Making humans better with Augmented Reality Print provider expands into folding cartons

in the original PDF source file without changing the integrity of it. For graphic designers, it is compatible with the PDF / X and PDF / A standards and supports up to the PDF version 1.7

Finally, and this is the real challenge, all the augmented content can be modified in real-time, post-print. Personalisation in post-print is finally possible and sweeps away the cumbersome control process of super- personalisation promised by digital printing. However, these two worlds won’t clash, on the contrary they will be totally complementary: one by the personalisation of segments, the other by the personalisation of the end-user.

As we have seen, the new usage cases spread very quickly, since the technology makes it easier to access a useful service. The case of YUKA is interesting because it is easy to browse the database of the Open Food Fact through the barcode without having to go through a conventional search for information through a search engine and give a score for a product.

It has become so viral that manufacturers have to finetune and adapt their product formulations in order to increase their scores on such end-user apps. Such is the modern cauldron of increased consumer power! For the graphics industry it is still indispensable to be able to exist in both of these parallel worlds, digital and non-digital; but the graphics market is becoming digitalised and will so continue with parallel editorial content on all documents to make them in the end ‘augmented’.

So, what can I say to you as a graphics industry professionals ahead of virtual.drupa 2021? Be ready, do not doubt or hesitate and really grab the opportunity that this drupa platform represents. The barrier of downloading applications has fallen away, either because the applications become more social or they offer easier access to them. Various information is accessible either because the WebAR no longer requires a simple browser to trigger the camera of your smartphone or because live augmented experiences can be experienced through a website.

virtual.drupa 2021 is the perfect time for you to assess the challenges ahead and the impact of any emerging technologies. virtual.drupa and the touchpoint packaging will offer insights into augmented reality technologies printed onto documents and products. Various conferences will also deal directly with customisation and personalisation for connected consumers and e- commerce. drupa, many builders, flow managers and printers will seek the integration of these new editorial flows. Starting with the workshop itself which will take on the augmented document, as key entry point to the connection of different ERP trades.

What's more natural than connecting a PDF to its stream by increasing HTML5 layers related to manufacturing, commercial, technical and other elements and all this in a blockchain? What's more natural than the printed endpiece having the same digital information embedded and directly available by "scanning" the document thanks to image recognition?

What is more natural than letting the different actors access different information depending on their profile? What could be more natural than transforming the document or the package into a real communication piece with the final recipient, and this way transforming it into a marketing engagement tool?

All these changes open up new markets and will lead to new behaviours by packaging printers, converters and brand-owners. The consolidation of different technologies is leading to the emergence of new channels and usages for the printing and for the packaging industry.

Print provider expands into folding cartons

Based in the Kansas City suburb of New Century, Kansas, Stouse is a trade-only specialty print provider. It supplies applications such as labels, decals, magnets and signs to promotional products distributors, commercial printers and marketing and advertising agencies

The company opened its doors as a screen and flexographic printer in 1977 and has since grown into a market leader with 40+ years of consistent sales growth. At any point in time, there are some 3,000 active jobs in the shop.

Clearly an innovator, Stouse has used digital technology in a variety of ways to optimize the shop’s efficiency. Stouse began its digital journey in 2003 and, today, the volume of digitally-printed pieces exceeds that of analog. The company offers an e-commerce platform for ordering and job submission that seamlessly interfaces with its digital presses to produce the product, then digitally communicates with their back-office systems for functions such as shipping and invoicing. Some jobs process through the shop with very limited human intervention, sometimes even exchanging data with their customers’ ERP systems.

In 2019, as part of its ongoing market research, Stouse identified the need for a provider that could profitably handle short runs and offer quick turnaround in the folding carton market. “There were plenty of shops that serviced the big orders that could be run on analog equipment, but those shops were less than enthusiastic about the small or medium size runs,” said Nikkie Freeman, Chief Commercial Officer at Stouse. “As a result, there was a salient customer pool that would react favorably to a printer who could offer what they needed. We wanted to be their printer.” AN EASY DECISION TO MAKE Freeman and her colleagues did their homework, examining various digital press options and quickly concluding that the Xeikon 3500 digital press was particularly well-suited for folding cartons. “Xeikon was a natural and it was an easy decision to make,” she said. “They’re the clear leaders in the digitally printed folding carton space.”

The Xeikon 3500 is a proven performer in the Xeikon solution line-up as a wide web press for packaging, producing output as wide as 20.3 inches (516 mm) with a resolution of 1200 dots per inch (dpi). It can print on an exceptionally wide range of substrates without precoating/treatment. With no frame limitation, folding cartons can be run without concern for length restrictions. identified as the press’s principal operator. Hobbs began her new job with two weeks of one-on-one training at

Xeikon’s Innovation Center in Itasca, Illinois. That was followed up with additional training on Stouse’s 3500 press in New Century.

“Xeikon made the learning process efficient, and it was time well spent,” said

Hobbs. “It’s good to know the Innovation Center staff is always available to help with any specific questions that arise.”

Although slowed somewhat by the COVID-19 pandemic, Freeman points out that Stouse continues to put the Xeikon 3500 through its paces, pointing out that the company “work[s] all three shifts, five days a week. Our strong digital equipment base allowed us to react quickly when COVID struck and keep our revenue loss to a minimum.”

The future prospects are very bright for Stouse. “We see tremendous growth potential in the folding carton space,” said Freeman. "and I’m starting to look into harnessing another major strength of Xeikon presses: heat transfer applications. That would be a perfect fit given our specialty products focus.”

She offers sage advice to other shops considering an entry into folding carton market. “Do your homework, understand the full cost of operating your new equipment, visit sites of other print providers and be efficient.

“But don’t be afraid of the investment. Digital presses generally pay for themselves in about 12 months!”