For many products on the shelves of the nation’s retailers, competition is fierce. Not only is the market saturated for many commodities, but tech-savvy, social media-friendly consumers are increasingly thirsty for a unique shopping experience. Craftily designed packaging can make an instant impact on the consumer, determining whether the product remains on the shelf or ends up in the basket.

More packaging printing businesses are now turning to digital printing, with greater consumer approval and loyalty, more flexible business models and easier compliance to changing legislation. With 90% of businesses in research identifying effective packaging a key factor in their success, it’s certain that digital printing will continue to play an increasingly influential role. What are the implications of this trend for the printing sector?

ECONOMICAL SHORT-RUN PRINTING

The days of cost efficiency only being achieved with enormous print runs are gone. Digital printing makes short runs not only possible, but – due to its low start-up costs – affordable for small and medium-sized printing businesses for whom a minimum order quantity poses a logistical or financial headache. With digital printing, there is also the opportunity to create unique, limited edition labels, either to personalise a product for a target audience or to experiment with a new style or range, without the costly commitment of a high-volume order. Digital printing is expanding the market for labels and packaging, increasing accessibility for business of all sizes and presenting brand owners with more print options.

PERSONALISED PACKAGING

Consumer engagement with brands that offer packaging bearing a customer’s chosen name or photograph forges a powerful emotional bond between the brand and consumer that, when shared through social media channels, could underpin a surge in profits. If your customers are starting to demand this level of personalisation, a modern digital press is the most cost-effective way of delivering their requirements.

COMPLIANCE WITH LEGISLATION

Changes to legislation in recent years have made the accurate labelling of products more important than ever, particularly in the food industry, with increasing awareness of healthy nutrition, and life-threatening allergies. Even the smallest errors in information could cause a manufacturer to fall foul of the law, so digital printing, with amendments easily made by computer, enables rapid and inexpensive changes, while also offering the potential to produce alternative packaging for different markets.

BRAND PROTECTION

For high-value products, such as fine wines, spirits, apparel or cosmetics, counterfeiting risks damaging a brand’s reputation and profitability, so increasingly businesses are seeking infallible ways to add printed protection devices to packaging or labels. A range of security inks and toners can create an identifiable security mark, either overt or concealed, while digital laser finishing can selectively engrave images or text to create patterns that are more difficult for criminals to forge. These additional safeguards can be incorporated into your customer’s labels using a range of digital printing techniques.

ENHANCED DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES

Digital printing gives print businesses the flexibility to change printed images or text on packaging easily. High-quality images and text can be reproduced quickly, with thematic continuity achieved from the transit packaging through to the packed product inside. Digital printing also facilitates the inclusion of a glyph – an image that is invisible – that can be scanned with an app to connect the consumer to a wealth of digital content, reinforcing the brand’s position in the social media community and strengthening its core USPs amongst consumers.

DIGITAL PRINT SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

At Focus Label Machinery, we provide a range of digital options including the dFlex Ink jet system and the dPack Ink jet system to maximise your service flexibility while reducing waste. Feel free to visit our showroom in Nottingham for a personal demonstration of our printing presses and to obtain a free quote for your business.