A digital age
The buzz word of late appears to be digital. It is no revelation that we are living in a digital age – indeed, if you disagree then I would suggest that you have either been living in a remote part of the jungle or are the most extreme Luddite ever to have wandered the earth – but is it necessarily best?
The area I wish to touch upon is digital printing onto metal cans. Far from being an expert, I have however been privy to a number of presentations and discussions on the subject recently and it has been interesting to hear the views of those in the know.
Some say it’s the next big thing in metal decoration, allowing as it does for far more intricate and detailed designs to be put down onto cans, but the overriding question so far seems to have been – is the quality ever going to be the same?
The answer at the moment, as far as I can see, is that right now it isn’t as good as standard wet on wet printing. That’s not to say it won’t be in the future, but as it stands the majority would rather stick to the status quo for now.
A recent conversation I had with a respected industry veteran uncovered another concern with regard to digital printing. Namely, are the machines too fragile to stand up to the environments they are needed to operate in?
By all accounts even dust could have an adverse effect on the machinery, rendering them all but useless for the job in hand. Therefore, the machines would ideally be placed in a clean and air conditioned room away from those nasty particles in the air that may ruin performance. Hard to imagine this working in a busy can making plant isn’t it?
I ask the question because I would very much like to hear your views on the matter. Are you a supplier of digital printers? Can you tell us your predictions for the future of this emerging technology? Or are you perhaps a can maker with your own views on this topic?
Please do reply via the comment option and let’s hear what you think the future holds for decoration.
Best,
Richard
