Don Gulcher on Connecting Packaging to Digital Journeys

By Linda Casey

This image was created using Adobe Firefly's generative AI on a provided headshot of Don Gulcher. | Credit: PRINTING United Alliance

Welcome to PRINTING United Expo Intel, the editorial series from Packaging Impressions that gives label and package converters a smart, witty look at the exhibitors shaping the future of custom-printed packaging. This week — Oct. 22–24 — we're live at the PRINTING United Expo at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. With more than 800 exhibitors spread across 1 million sq. ft. of exhibition space, this year’s show is the largest and most immersive in its history.

In this article, we feature Don Gulcher, Region Manager at XMPie, who shares his thoughts on smart packaging, booth vibes, and how XMPie connects print to digital in powerful ways.

Q: Which trend in labels or packaging do you secretly love or love to hate?

A: I secretly love smart packaging — but only when it is actually smart! QR codes and NFC tags are everywhere now, but unless they’re personalized or customized to the recipient, they are just generic tech. What gets me excited is when packaging connects the customer to a tailored digital experience. It might be a video, an upsell link, or a loyalty offer. That is where XMPie comes in. We make it easy to turn every label or package into a meaningful, data-driven moment. That is smart.

Q: Describe your booth using just three emojis.

Q: If your booth had a theme song, what would it be and why?

A: Our booth theme song would be “We are the Champions” by Queen.

XMPie is the personalization solution that powers the print industry. We help brands and printer providers win with smart, data-driven campaigns across print and digital. Like Queen’s iconic anthem, our technology is about triumph: over complexity, over disconnected workflows, and over one-size-fits-all communication. Whether it’s direct mail, packaging, or omnichannel engagement, XMPie gives you the tools to lead. “We Are the Champions” celebrates that victory. We are creative, confident, and built into InDesign.

Why should label and package converters stop by your booth at PRINTING United Expo?

XMPie lets brands turn packaging into a digital gateway. Add personalized QR codes or smart tags that launch tailored experiences, including videos, offers, surveys, or reordering flows. Each pack becomes a touchpoint in an omnichannel journey, connecting print to digital in real time. Ideal for short-run or seasonal campaigns, with XMPie you can boost engagement, loyalty, and data capture, making packaging a powerful tool for direct-to-consumer storytelling and interaction.

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Linda Casey Author's page

As editor-in-chief of Packaging Impressions — the leading publication and online content provider for the printed packaging markets — Linda Casey leverages her experience in the packaging, branding, marketing, and printing industries to deliver content that label and package printers can use to improve their businesses and operations.

Prior to her role at Packaging Impressions, Casey was editor-in-chief of BXP: Brand Experience magazine, which celebrated brand design as a strategic business competence. Her body of work includes deep explorations into a range of branding, business, packaging, and printing topics.

Casey’s other passion, communications, has landed her on the staffs of a multitude of print publications, including Package Design, Converting, Packaging Digest, Instant & Small Commercial Printer, High Volume Printing, BXP: Brand Experience magazine, and more. Casey started her career more than three decades ago as news director for WJAM, a youth-oriented music-and-news counterpart to WGCI and part of the Chicago-based station’s AM band presence.