A step change with the white approach for kraft

By Jeff Wettersten, VP Packaging, Keypoint Intelligence

I never thought I would see the day, or at least not see it this quickly, where water-based inks begin to enter the corrugated market place.

The development by Koenig Bauer & Durst of water-based white ink is a step change for the industry. It is something that delivers great value, to not only to the corrugated converter but the brand as well.

We know colour sells – whether colour sells on chemi white, or a bleached white or a regular kraft material.

In industrial packaging similar to ecommerce, or many other industrial applications, colour was desired but not delivered. This is the first time I am seeing colour delivered on kraft. It is a significant change and delivers high value to the brand and the converter in terms of flexibility and use cases where it opens up the world of kraft to digital print.

The use of water-based inks and the ability to print white on kraft will expand the application space. When considering production of an ecommerce application, or any industrial application, the use of white can be a bottleneck to the converting operation, not only from a supply standpoint, but from a print standpoint as well.

The productivity delivered through the use of kraft with water-based inks, the flexibility provided, and the delivery of higher productivity is a big, big, step change for converters in terms of opportunity that can be transferred or translated to their brands.

Certainly, this development from Koenig Bauer & Durst should accelerate the adoption because it opens up the window for participation by converters and brands.

The timing for this development is particularly good as brands are currently very receptive to digital print and it is not limited to corrugated packaging.

There are global solutions covering all four packaging segments – corrugated, folding carton, label, and flexible packaging. And brand engagement is beginning to increase exponentially now that production systems covering all four sectors are entering the market.

I think converters need to look seriously and begin the investment into digital print.