Digitally Printed Packaging: Opportunity for Commercial Printers?

At PDI, a new 26˝ NexPress can handle calipers to 18-pt. and is big enough for some packaging applications, but most packaging is still produced offset. They see no demand for variable data for packaging, so the only rationale for digital would be short runs.

Louise Kralka, vice president of sales, advises that PDI also does litholam with a box company: they print, and the box company laminates. Printing is all done on a 56˝ offset press, as most displays need the large size. Kralka notes that she does not see a need for short-run or variable data printing for litholam, and adds that most litholam is well in excess of 40 percent ink coverage. This becomes problematic for water-based inkjet. They prefer the NexPress because "it offers a much wider range of substrates that can be used to obtain high-quality results."