More than 70% of supermarket purchase decisions are made at the point of purchase, so it comes as little surprise to hear that to improve the chances of one product being chosen over another, packaging printers are being asked to produce ever more elaborate and enticing designs. As well as presenting opportunities for print firms, this trend is also throwing up a number of challenges and potential new revenue streams for printers and equipment manufacturers alike.

St Ives Music & Multimedia group sales director Mark Vincent says that part of this trend is resulting in a growing number of customers asking for jobs printed on unusual substrates, such as mirror and reverse boards, to make products stand out from the competition. However, special substrates can throw up technical problems such as how ink is absorbed, meaning printers must know which inks are appropriate for which substrates.

Brands are also increasingly turning to customisation, in the form of special finishes and unusually shaped packs, when they want to show they are offering something different.

Combination clout

Wim Brunsting, UK managing director of label press manufacturer Callus Group, has also noticed this trend. "Adding value is synonymous with combination printing. Of the new presses we sell, eight out of 10 are combination presses," he says. Flexo is the dominant technology in label printing, but Brunsting says customers are using it in combination with screen printing, hot and cold foiling and varnishes to create more bespoke finishes.

A newer and more challenging market is printing onto flexible plastic. "Labels are a major industry, so we know them inside and out, but printed flexible packaging is newer," says Brunsting. He adds there is a big push in the industry for a greater degree of chemical knowledge. "When working with non-absorbent substrates and wraparound sleeves, you have to be very knowledgeable about inks and how they mix with substrates."

Brunsting gives the example of a round bottle in a shrink sleeve. If the sleeve has a high level of friction, it can stop the bottle turning freely on the production line, thus holding up the whole line. A low-friction varnish is necessary to ensure this doesn't happen.

Space saving

Mark Kerridge, managing director of folding carton group Benson Box, says it is the practicality of the square cartonboard box, both from a printing and logistical perspective, that is ensuring its continued popularity. "You are filling a cuboid space on a supermarket shelf, so you end up with square boxes. These then fill a square space in the supply chain and in cupboards at home."

The fact that the bulk of all packaging is very similar in shape means differentiating products is key. "The challenge of the pack is to sell the product inside when it's on the shelf," says Kerridge. "The focus has always been on print quality, but we have also seen a significant increase in requests for windows in cartons."

As well as enabling customers to see the product they are buying, Kerridge says there is another advantage to windows. "Supermarkets like windows because they make the carton lighter, so it meets the drive to reduce the weight of packaging waste," he explains. This drive is partly due to the Courtauld Commitment - an agreement between the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and 31 major retailers, brand owners and suppliers to reduce packaging waste (this reduction is measured by weight).

However, Kerridge acknowledges that there is a contradiction in the use of windows for this reason. "It meets the weight drive, but not the sustainability drive." The majority of plastic windows cannot be recycled and must be removed from the carton before the cardboard can be recycled.

To this end, many manufacturers are producing packs made of a single material, to aid recycling. St Ives is launching a CD case made entirely from cardboard. The case removes the need for plastic, instead using a paper-based tray.

The drive to reduce the weight of packaging is causing a number of retailers and brand owners to demand the use of thinner, and therefore lighter, board. However, this can cause problems for printers, says Jon Basford, sales manager at carton manufacturer Boxes Prestige--part of Clondalkin Group.

"As a manufacturer, you want to use the material that will perform best in terms of printability, creasing and gluing," says Basford. However, the market is being led by environmental concerns.