Prepress Considerations
Driving impact and efficiency from concept to consumer.
Retail packaging on the shelf is where all the intangibles finally touch the customer. Branding, advertising, and promotion—are all wrapped up on that package sitting on the shelf, which in a few critical seconds must engage, communicate, stimulate and motivate a purchase. There are five areas that are prepress related that every brand owner, designer, trade shop and printer/converter should take into account when assembling a comprehensive approach.
Digital Workflow for Design and Asset Management
Automating and integrating independent and manual processes via a digital workflow will not only manage your brand assets but will help you streamline conceptualization and design. For example, a digital workflow like Kodak Design2Launch Solutions, including the just-announced Brand Manager version, enables you to centralize and manage assets across brands, departments, regions and suppliers, eliminating redundancy and driving consistent global brand identity. Creation of packaging artwork is managed through a digital workflow application that automatically creates an audit trail for each project—great for regulatory compliance, by the way. Furthermore, online tools enable 24/7 real time collaboration wherever people are, and streamlines routing and approvals without hard copy to save costs and the environment, too.
Brand and Package Security
Have you incorporated security solutions into your packaging? There are many technologies available, including applications that integrate into packages, labels, and even fabrics, plastics and metals. Some solutions use invisible inks that require proprietary readers. Innovative digital print technologies can print a variety of special inks onto standard and specialized substrates to make the final printed piece exceptionally difficult to duplicate.
Automated Production Workflow and Proofing
Top tier production workflow and proofing solutions assure quality while driving cost and time out of the process. Ideally, the package design software should interface with the print production workflow to automate file and plate production, proofing and archiving, rendering a seamless workflow solution from design to print production. Don’t forget proofing. Accurate proofing systems set accurate expectations. Basically, there are three proofing technologies available: soft proofs delivered to calibrated monitors, inkjet proofing systems, and those that can provide special colors and metallics on actual production stocks.
Platemaking
Everything explained in the other four areas lead to making a plate or an engraved cylinder (rotogravure). Rotogravure provides high quality results and is especially suited for long run production. That noted, rotogravure can be an expensive proposition, and flexo is quickly closing in on quality and run length. When considering plates, you will need leading edge technology plates to produce great eye-arresting printed packaging in a cost effective way. Kodak’s plate making solutions for offset and flexo printing, include Kodak Trillian SP Thermal Plates and the Kodak Flexcel NX System. Both have been acclaimed by customers in driving execution of eye-catching and complex designs in efficient processes that significantly reduce waste in the pressroom. In addition, Kodak has a complete line of Letterpress and Dry Offset plates that provide a range of label, metal and rigid packaging decoration applications.
Digital Print
Digital printing systems can expand your horizons for options and cost efficiencies. Digital print offers Agility with a capital A—agility to quickly adjust copy, images, and designs for fast response to dynamic market forces and opportunities. Producing short runs of versioned packaging through the integration of variable data—a core benefit of digital print—can improve packaging’s effectiveness in reaching targeted demographics. Electrophotographic presses, like the Kodak NexPress Digital Color Platform, enables cost-effective short runs of static or variable labels, small format folding cartons, prototypes and point-of-purchase materials. Drop on demand inkjet digital presses, are beginning to see use in the corrugated market as a low-cost method to produce static or variable color packaging.
About Kodak
In the graphic communications industry, Kodak serves customers in the printing, publishing, packaging and enterprise markets with intelligent solutions for competitive advantage and greater return on investment.
For more information, visit graphics.kodak.com. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/kodakidigprint and visit our blog at www.growyourbiz.kodak.com. (Kodak is a trademark of Eastman Kodak Company.)
*Stu Brownell is global packaging segment manager, Eastman Kodak Company, +1 585-290-5301, stuart.brownell@kodak.com.
