Commercial printers are well aware of the benefits of offering package printing, and are taking action to add it to their service offerings. Many factors are removing entry barriers and accelerating commercial printers’ migration into packaging. Ongoing progress in technology innovation, digital printing, early adopter successes, process simplification, customer demands, and fierce competition are all forces enticing and enabling commercial printers to offer labels and other types of packaging. Labels, folding cartons, corrugated containers, and flexible packaging are all print applications typically in high demand and cannot be easily replaced by digital media. A recent NAPCO Research survey of brand owners reveals packaging is a growth opportunity. More than half of brand owners participating in the survey report increasing use of labels, folding cartons, corrugated packaging, and flexible packaging (Figure 1). While this survey was conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, NAPCO Research’s ongoing 2020 print provider surveys tracking business conditions indicate packaging has been a resilient application.

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company announced the extended portfolio of end-to-end services to support at-home testing. These services enable diagnostic device, at-home healthcare, health insurance, and point-of-care testing companies in their efforts to keep pace with the evolution of healthcare. As the pandemic disrupted supply chains, it also shifted consumer preferences and accelerated adoption of at-home and digital healthcare. For many test manufacturers and healthcare companies, a number of challenges (e.g., labor constraints, infrastructure limitations, inventory visibility, supply irregularity, compliance, complex IT requirements, etc.) continue to stand in the way of bringing innovative new products and solutions to market.

Electronics For Imaging, Inc. and Xeikon announced they have entered into an exclusive partnership for the EFI™ Jetrion® digital label and narrow web inkjet printing systems. Under the partnership, Xeikon will service, support and supply the worldwide Jetrion customer base, and continue the direct sales of Jetrion digital label printing systems as part of the Xeikon portfolio of digital dry toner and UV inkjet presses for the self-adhesive label market. "EFI Jetrion printing systems have helped to establish the market for industrial digital inkjet label production, and the numerous innovations developed for high-resolution Jetrion technology — including high-end, production-class LED imaging, superior opaque white ink and true all-in-one integrated print, varnish, cut and slit systems — have given EFI Jetrion the largest installed base of UV inkjet label presses in the world," said Guy Gecht, EFI CEO. "As we expand our portfolio of industrial inkjet products, we prioritized our go to market investment and resources. It was a clear choice for us to pick Xeikon, one of the undisputed leaders in digital label printing, as the ideal partner to continue a trustworthy sales and service operation for the Jetrion product line." Click Read More below for additional information.