UV flatbed printers are certainly helping make many of these print jobs a reality. These versatile printers have certainly opened up a host of new niche opportunities with their capabilities to print on a wide variety of substrates from rigid to flexible to cardboard.

 

A sampling of the package prototyping work from CreateIt Packaging, which was made using inkjet printing equipment.

GROWING MARKET

NextGen Research, an Allied Business Intelligence Inc. group, projects that prototype packaging printing will grow to a $782.6 million market by 2013. This could mean huge growth opportunities for print providers looking to expand into package prototyping or providing high quality, quick turnaround, low volume on-demand package production.

 

“I love this application for wide-format digital printing. The use of flatbed printers and increasing presence of flatbed cutting solutions makes a lot more companies capable of offering this service,” reports Tim Greene, director of Wide Format Printing Research at InfoTrends. “There is a lot of potential for wide-format companies that already offer P.O.P. production to get into this market—there are parallels in terms of the buying audience.”

 

Greene projects that this application is growing worldwide at a rate of about 20.1 percent over their current forecast period. 

 

“It is and will remain a small piece of the total wide-format digital production mix, but we see it as something that more PSPs with UV-curable inkjet printers can offer. We think the installed base is growing nicely,” he adds.

 

RETAIL PROTOTYPES

“There has been a pent-up need for prototypes and short run production of flexible packaging for a long time. Product managers are very aware of the importance of having pre-production sales samples for presentation, trade shows, focus groups and store planograms,” says Ron Edhlund, president at Proofing Technologies, Ltd. “Until now; they were very expensive and time-consuming to produce and took special skills to produce them. Now, in addition to computer design skills, the only skill needed to produce these prototypes is the ability to output and trim the package and assemble it.”

 

Steve Zeck at CreateIt Packaging checks the output from one its Mimaki JV33 units. The output coming off the Mimaki J33 is a foil job in which white is laid down in some areas and foil or direct color on foil in some areas.

Edhlund points out that since the average grocery store has more than 30,000 products on its shelves, and since every one of these products, with few exceptions, has the same problem of brand identification and eye appeal, it is expected that the market for packaging prototypes using these technologies will grow exponentially. 

 

“Since the prototypes are so easy to produce, it is natural that more products will be developed,” Edhlund says. “Companies that have been making point-of-purchase displays will now be able to expand their services to making the package prototypes to go into these displays as well. Package designers will have the ability to not only design the packaging, but will be able to produce the prototypes for their clients as well. Packaging manufacturers will be able to make samples without going into expensive production runs.”

 

PRINTER COMPANIES SEE OPPORTUNITIES

“There is an ever increasing interest and demand for short-run, custom packaging,” says Randy Paar, Display Graphics Marketing Manager for Océ North America. Paar sees the possibility of more wide-format shops entering this market. “It’s worth considering, provided the equipment they have already invested in is up to the task. I’ve heard there are more and more traditional wide-format shops getting into this type of work, but I have a feeling it’s also driven by the packaging manufacturers and designers looking to find a provider, rather than the provider just looking for the work.” 

 

For these types of applications, Parr stresses that having a dedicated cutting solution in house is essential. “The best flatbed printer/cutter combo can vary depending on the type of work they do today and what they expect to do in the future such as new applications such as P.O.P., display, white ink, roll media, etc. Productivity should also be a major consideration. Do they just want to do one-off prototypes or short runs of 10, 100 or more?”

 

For shops already doing a lot or P.O.P. work but looking to get more involved  in this area, Parr  recommends the Océ Arizona 550 GT with the white ink option and an Océ ProCut 2500 L cutter. 

 

Altrua’s husband and wife team Melode and Skip Smelko.

Melode says their Zünd G3 and L-3000 auto cutters have been a big reason for the company’s success.

“This combo will allow them to tackle today’s work yet provide a path towards future applications,” says Paar. “We are always looking to develop and provide expertise by working with those already in the packaging industry. This enables us to deliver a more appropriate and complete solution.”

 

Eli Israeli, Strategic Marketing for HP Scitex division says 3-D output is playing a role in helping grow this sector of the market. 

 

“Today, brands want to experiment with samples before committing to full production, so prototyping is steadily increasing,” says Israeli. “3-D display units are being used more and more. Our customers are receiving requests from retail shops who want to pack goods in shelf-ready packages that are easy to handle for shop owners and attractive to buyers. Design for these 3-D display units is frequently changed and a variety of packs is commonly offered, further accelerating the need for prototyping and samples and the demand for digital printing capabilities.”

 

UV TECHNOLOGY A NICE FIT

“The biggest trend we are seeing in the prototype packaging market is the transition from aqueous to UV printing technologies. UV technology in general is an excellent fit for package prototyping,” states Larry D’Amico, vice president of Digital Imaging at Agfa Graphics.

