Mock up samples from Reproflex3
More and more brands are demanding to see what the final product will look like on shelf before committing to a full production run. This can be done virtually using dedicated software, but there are also many solutions that will produce a physical sample as good as the finished article. Neel Madsen spoke to a few providers and manufacturers.
Pre-press departments and packaging printers are under increased demands from customers who want to be reassured that the packaging for their brand new product is going to look as good as their designer is promising.
For brands, it is about maintaining their identity, ensuring that brand colours can be reproduced and also about finding production efficiencies. Making mistakes as early on in the process as possible, before going into full production, saves time and money.
To have is to hold
Eclipse Marketing Solutions has been supplying mock ups and scale models to the food and beverage markets since 1996, along with reprographics and digital solutions for the packaging and labelling of goods. It prides itself in responding quickly to changes in the market and picking up on current trends, as well as leading the way in technical innovation.
In 2012, Eclipse was acquired by reprographic company YRG Group. The additional technical expertise, experience and financial backing this brought has significantly strengthened the service offering. There are further plans for investment to be made in new digital, flexo and CAD equipment when the business relocates to Cottingham later in the year.
Neil Little, technical sales manager, said, ‘Our dedicated team is asked to produce packaging mock ups in any contemporary formats from single colour labels to new bottle designs and everything in between. Pieces for one-time-only use have included helium balloons for a TV advert. Our flexibility and creativity is why local companies, major brands and global corporations choose YRG Eclipse to provide their mock ups, however, what really sets us aside is our ability to provide an outstanding and fast service.’
A growing trend in the past year has been the ability to take the process from initial concept through to printing plates, providing a full artwork-to-print lifecycle. Mr Little continued, ‘This integration adds significant value and improved flow to the process, by working in collaboration with the packaging provider we can ensure that the original artwork can be converted to print, and manage each stage to meet the end users expectations. We provide a realistic representation of the packaging as it will sit on the shelf.’
Additional services include providing electronic proofing from a simple 3D pdf, or creating a complete virtual supermarket, with the shelving and lighting conditions that are used in store, where customers can re-position the product and make adjustments for maximum effect.
‘At YRG Eclipse we see the future of mock ups as a growth area,’ said Mr Little. ‘As well as continuing to be the most accurate way to represent the finished product, it is the development into the digital world via smart packaging that links the customer to an online world with endless possibilities, and also into printed electronics that will not only introduce ‘active’ packaging, but also provide a two-way relationship between the customer and supplier. This technology could revolutionise the way that packaging communicates with the customer, with the possibilities of light or sound effects and colour changes to persuade the customer to lift it from the shelf. If and when this technology is brought to the market, you can be sure the YRG Eclipse will be right there at the forefront.’
The VersaUV LEC-540 prints packaging prototypes and proofs
Value added service
Another pre-press provider which offers a full mock up service is Reproflex3 in Cramlington, near Newcastle.
Early 2001, the company was in its first investment cycle after trading successfully for five years by supplying repro, film imaging, Cromalin proofing and drum scanning. Its USP was defined by being small, flexible and providing the personal touch.
The next challenge was to make an investment that carried the company forward into new markets, and in doing so offering a wider range of services. Flexo CTP had been on the market for a few years, but proved very expensive and provided limited opportunities for the company to expand its customer base.
Joint managing director, Andrew Hewitson, explained, ‘We had seen at trade shows and in the trade press the Ominous Indigo machine and were extremely impressed by the level of technology that this system offered. Having investigated markets the Indigo could serve; it became apparent that there existed a demand for high quality product samples and mock ups.’
He continued, ‘We saw how brand design agencies, marketers and brand owners all had a crucial stage during product development to produce competitive packaging fit for market. This, we quickly realised, was potentially a make or break moment for the product, and those behind its development. Therefore it required a high quality finish and expertise to support this main priority.’
The answer was to develop Sample-it, a brand division of Reproflex3, using the Indigo technology to supply product samples across a variety of substrates.
One example of Sample-it’s customer base is a local design agency whose biggest customer is one of Europe’s largest brand owners with constant and varied demands involving new and existing product development.
The latest project involved a new version of a popular baby hygiene brand, creating the mock up from white PE film. The product artwork, look, size and consistency are all upheld to replicate the real product as it would sit on shelf.
