Lets get digital

Printing is a considerable packaging cost for manufacturers. Bob Scherer argues that it pays to go digital in the short run

It used to be that the high cost of conventionally printed packaging for niche or specialised markets and mock-ups proved to be too much of a barrier for cosmetic and personal care products manufacturers. But when they had no choice manufacturers paid for printing thousands of test or new product packages that might never make it to the store shelves.

Today digital printing technology not only gives cosmetics and personal care companies the full production run shelf appearance they need but also in the quantity required. In some cases, as few as one or two packages or labels are printed, and all within fast, customer-driven turnaround times.

Digital insurance

With digital printing, manufacturers have the power to make a new product based on customer needs rather than making products and then waiting to see if customers buy them. Manufacturers can now present prototypes of cosmetics and personal care products to buyers that look and feel like they were pulled off the shelf. And when buyers provide requests for small changes and feedback, manufacturers can tweak the packaging, print a short run again and get the approval - and the sale - they need to move into full production.

Perfect for short runs, digital presses economically print quantities up to 80,000 and the full production-run quality labels and packaging are used for comps, samples and prototypes. Digital printing can cut the price tag of conventional printing in half, depending on the number of colours and quantity.

Because digital printing is plateless printing, it also saves time because complete projects go from computer to press and can be shipped within hours. No plates means manufacturers don’t have to pay the $100 per plate cost typically charged by conventional printers. Taking the example of a four-colour package, design changes might require two additional runs, so the plate costs alone through traditional printing would be $1200... and packaging has not even been printed yet.

No plates also means no longer having to choose between a quality, complex design and sticking to a tight budget, since there is no cost difference between digitally printing two or four colour packaging.

Quality control

The ability to print different versions of the same label or packaging is another big advantage of going digital. Every buyer has their preferences: one wants to include the word ‘new’ and another requests a copy change, for example. Digital allows for multiple revisions by prepping the run to efficiently batch the projects and print one quantity of this version and a different quantity of another.

Digital presses print at 800 to 2400 dots per inch, which means the quality of printing will meet or exceed that which can be achieved through flexographic and rotogravure processes. Digital often requires the ‘fuzzying up’ of images in order to mirror the results typical of other processes, when the goal is to have both processes look as much alike as possible.

When SLC Skin Care Inc, the skin care company founded by entertainer and entrepreneur Suzanne Somers, needed packaging for four design prototypes in order to determine the best fit for its first cosmetic product launch, the company turned to digital printing. The product (available at www.suzannesomers.com) is Suzanne Somers Spray On Makeup Professional Foundation, and of the four prototypes, Somers and company selected two designs to pitch for its first appearance on the US Home Shopping Network (HSN). Printing small quantities of shrink sleeves was not a problem for the digital printer, and potential design and packaging component challenges were handled as well. Extra care by the pressman eliminated potential streaking and banding of the solid colour purple on the entire sleeve, and the sleeve also had to be extended to cover the cap on the product as the correct colour cap was not available. HSN picked its favourite design and Somers’ new product made its exclusive debut on the network in spring 2005, selling 20,000 units during the four-day launch.

For her gift collection last year, Somers returned to the digital printer and requested a packaging concept for her line of naturally-derived face masks. The products, five jars in individual boxes, were shipped to the printer with the direction to package as a gift pack. The printer created 150 carton sleeves of 14-point SBS board, a thinner material so that the packaging for the gifts was not too bulky. The sleeve was wrapped tightly around the products to hold them in the packaging while the two ends were left open for accessibility to the product. A die-cut cellophane window was added to the top of the carton sleeve so that the five distinctive mask flavour names would be visible.

With internet-based artwork and package collaboration software in place, approving packaging concepts can also be quicker and easier. During the traditional approval route, the vast majority of time is spent getting the concepts physically into the hands of the powers that be through e-mail or express shipping - not on reviewing the actual concepts. By improving workflow through product launch, the software accelerates the collaboration and communication necessary to move ideas quickly through the creative process.

Since all participants know when files are coming and have access to them, it is easier for reviewers to respond and meet deadlines. Per user monthly licensing costs are typically how this type of software use is billed.

Workflow begins when the creative brief for a new package concept is prepared and uploaded to the system files. The creative team gets the brief, develops the initial concepts and then sends them back to all reviewers for feedback and approval. The creative team modifies and weeds out concepts until one winning design remains. The final package design goes through similar rounds of editing and approval, but because the collaboration and communication is all done online, both time and money are saved.

Digital technology also makes it possible to leverage opportunities in specialised markets that were once deemed too cost prohibitive. Cosmetics and personal care manufacturers, for example, can now approach smaller speciality retailers with the idea of marketing their own signature line of beauty products. Similar concepts can be presented to a variety of retailers where packaging can be customised and digitally produced efficiently.

It works like this. The printer batches the orders and prints one large run that is broken into 500 of version one, 1000 of version two and 1500 of a third version, for example.

For manufacturers looking to save time and money, the proof is in the packaging. Using digital printing technology for sales samples, prototypes and complimentary products, or to move into niche markets can help companies in their constant battle to get products to market faster with lower costs and lower risk.

Author

Bob Scherer

Vice president & partner, CL&D Digital, US

Tel +1 262 569 6732

E-mail bscherer@clddigital.com

www.clddigital.com