‘We truly believe we are about to see a revolution in packaging services,’ said joint managing director of Reproflex 3, Andrew Hewitson.
Pre-press specialists Reproflex 3, in cooperation with Interflex Group, has developed what can only be described as a revolutionary new product that opens up a multitude of opportunities for brand-customer engagement and shows the future of flexo printing. By Neel Madsen.
Packlinc is a unique system which links flexographically printed packaging to the web. It is a communication concept that performs a trigger in the same arena as fingerprinting, image recognition, QR and barcodes. The images embedded in the print can be activated, de-activated and even changed within the same set of printing plates according to individual specifications.
‘Consumers today are looking for on demand product information, special offers and product reviews. Marketing departments are looking to communicate through digital media with their consumers. Packlinc provides this service,’ said Andrew Hewitson, joint managing director, Reproflex 3. ‘We have worked hard to build a robust process suitable for the packaging print operations alongside our smart device apps. We truly believe we are about to see a revolution in packaging services.’
Scanned by any smart mobile device, the response codes can initiate a user experience via a watermark that is invisible to the naked eye, and the feature can be incorporated into all types of filmic materials and papers. This is achieved utilising the new Tetratone Colour Space Technology (patent applied for) developed by Reproflex 3.
Packlinc promises to take QR codes to a much higher level, promoting real time special offers, advertisements, product information, promotions, brand awareness and social media links. The provision has been expanded to the point where it can offer a full support service of data analysis of consumer habits and behaviours.
‘We have worked closely with strategic partners to develop the process. Ease of use for the consumer as well as a high design integrity has been our focus from a print aspect,’ commented Trevor Lowes, joint managing director, Reproflex 3. ‘The results we have achieved have been outstanding and the response from our clients has been encouraging. A very exciting time is ahead for both suppliers and consumers.’
Interflex UK’s operations director, Norman Jackson, commented, ‘We continually explore opportunities to enhance and expand on our product offerings, so when Andrew and Trevor presented this technology to us, we immediately grasped the opportunity to work with them and develop Packlinc for our particular sector.’
He continued, ‘Not surprisingly Packlinc has generated a great deal of interest and we believe that this could feasibly replace QR codes and even barcodes.’
