The Finishing Touch
As product variations flood the consumer packaged goods market, it is becoming increasingly challenging to stand out among a multitude of brands. But enhancements in the finishing process, such as foil stamping, embossing, coating and diecutting, can influence purchasing decisions and ultimately make or break a package’s success on shelf.
“Enhancing a product is a way to differentiate not only from the competition but also from your own products,” Doug Herr, director of sales for folding cartons at Bobst, says.
In other words, as brands continue to diversify, finishing can be used as a way to ensure that packages are noticed, even if it means just ease of identification on the shelf.
Kevin Abergel, VP of sales and marketing at MGI, explains that while printing technology has advanced in leaps and bounds every year, becoming faster, bigger and more efficient, finishing has done little to keep up. Part of this is due, he believes, to years of concentration that were spent on print quality. However, now that printing quality has become so advanced, it has spurred companies to begin focusing on finishing to make folding cartons stand out.
Outside factors have also helped to inspire or limit decisions that are made in the enhancement of folding cartons. Herr mentions that a more stable economy has increased consumers’ willingness to invest in higher quality packaging and has facilitated the growth of more complex packaging.
Using MGI’s digital finishing solutions, converters can create eye-catching folding cartons to help a product stand out.
Creating an Emotional Connection
Producing packaging that rivals the value of the product inside is no easy feat. Many times, purchasing decisions are made solely on the appearance of the package, but in order to cinch a consumer purchase, the packaging needs to convey a feeling of reliability and trust.
Abergel explains that when various techniques in finishing are used, there is a subconscious decision made as to whether a product is worthy of purchase.
“It’s all about jumping off of the shelf,” he says.
One method is enticing a consumer to reach out and touch a carton, establishing a physical connection. Abergel explains for example, a box of chocolate-covered strawberries could have a lasting effect if the seeds on the image are enhanced with embossing.
“There is so much that happens from a psychological standpoint, whether it’s a perceived ownership of that product or not,” he says. “The chances of putting the product back on the shelf are greatly reduced when it is picked up.”
Overall, a folding carton needs to appeal to the idea that a well-produced and designed package is the indication of a quality product, underlying the importance of conveying value through packaging.
Hub Folding Box Co. used a Bobst machine to implement embossing and foiling to this folding carton to reflect the quality of the product inside.
“We always want to be better than the competition,” Abergel says. “Variable data embossed foil is booming because of the ability to make the packaging more valuable than the actual product.”
Using Enhanced Packaging to Drive Revenue
Ultimately, as Carol Jiang, president of Masterwork USA, explains, a value-added folding carton will result in more sales, in turn resulting in more shelf space dedicated to the product.
For example, creatively using finishing techniques like diecutting and foil stamping can create a luxurious feel.
Jiang notes that since products are “visually impulse-driven purchases,” implementing diecut windows in a carton so the consumer can see the product is one way to create a visually stimulating package. Special creasing and reverse creasing coupled with specialty diecutting can also make for interestingly folded and glued shapes, rather than traditional square and rectangle cartons. Furthermore, combining these techniques with hot foil stamping can result in an even more visually appealing package.
While the end product is very important, so too is the process of getting there, especially when it comes to efficiency. Jiang cites that moving a diecut package straight to the folder/gluer will improve workflow and deliver the product faster. She also states that combining various processes, such as embossing, diecutting, stripping and blanking, into one pass through single head machines, can reduce manufacturing waste.
Depending on what is trying to be achieved, the process of finishing may differ. Trade finishers, short runs and companies manufacturing non-repeatable folding cartons, Jiang continues, do not need blanking capabilities, so a high-speed diecutting machine with stripping may be all that is necessary to effectively complete an enhanced package.
However, high volume, repeat jobs will require high-speed foil stamping and high-speed diecutting, stripping and blanking to avoid stripping damage that can occur during production.
The Masterwork Duopress MK21060STE provides a single solution for embossing, diecutting and stripping.
Herr says when using a combination die that will hot foil stamp and emboss at the same time, the number of passes through the machine can be reduced from two to one. This oftentimes can be a more efficient use of the machinery, which in turn can improve the quality of the product, save money and reduce waste. The resulting 3D textured effect will cause light to hit the package differently, improving the chances that a consumer will be attracted to the final product, yet not costing much more to produce.
Digital Finishing
Though digital printing has taken the industry by storm, digital finishing is only starting to scratch the surface. Abergel explains that MGI is working with digital finishing on digitally printed packaging. MGI is using spot UV coating to create 2D packaging, an embossed spot UV varnish for 3D enhanced packaging, and foiling that sticks to the UV varnish.
MGI equipment can add gold foil and embossing elements to a folding carton, helping it stand out from its competition.
Traditionally finishing has been done with analog equipment. But as digital printing grows, Abergel says manufacturers using analog finishing will be at a disadvantage. “I think digital finishing for packaging is going to be just as important [as digital printing] in order to respond to the wants and needs of brands,” he says.
With personalized embossing and foiling capabilities at a fraction of the cost of analog finishing, Abergel sees digital printing and finishing as high growth areas for folding cartons.
Another potential application for digital finishing is in smart packaging. For example, Abergel says that by printing a working RFID antenna directly onto packaging with functional inks, a folding carton could interact with a consumer’s mobile phone. While there is a novelty aspect to smart packaging, Abergel says it can be used in functional applications in the food space, such as providing a warning to a consumer if they are allergic to an ingredient.
As brands continue to seek out ways to differentiate themselves on shelf, Abergel says shifting the focus from printing to finishing could give brands the results they desire.
“Instead of competing on print, make profit on finishing,” he says.
Ashley Roberts is the Managing Editor of the Printing & Packaging Group.
