corrugated converter observed to me, they can handle an artwork change in little more than a day on traditional presses.

If the brand owner’s marketing signoff takes days or weeks, is it possible the bottleneck is as much a business systems problem as a technological one? Brands need to become as agile as digital presses if they are to leverage their full potential, and they need to get used to making more decentralized marketing decisions.

Harnessing the value of digital print will rely on integration into the wider value chain.

“We often forget it, but packaging production is more than printing and part of a longer supply chain – from packaging design to printers, converters, packers and retailers (online or physical),” reminds François Martin,

senior communication advisor at Bobst. “Printing digital will save a few hours, even a few days, in a process taking months. The entire packaging production chain needs to be rewritten. Digital printing will be part of the new Industry 4.0 packaging landscape, but the digitalization of an entire process will be the most important element.”

Conversely, as analogue print technologies are adapted to function within this connected ecosystem, they will become quasi-digital themselves.

We are still rewriting the rules

Digital print facilitates an altogether more intimate degree of consumer engagement just as the broader digital transformation of our world is making consumers expect gratifying communication from brands.

“There’s no question customization is one of the biggest trends driving the adoption of digital package printing,” says Donald Allred, VP of packaging,

Memjet. “When packaging is produced in a late-stage customization process, using digital printing is not only possible, but also is preferred by brands that want to connect with their consumers by adding personalized messages and images to their packaging. These messages can include support of regional sports teams, seasonal messages, and/or images of local interest. Compare this close customer relationship with the more traditional process whereby brands ship products to distribution centres. In this supply chain, products are distributed to vast geographic and demographic markets with little opportunity for personalized packaging experiences.”

However, return on investment will require more sophisticated strategies than the now familiar ‘product with your name on it’. This is a new game, and the rules of how to create meaningful experiences through customized packaging are still being written.

“Personalization goes far beyond customizing or styling products,” suggests Jose Gorbea, head of brands & agencies at HP GSB EMEA. “It’s about intelligently curating and shaping the whole experience for those in our community: makers, designers and consumers alike.

One industry shift is personalized storytelling with mass customization seen as the next frontier for global brands. With digital print, design runs that used to number in the tens of thousands can now vary unit by unit, making labels, cases, POS materials and direct mail more relevant and personal than ever before. Companies can now target messages directly at individual groups of customers and join social movements (as seen in Smirnoff’s #chooselove campaign).

The speed of digital printing also allows brands to interact with real-world events. For example, you can now print the daily news on a package to

communicate product freshness.”

Amid such endless possibilities and several impressive applications there is also a sense that brands are only beginning to map the new landscape. If digitally printed packaging represents a cultural, as well as a technological, revolution, I have the sense that what we are seeing today is an influential counterculture rather than mainstream.

Inertia and investment

Another consideration is that industry earthquakes don’t always happen overnight. Even in industrialized countries many fields were being cultivated by manual labour decades after the invention of the mechanical plough. We tend to embrace change when we must, especially when we suspect ROI may be remote. Speak

to any of the big players about the enablers of digital print and eventually they will acknowledge that getting the market to understand the opportunity is the key challenge.

“Brands are facing more SKUs and shorter runs but are quite busy in their day-to-day pre-occupations to understand that digital can go beyond the ‘special projects only’,” muses Klaus Lammersiek, marketing manager, HP Indigo Labels & Packaging EMEA. “Meanwhile, if they don’t have digital, converters may prefer still to keep running longer runs in their existing presses without the need to invest further. The solution comes in educating both brands and converters about the possibilities of digital printing. Every day we can see more and more digitally printed products in the supermarkets and online.”

Montserrat Peidro, former head of

vendor has a much more personal relationship with me than the traditional shopper in a conventional supermarket.

Heidelberg’s digital print business, echoes this perspective. “In my personal experience in recent years, the main enablers have been the ability to integrate digital technology into existing pre- and post-press processes, sell new benefits to customers and manage lots of smaller jobs per day in an efficient way with as few touchpoints as possible,” she remarks. “But not all companies are aware of these enablers or take these topics into account when planning their investments.”

COVID as catalyst

I made the connection above between digital printing and the broader digital transformation of manufacturing. Of course, with online retail we can see this in the context of a wider digital transformation of our culture and commerce. Even before the Coronavirus changed everything, it seemed inevitable the irresistible rise of e-commerce would be the ultimate catalyst for growth in digitally printed packaging. In the first place, the online brand or

It’s a one-on-one communication. The brand knows who I am, where I am and what I like. It is going to deliver a product, possibly tailored to my needs, directly to me.

