Packaging
LABELS – THE FUTURE IS DIGITAL
Friday 31. October 2008 - The international label community is preparing for the inaugural Digital Label Summit taking place in Barcelona on 24-25 March 2009. The event is organized by Labelexpo, the brand that has over 30 years expertise of producing exhibitions and conferences for the label industry.
The summits creation follows an assessment by the Labelexpo team of the industrys present-day requirements alongside with trends shaping its development and aims to discuss questions on the present and future of digital printing technologies.
In the mid 90s the label industry saw the first installation of a digital label press. Today there are over 1,000 such presses successfully operating in the global label market providing high quality printed results. Last month Labelexpo Americas 2008 demonstrated that digital printing is currently the most discussed and fastest developing trend, which is likely to stay the industrys predominant focus in the near future.
Like its other Label Summit counterparts, Digital Label Summit comprises an educational conference and a table-top exhibition running alongside. The conference will offer a strong educational content to visitors – sessions will be streamed into two areas: those dedicated to technical innovations and management tools. Over 40 international speakers will present their views on the evolving nature of digital printing technologies.
The sessions will cover hot topics, such as technology and applications for digital printing of labels, tickets/ tags/ flexible packaging, combination printing and its opportunities, and end-user requirements. Industry experts will share case studies on digital printing processes that have worked successfully to date.
The exhibition side of the event will welcome representatives from a broad range of digital technologies. Exhibitors include: HP, the gold sponsor of the summit; Xeikon and Epson, silver sponsors; Avery Dennison, Manter, Innovia Films, ExxonMobil, EFI Jetrion, UPM Raflatac and Sun Chemical, among many.
The summit has the full support of FINAT, the European label association.
Digital Label Summit is not to be missed by anyone who wants to stay abreast of the label industrys progress. Digital printing is now considered to be one of the mainstream label printing technologies alongside flexo, UV flexo or offset and is forecast to make up some 15% of all new narrow-web roll-label press installations in 2008 and up to 20% of annual installations by 2012.
Mike Fairley, the worlds leading consultant on labels, said on the launch of the summit: “When it comes to digital printing technology Digital Label Summit 2009 is set to become a trailblazing event. All developments and trends, together with new advances in digital pre-press, digital finishing and die-cutting, and the fast-evolving end-user applications for digital printing, will be examined and discussed at the summit. Every label converter looking to know where his business will be competing and growing over the next five years should undoubtedly be at this event.”