Dear Today’sreader,consumer
The MCC Verstraete team
Inspirational Handbook for Digital IML
landscape is a fast and ever-evolving place. With more choices than ever, consumers are expecting brands to take the lead on social and environmental issues they care about.
Get inspired and discover how our knowledge and experience helps you to be creative by letting the label tell your story.
Historically, package designs have been constrained by the limits of the printing processes used to produce them. Traditional printing meant options were limited to a few designs due to the cost and effort required to set up plates and print runs.
In this inspirational handbook, we share with you how MCC Verstraete’s digital print platform and applications can boost your engagement with the customer, enables your brand to go to production quickly, and makes your packaging one of a kind. Digital technology allows for the utmost in individualization, including unlimited design options in a single print run. This capability can provide you the ability to test market different design concepts easily, or incorporate a collage of graphics, a feat not doable with other print platforms.
Inspirational Handbook for Digital IML is a publication from Multi-Color Corporation. The content of this document, including attachment(s) are property of MCC and should be treated as confidential. It cannot be shared with or forwarded to third parties and cannot be published without our prior permission. If you have any questions regarding the use of this document, please email to marketing@mcclabel.com. Printed on FSC recycled paper. In this issue 3 Expert interview: IML and digital printing: The perfect match 6 Campaign 1: Food & Dairy 8 Campaign 2: Paint & Outdoor 10 Campaign 3: Confectionery Want to discover more on how our premium label solutions can meet your needs? Check out our www.verstraete.mcclabel.com!website
Rachel Tzirin: As digital printing is a plateless technology, the possibilities are really limitless. Each label can be completely different than the previous one. Different perspectives of the same pattern will be printed on the label. This printing technology is called mosaic. The HP Mosaic software crops, rotates, expands and mixes seed files to create randomized artwork patterns that produce a 100% unique label for each unit. With Digital IML and its mosaic feature, the IML packaging gets an amazing shelf appeal.
Digital printing opens many new doors, including for MCC Verstraete, as this fairly new technology brings with it a variety of opportunities and possibilities. What can MCC Verstraete offer you as a brand owner when it comes to digital printing? We sat down with three key MCC figures to talk about the numerous benefits that digital printing delivers.
What are the unique features of Digital IML?
Peter Grugeon: Yes, last year we went in dialogue with a couple of our key customers and did a poll to check the interest in digital printing. The injection molders see a great opportunity with this printing technology because it creates completely new decoration possibilities. Digital print makes adding unique serial coding possible and this is of great interest to many injection molders and brand owners. We analyzed all the technical advantages of digital printing and are very proud to say that we are now capable of offering digitally printed IML labels to meet our customers’ needs.
What is the current status when talking about MCC Verstraete and digital printing? Do you see a need from packaging converters or brand owners to print digitally and is MCC Verstraete ready to offer digitally printed labels?
IML and digital printing: The perfect match
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Michiel Kerckenaere: Indeed, we are ready to get started. The labels will be digitally printed in one of our MCC sister plants and as for the finishing technologies, we are currently implementing those at our headquarter in Maldegem.
Peter: Yes, this feature is not only a nice innovation to use in games or promotions, it is also a great way to
Are there other advantages by adding unique coding to the IML packaging?
Michiel: Yes, the mosaic feature of digital printing creates many options and the impact on marketing possibilities is bigger than anything that can be done with conventional printing. Digital IML is a playground for brand marketers as it opens all kinds of unique ways for promotional campaigns, games or to make a pack a real collector’s item.
Trends
Michiel: In the past, the label had mainly an informative function as it tells the consumer the brand, the flavor and the ingredients. But with Digital IML, the brand owner can add even more value to the package and the packaging becomes a completely new marketing tool. A package needs to be decorated anyway, so why not use the packaging as a marketing tool?
secure your label. Many brands are out to tackle the global threat of counterfeiting attacks. A combination of unique codes gives added protection, and if these codes are registered in a database, it allows tracking down to the item level. Brands can feel protected, and the consumer is sure that he has the authentic product. In certain countries, unique coding is mandatory by law and thanks to this feature we can easily respond to this need.
Do you see digital printing also playing an important role for smaller brands, or is the focus more on bigger Michiel:brands?