As a direct-to-consumer brand of a different sort (and on a very different scale) to the FMCG giants, Packaging Europe (the author’s firm) conducted a customization experiment in 2019. We distributed our magazine in corrugated sleeves featuring 20 localized designs and printed on a HP PageWide C500 press. The #unboxingEurope campaign got a warm response from our readers – ‘love’ that came from the ability to leverage individual subscriber data. Knowing our readers’ location enabled us to give each one not just a nice surprise, but a personally meaningful one.

The same dynamic applies to the

new and emerging supply chains, vastly accelerated by COVID that are based around personalized consumption, and served by emerging direct-to-consumer, on-demand or subscription models. In this ecosystem, relevant communication that reflects the consumer’s needs and identity are likely to distinguish the most successful brands. Late-stage customization, at least in higher value goods, will surely become the norm.

Meanwhile, successive advances in technology are cumulatively eroding all those barriers to adoption. We’re going to see improved quality, higher speeds, lower costs, more viable market entry points, seamless integration and developments in design tools such as algorithmically generated iterative engines.

Leveraging consumer data enables brands to communicate in a meaningful way.

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Enhance business with variable data printing

Printers can rapidly create hyper-personalized, short-run applications

Those who follow printing trends already know variable data printing (VDP) is on the rise, but in terms of figuring out its full potential, “most of the industry is not there yet,” as Jay Mandarino, president and CEO of CJ Graphics, explains.

Variable data printing is just as it sounds. It’s variable in terms of hyper-personalized, fast, small-batch applications, and it involves data (the more, the better).

“Using information from various databases, sometimes up to 20 pieces of data per individual,” explains Mandarino, “we can personalize direct mail with text and images specific to a per-

son’s interests, change the image depending on the province and so on. The beauty is that nowadays, sourcing of images is affordable.”

Mandarino also explains that since people are spending a lot of time at home due to the pandemic, “they like opening their mail, and the use of direct mail has increased. People are also computer fatigued. [With VDP], you have to be careful about the data and make sure it’s accurate, but there is huge potential and new opportunities for printers.”

Jeff Zellmer, vice-president of global sales & strategy at Eastman Kodak, echoes this perspective.

“Today, variable data printing is a key component of the marketing mix,” he says. “Lately, VDP is enhanced by the trend toward ‘programmatic print,’ which combines online and print channels in a way that can substantially improve the marketing ROI.”

However, at this point in time, some in the industry don’t understand the

ROI potential of variable data printing, according to Rob Gradishar, director of production and industrial print (western region) at Konica Minolta Canada. That is, some companies may be reluctant to pay the costs of acquiring a potential customer database. Gradishar reports there is exponential growth in postcard-type VDP marketing ma-

Personaiization is an integral part of direct mail marketing.

From left to right: A personalized invitation card printed using variable data printing (VDP) capabilities, a mailed invitation card produced with the help of VDP, and a personalized champagne box.

Extra effort

Beyond personalization, consumers are also attracted to VDP materials with embellishments—‘fancy’ items that give the impression the sender went above and beyond. “We’re human; we like to touch and feel,” says Mandarino, “so if the piece of mail has a foil stamp or gloss UV or digital gloss foil with emboss, we don’t want to throw it away. If the piece stands out and clearly demonstrates the sender has put some effort and expense into it, we feel like keeping it and giving it a close look.”

ers that they could not offer before.”

In terms of who is getting into VDP, he says it could be a marketing company that has acquired printing capabilities or a printer who is getting into marketing. “There’s also the collaboration model with a marketing firm working with a printing company,” Gradishar notes. “They both bring their skill sets to the table and offer things to custom-

Eleanor Rafter, Canada Post’s director of Smartmail Marketing Channels, reports her organization has recently seen some increase in VDP interest.

Over the last six months or so, she and her team members have had about five or six VDP conversations with various industry members. They’ve mostly been with U.S. companies looking to connect with Canadian printers who terials, and less growth in enveloped pieces.

can offer VDP services for their clients, and who want to harness data gathered from e-commerce transactions and from their customer relationship management systems.

Rafter notes that mail, in comparison to other marketing channels, stands out because of its physicality. She adds that “when it’s personally addressed to them, 87 per cent of Canadian consumers open their mail.”

