Custom Media Solutions – Making the Output Look Easy

Written by Liam Cummings
Marketing Manager, Paper and Value Add Media
Xerox
Paper is paper is a misnomer that is perhaps only realized by those working behind the design and development of the many different types of media that are readily available today. And that only speaks to the off-the-shelf types of media that any local retail chain keeps in their inventory. When you begin to think of the world of Custom Media Applications including synthetic stocks, magnetic stocks, sheets that contain ID cards of various configurations, or labeling applications, to name a few, the level of complexity multiplies quickly. Packaging has been one of the bigger custom media applications coming down the pike for the digital printing industry, and as such, Xerox Custom Packaging Board is developed and designed to fully leverage an investment in printing hardware.
Packaging board, sometimes interchangeably referred to as folding board, has many uses and applications. For digital printing, it is a great way to personalize these applications in real time, adding the efficiency and desired effect. But don’t expect your next box of Wheaties to be all about you… we will leave the mass printing to the offset world, for now. Design and development work provided by the Custom Engineering group in the Xerox Media Technology Center assures that the details are the difference when the end user is seeing and handling the output. The flat sheet is optimized for use in Xerox digital printing equipment and is die cut using a proprietary, snap-clean edge, technology. This provides printers with efficient, short-run packaging with exceptional print quality and impressive folding capability.
Of course when you are dealing with packaging applications, whether it be candy or pharmaceuticals, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has compliance measures that must be met. With food, contact with the packaging is the key point of interest as well as the type of food that is going to be housed within the packaging. For pharmaceutical applications – the control is at the printer – and if you have ever witnessed a printer engaging in this kind of work, the secure and controlled area surrounded by a single entry cage is most likely where the pharmaceutical printing is taking place. We recently worked with a major pharmaceutical company who needed to reduce the amount of time it took to deliver critical drugs to very sick patients. With a solution that leveraged pre-perforated packaging board, the company was able to reduce the cycle time of delivery from months to days.
Thinking about your print operation, how does media factor into the full equation of the solutions you offer your customers? What unique printed solutions have you been able to offer your customers? Do you feel as though you are fully utilizing your digital press?
The video below goes into more detail of why paper really matters, and how choosing the right custom media solutions can provide your customers with outstanding solutions to their everyday business challenges.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mQSSwkiFSU&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]