Is packaging about to feel the effects of the next generation of digital printing technology? Will Parker of Reflex Labels certainly believes it is. Will’s been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt when it comes to digital printing tech. He was part of an expert panel at last week’s Packaging Innovations event, who debated the topic “everything that can become digital will become digital – and printing is no exception”. It was super-interesting to hear the panel’s views, with Karen Graley from Waitrose and Matt Daniels of Unilever provided the customer’s perspective. For packaging print buyers dealing with complex supply chains there’s a similarity to be drawn with the world of book publishing and printing, in that a shift to digital print production can require a complete re-think of existing pricing models. No wonder Karen emphasised the need for end-to-end lifecycle analysis when looking at any potential changes to her supply chain. And Matt provided some food for thought by pointing out that from Unilever’s point-of-view, 250,000 would be considered a short-run. Other issues highlighted included the availability of certain materials, the ability to produce Pantone colours and metallics, and the potentially problematic properties of some digital inks. It’s a complex area, especially when it comes to food packaging. And of course price, price, price is absolutely imperative. Be that the end product or the equipment to produce it. John Charnock from Print Research International made a salient point in this respect, in that customers will pay more if there's a compelling argument "if sales are up 30% then people stop talking about cost per unit". One thing everyone could agree on was the exciting potential for personalised packs in one way or another, and it's going to be fascinating to see how that pans out. Of course, digital printing is well-established for some packaging types, with labels being the obvious example. And the ability to easily produce mock-ups or test packs must be an absolute boon for buyers. Whereas for, say, more general carton production we’re getting to the point where the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle are coming together – such as the imminent installation of a Highcon Euclid at Glossop Cartons. Parker reckons that in the next ten years digital printing for packaging will move “from adolescence to adulthood”. Hopefully the profit potential for printcos will mature nicely too.