By Pat Reynolds, VP Editor Emeritus
This small-footprint, low-cost MVZ press for digital printing of flexible film incorporates Memjet print heads.
The addition of an HP PageWide Web Press T1100S means Hummingbird can handle everything from large-format TV boxes to cases for
The T1190 press in DS Smith’s Fulda, Germany, plant will have a throughput of 1,000 ft/min.
Rondo Ganahl AG of Australia is the first to install the sheet-fed Delta SPC 130 corrugated sheet press from Durst.
This shipper is a good example of the kind of jobs Custom Packaging runs on its Barberan corrugated sheet press.
Fig. 1—Only digital printing would allow Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt to order just 1,300 corrugated cases produced in three runs w
This small-footprint, low-cost MVZ press for digital printing of flexible film incorporates Memjet print heads.
Previewed at drupa 2016, the Scodix E106 has been installed at Italian converter Grafinpack, where it will be used for digital e
Sample of The Healthy Crunch Co. kale chips line
New developments in digital printing and finishing as it relates to packaging are unfolding at such a rapid clip these days that anything resembling a comprehensive overview would be difficult at best. But here are a few highlights in the main substrate categories—corrugated, flexible film, labels, folding cartons, enhancement—where digital printing is making its presence felt in a big way.
Corrugated might be the best place to start, since a number of things are happening in both pre-printing of linerboard and post-printing of sheet-fed corrugated. We begin with DS Smith, whose Featherstone facility in the U.K. was the first to commercialize the HP PageWide T1100S from HP in Spring of 2016. The T1100S ink-jet web press permits high-speed CMYK pre-printing of 110 inch wide (2.8 m) corrugated linerboard at 600ft/min (198 m). A second T1100S was installed in Smith’s Fulda, Germany, plant around January of 2018. But then just a few months later, HP and DS Smith announced a change in plans. The T1100S that DS Smith was installing in Fulda will be upgraded to the T1190. Introduced at FESPA 2018 in Munich, the T1190 prints not only CMYK but also Orange and Violet, thus extending the color gamut to meet additional brand colors. It features HP A30 water-based inks as opposed to UV-reactive chemistry, so corrugated linerboard printed on it is food safe. The T1190 also offers a big increase in throughput compared to the T1100S: 1,000 ft/min (305 m).
Elsewhere on the pre-print for corrugated front, Georgia-Pacific got its feet wet with a 2015 installation of the HP PageWide Web Press T400S. After experiencing strong demand and confirming the value of digital preprint both for its own box-making operations and for converter customers who buy preprinted linerboard for their box-making operations, GP expanded its capabilities in two ways. It invested in an HP PageWide Web Press T1100S, and it created a whole new digital-only division called Hummingbird. Sergio Morales, General Manager of Hummingbird, explains why.
“The experience we had with the smaller T400S made us realize how dramatically different the business model needs to be if you really want to capitalize on the value proposition of digital,” says Morales. “With digital it’s all about speed to market and flexibility in the supply chain. It’s not like analog, where customers order four months of inventory well in advance to optimize set-up time and get the price point where they want it. So rather than try to change the culture of an analog business, we created a separate business that’s completely dedicated to helping customers transition from analog to digital and help them capitalize on the value that digital brings.”
Hummingbird produces quality that is comparable to offset print processes and can bring greater color consistency throughout the print run. One of the notable advantages of a 110-inch wide (2.8 m) press is the ability to produce high-quality, large-format packaging and pre-printed rolls with no need for offset or flexo labels. For example, Hummingbird can handle everything from large-format TV boxes to pumpkin bins and pallet skirts, while providing the same speed-to-market and supply chain benefits it offers for smaller packaging.