Rachel: We see this trend not only with brand owners, but also among the consumers. If you want to target Gen Z or Millennials, you as a brand owner should fully commit to collaborating, connecting and sharing. That is the best way to approach your audience and Digital IML responds to this consumer need.
Does digital printing meet certain global demands or Michiel:trends?
Peter Grugeon, Managing Director at MCC Verstraete Peter Grugeon Managing Director at MCC Verstraete
Michiel: With digital printing the machine always runs in extended gamut Hexachrome system, which means that a large percentage of the pantone colors can be reproduced. Contrary to conventional printing, the number of colors during one print run is more flexible when printing digitally. Another big advantage of digital printing is the impeccable register printing. It allows stable printing of large screens and it facilitates to print microtext or other small marks, so small that they are almost impossible to detect with the human eye. This feature is ideal for anticounterfeiting, as it is very hard to copy.
“ Brands can feel protected and the consumer is sure that he has the authentic product.”
One of the biggest trends among brand owners is connecting and engaging with the consumer. The gap between brand and consumer is getting smaller than ever. Nowadays, you can reach out to your consumer through social media and the possibility of adding unique codes facilitates this way of communication. Consumers hold the tangible product in their own hands and can interact directly with the brand. Talking about a great marketing tool!
Rachel: Next to mosaic, digital printing offers the capability of adding unique coding on your label. This is one of the most attractive features for creative and innovative brands. By adding a unique coding you can get in interaction with your consumer. The packaging becomes a communication and marketing tool which allows the brand owners to engage with their consumers, just by scanning a QR code or Digimarc barcode.
What about the printing quality and capabilities of Digital IML? Are there benefits compared to conventional printing?
Digital printing can add value to both, it doesn’t really limit itself to smaller or bigger brands. The main advantage of Digital IML is the uniqueness of each label and the marketing possibilities that come along with this. This attracts both small and large brands. However, it can be a nice way for a small brand to stand out against the bigger brands, without spending a big marketing budget as they can just work on their packaging.
Rachel Tzirin Global Director Digital Sales at MCC
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Peter: Digital IML is actually for all brand owners that
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Michiel Kerckenaere Project Manager Digital Printing at MCC Verstraete
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want to connect and start direct communication with their consumers. The size of the brand doesn’t really matter as any brand will benefit from this technology.
Michiel: Personalized packaging is a challenge for IML, as our supply chain is too long and too complex. Between printing and filling the IML packaging, there is a high risk of having scrap. However, serialization is absolutely a nice possibility of Digital IML. Serialization means that there can exist different variations among the IML labels. For instance, the well-known Nutella campaign, where you can add your name of the Nutella jar. That is something that we’re able to offer with Digital IML.
Fully digitally printed on white orange peel film
Serialized Datamatrix (unique per label)
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“ Digital IML is a playground for brand marketers.”
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Michiel Kerckenaere, Project Manager Digital Printing at MCC Verstraete
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information: verstraete.mcclabel.com
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Talking about unique packaging; is personalized packaging possible with Digital IML?
It is no secret that brand owners are looking for more sustainable packaging. How can Digital IML support this Michiel:quest?
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Peter: We could as well support brand owners who want to organize campaigns or promotions linked to a certain event, such as summer break, Christmas or Olympic games… The marketing possibilities are endless.
Fully digitally printed on white orange peel film
verstraete.mcclabel.com
Fully digitally printed white orange peel
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Limited SerializedEditionDatamatrix (unique per label)
We believe that Digital IML enables the reusability of a package. The brand owners have the opportunity to encourage the reusability of an IML packaging by making the package unique and less common. In this way the consumer will be eager to reuse the package as a decorative storage box at home.
more information: verstraete.mcclabel.com
PEAR FLAVOUR
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Dairy&Food1:Campaign 6
How to create fruitful and unique designs with variable data
The food sector is a very mature market and continues to grow. Competition is fierce and therefore it is essential to keep investing in innovative packaging. To demonstrate the wide range of possibilities, we’ve mocked up a yogurt example, but Digital IML can be used in all kinds of markets and adds value to every packaging type.
