العربية
Label processors still have time to find new business opportunities in the production of flexible packaging and folding cartons based on their understanding of digital printing, and their professional knowledge and skills.
Digital printing has been developing in the label industry for more than 20 years. The earliest entry into this field was toner technology, followed by inkjet technology, and now Lanta ’s nano-digital printing technology has been added. This is a 20-year rapid development. So far, the global label industry has installed about 4,500 digital printers, of which HP Indigo and Xeikon toner printers accounted for more than two-thirds of the total installed capacity.
Especially in recent years, the installation of digital label printers has increased very rapidly. In 2019 alone, more than 800 new digital presses are expected to be installed worldwide. In these new installations, the installed capacity of toner digital printers and inkjet digital printers will be equally divided, but will increase the number of digital + flexo hybrid printers.
Although the installed capacity of toner digital label printers has been absolutely dominant for many years, the installation speed of inkjet printers is now higher than that of toners. Among the installed inkjet printers, about three quarters of the printers use UV inkjet, and the rest are water-based inkjet. With the advancement of technology, the speed and resolution of inkjet printing continue to increase, and more and more devices begin to connect more complicated post-press decoration technology.
The latest data shows that by the end of 2020, the annual output value of digital label products processed by all installed digital printing equipment will be close to 9 billion US dollars. This is a fairly large market, and it is still growing.
The reason for the rapid growth of digital printing technology in the label field is obvious: label serving the FMCG market is one of the key links. The demand for short orders, flexibility, shorter delivery times, more version changes, personalization and variable data is increasing in this market, and most labels easily adapt to the width of narrow web printing presses.
Although the flexible packaging and carton industry has also begun to pay attention to and invest in digital printing, in the past two or three years, the overall market is still far behind the label field, especially the digital printing knowledge mastered by the processor, the understanding and use of digital printing Not as good as a label processor. In particular, most packaging processors lack the experience of digital pre-press and post-press.
When facing the consumer goods market, the flexible packaging and carton industry may also encounter short-order, multi-version printing needs, but the carton or image to be printed is often too large, not suitable for narrow-web printing. Therefore, if you want to meet the needs of most packaging printing, you need a wider format printing machine, and the requirements for post-processing in these fields are also very different from the label field.
Digital packaging printers are wider and larger, and the investment cost may be two to three times that of narrow-web rotary label printers, and buyers may also need to reconfigure and upgrade the prepress system. But there is no doubt that digital packaging printing machines will have greater printing capacity and throughput. It is expected that by the end of this year, the total value of products produced by digital packaging printing machines will account for 20% of the total value of digital labels and packaging printing; by 2020, the total value of global digital labels and packaging printing products will increase to the scale of 10 billion US dollars .
Some digital label processors are already using medium-format printing machines to produce packaging bags, pouches, lids and other products, and some are handling smaller folding cartons. If label processors can apply the digital printing experience and market knowledge accumulated in the label field to the packaging field, the future development potential and market opportunities are huge. In a few years, the original companies in the packaging and printing field will catch up and make great strides in professional skills and knowledge. At that time, the opportunities left for label processors will be smaller.
