Experimental Study of Digital Printing Methods for Producing Personalized Packaging

Abstract

With the development of technologies in digital printing, variable data printing and on-demand printing for producing printing products with personalized information become more and more popular. The technologies make it possible to produce packaging for consumer products that contains personalized information that meets the special needs of individuals. There are two common approaches to produce personalized packaging. One approach is a hybrid process, which adds personalized information by inkjet printing or toner press onto the packaging that is printed primarily by traditional printing methods. This requires the digitally printed colors to match the colors printed by traditional printing methods. Another approach is to print the packaging completely by digital printing. Most commonly, toner-based laser printing is the first option for lower weighted paperboards. This approach is often limited by the print quality of laser printing. This study focused on experimental study on the quality of digital printing for producing personalized packaging. The parameters investigated are color gamut, resolution of lines and fonts. The print quality of digitally printed packaging was compared to traditional packaging producing methods, such as lithography printing, flexography printing, and gravure printing.