Over the past few years, coffee packaging has increasingly attracted the attention of both roasters and consumers. With a growing need to stand out from competing brands on retail shelves, roasters are choosing different ways to produce high-quality packaging, such as digital printing.
The classic method of printing coffee packaging has been developed for many years. However, the recent rise in digitization of printing means roasters have more options than ever when it comes to coffee bags.
To find out more, I interviewed three coffee packaging and printing experts. Read on to learn more about the evolution of coffee packaging printing and how it can benefit roasters.
For custom coffee bag making, printing is an important step. But for the most part, the method of printing coffee bags has remained the same over the years.
Eli Mahal is the Head of L&P Marketing for HP Indigo. Eli Mahal is the Head of L&P Marketing for HP Indigo. Эли Махал — руководитель отдела маркетинга L&P в HP Indigo. Eli Mahal is Head of L&P Marketing at HP Indigo. Eli Mahal 是HP Indigo 的L&P 营销主管。 Eli Mahal 是HP Indigo 的L&P。 Эли Махал — директор по маркетингу L&P в HP Indigo. Eli Mahal is Director of Marketing for L&P at HP Indigo. He told me that in terms of traditional methods, flexo and gravure are the two most popular.
“The high-quality results of both methods have made them popular, especially for large orders of individual coffee packaging,” he says.
Flexo printing technology has been around since the 1800s. The method involves applying ink to a raised image on a flexible sheet. The image can then be pressed against the packaging material.
To apply different colors or patterns with flexo, a roll of packaging material is passed through multiple flexible plates, each designed for a specific color or design.
Gravure printing also applies ink directly to the packaging material, but is generally considered to be more accurate than flexo printing. This is because it uses a laser engraved printing press on the bushings or cylinders.
The pressure and rotation of the cylinder cause the ink to hit the packaging material in the desired design. Excess ink is then removed with a small blade for precision.
Despite their popularity, both traditional printing methods have their drawbacks – they are generally not suitable for high-volume printing.
“For example, gravure requires expensive custom forms (or cylinders),” he said. “This means that for every new design we have to make a custom plate, so the cost is usually passed on to the baker.”
Although flexo is generally cheaper than gravure, setting up the machine can be difficult and time consuming. Therefore, flexographic printing is not the most suitable method for small batches requiring short production times.
Eli agrees, saying, “Traditional printing methods have many limitations that affect efficiency, lead time, minimum order quantity (MOQ) and quality.
“For example, for a small bakery with a minimum order quantity of 10,000 pieces, using more traditional packaging printing methods means they won’t be able to complete smaller orders in a shorter time frame,” he adds.
As the number of small roasters working in the specialty coffee industry is growing month by month, it is clear that the demand for high quality custom printed coffee bags with low MOQ is on the rise.
However, in line with this, digital coffee packaging printing technology is now becoming more and more prominent.
“Digital printing is better for low MOQs and shorter delivery times than traditional printing methods, while still producing high quality coffee packaging,” she said.
Quality coffee packaging is more important than ever for roasters. A study by European Supermarket Magazine found that 81% of consumers surveyed are willing to try a new product because of its packaging, which shows how important an attractive coffee bag is.
But minimum order quantities and shorter lead times are also important considerations for roasters. That is why digital printing methods are becoming more and more popular.
Digital printing allows brands to quickly and easily print designs and text on packaging materials, making it cost-effective, efficient and high quality.
“With digital printing, roasters can redesign packaging at no additional cost,” Mark said.
For example, with MTPak Coffee’s new HP Indigo 25K digital press, packaging designs can be sent to the printer as digital files and easily printed onto materials.
Because of this, digital printing can lower MOQs, which can make custom printed coffee bags more suitable for smaller roasters.
“The MOQ of traditional printing methods is high, which can cover the cost of non-standard printing plates,” Mark said. “However, with digital printing, we can produce 50 to 50,000 bags at a lower cost.
“These lower MOQs can help small roasters easily switch between designs, offer limited edition coffees in more unique packaging, and reduce packaging costs,” he added.
Shorter delivery times are also an important factor, especially for smaller roasters, including micro roasters, who sell a variety of exclusive coffees in small batches.
Ultimately, the limited availability of these coffees means they can sell out faster, so roasters need to get packs as quickly as possible. This may mean that their coffee bags will arrive in days instead of weeks.
Digital printers such as the HP Indigo can also offer faster turnaround times than traditional printing methods. This means smaller roasters have more room to change designs in less time if needed.
“Digital printing technology allows roasters to quickly meet growing and changing customer needs and offer more diverse and personalized packaging solutions,” Eli told me.
With the growing demand for brands that offer coffee in attractive packaging, we are also seeing an increased focus on sustainability in terms of consumer behavior.
Now more than ever, customers are choosing more sustainable packaging materials, including kraft paper, rice paper, polylactic acid (PLA) and low density polyethylene (LDPE).
Usually, when we talk about sustainable packaging, we usually focus on the materials used. However, inks also have a significant impact on the environment.
The main problem with printing inks is the use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). When wet ink on packaging materials dries, a large amount of volatile organic compounds, including fuel oils and detergents, are released into the atmosphere.
“When VOCs are released in large quantities, they can damage the environment,” Mark said. “However, most of the newer water-based inks are low in VOCs.”
Low VOC inks can also be made from soy or vegetable solvents and can be completely destroyed if disposed of properly, greatly reducing the environmental impact of packaging.
Some digital printers, such as the HP Indigo 25K, use liquid electrophotography (LEP) technology to apply water-based inks to a range of packaging materials.
However, apart from ink, it is also important to note that the equipment used for printing is also a key factor.
“Digital printing is one of the most sustainable methods because it does not require special plates or cylinders that are difficult to recycle,” Mark explains.
In addition, Elin said that the manufacturing process of MTPak Coffee’s HP Indigo digital presses is also carbon neutral, further reducing supply chain emissions.
These changes in the way coffee is packaged and personalized are fairly new, but how will they change in the next few years?
First, Eli told me that digital printing is likely to become the industry standard for coffee packaging in the next few years.
“[I think the coffee packaging design] will be digitally printed, unless the print job is clearly better suited to a more traditional approach,” he says.
At the same time, Elaine believes that sustainability will remain key as more and more roasters strive to become carbon neutral, including with regard to coffee packaging.
“More roasters will start looking into other ways to reduce emissions,” he said. “Digital printing is an easy way to achieve this, as well as improve access to custom print projects.”
Eli agrees, noting that he believes the demand for sustainable coffee packaging will continue to grow rapidly.
“Sustainability will continue to be a top priority for consumers, especially when it comes to issues like climate change and waste reduction,” he said. “The challenge for coffee brands is to make new and existing packaging more sustainable and affordable while maintaining high quality.”
In addition, Eli says that custom printed coffee bags will also continue to be popular with roasters and will be a key factor in retail sales, making digital printing a more relevant topic for many coffee brands and retailers.
As technology continues to advance in the coffee industry, we may see packaging and printing evolve. As digitization becomes more and more important, we are seeing more and more affordable and efficient ways to print on-demand coffee bags.
In addition to prioritizing consumer demand for sustainable packaging, we are seeing more and more roasters able to order fewer coffee pods with shorter delivery times to stay competitive.
Post time: Dec-09-2022