LARGE CHARACTER MARKING

Pre print vs. in line printing of corrugated cases and cartons

Unlocking cost savings with in line case coding

Manufacturers rely on well-marked cases for efficient product shipping, but traditional pre-printed boxes are becoming increasingly burdensome and expensive. In-line case coding offers a cost-effective alternative, capable of significantly trimming case inventory, streamlining operations, and maximizing space efficiency. If you struggle with the challenges posed by pre-printed packaging SKUs, consider embracing in-line printing as a means to improve your supply chain, reduce operational expenses, and retain operational flexibility.

Reduce case inventory and cost

An effective cost-saving strategy for reducing case inventory is implementing in-line variable printing at your factories using high resolution case coders. These coders can reduce inventory by a factor of 10, improve case packaging flexibility, streamline operations, simplify planning, optimize space, and yield significant cost savings.

The struggle: Pre printed cases

Pre-printed cases traditionally include product data like brand, production details, shipping symbols, and ingredients. They’re mass-produced with fixed information via flexographic and offset printing. Variable data like production dates, lot numbers, and bar codes are added later in the packaging line with labels, coders, or stamps.

Growing demands for product distinction, regulatory compliance, and multilingual needs can increase a manufacturer’s variety of pre-printed cases. This leads to challenges in managing diverse inventories in manufacturing and packaging facilities, including brands, products, regional demands, and SKUs.

Despite appearing cost-effective, pre-printed corrugated cases become costly when considering storage, inventory, and handling expenses. Space used for storage could be better used for profitable purposes like expanding production.

The alternative: In line, variable data printing

In-line, variable data printing with high-resolution case coders is a great alternative. These advanced coders can print logos, barcodes, and small text reliably and swiftly on each case, allowing organizations to reduce or eliminate pre-printed case usage.

A typical system involves two to six high-resolution coders (150 dpi or higher), networked together, depending on print height and one or two-sided printing needs (usually 50-70 mm or 2.0 – 2.8″ high).

In-line coding offers remarkable flexibility, enabling quick message changes and the creation of new messages for immediate or future use. These compact printers occupy minimal production line space while offering the capability to print logos, graphics, text, and various barcodes, including GS1-128. State-of-the-art printers automatically purge ink before each print for consistently clear, high-resolution codes, eliminating contaminants.

The many benefits of in line printing

• Transitioning from pre-printed cases to in-line case coding eliminates the need for multiple case types, saving floor space and storage costs.
• In-line printing lowers the total number of cases needed and reduces per-case costs, freeing up working capital.
• In-line printing prevents the waste of pre-printed cases with outdated variable data.
• Fresh corrugate cases result in fewer equipment jams, better throughput, and simplified setup, increasing uptime and profit.
• Using generic cartons and quick message changes minimizes changeover time, boosting production throughput.
• In-line printing eliminates delays caused by case changes, streamlining production start-up.

Ultimately, the key benefit is cost savings. For instance, a large food manufacturer achieved a payback of less than 12 months in one facility after switching to an in-line case coding strategy.

Of course there are drawbacks to in-line printing to consider. These include single-color printing and lower resolution compared to flexography and offset printing. However, a hybrid approach, pre-printing the logo and using in-line coding for other information, can balance marketing requirements with cost-efficiency and flexibility.