Innovative combinations of print & digital: attitudes towards change in the European printing industry

The present study reports a European industry survey of the state and future of innovative printing. Main emphasis addresses how paper and board and graphics industry could benefit the most from the possibilities provided by combining print with digital and by printed functionality. Experiences and inputs from representatives of the industry were collected to provide viewpoints on how print media and packaging could be developed and used in the future and how the industry can utilize available knowledge in science for the benefit of their customers and the consumers. First innovation adaption process and methodologies are reviewed and then the available empirical results are described and analyzed. It can be suggested that (1) European graphical companies see their future in innovative printing, (2) beside costs, lack of market demand is the most important factor in preventing companies to move to innovative printing, and (3) approach and vision of the industry is in general similar across Europe although Western European printing houses seem to be more active in the field of innovative printing, while innovations utilized today by printers in Eastern Europe mainly comprise effect and personalized printing, indicating a delay in implementation of available technologies.

Keywords

Innovation Printing Europe Prospective study

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.2/16466

Citation

Držková, M., Tiekstra, S., Miranda, P., Isaías, P., Karlović, I., Szentgyörgyvölgyi, R. Muck, T., Vehmas, K., Gauzente, C., & Seisto A. (2015). Innovative Combinations of Print & Digital – attitudes towards change in the European printing industry. In P. Gane (Ed.), Advances in Printing and Media Technology - Proceedings of the 42nd International Research Conference of iarigai (pp. 33-40). Darmstadt: International Association of Research Organizations for the Information, Media and Graphic Arts Industries.