Three-quarters of all retail products are purchased on impulse, so it’s no surprise that brands are demanding attention-grabbing packaging to set their products apart from their competitors’. At drupa 2012 we can expect to see a raft of solutions for giving products that stand-out shelf appeal.

Packaging is the interface between brand owner and consumer. In this fast-moving sector, digital technology is dictating the pace of change. Packaging print providers have been working hard to overcome a number of challenges, like ensuring colour consistency – across different regions, and on different substrates printed via different processes.

Meanwhile demand for shorter run lengths is being addressed with enhancements to prepress operations, as well as greater automation to deliver faster throughput.

Despite advancements in litho to speed up makereadies, digital retains the edge when it comes to quickly delivering a job to the press, ready to print.  The faster inkjet systems – which offer the added advantage of being suitable for inline integration – will help increase digital’s overall market share. And let’s not forget digital offset, which is also gaining a stronger footing in the packaging sector.

When it comes to addressing the perennial problem of counterfeit goods, coding and marking systems are winning fans, with development focusing on advanced solutions like the 2-D datamatrix barcode.

The food industry is also bolstering security, as packaging-related health scares can lead to costly product recalls and format switching.

As for next-stage development, we can expect a focus on ensuring lower energy consumption – for example, LED replacing UV curing.

What do you think the future holds for packaging? Can developers keep pace with brands’ demands for ever-more striking packaging? Read more, leave a comment and let us know!