Exploring cross-media concepts for future packaging - Challenges for the printing industry

Currently, packaging is one of the most significant application fields for the graphic arts industry. Recent studies and industry observations indicate that packaging is gaining even more importance for the graphic arts and print media industries since packaging, by its very nature, cannot be replaced by an electronic medium, but is a medium that requires printing. However, packaging is currently the centre of an intensive research effort that is being carried out regarding new technologies that integrate digital data on a package. This has been fuelled by developments in electronics technology, materials and processes that have the potential to create packages that can carry digital - machine readable data, in particular new materials (such as printed polymers) and tagging applications (such as RFID and EAS systems) which are described as "intelligent", "smart" or "active" packaging. This situation has given rise to several challenges. The first is to examine whether the application of the above mentioned technologies can leverage the cross-media concept in terms of the processing and distribution of information for packaging. Another challenge is to determine the degree of awareness of graphic arts companies concerned with print and packaging with regard to these new technologies and concepts. Further, to understand whether these companies would be interested in implementing and integrating these technologies in their packaging printing production processes. This paper is based on a literature study of cross-media concepts and of new technology applications for packaging as well as on a survey based questionnaire with companies from the packaging printing sector. The outcomes of the study showed that the coexistence of printed and digital data on a package does not constitute a cross-media concept (at least not considering its traditional interpretation in the media landscape). The concept can be described more accurately with the term "hybrid package", where both printed and electronic data coexist on physical substrate. In addition the survey analysis revealed that the developments towards smart or intelligent packaging concepts are of great interest for packaging printing companies.