Print.IT - issue 49

PRINT.IT 21 www.printitmag.co.uk PRINTING No one would deny that the third industrial revolution – the computer era – has been tricky for the commercial print industry. It took longer than expected, but the rise of digital media, electronic communications and network connectivity eventually had the predicted outcomes of lower print volumes, falling prices, bankruptcies and mergers in the print industry and a systemic decline in office printing. If the third industrial revolution was bad, just wait ‘til you see what happens in the fourth, when cloud connectivity, IoT, AI, VR and robotics transform the world we live in. It’s going to be carnage out there. Or maybe not. At Connect 2018, the biennial Electronics for Imaging (EFI) user conference, CEO Guy Gecht was positively upbeat about the prospects of the industry. After describing Die Hard , the box office smash released 30 years ago in the same year that EFI was founded, as an appropriate title for the print industry – a piece of gallows humour that when down well with the print service providers in the auditorium – he suggested that instead of dying the print industry is actually on the cusp of a renaissance. “Print is far from over,” he said. “In fact, our message today is that in the fourth revolution print is going to get stronger.” It will become so, he argues, by exploiting developments in print technology and computing power to ‘move beyond paper’ and address the much bigger opportunities in packaging, fabrics/apparel, display graphics and decoration. Print is a technology business EFI itself is already taking advantage of some emerging technologies to improve performance. For example, at EFI Connect 2018 it was using virtual reality and Oculus headsets to demonstrate the Nuzomi C18000 high speed LED digital inkjet press. Even in absentia, due to its size, this ‘game-changer’ for printing corrugated packaging and displays was the undisputed star of the show, described by Mal McGowans, CEO of McGowans, an early adopter, as “the biggest change in digital print technology in the last 10 years”. In the future, EFI plans to use VR headsets to enable engineers to maintain and trouble-shoot these devices remotely. More generally, Gecht expects key elements of the fourth industrial revolution, such as big data, greater computing power in the cloud and faster processing at devices, to facilitate greater personalisation – “Because we can do it and the market wants it,” he said. A new definition for print At the same time, digital inkjet technology, because it is contactless and can print onto diverse material, including paper, film, tiles, fabric and corrugated carboard, will start making inroads into any industry that uses images. Examples might include: n Packaging – Instead of plain brown boxes sent though the post, postal packaging will be personalised and printed with colourful designs, a transition that Gecht likens to the move from black and white to colour TV; n Fashion – faster industrial fabric printers will enable fashion brands to slash lead times and change colours and designs more quickly; and n Interior design – where ceramic tile printing already offers more Print beyond paper In the future, EFI plans to use VR headsets to enable engineers to maintain devices remotely The future of print is brighter than ever, as long as you print on anything but paper. James Goulding reports from the EFI Connect 2018 user conference held at Wynn Las Vegas Gecht’s hopes for a revolution in packaging are supported by a recent study which found that 66% of packaging professionals are already involved in, or are considering, projects that have an element of personalised packaging; 89% think this trend will strengthen over the next two or three years. The main benefits of personalised packaging are thought to be increased consumer engagement (87.9%) and stronger brand awareness (86.1%). In addition, 64% think that personalised packaging increases sales and more than half (53%) believe it has a positive impact on customer loyalty. The main barrier to personalised packaging is cost. Almost three quarters (73%) of the 335 brand owners, retailers, suppliers, agencies and packaging professionals surveyed expressed concern about the additional expense of personalised packaging. Other considerations, such as technology and customer demand, are now much less of a challenge, being cited as potential issues by 29% and 17% respectively, following advances in digital print for packaging and the popularity of recent personalised packaging campaigns run by Coca-Cola, KitKat and Marmite. The study was commissioned for a report by Packaging Innovations, the UK’s largest annual show for the packaging supply chain, and ThePackHub, a UK packaging innovation consultancy. It can be downloaded by visiting https://tinyurl.com/y9vs8dty Time to get personal Continued...

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