Page 58 - Print21 March-April 2020

Revolution in Print
Web-to-pack Packaging creation and ordering is
Heidelberg partner Masterworks. The world's first Primefire 106
printer, ColorDruck in the Black Forest – which Print21 visited in November 2018 – is also running a web-to-pack business model, although it is using its own software. The first Japanese printer running Primefire, Kyoshin Paper and Package, is also using it for web-to-pack, and again in its case with its own software.
However, Heidelberg now has its own solution, and says printers, designers, and end customers will benefit in equal measure from new web-to-pack boxuni platform.
Heidelberg is contributing its software know-how surrounding Prinect and its extensive experience in the printing of high-quality folding cartons. The company says in this way it is bringing the interests of packaging designers, end users, and packaging printers together, on one platform.
Designers currently have online access to around 12,000 folding carton designs, with more being added all the time. The company says this makes designing packaging that is tailored
to their requirements a quick, simple, and cost-effective process.
Packaging buyers can order packaging designs online – customised if necessary and also in the shortest of runs – which in China Xianjunlong then produces fully automatically and ships.
A Primefire 106 from Heidelberg
– China’s first industrial digital printing system in B1 format – starts by printing the packaging that has been designed and ordered online.
Once the folding cartons have been printed, postpress operations
are carried out on a digital coating/ foil stamping system and a die- cutting machine from Heidelberg partner Masterwork.
Heidelberg is also leading the way when it comes to creating a digital ecosystem for the packaging market in China’s print media industry.
The next step is to give print shops the opportunity to link their products and services to this platform, which will use a cloud-platform to produce folding cartons in a standardised, highly automated process.
EFI Pack Central
Technology developer EFI is launching PackCentral, an online web-to-pack solution, which it says will enable packaging converters to digitally transform their businesses and grow profitability through new revenue streams and reduced sales costs.
PackCentral will operate within EFI's existing MarketDirect platform. The company says it allows packaging and corrugated service providers to increase value for the brands they serve, by streamlining their end-to-end workflows.
It will also provide what EFI says are future-ready features like SmartBox Designer, a new tool to simplify and visualise on-line 3D design.
The new PackCentral web-to-pack options enhance the functionality EFI MarketDirect offers beyond its core customer communication and marketing campaign management capabilities, adding what EFI says are easy-to-use procurement,
order management, and customer collaboration tools, designed specifically for packaging converters and brands. 21
moving online, with press manufacturer Heidelberg, and software developers EFI,
Pand XMPie, offering solutions. ress giant Heidelberg is
Above
Web-to-pack: software enabling package creation leading to opportunities for print businesses
launching boxuni – which it says is the world’s first web-to-pack platform and digital production
solution for designing and ordering customised folding cartons.
The first boxuni production partner, Xianjunlong in China, has implemented a fully integrated web-to-pack production line – from cloud-based online platform to printing on a Heidelberg Primefire 106 and postpress operations from
XMPie provides web2pack through Storeflow solution
Meanwhile software developer XMPie
is also offering web-to-pack solutions,, through its Storeflow platform. Best known for its variable data software
for colour images, XMPie has developed SToreflow as an online web-to-print (marketing) store, which it says makes short-run, customised packaging convenient and affordable. Boxes can be created with the online boxitnow software.
Enda Kavenagh, sales manager for Asia Pacific and Japan at XMPie says, “I have always said that XMPie is the Lego blocks for a business. It gives our customers
a phase 1, 2 and 3 for their business when looking at a brand to partner
with. Customers have come to us for an immediate need, then as the relationship
grows, technology and trends enhance, they come back to us for more of the blocks.
“Customers who have started off with print solutions for high-volume complex VDP then move into traditional web2print, now realise that their new business as usual is online, which means the repetitive process in their business has disappeared, they are growing their business and volume in a touchless workflow. Phase 3 is now part of their conversation - omni channel marketing services and strategies. The
new buzzword is hyper-personalisation – giving your customers the ultimate brand experience. If a brand is a promise, then you don’t want a broken promise.
“You can make print measurable and interactive, not only in typical commercial
cut sheet, but now with web2pack taking hold, and the vast range of substrates available these days, brand owners want to make packaging and labels both measurable and interactive, even short run digital
for sample products, corporate gifts, and the like.
“This is where XMPie is today and will continue to prosper as the industries
evolve and capability becomes easier. Our latest platforms offer all of the above - 3D rendering, full kitting, device independent ordering, campaigns on demand, packaging, labels, catalogues as well as the traditional applications in commercial print.”
XMPie offers 3D Preview of web-to- label, web-to-flexible and web-to-carton through its Storeflow solution.
58 Print21 MARCH/APRIL 2020