Getting started with packaging prototyping
There’s a wide variety of inkjet printer technologies available today. This can make getting started with producing your own packaging mockups confusing. This guide summarises the main choices available.
Today’s packaging market is evolving faster now than ever. Companies are changing artwork constantly to target different market segments with their brands. Competition is pushing you to design and test market new product packaging or revamp existing versions for seasonal, retro or localized versions. Speed to market is critical.
As you move from the initial concept into final market research, the need to have an on-demand digital package prototyping solution becomes essential. Printing your designs on paper with office printers is just not good enough yet outsourcing every project can cost thousands of dollars. So where do you start? What’s the best solution?
There’s four main ink technologies available, each having their own pros and cons; Aqueous, Eco-solvent, Latex/Resin and UV.
Aqueous
These printers are called ‘Aqueous’ because the ink is water-based. By far the most common printer type on the market today, including desktop printers found at home. Generally the lowest cost and easiest to maintain. The printer can only print onto media that has a special inkjet receiver coating to allow the water to evaporate and leave the pigment particles behind. Also, the finished print is not waterproof.
The Epson SureColor P-Series machines have an expanded colour range for accurate spot colour renditions but do not have White or Metallic inks available. This makes prototyping clear packaging problematic.
Aqueous machines are generally available in smaller sizes such as 17″ and 24″ roll sizes, making them easier to fit into a studio.
The JetComp for Aqueous is a white flexible packaging film range designed specifically for aqueous printers such as the Epson SureColor, HP DesignJet, or CanonImageProGraf inkjet printers.
Eco-solvent
Eco-solvent printers use a mild solvent as the carrier for the pigment. This, along with heaters, enables the ink particles to penetrate the media and create a tougher, waterproof finished product. As with Aqueous printers, the media needs a special inkjet receptive coating to work.
Epson’s S-80600 printer offers the most expanded colour gamut ink set with CMYK, Light Cyan, Light Magenta, Orange, Red and White or Silver inks. The White and Metallic inks mean that Eco-solvent machines offer the most versatility for packaging and prototyping. Eco-solvent printers have virtually no odour and operate well in general office environments.
Eco-solvent printers also can be used to produce structural packaging prototypes by printing directly on JetComp board stocks. Other options are JetComp heat transfer media or label films that apply as a “skin” on paperboard materials. Eco-solvent is the best choice for producing shrink sleeve packaging prototypes.
UV
UV printers have the ability to print on virtually anything and don’t need an inkjet receptive layer on the media. They are generally more industrial type machines and not suited to studio environments.
The advantage of UV is that you can print onto the actual production stock when creating packaging prototypes. Colour gamut is not as good as Aqueous or Eco-solvent but our range of SignRacer machines have CMYK plus Orange and Violet inks to produce one of the highest colour gamuts of this type of printer. In addition, White ink is available as well as Varnish which can be used to recreate spot UV effects or built in layers to create embossing effects. The ink sits on top of the media, so the finished product generally has a slightly matt finish. Print quality is excellent with the latest Ricoh printheads matching anything else for resolution while being capable of much higher speeds than any other technology.
UV printers are available in flatbeds, making them perfect for handling board media. They are the most expensive machines, being approximately 3x the price of a comparable size Eco-solvent machine.
Resin / Latex
Resin / Latex machines print on the surface of the film like UV, but cure by heat. Like UV, they can print on untreated media but they keep the surface finish of the media and can give a gloss effect. The dried ink layer is less than 3 microns so package prototypes maintain flexibility and do not have a layered look or feel. The inks will also work well on shrink films.
HP and Ricoh offer latex machines but they are only available in large widths of 54″ and more. The TruPack Mutoh based solution offered by NDi is an excellent solution for design studios, being available in a smaller 24″ version as well as a 64″. The ink has an excellent colour gamut, with CMYK plus Orange, Green and Blue. White ink is also included, allowing accurate mockups of clear material.
