What You Need to Know About Digital Printing in Packaging?

Product packaging is often the first chance to make a favorable impression on consumers. From beautiful promotional packaging bags to personal portfolios, digital printing lets you do more than you could with traditional printing. It breaks many of the limitations of traditional printing and gives new life to printed materials.

Digital printing is a great way to maximize advertising space and deliver brand messages to target consumers. It also allows brands to adapt the design of their product packaging faster and more cost-effectively than traditional printing methods. In this blog, we’ll explore what digital printing is, the benefits of using digitally printed packaging, and when and where it works best.

What is Digital Printing for Packaging?

Digital printing in packaging is when digital files (such as PDF or AI) are transferred directly to a printing machine for applications on packaging materials. The digital files are converted into the CMYK color system to match the accurate color. Then UV curing or laser heating adheres the ink to the packaging to ensure a clear, high quality printing effects.

Unlike traditional plate printing methods like flexography or rotogravure, digital printing doesn’t require prepared plates or cylinders. And most digital printers use toner and liquid inks that do not soak into the materials. So this method is ideal for short-run packaging printing.

Digital printing is commonly used in packaging industry to create cost-effective samples and prototypes for custom packaging. It can also be used to create some very impressive packaging graphics.

The Purpose of Digital Printing in Packaging

Digital printing has broken through the limitations of traditional printing.

High efficiency and flexibility

Digital printing does not need plates or cylinders. It directly outputs files to the printing machine through the computer, shortening the production time of traditional printing from 7-10 days to 2-3 days. And choosing digital printing allows customers to produce completely on demand. So it is particularly suitable for small orders, avoiding the inventory backlog of traditional printing.

Personalization and variable data capabilities

Digital printing can create highly personalized packaging because it supports the differentiated design of each package. Its variable data capabilities allow each printed piece to be personalized with unique data or content. This data can include the brand’s name, images, graphics, QR codes and any other information. With digital printing, each printed piece can be 100% unique and recognizable.

Environmental protection and sustainable development

Digital printing effectively reduces material waste. By precisely controlling ink usage and producing on demand, the carbon emissions is greatly reduced. In addition, the application of water-based inks and biodegradable substrates further promotes the development of green packaging.

What is Flatbed Digital Printing?

Flatbed digital printing typically uses an inkjet printer to reproduce digital images, and print them directly onto various materials. This versatile method can be used on many different materials, like paper, cardboard, wood, glass, metal, and plastic and more.

Flatbed digital printing employs various printing technologies, including the widely used UV (ultraviolet) inkjet printing method. It uses UV-curable inks that cure or dry instantly when exposed to ultraviolet light. So a wide range of materials can be printed with vivid, long-lasting prints.

The ability to print on curved or non-curved surfaces is one of the main advantages of flatbed digital printing. This makes it a popular choice for printing on three dimensional (3D) objects.

The Benefits of Digital Printing

Quick and Efficient Production Time

Using digital printing can rapidly reduce the time from initial design concept to finished product. This is because it does not require the use of any printing plates, or the need to constantly change printing plates, passing a time-consuming process. Digitally printed products can also be produced on demand, without waiting.

Cost-Effective

Traditional printing methods are costly. Making printing plates and setting up the printing process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. This extra work means it takes longer to make the finished product and also costs more. Digital printing can save you a lot of money because there are no upfront costs.

Easily Personalize or Design Tweaks

Since digital printing uses only digital files, it is easy, economical and quick to adjust the original design. Simply update the digital files to get the latest packaging design. Its variable data printing technology enables each printed product to be personalized with unique data or content. This freedom inspires creativity and innovation, which is difficult to achieve with traditional methods.

Beneficial for Small Batches

Traditional printing methods usually require large orders. But digital printing is versatile and can be used for on-demand custom printing in small quantities. For small businesses and startups, this is a helpful option to save setup costs and avoid high minimum order quantity requirements.

Impressive Print Quality

Today’s digital printer can deliver high-quality, vibrant prints that rival offset printing. And compared to flexographic printing, it provides a better overall finished product, especially when the artwork contains intricate graphics, gradients and extensive colour.

Less Waste

Digital packaging printers can prevent excess printed packaging, because they’re great at producing in small batches to meet current needs. But traditional printing methods often cause a lot of waste. These methods are better for large-scale production, often resulting in packaging being idle. When the brand or product specifications change, outdated packaging can only be landfilled or recycled, a serious waste.

Better for the Environment

Digital printing is more eco-friendly. It produces fewer waste ink cartridges and causes less air pollution. It also leaves a smaller carbon footprint.

What Digital Printer Do We Use?

Gozen uses the HP Indigo 20000 Digital Press, reinventing the flexible packaging market. This is a market-proven solution with image format, speed and imposition capabilities. It enables variable data printing, including text, graphics, barcodes and security elements.

High productivity and cost efficiency

Designed for demanding 24/7 production operations, the press offers consistent quality and flexibility for diverse jobs. It can print on substrates from 10 to 250 microns. The image width is suitable for most flexible packaging, pressure-sensitive labels, shrink sleeves, wrap-around labels, laminate tubes, and in-mold labeling (IML) applications. It optimizes workflow, saves time, reduces storage and waste with no plates and cylinders.

Leading print quality and color

HP Indigo is the only digital color printing process that matches gravure, delivering high-resolution printing and perfect registration. Converters can use 7 ink stations and up to 97% of the PANTONE color gamut to meet stringent brand color requirements.

Sustainability

HP Indigo’s print-on-demand technology supports brands in helping the environment by reducing waste in the supply chain.

• No plates or cylinders-eliminate waste between jobs
• Provide eco-friendly packaging solutions by printing on biodegradable film
• Save more than 12 tons of print film waste per year
• Save more than 100,000 square feet of flexo plates per year
• Save more than 25,000 gravure cylinders per year

Other Printing Techniques For Your Projects

Apart from the digital printing we’ve discussed, here are multiple other options available, and you can contact us for more information.

• Flexography (Flexo)
• Screen Printing
• Rotogravure Printing
• Offset Printing

Is Digital Printing for Packaging Right for You?

If you are looking to enhance your supply chain operations and improve the customer experience, packaging is a great place to start. Upgrading to digitally printed packaging is a great strategy to elevate your business operations and brand. Yet this versatile alternative to traditional product packaging methods is not applicable for every business.

Gozen team has extensive experience and professional expertise, allowing us to turn your vision into reality. We offer up to 10 colors of our high-quality rotogravure printing process, flexography printing process, HP indigo digital printing process, plus a wealth of custom add-ons and options. To get started, request a quote today! Whatsapp +86 18571566509