Paper Shortages and the Impact of Digital Print in Packaging

supply shortages out of stock sign

Everyone seems to be talking about supply chain issues and the paper shortage right now. Though the shortage is centered in Europe, this is having a worldwide impact. As a packaging professional keeping up with supply chain issues over the last two years, this round of shortages is a bit different. I would compare the […]

BYOB – Beverage Packaging Gets Personal

beverage packaging

It is estimated that the global digital print market for packaging will reach $28 billion by 2024. This segment has grown by leaps and bounds over the last ten years. Packaged beverages have been a significant driver of growth. Beverage manufacturers made digital printing one of the standard printing processes in the packaging industry. As […]

A Time Travelers Guide to Digital Printed Packaging

an image of packaging throughout history

Digital printing is all the rage, we hear about it often in the packaging industry. How did we get here? Currently, there are over 25,000 companies in the United States alone that specialize in commercial printing, and just under 10,000 of those companies have digital print capabilities. The global digital print industry is valued at […]

Print Samples: Xplor and The Personalized Magazine

Personalized Magazines for organizations and associations _print media centr

Have you been following the stories of innovation in magazines and catalogs? Articles will spotlight personalization and targeting, often implying that the techniques are new. But they are not! Twenty years ago, I was working with the team at Xplor International to curate the Xploration magazine and looking for ways to walk the talk of […]

Print (and the World) Needs Collaboration, not Division

print and digital media can work together

We are close to closing the book on a strange and difficult year. The pandemic, politics, and social issues seem to be forcing an already divided world further apart. But in the face of economic and personal hardships, there have been examples of humanity at its best, from frontline workers going above and beyond the […]

Shopping in the Time of Corona: How Print and Tech Give Retail a Lifeline

Most of us are living very different lives than we were a few months ago. Even though the priorities in the grand scheme of things are stopping the spread of the virus, keeping people safe, and caring for those who are sick, it’s OK to miss the little things. Some of mine are: strolling around […]

Tales From The Trail: #ProjectPeacock Saddles Up for Digital Print in Austin, Texas

Miralupa AR Project Peacock Print Media Centr

After successful meetings in 2017 with over 300 professional print buyers and creatives in NYC, Chicago, and the San Francisco Bay Area, Project Peacock saddled up and launched our 2018 tour last week in Austin, Texas. Me and my Peacock partners Canon Solutions America, Domtar Paper, Scodix and Miralupa, had 3 fantastic days of visits sharing printspiration with […]

Understanding The Magic Inside Your Digital Front End

Magic Inside DFE-workflow- print media centr

If you own a digital print device, somewhere in your life is a Digital Front End. The Digital Front End (DFE) is the workflow touchpoint that accepts a print file, commonly a PDF or PostScript file in today’s print environment, and turns that file into a format that the print engine (toner or inkjet) can […]

So Good They Named It Twice… Will “Share A Coke” Round 2 Deliver?

Share-a-coke-vacation-printmediacentr

It was without doubt a game changer for the digital print industry and direct to consumer campaigns. Coca-Cola’s award winning ShareaCoke campaign broke down the historical barriers between brands and consumers creating a level of personal engagement never seen before and in doing so, increased Coca-Cola’s sales for the first time in 12 years. I […]

Order Up! 3 Ways to Serve Fresh Digital Print to Local Restaurants

digital print menu ideas-print-media-centr

I recently spent some time with HP at Interpack 17 in Germany (watch the videos!). As usual they had a plethora of products and services that are wowing the packaging industry and pushing the packaging envelope way beyond the corrugated box. It’s really cool to get a glimpse of where the “package” is heading, and the huge […]