From a custom laser die-cut envelope to a multiple foil-stamp, embossed finished, or printing images on the envelope, solid ink on the flap and textured paper, so much is possible. “It’s endless,” he says, “and the costs of these embellishments have come down significantly.”

Beyond flat mail

VDP is also playing an important role

variable design and marketing elements such as variable codes for lottery or gaming campaigns and ‘connected’ or ‘smart’ packaging applications can be integrated into packaging designs.”

These ‘smart’ applications include ‘augmented reality’ and personal URL (purl) applications. Gradishar gives the example of receiving something in the mail or seeing a poster in a store, “and when you hover your phone in picture mode over the image, a personalized coupon based on your buying history pops up.”

in packaging production, reports Zellmer. “Brands are looking to personalization or versioning to create greater engagement with the consumer,” he says. “With VDP, enabled by innovative digital technology, packaging designers can realize eye-catching creative concepts for improved shelf appeal. VDP makes it easy to add security features, such as serialized codes for supply chain tracking, or regional regulatory content. Similarly,

Gradishar adds that package printing can also extend into company promotions or enabling companies to offer fast, on-demand customization of gifts. For example, a box of perfume with raised varnish and foil to display a loved one’s name, the date and an anniversary inscription. To many of us, the package would be as valuable as the gift itself.

VDP enables printers to integrate ‘smart’ packaging applications like QR codes into design.

Digital mindset

In looking for printing partners to execute VDP, businesses and advertising agencies need those with a ‘digital’ mindset and who are up-to-date with the latest developments in mar-tech (marketing technology), says Rafter. “We have a Smartmail Marketing program that includes over 200 printers who meet certain criteria,” she says, “and the main objective of the program is to connect them with marketing firms or companies who want to create and execute a direct-mail campaign. We also offer training and research results to our partners,” adds Rafter.

When it’s personally addressed to them, 87 per cent of Canadian consumers open their mail.

tions for speed, relevance and effectiveness. This is all about anchoring VDP to the right data signals communicated in real-time between systems.

Indeed, speed to market, has been one of the challenges of direct mail, according to DeLadurantaye. However, she says,

“VDP now enables thousands of unique, hyper-personalized pieces to be produced and mailed out at the speed of mass production to reach the right customer, at the right time, with the right message.”

Trigger mail

Looking at the big picture, Sophie DeLadurantaye, Canada Post’s data lead, explains VDP can be competitive with other marketing channels if companies have the technical and data expertise to meet marketers’ expecta-

Kopel in St. Hubert, Que., is a Canada Post SmartMail ‘Expert Partner’ and a past ‘Expert Partner’ award winner. It exemplifies the digital mindset needed to exploit the potential of VDP.

The company has a strong focus on ‘trigger mails,’ where the VDP or-

der is completed and mailed a day after confirmation, with a flexible format available to meet each customer’s needs. This next-day mailing (minimum quantity guarantee per day) applies, of course, to VDP orders without special die-cut or finishing. In terms of who is ordering trigger mail, Kopel’s business development director Josée Ruest says most of their customers are in the banking,

insurance and telecommunications sectors.

“The volume of orders is very high,” she reports. “It seems like since the start of the pandemic, companies aren’t sure where they are going with their marketing, and it seems that there are a lot at the companies doing direct mail at the last minute. However, some have automated their orders because they have done the research and they know what timing is best to reach their customers, whether that’s every day, every two weeks or three months.” Of course, content can always be updated.

As a VDP printer getting lots of orders, Kopel advises those companies who wish to try VDP to go ahead and start with a small project and add other communications down the road.

“This type of marketing works,” Ruest assures. “You don’t want to lose business to your competitors because you don’t feel ready.”

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The digital difference

How digital finishing is becoming increasingly agile in the packaging sector

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a huge rise in e-commerce, and not just for consumers. Converters and brands are also coming to terms with new ways of doing business, not least through creating dedicated web-to-pack websites. These platforms offer packaging products that help companies, including small to medium businesses, to quickly obtain branded packaging materials that are uniquely custom-

ized to their needs.

The benefits of digital finishing are clear and answer many of the challenges facing both folding carton and corrugated converters around the world today: rapid turnaround of jobs, shorter runs, design and production flexibility and immediate error correction and/or changes according to designer or customer requirements.

Web-to-pack, whether printed digitally or conventionally followed by highly

Web-to-pack, whether printed digitally or conventionally followed by highly automated digital finishing, is a perfect fit for operational flexibility and differentiation opportunities.