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The serialization capacity of variable data is one of the most attractive features for creative brands and marketers. Using this innovation, brands can reflect individuality and promote brand loyalty. This type of printing allows you to create an unique code for each product. There are many possible applications such as deposit system, lottery, security, legislation, unique QR codes, limited edition labels and more. Serialization provides countless opportunities for customer engagement, loyalty, and marketing campaigns.
This feature is not only a nice innovation to use in games and promotions but is also a great way to secure your label. A combination of unique codes gives added protection, and if these codes are registered in a database, it allows tracking down to the item level. To fight counterfeiting and diversion, MCC Verstraete can print micro QR codes, serialized microtext, or variable data. These graphics are impossible to replicate. for enhanced
Serialization
The product: Natural and fresh looking yogurt series fully digitally printed on white orange peel film Target audience: Millennials who want something different and exciting, and expect a multi-channel experience and communication from the brand. Unique features: • Serialized data matrix • Invisible blue ink • Unique artwork generated with Mosaic Press type: HP Indigo 20 000 Printing: Digital Indigo Substrate thickness: 50-60µ Variable QR
Variable data offers brand protection
Digital IML is your go-to label to achieve the color-perfect label
For the outdoor and paint market, color is the key element in your label design. Not only do the colors of your printed label need to be a flawless match with your brand guidelines, they should also be a perfect reflection of the actual paint color inside your paint bucket. Digital IML helps you develop the color-perfect label!
Outdoor&Paint2:Campaign 8
the gamut when printing digitally. This unique ink mixing system provides great flexibility to customers wishing to match specific pantone colors. Digital IML enables to match 80% of the pantone book.
The product: Paint pails fully digitally printed on white glossy BOPP film Target audience: Generation Z: design-conscious, expect high performance from brands, colorful, daring, in-your-face Unique features: • Unique QR-code • Negative Pantone number in microtext (minimum font size) • Extended gamut printing Press type: HP Indigo 20 000 Printing: Digital Indigo Substrate thickness: 50-60µ Your product is not AuthenticationSecurityauthenticPageQR code determines the date of authenticity, plus the date and place of batch production Microtext allows an authenticity test at the POS. Only visible to those who know where to look for it 9
In contrast to analogue printing, printing microtext is perfectly feasible with Digital IML. Thanks to the impeccable register and the very high and fine resolution, printing very small positive or negative text in any color is smoothly achievable when printing digitally. This feature is commonly used for security, authenticity and anti-counterfeiting.
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so it’s crucial to stand out on the shelf. Digital IML offers you numerous ways to make your confectionery goods even more irresistible.
Confectionery3:Campaign Customize ManywithconfectioneryyourgoodsMosaicbrandsarescreamingfortheattentionofyoungconsumers,
The product: Cookies jar, fully digitally printed on white orange peel film Target audience: The young consumer, the digital native generation growing up with electronic communication, expecting it to be omnipresent. Unique features: • Unique artwork generated with Mosaic • Variable data Press type: HP Indigo 20 000 Printing: Digital Indigo Substrate thickness: 50-60µ
Since digital print is a plateless printing technology,
How we innovate SKU differentiation
Onemore.ofthe many possibilities is mosaic. Digital print that utilizes the HP Mosaic software can vary the image background or fixed image in many ways. Mosaic allows for hyper-customization of labels, with the ability to produce totally unique and customized versions, so every single label could be different from the last and 100% unique. Studies have shown that this uniqueness resonates with today’s consumer. It can also be leveraged for seasonal or specific marketing campaigns, point-of-sale displays, loyalty programs, or any other creative use that can be dreamed up.
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the possibilities are literally endless. This flexibility delivers a unique brand experience, with the ability to create collage, variable numbering and imaging, and much
Appealing to the young consumer
Youth marketing is one of the most receptive environments to create brand preference. When you engage with young customers through their own world, on social media for instance, you can win their hearts and have them engage with the brand. That’s what this campaign is based upon: reaching out to young consumers directly or approaching them by raising their parents’ interest. Using mosaic together with variable data allows you to add a unique ID to each item. These IDs, whether a number or a code, enable direct communication between brand and consumer.
version is uniquely numbered. This can prompt a communication stream with consumers on social media and the campaign site 11