 

“This is especially true when you consider the accuracy and labor savings of printing directly onto the substrate that will be used for the final package. When you evaluate the time it takes to print on a roll-to-roll aqueous machine and then cut, laminate, mount and tape that image to a board or folding carton stock, there’s no comparison.  It can be a tedious and labor intensive procedure. Printing directly onto the actual stock using UV ink has a significant benefit thanks to faster turn-around times and the lower costs of materials. UV technology provides a much better ROI.”

 

D’Amico sees more suppliers focusing on the white ink option in their current product line ups. “Special colors such as white defiantly address the needs of packaging applications.”

 

Altrua Marketing answered a tall order when it created McCafe cups for McDonald’s that stood three feet high and two feet in diameter.

To that end, Agfa recently added the :Anapurna M1600 flatbed to their series that meets the demands for white ink printing capabilities in a high-production printer. The white ink function offers print service providers new possibilities for printing on transparent material such as bread or candy bags. Digital white can even be used as a spot color to focus on certain parts of an image. And to ensure maximum reliability while printing with white, the :Anapurna M1600 has a dedicated white ink mixing and circulation system. 

 

FREEDOM OF CHOICE

Hiroshi Ono, Group Product Manager at Roland DGA Corp., reports that high-quality LED UV inkjets are making inroads into the prototype packaging market because they allow users the freedom to choose from a very wide range of materials for more realistic prototypes. “We are seeing some interest from sophisticated wide-format shops that understand pre-press and color management processes and view our technology as an opportunity to expand into the prototyping market.”

 

He points out that prototyping requires superior image quality and color gamut, features that are not always available with a typical UV printer.  

 

“To achieve success in these areas, the print engine and ink must be developed from the ground up for package prototyping applications,” Ono says. “Roland’s VersaUV series was designed for the packaging market and offers 1,440 x 1,440 dpi, which rivals the quality of offset presses.”

 

He adds that their products are also offering more opportunities in the 3-D prototype area. “Roland’s VersaUV series can print multiple layers of clear coat to simulate embossing. The ability to produce 3-D reliefs right on the printer saves a tremendous amount of time and money. The VersaUV series is an ideal all-in-one solution for package prototyping, which incorporates virtually everything that is required in the production process. It offers the ability to print, score, contour cut and perf-cut graphics on a single device. Our package design customers continue to explore the benefits of this integrated technology and are using all of these features to produce folding carton prototypes from start to finish. However, for thicker substrates such as cardboards, an offline cutter is still required.”

 

In March 2011, Meyers installed the new Durst Rho 900 to help with their prototype work.

The company recently rolled out a new VersaUV model with the introduction of the LEJ-640. Roland’s 64-inch LEJ-640 hybrid UV-LED printer prints CMYK, white and clear coat on virtually any flexible or flat substrate up to a half inch thick.  

 

MORE MEDIA OPTIONS NEEDED

Proofing Technologies’ Edhlund says there are many printer options available to get a design from a computer onto paper. 

 

“But what if the package is not paper,” Edhlund asks. “What if it’s a plastic bag instead? There are a few devices capable of producing an image on plastic film but these devices all have their own disadvantages, such as equipment cost, material cost, size limitations and production speed.”

 

He says one solution his company is working on comes in two components: a printer capable of printing high-quality color images plus white on flexible material in wide format, and a range of flexible packaging films capable of receiving those images that can move through the printer without wrinkling. 

 

Meyers created this prototype 3-D display for Anheuser Busch. The “Chill & Grill” theme was set in place using oversize grilling utensils on the sides of the display and incorporating a battery-operated motorized spinning grill with an assortment of popular grilling selections.

“Mimaki has developed cost-effective solvent-based inkjet printers that produce the high-quality color images plus white and silver, which meet these criteria,” Edhlund says. “White ink-capable printers have been on the market for a while, but the use of them for making comps and mock-ups have been limited simply because there has not been suitable media available. Our JeTComp system is now offering a full range of media options covering every conceivable packaging option from foil candy bar wrappers to bread bags and snack food bags and pouches to shrink sleeves.”

 

Edhlund adds that working closely with Mimaki, his company has produced a range of packaging films, mounted on temporary supports, with a sophisticated inkjet-receptive coating that prints extremely sharp images with both traditional solvent inks as well as eco-solvent inks. “This range of films makes possible the prototyping and short run printing of every conceivable flexible packaging configuration.”

 

CREATEIT PACKAGING DELIVERS

One print provider that is benefiting from this printer/media combination is the Chicago-based CreateIt Packaging Inc. 

 

“Proofing Technologies media and along with our Mimaki printers are creating a nice solution for us,” says owner Brian Lewis. “Nobody out there was really focusing on the different packaging media that was available. Now Proofing Technologies as well as Mimaki are helping us develop the materials so we can go after more markets in the packaging sector.”

