As prospective label leaders prepare to handle the biggest trends of the future, Domino welcomed more than 30 TLMI members to explore the state of digital printing. Domino, the digital printing specialist, hosted TLMI’s Label Leaders of Tomorrow (LLT) Excursion event at the company’s Gurnee, IL, USA, facility.

LLT has been established to deliver leadership skills and knowledge to the industry’s upcoming decision-makers– regardless of age. As part of the event, which featured education and networking, Domino hosted a tour at its facility, highlighting the newest digital printing equipment present in numerous converting shops across North America and the globe.

Plus, several presentations and an industry panel detailed the significant growth digital label printing has experienced in recent years. Kirit Naik, global director, Digital Printing Technologies, UPM Raflatac, and a panel that featured Mark Turk of International Label, Scott Fisher of Smyth, Katie Harrington of Blue Label, and David Ellen of Domino.

“The world of digital is advancing, and it’s been really interesting to watch that happen as someone who is constantly trying to evaluate the market,” said Harrington. “It’s been amazing to see the print industry go from taking days on end to run a simple digital label to running complex beverage label jobs – taking place in one pass – because of the modular abilities of digital. And it’s happened very rapidly.”

Naik detailed the many digital label printing technologies available to converters. He delved into electrophotography (liquid and dry toner) and compared it to inkjet (water-based and UV) printing. According to Naik, inkjet is one of the fastest growing technologies across the globe, with North America up by 5.6%. Additionally, the inkjet market is estimated to reach 2.29 trillion A4 prints by 2029.

“Everyone in digital manufacturing is trying to improve efficiency,” said Naik. “Brands love digital for branding and engagement like the Share-A-Coke campaign. Digital offers flexibility, sustainability, and just-in-time printing. Plus, there’s no waiting for plates and make-ready. For sustainability, digital printing has a 30% lower carbon footprint than traditional methods.”

Domino promoted the growth of digital printing to TLMI’s labels leaders of the future. The technology is poised to continue to make significant inroads in the coming years, as more converters are adopting digital presses on a yearly basis.

“It’s not just about the asset, not just about the press,” noted Ellen. “We pride ourselves in the partnership of helping you make money out of the press. We have a Digital Solutions team that is proactive in working with customers to get good quality print out of the end of the machine. It’s beyond the press. We don’t just want to be seen as a supplier, we want to be seen as part of the community.”

Domino has collaborated with multiple industry leaders to offer digital hybrid technology, which is seen as another continuing trend. Domino’s partners include Mark Andy, MPS, CEI, ABG, Grafotronic, Delta ModTech, Nilpeter and more.

The three converters on the panel have all been prominent adopters of digital technology to help their label businesses thrive. While Turk acknowledged the benefits of running the right job on the right digital or flexo press, Fisher saw the early potential.

“As the speed continued to grow and the quality improved, we were always watching for the tipping point where we could address the short, medium, long, and extremely long runs,” stated Fisher. “And the market has continued to evolve. Like any converter, we were looking for a differentiator. It’s also not the same art and science that we grew up with with analog machines.”

Digital has also proved to be beneficial with assisting brands take their campaigns more quickly to the market.

“You have to take the brands on a journey and prove yourselves,” added Fisher. “We had to show that the technology could do what they needed it to do at scale. Once you win the brand owners over, there’s a trust that goes along with it. Here’s what they can achieve and once they learn that, they love what the technology brings to their products.”

In the future, Ellen believes digital and hybrid press adoption will continue to make its mark on the label and package printing industry. Many of LLT’s members will be involved will exploring the next wave of digital technology, whether their companies are adding to their arsenal or exploring digital for the first time.

“The R&D is quite significant,” commented Ellen. “The adoption level in labels is the biggest in any market, even though it’s still small. And flexible packaging will take off with digital. Ultimately, I think digital will get faster, but I don’t see the resolution changing significantly in the next few years.

“Water-based inkjet is coming, too,” continued Ellen. “Within the next five years, you’ll have water-based inkjet presses with a bigger selection of substrates to meet brand owner requirements. The sustainability pressure behind that is not going away.

“Sales of hybrid have increased significantly because people have more confidence in the technology. I don’t see that decreasing, I see it increasing. You’re not running two pieces of equipment and you don’t need two operators to run the equipment.”

According to Fisher, the digital trend will also benefit flexo. “Digital has helped push all manufacturers to a new level,” he said. “We’re getting to where the technologies are blending better and they’re both advancing each other.”