‘Being able to widen our flexible approach to accommodate sample mock ups, such as these has expanded our reach into new markets and takes us beyond just repro services,’ added joint managing director, Trevor Lowes. ‘The demand for this type of service doesn’t seem to be letting up either. Being able to present a physical sample continues to be an invaluable part of the process of taking effective product packaging to market.’
Reproflex3 sees the market developing in line with the pressures on brands to innovate with their packaging in the face of sustainability and innovations in consumer interaction. Packaging samples will increasingly provide guidance not only on how product packaging will perform on shelf, but also how it supports key targets during manufacture.
Filling a gap
As a packaging supplier, Glossop Cartons recognises the importance of producing prototypes on demand, but is also aware that it can be both an expensive and time consuming process due to the different production steps involved. For this reason, the Derbyshire-based business invested in a competitive digital solution that answers short run and bespoke packaging demands.
The company is using Fujifilm’s Acuity LED 1600, which achieves a combination of 20 sqm per hour productivity and excellent image quality. It supports substrates up to 1,610 mm in width and is designed to print on flexible roll media, as well as rigid sheet substrates up to 13 mm thick, including PET, acrylic, polycarbonate substrates and lightweight boards.
The printer features six ink colours, plus white and clear ink as standard, and can apply these in a single pass to produce a premium high gloss finish with much higher efficiency than a conventional printer. As such, aide from packaging applications, it is ideal for many large format applications such as posters, in-store POP and retail displays.
For Jacky Sidebottom, director at Glossop Cartons, the Acuity LED 1600 manages to fill a gap in the market through its ability to produce outstanding prototypes, ‘Thanks to the Acuity LED 1600 we can print, and subsequently cut out, a diverse range of substrates quickly and efficiently, and it gives us the ability to create packaging solutions distinguished by special varnishing effects. The use of this technology improves our turnaround times and removes the traditional costs of litho print and die-cutting, both of which are costly for short proof print runs.’
Director, Jackie Sidebottom, Glossop Cartons, with the Acuity LED 1600
The company is an effective example that demonstrates how packaging mock ups are a vital component of the package printing process, which can easily and efficiently be produced as accurate, short run prototypes, in order to be signed off by customers before the print job finally takes place.
Transformation
Roland DG’s VersaUV LEC printer/cutter provides design agencies, repro houses, printers and brand owners in the packaging and label markets a new solution for packaging prototypes/proofs and short-run production of labels. It prints CMYK plus white and clear inks for varnishing and embossing effects on virtually any substrate and creases, contour kiss-cuts or contour die-cuts designs. The results are colour-accurate prototypes/proofs that are virtually indistinguishable from the finished product.
One of Roland’s customers is Beams International, a packaging company specialising in the gift, retail and food packaging sectors, which installed a VersaUV LEC-540 print and cut machine three years ago.
Andy Cooper, graphic designer at the Rainham, Kent-based packing operation, ‘The VersaUV LEC-540 has transformed our pre-press department and how we manage this part of the production process here at Beams International. We use it to create high resolution colour-matched prototypes and concepts, complete with spot colours, varnishes or textured effects that visually and physically represent the final product.
‘The quality of the final product is exceptional and numerous clients have commented on this. They are genuinely surprised we can produce such authentic, high quality product at this stage of the process. All this means there is no compromise in terms of demonstrating to clients the level of creativity and quality we can offer clients in this regard. We worked closely with Roland authorised dealer, Revolution Digital, from the outset to ensure we had the right combination of wide format machine, Fiery RIP and precise colour management and calibration to meet the exacting standards of the packaging sector. The result is a ‘stand out’ proofing and prototyping solution that is making a real difference to the business.’
Mr Cooper continued, ‘It is an incredibly flexible machine and has definitely elevated our offering in this area and has given us a real point of differentiation against the competition. The fact that it can also print on such a wide variety of substrates, including even PVC, and has an inline cutting function adds another strong dimension to the machine. We do have a Zund cutter for volume jobs. However, the cutting functionality on the LEC-540 is also exceptional and great for complex or intricate jobs. The fact that it can all be done in a single pass is also a major advantage. This has been a great investment for us, and has proven itself to be an invaluable addition to our pre-press department over the past three years.’