 

CreateIt Packaging provides structural design and graphic design services to the packaging industry. 

 

“Our final product is a packaging comp that looks identical to how the package will be mass-produced,” says Lewis. “We can mock up any retail package including corrugated and folding cartons, flexible packaging and plastic packaging. You can go to any supermarket, office supply store or pet store to see our handiwork.”

 

Lewis says that the strength of his company is that it really can conceptualize packaging and knows exactly what goes into to creating a box.  

 

“We specialize in the folded corrugated market. Where we differentiate ourselves from the pack is in the structural design,” Lewis says.

 

A majority of the work that they do is one-off prototypes for consumer companies. 

 

Designed as a workhouse production unit, the Agfa :Anapurna M1600 is said to combine quality output with ease of use for all types of applications up to a width of 1.58m and 4.5 cm thickness on rigid media.

The Océ Arizona 550 GT printer includes a white ink option that enables under-printing for non-white media or objects, over-printing for backlit applications on transparent media and/or printing white as a spot color.

“More of our clients are asking for products with foil stamping and UV gloss varnishes,” Lewis says. Many of them want the prototypes we produce to be actually what the product will look like. Once we provide them with a final product, many of the companies send them overseas to have them printed for high volume runs.”

 

Lewis says they started with a Mimaki JV5 and then purchased two Mimaki JV33s last year. “The two JV33s are real workhorse units for us and the quality is spot on. I also like how they handle white. It’s really opened up the market for us in regard to flexible packaging. White printing allows us to print on foils and allows us to provide that foil stamping look. The flexible side of the business is really growing for us and working with Proofing Technologies has really helped, especially for printing on plastics.”

 

As for the cutting end, they have two Zünd products, the M1600 and L-3000.  

 

“The Zünd L-3000, which offers the i-cut system, has been a great addition to our equipment portfolio,” he adds.

 

RUNNING THEM 24/7

Another big proponent of Zünd’s cutting solutions is Altrua Marketing, based in Tallahassee, Fla. 

 

“Our Zünd cutters have opened a whole new world to us and our clients. We can run them 24/7. They are a big reason for our success,” says company president Melode Smelko. “Both the Zünd G3 and L-3000 have made prototyping cost effective and quick for us. It all revolves around your set up time, and once you have your set up parameters in place, it makes the job a lot easier to produce. That programmability is another great feature that Zünd has designed into their products,” adds operations manager and husband Skip Smelko.

 

Altrua’s 40,000 square-foot facility houses an impressive flatbed equipment arsenal that produces a majority of its prototyping work they do. It includes an Océ Arizona 250 GT, an Arizona 350 GT UV with roll-to-roll feature, two EFI VUTEk QS3200s and two GS3200s (affectionately nicknamed, respectively, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid from the movie of the same name and Maverick and Iceman from Top Gun).

 

Melode says more and more of their clients also want to see exactly what the product will look like. 

 

Primary Color is using a trio of Epson printers, including the Stylus Pro 9900 printers, to serve this market.

“They are looking for something new and different, something that will attract attention,” Melode says. “Whether it’s a dye cut being added to an existing product or different type of box for a retail display, it’s all in a day’s work. Clients come to us with a concept and we try to make it happen. It’s all part of our ‘can do’ commitment to their needs. With our printing and finishing capabilities, we can many times turn a prototype around in about 24 hours.”

 

That quick turn-around time comes in handy when they are serving their biggest account, McDonald’s. 

 

“We have a great relationship with McDonald’s and have been working with them for over 20 years, Melode says. “It all started with one phone call to my late father, former president and CEO Mike Floyd. The call came from a customer who remembered my dad’s integrity when working with him on a previous venture. That former client was then working for McDonald’s agency and the rest is history,” she says.

 

A TALL CUP OF JOE

One recent job for McDonald’s was “a tall order,” she says. “During this past holiday season they came to us for a promotion that they wanted to do for their McCafe product line. Working together with them, we came up with 3-D cups that look like the real thing, except they were three feet tall,” Melode says.

 

“These huge three-foot-high 3-D Holiday McCafe cups were made out of coreplast and printed on our EFI VUTEk QS3200s and cut out on the Zünd,” Skip says. “Basically, the dye cutting on the Zünd allowed us to trim and assemble them into a cylindrical shape. I don’t know if we could have produced the job without them. We designed the lids to look exactly like the actual product. The lid snaps right on the cup and looks exactly like the drink you will get at the drive thru, except it’s three feet high and two feet in diameter.”

 

Melode adds that they also printed a version of a cup where a person wears a cup as a costume for outdoor promo events and to help get people in the restaurant. “We are currently running a job on our EFI VUTEks for another McCafe cup promo for frozen Strawberry Lemonade as we speak,” she says.

