Bob Leahey

packagePRINTING recently teamed up with InfoTrends to survey converters about their printing technologies.

Short runs are becoming business as usual for converters, with brand owners wanting more and more runs of reduced lengths. A recent InfoTrends survey of packagePRINTING readers set out to see to what extent such runs are becoming more common. We obtained responses from 69 companies, each a converter of labels, folding cartons or both. The general results indicate that respondents' print jobs now include a significant share that is less than a few thousand linear feet, and that the share is growing.

So just how widespread is digital printing in our industry, and what might the future hold? To find out, packagePRINTING magazine and InfoTrends recently conducted a survey of North American label and packaging converters. Over 100 converters offered up some interesting responses. Take a look.

InfoTrends recently surveyed converters of labels, folding cartons, and flexible packaging in North America, ultimately to ask a few overarching questions: What do converters want when it comes to print technology? What are their pain points? How can digital printing presses help? Our survey, of course, asked many other questions, but those are the key ones.

packagePRINTING revisits Label and packaging converter Innovative Labeling Solutions (ILS) since being featured in the magazine's July 2008 issue, to ask again about the company's digital printing business, its accomplishments and what the future might hold.

In late 2009, InfoTrends, Inc. (www.infotrends.com), a market research and strategic consulting firm, conducted a Web-based survey of converters about the role and prospective role of color digital printing in their operations. packagePRINTING magazine contributed to that effort by inviting subscribers to participate in this effort. InfoTrends is grateful to the many packagePRINTING subscribers that supported the survey. This article provides key results from the feedback.