Tipping Points for Digital

The general goal in conducting this survey was to check the status of digital printing at companies that print labels or packaging, and to look for signs that more converters will take up digital presses as tools. This month we offer the key results from that survey of 98 converters, which indicate more of them will tip into the digital camp, especially for folding carton converting.

First, a look at the companies we surveyed. Most print more than one application, but, as seen in Figure 1, ones identifying themselves as mainly label converters were the most numerous (43 percent), followed by folding carton converters (31 percent) and flexible packaging converters (13 percent). Also in the sample are corrugated converters (6 percent) and an “other” category.

As seen in Figure 2, these companies collectively use a wide range of print technology to print their main applications, with conventional analog presses leading all, namely offset (54 percent) and flexo (47 percent). Digital presses, though, both electrophotographic and inkjet, make a strong showing, in use at 39 percent of the companies responding. The real rate of use of digital color presses is likely lower than that in the overall market, but their use in the label industry is obviously strong, with several hundred now at work at label converters in North America. By contrast, their use in flexible packaging and folding carton printing is tiny so far. Digital presses that are dedicated to flexible packaging and folding carton printing are coming into the market, particularly in thanks to HP Indigo. Meanwhile, the survey data show 26 percent of those with folding carton printing use digital printing of some type (press, wide format or table top label printing), much higher than the 14 percent of those doing at least some label converting.

Related to press usage, we asked respondents how their print volumes break down in terms of run length. To simplify, we told respondents to estimate in terms of labels, cartons, flexible packages or any other type of output they predominantly printed. We gathered and compared results from users of conventional presses (87 companies) and digital presses (47 companies). As seen in Figure 3, digital presses are used most heavily for short runs (no surprise), and conventional presses for long ones. There are other things to be seen in the chart, though. For example, there are substantial printing runs of less than 2,000 labels or packages by both digital and analog presses. While short runs are a digital specialty, it’s also true that makers of conventional presses such as Heidelberg, Mark Andy and many others have much improved their systems’ ability to print short runs, and many converters are using analog presses to print these smaller jobs.

Meanwhile, the chart also shows that a substantial share of digital press output comes from medium to long runs—so what about that? First, inkjet vendors such as Domino, Durst and EFI Jetrion and electrophotographic vendors like HP Indigo, Xeikon and Xerox all now have many experienced digital press users: companies skilled at operating the presses, and at selling their services. Next, converters’ end customers, the brand owners, have pushed digital converters in ways that favor digital, namely for multiple print versions, variable data printing and quick turnaround of jobs, both small and big. That mix of factors has pushed digital printing to do an increasing share of all runs, including longer runs, and will continue to do so.

In Figure 4, converters with digital color presses in the survey chose “short runs” as the growing motivation to digital printing (45 percent overall, and 44 percent among 32 label converters responding to this question). While the folding carton converters and flexible packaging converters in the study that have digital presses are too few to yield statistically valid results, these two packaging converter types indicate elsewhere that short runs are common for them. Responding to our question on run lengths, each indicated that on average about 30 percent of print jobs on conventional presses are fewer than 2,000 pieces.

Next to Tip to Digital

Although label converters have long made up the top market for digital color presses for packaging, today it looks like folding carton converters will be the next to tip into the digital camp. As the “next” application after label printing, folding cartons are less challenging than flexible packaging. This is because they are simplex printed and much less likely to need food-safe inks. Also, for at least five years, HP Indigo and Xeikon have encouraged the use of electrophotographic label webs to print folding cartons, and Xerox has pushed its A3 size sheetfed Xerox iGen and related finishing into that market. At the same time, multiple inkjet press vendors will soon offer their own folding carton presses.

Simple awareness of digital for folding carton printing is now fairly high. Among our respondents are 65 who either print folding cartons now (42) or who do not but are interested in doing so (23). Of those respondents, 80 percent are aware of digital color presses that are used now to print folding cartons. As seen in Figure 5, the most well-known product is the HP Indigo 30000; so far the lone B2 sheetfed EP press on the market. HP Indigo has placed at least 20 units of this system globally since its launch in 2014. Not far behind in market recognition are smaller format sheetfed presses such as Xerox iGen, HP Indigo 7800, and Kodak NexPress. Of these, Xerox iGen likely has installed the most systems dedicated to folding cartons. Launched in 2010, Xerox claimed in a recent blog a world installed base of more than 50 installations. Xerox is not alone with a smaller format sheetfed solution, since there are tens of other installations of similar-sized systems from HP Indigo and Kodak contributing to the mix.

Awareness of Digital Options for Folding Carton Printing

What does the future look like? HP Indigo leads in steering folding carton converting to digital, based not just on HP Indigo 30000 but also the many HP Indigo 6000 Series web presses that print folding cartons as a side application, and some that print cartons exclusively. A whole crew of talented competition though, is either in place or coming for this young digital print market. As mentioned, Xerox is already there as an electrophotographic press supplier, but so is Xeikon, which offers digital webs (including a 20˝ web, the Xeikon 3500) and a suite of carton finishing equipment. Inkjet press options are coming, all printing B2 sheet media: Fujifilm JetPress, Konica Minolta KM-1, Landa S-10 and Screen TruePress. Given all these products, and the fact that folding carton converters are printing increasing numbers of short runs, we expect folding carton converting to have more digital color presses operating side by side with offset presses. With that in mind, we also expect that soon enough, much like in label converting, digital will be a partner to analog for folding carton printing.