 

Roland’s new 64-inch VersaUV LEJ-640 UV-LED hybrid printer prints CMYK, white and clear on virtually any roll media or flat substrate up to a half-inch thick.

3D DISPLAYS THAT REALLY POP

In Minneapolis, Minn., Meyers, a leading producer of retail marketing solutions, has been turning heads with its innovative award-winning 3-D retail displays. 

 

“Our business is totally geared toward helping our customers, who are retailers and brand marketers,” says Mark Dillon, vice president at Meyers. “Our job is to help them win the battle on the retail shelf. We are trying to motivate the consumer in the ‘last three feet’ as the consumer looks at the products in the store.”

 

The company’s display division serves such blue-chip names as Kraft Foods, Anheuser Bush, Nike, Pillsbury, Frito Lay and Best Buy.  

 

“By delivering consistently good printing to this profitable industry segment, Meyers has become an industry leader,” Dillon says.

 

In March 2011, Meyers added a Durst Rho 900 98-inch, eight-color UV flatbed to its mix. The Rho joins offset equipment including 65-inch and 81-inch KBA litho presses. 

 

“We produce displays out of corrugated stock and we will be using the Rho for short run corrugated displays as well as prototype work, store sets, variable imaging and in store signage,” says Dillon. “Our bigger presses require more set up times, and having a digital flatbed like the Durst allows us to get shorter runs out a lot faster. The Durst printer will be supported with our Zünd die-cutter/routers. The Zünd equipment is essential to our operation,” he adds.

 

“When we do the prototyping, some of our clients require that we apply the graphics directly to the prototype. In some instances, they want us to apply the graphics to it so they can see how it will look. In a retail setting, the 3-D prototype displays we produce are very attention grabbing. Since we print on corrugated stock and foam core among others, the Durst will allow us to print directly to these different substrates,” Dillon explains.

 

PROTOTYPES WITH PUNCH

Another output provider that is making its mark in the packaging and prototyping market is Primary Color in Los Angeles and Orange County, Calif. Primary Color’s CTO, Jay Sato, sees the market continuing to grow for them. 

 

“As designers look to their service providers for more diverse product offerings, and with the equipment becoming more and more capable, we can provide our clients with more packaging solutions than ever before,” Sato says.

 

Primary Color utilizes the Epson Stylus Pro 9600, Stylus Pro 9800 and Stylus Pro 9900 printers to tackle this market. 

 

“We output to Epson Proofing Paper White and Color Correct Solutions Clear Film using Ultrachome HDR and Ultrachrome K3 inks,” Sato says.

 

He adds the about 90 percent of the package prototypes products they produce are boxes. 

 

“For prototype runs that are too large to be done by hand but too small to be on press, we diecut them on our automated CAD/CAMM system. We can use 3-D CAD software to do a virtual prototype before a tangible prototype is created. We have a high-end Fuji Finalproof to proof using metallic inks and can also proof direct to corrugated material on our EFI VUTEk printers. All other prototyping work is done on the Epsons,” he says.

 

DIGITAL IMPACTS PACKAGING

VT Graphics in Yeadon, Pa., has found success in the packaging and prototyping markets through their Digital Impact division. 

 

“This division was created seven years ago to provide a short run opportunity for our corrugated packaging business to expand,” says president Bob Mormile. 

 

The company’s design staff uses a flatbed printer to provide clients anything from concept packaging development to precision full-scale prototypes. Mormile reports his company is in the process of a major expansion and was installing a Durst Rho 900 to complement their HP Scitex FB6700. 

 

“Corrugated is catching on more and more, Mormile says. “We are seeing a bigger demand for prototypes, quick turnarounds and short run production work. For prototype jobs, we are still printing 1s and 2s but also 50-100 pieces so food suppliers can have sample products to load up sample shelves to make it look like an aisle in a store. A lot of the ‘one-off prototype’ work is done so food manufacturers and retailers can place them in a sample store floor setting so the marketing people can see how the product will look in an actual retail environment,” he says.

 

Mormile says over the years, the HP Scitex FB6700 flatbed has brought the advantages of digital processes to package printing. 

 

“It’s been a real workhorse for us. The printer’s auto load and offload is a nice feature and the 300dpi quality is saleable in the corrugated display market,” says Mormile. “With the FB6700, we can print directly to the substrate and it enables high-quality, cost-effective short runs for P.O.P. applications and short-run production, including test marketing, product launches and 3-D displays. We are printing about 85 percent on corrugated and 15 percent on styrene.” He adds that another key feature is the water-based pigmented inks that are fast-drying, abrasion-resistant and waterproof. 

 

Mormile sees more opportunities in this area continuing to pop up. 

 

“Digital printing has changed the landscape of this market. It offers an ideal solution that gives our clients more options in short run printing opportunities for packaging and prototypes,” he says.