Study finds gravure is still a top choice

Gravure will remain the preferred printing method for brand manufacturers in the foreseeable future, according to a research study commissioned by the European Rotogravure Association (ERA) and conducted by GfK. This was discussed the ERA packaging and decorative conference in Dresden last year. The study's focus was on how brand manufacturers regard packaging gravure printing and the competitiveness of the process in light of market changes. Converting Today found out more.

Gravure is still a popular choice. Nevertheless, flexo printing matches it in quality, especially in forme production (HD photopolymer formes and elas-tomer formes). Even if flexo and gravure printing remain the dominant methods for printing packaging material, digital printing will gradually capture a larger share of the packaging production market. For instance digital printing is be-coming popular in decorative printing and is the established method in job and label printing. Yet, there is potential for development in gravure printing - with forme production and laser engraving - that could further strengthen its com-petitiveness.

GfK previously conducted studies about the subject in 2001 and 2006. The recent study focused on what brand manufacturers in the food industry want when printing packaging materials. GfK project manager Anton Kozka studied those in charge of packaging divisions at well-known food producers and also decision-makers at retail establishments.

According to the new study, printing volume and price are the most important criteria for brand manufacturers when choosing a printing process. Gravure is considered as guaranteeing the highest and most consistent quality in printing and being suitable for large runs. Digital printing, however, only comes into question for very small batches.
The study confirms the continuing trend towards seasonal products, and to increasingly frequent changes in packaging design and smaller volumes. This favours flexible and rapid printing processes with short make-ready times. The gravure sector has responded to this by optimising the efficiency and flexibility of the process in recent years, in both the pre-print stage and during printing.

In electromechanical rotogravure cylinder engraving, for instance, they have drastically reduced production times by using Twain technology. Detail optimisations in electroplating have also become common. Furthermore, direct laser engraving has opened up new possibilities in structuring metallic surfaces for embossing cylinder and gravure forme manufacturers. Narrow-web gravure printing presses with short web lengths and sleeve change systems, have reduced waste rates and run-change times. All of these developments are already well established. Recently, packaging gravure has undergone slower and less dynamic development than flexo and digital printing.

Overall, the current study confirms the results from 2006 - brand manufacturers prefer gravure for printing packaging material. But given their technological advancements, flexo and digital printing are growing. The study also should have investigated the future developmental potential of packaging gravure in comparison to flexo, offset and digital printing.

Christof Bosbach of Rotodecor spoke about the latest developments in decorative gravure printing presses noting that the decorative printing industry is in a consolidation phase. The market requirements have changed and integrated, customer-specific solutions are important to cope with the new challenges. A flexible, platform-based press concept, for example, would allow different processes and tools to be combined together and modules exchanged between different printing presses.

KBA's Klaus Eppich explained how digital printing could improve the printer's options in the decorative market. He presented the digital inkjet printing press RotaJet, developed by KBA, with a web width of 1680mm. Eppich said printing productivity is 13,000m²/h operating at 85% capacity and at 150m/min. The single-pass digital printing press can process repeat lengths of up to 2600mm and are adjustable depending on the print order. The RotaJet can produce different orders on the same decorative paper in one run without needing to interrupt the production to set up the respective orders. Accordingly, there are no make-ready times nor is there any waste. Optimal utilisation of the digital printing press does not require lengthy planning.

Burn-out brands
On a side note, but interesting point, Swiss consulting firm ColoReal's Werner Thiele, explained that more than 40% of brands are "burn-out brands" that disappear or are replaced. The key is to evoke positive feelings when the consumer decides to buy a product. Yet, only established brands create emotions. Certain well-known brands such as McDonald's are going green and changing their appearance to enhance their environmentally-friendly profile. This, however, often backfires by confusing the consumers. The company's image falters and the consumer no longer feels bound by his loyalty to the brand. In general, only brands that have managed to create an unmistakeable, unique appearance with a high-recognition factor can look back on decades of success.

With regard to printing processes, Thiele agreed with the GfK study's core statement, which claims that eight out of ten brand manufacturers presently prefer gravure printing, since it is traditionally the best method. Yet, cost reduction is an important factor when deciding which printing method to choose, which could have a negative impact on the quality of the packaging.

Harald Jordan, of the Austrian firm IPAC, and Robert Bierfreund, of Interprint, presented the advanced colour matching measurement system (ACMS) as a solution to drastically reduce the average time of five hours that it takes to match colours on decorative gravure printing presses. The system, developed by IPAC, determines the colour aberration between the original sample presented by the customer and the printed sample in production.
ACMS ultimately ought to supplant the visual colour matching process by the printer, which is fraught with uncertainty. According to Robert Bierfreund, the system can reduce colour matching time on a printing press by 30% to 40%. ACMS will help create a production standard that guarantees reproducibility upon repeat orders or batches without colour aberrations. Furthermore, the ACMS system can generate quality digital proofs for customer communication or for internal use.

Dr Christopher Kauczor, from BST Eltromat, spoke about his spectral inline col-our measuring system for gravure printing presses, which reliably delivers spec-tral measurement data on the printing quality of the entire run. Through collabo-ration with X-Rite, the system is compatible with spectrophotometers and densi-tometers used in the design and the pre-press stage. The system is designed for a maximum web speed of 800m/min.
QuadTech's Stephan Doppelhammer spoke about inline colour management, stressing the necessity for regular calibration of the measuring equipment to obtain meaningful colour values.
A special feature of the QuadTech colour management solution is the interface of the ink dispensers at the Huber Group, where special colours can be pro-duced and adapted as needed.

DW Renzmann Apparatebau's Heike Beenen and Alfred Porr spoke about printing peripherals and their new washing machine system for cleaning gravure cylinders and printing equipment. The distillation unit regenerates the polluted cleaning solvent into an as-new product, which can be fed straight back into the washing process without ever leaving the circuit. The washing machine can clean six gravure cylinders simultaneously.

Energy recovery in the packaging and decorative gravure printing sector was also discussed. Matthias Hagen, from LTB Luft- und Thermotechnik Bayreuth - now part of the Dürr Group - spoke about regenerative thermal oxidation (RTO) being the key element of systems that treat solvent-laden air from the printing press dryers to oxidise the solvent into carbon dioxide and water. The heat generated in this process is fed back into the process and used to heat buildings or generate electricity.