Out and About: DscoopX Recap

DscoopX welcomed members of the HP user group to a sold-out, if snowy, show outside Washington, D.C. March 5-7. The 10th annual conference brought packaging front and center with the Packaging Brand Event and subsequent Packaging Renaissance, two sets of sessions focused on this emerging market. HP executives urged attendees to consider end-to-end costs of digital printing, as well as the overall impact of updated packaging on a brand, rather than the cost of printing alone, when comparing digital to conventional printing methods for this sector.

And while the sessions were geared toward printers in the commercial sector, we gleaned insights for digital-only shops, as well.
Craig Curran, VP of sales and marketing at Nosco (www.nosco.com), a packaging provider for the pharmaceutical and medical industries, said digital has become more about being a supply-chain improvement than just another way to print. “I’ve seen customers eliminate their label storage room and say ‘We’re not keeping inventory any more … We’re not risking obsolescence any longer,’” he said.

For digital PSPs not ready to crank out long-run packaging projects, partnering with commercial providers may be the way to go, as these heavy-duty printers often find it cost-consuming to produce smaller jobs, mock-ups, and shorter runs. HP reps we spoke with suggested shop owners consider printing on corrugated materials first, particularly those used in P-O-P applications, and leveraging specialized knowledge of workflow and color management best practices, which others in this sector may lack.

A particularly compelling case study was presented by HP’s Christian Menegon, who helped launch Coca-Cola’s Extraordinary Collection, a 2014 promotion in Israel. In a feat of mass customization, the company created two million unique designs for Diet Coke bottles, completing the campaign with hundreds of billboards and television ads. Coca-Cola made matching gear (think totes, T-shirts, smartphone covers, and more) for each bottle available, urging consumers to “Stay Extraordinary.” The campaign was a hit, with collections of the one-of-a-kind bottles still selling on eBay months later.