The Impact of Digital Printing in Packaging Innovation

Think back to your trip to the grocery store. Imagine yourself standing in an aisle and now look around you at the different colored packages that all have one aim i.e. to gain your attention. Sure you may choose a product based simply on the fact that you have using it for years now. Although, don’t overrule the chances of you selecting a different brand simply because they have better packaging in comparison to the brand you normally use.  Our brain is already bombarded with hundreds of stimuli and to deal with it the brain compartmentalizes stimuli into categories that they can access later. If you’re packaging is unable to stand out in the sea designs than it can be dubbed a failed design.

Packaging in the bygone era was wrapping up a loaf of bread in brown paper to protect it from any moisture. That very same loaf of bread is now packed preferably in biodegradable plastic, where it has to travel hundreds of miles for final consumption, the packaging has to have all the relevant information written on it, and the colors of the packaging must be bright enough to compete with their competitors. Thus, it would be a gross understatement to say that packaging is tricky business and requires some fiddling around.  Not only may customers skip your offering but they may form negative associations with your brand name. In their mind, your brand may be permanently stamped as product offerings which do not align with their values. Frankly, speaking they may be written off as “uncool” and filed away in the back dusty drawer of your brain. The packaging is your salesman that will scream out the values of your company.

The traditional printing never saw the shocks of thunder coming their way when digital printing first ambushed them in 1993. Commercial use of digital printing which allowed the use of vivid colors, different fonts and shorter processing times all meant that a revolution had occurred for the packaging industry. Marketers now had access to numerous designs which would not affect their manufacturing processes- enabling customization on large scales. Packaging before the onset of digital printing was mostly a non- interactive process whereby there was no input taken from the consumers in their design.

Yet, digital printing allowed the birth of an interactive process, where the consumers and the company both formed schemes to design the packaging. Lays was able to connect with their customers where they were asked to share a “lazy summer photo” which was then printed on a lays packet. If digital printing had not been pioneered mass scale packaging customization of lays packet wouldn’t have been possible. Digital printing is not limited to newer fancier graphics but they all a point of sales experience to be generated, using QR codes, 3D printing and augmented reality. Industry specialists have been known to be blown away by the consistent quality that the digital press can churn out in comparison to its conventional counterpart.

At RubeeFlex we can create eye-catching imagery and inspired text to complement every project. We’ll help you choose just the right texture, color, shape, size, material and closure style guaranteed to please customers and define your core brand.

So what are you waiting for? Connect with a RubeeRep today to talk options, place an order, or find answers to your most pressing digital printing questions.