As suggested, the various digital print capabilities are nuanced. Digital print solutions generally do not adequately address all substrate, board combinations, and form factors. Special requirements of the printed product like ink holdout, color, overprint varnish, coefficient of friction, durability, and gluability all play a part in what can or cannot be done by any given digital print solution. Specific press limitations might mean something can be done in limited quantities or certain situations but cannot be done at scale and remain cost effective.
Digital print was and still is supposed to simplify, streamline, and accelerate the overall graphics, print process, and product development for the corrugated industry. Digital print in corrugated has been most successful in areas in need of disruption including samples, mock-ups, displays, and ultra short runs. However, to get at the bulk of the market, digital needs to contend with what analog printing does well day-in and day-out.
It has been incrementally fine-tuned to provide the quality, productivity, reliability, equipment life expectancy, and cost structure that the market recognizes today. Different production workflows have evolved to meet various product requirements with different levels of efficiency. Digital print must do something better or different to provide more value than analog.
Finally, digital printing must consider the macro trends and what the needs of tomorrow will be. These macro trend requirements include fast turnaround, short run lengths - for many different reasons - supply chain efficiency, eCommerce, lightweighting, sustainability, and automation that could make digital solutions more compelling in the future.
The predominant issue with digital print is the production costs for a given run length compared to the analog alternative. For digital to win more broadly, it must look beyond just consumables cost and look at reducing overall value chain costs including running costs, maintenance, capital, useful life, and any other steps or parts that can be streamlined. Digital print, in general, has a big problem with amortization of the overall solutions supporting capital and infrastructure required. Certainly, for parts of the market already identified, digital print can work and add value. However, to get at the larger volume of work, digital must either add new value and/or improve cost structure to compete with optimized analog processes.
It is encouraging to see there is a next generation of solutions being developed that will hopefully help make some of the necessary improvements to expand the segments of the market where digital can add value. With these solutions, they are addressing the broader value chain, reducing steps, and improving overall economics rather than just addressing print.