With the constant increase in e-commerce, customers want to be able to decide the shape, size, colour, and quantity of the items they need – they do not want to be limited to what they are told they can have. – Chase Cairncross

automated digital finishing, is a perfect fit for operational flexibility and differentiation opportunities. The demand for the requirements afforded by digital, were present even before the effects of the pandemic, of course. However, they seem to have become more important than ever. There is more pressure to maximize operational efficiency and to overcome supply chain shortages. Today, jobs need to be streamlined and optimize production.

Web-to-pack

In the age of print 4.0, the web-topack business model is surely a

great fit for the future, with many businesses already reaping the benefits. We see successful converters selecting the right tool(s) for the job, with many running conventional and digital manufacturing approaches in parallel. A full implemented digital manufacturing strategy will dynamically gang jobs onto a single sheet, reducing the number of set-ups to ensure a healthy set-up: production time ratio. Jobs are then finished digitally without mechanical dies, saving time and money.

In the USA, Digital Room has built their business around the concept of

offering customers nearly endless product customization possibilities through a portfolio of e-commerce websites including UPrinting, Packola, and LogoSportswear. Digital Room is leveraging the latest manufacturing and e-commerce technologies to enable this. Chase Cairncross, COO, Digital Room, says, “With the constant increase in e-commerce, customers want to be able to decide the shape, size, colour, and quantity of the items they need – they do not want to be limited to what they are told they can have.”

Heuchemer Verpackungen in Germany is doing something similar at Lamaxso.com, a digital packaging platform for small business owners, entrepreneurs, and local manufacturers. They offer customers packaging design templates and a portfolio of customized shipping boxes, bottle packaging, folding boxes, gift boxes, product trays, decorations and more.

Customization

The nature of these customized jobs that are ordered through web-to-pack websites, are short print runs that challenge the conventional manufacturing process.

This is where digital manufacturing shines, enabling cost-effective and timely production of such jobs, bringing all the advantages of digital to the post-print part of the packaging manufacturing process.

While the web-to-pack model was accelerated by businesses looking to meet the challenges of the pandemic, the many benefits of digital finishing within it are now starting to be more widely understood.

Indeed, you don’t need to go far to see some stunning examples of print and packaging that leverage this technology, achieving stand-out products that wow consumers and increase sales across the value chain.

Simon
Lewis is the VP of marketing at Highcon.

Hubergroup launches sheetfed offset ink series

Hubergroup Print Solutions introduces MGA Contact, its new sheetfed offset ink product. The ink series is suitable for printing on the inside of paper and cardboard food packaging.

MGA Contact is approved for direct contact with food, meaning functional barriers are not required. The colour gamut and light fastness of this ink series, which is now available across the globe, are comparable to those of conventional offset inks. The ink is produced using ingredients that have been approved by FDA.

Bobst introduces the Masterline DRO rotary diecutter

Bobst launches Masterline DRO, a full line solution, from pre-feeder to palletizer. The machine has the capacity to produce more than 40 million m2 per year.

It features inside-outside printing in a single pass, complex diecutting capabilities and quick changeovers on the full line.

Xeikon launches new label converting units

Xeikon continues on its pathway to full digitalization with the launch of its new series of label converting units (LCU), specifically developed and designed for converting industries in high-end label production and manufacturing.

Moving to the next technological generation, Xeikon’s label converting units are designed with modular and scalable architecture for added flexibility, cloud connection and full integration. They come in two models, the Xeikon LCU350 with its new modular platform for added flexibility and scalability to support business growth, and the Xeikon LCU33, a basic version and entrylevel choice.

Bobst’s Masterline DRO can produce more than 40 million m2 per year.

First plant-based ink from Ricoh enhances graphics and packaging print sustainability

Ricoh’s plant-based ink – the first-of-its-kind for mainstream graphics and packaging print – is a derivative of the oil-based ink created for the decor printing sector as part of Ricoh’s collaboration with German equipment manufacturer Olbrich. It has been developed to deliver excellent rub resistance and set-off performance for corrugated brown and white boards, as well as carton board.

Xeikon’s new label converting units are designed with modular and scalable architecture for added flexibility.

The print heads are easier to clean and less likely to clog as ‘open time’ is much longer. This helps enhance jetting reliability, performance, and printhead life.

Ricoh launches its first plant-based ink for corrugated boards. Hubergroup introduces MGA Contact, a sheetfed offest ink series.

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