Introducing HDPrint: High-Definition Short Run Printing for Everyone

Digital printing 2.0 is here

As Packlane’s Product Manager, I am delighted to announce HDPrint Gloss, the first of our new HD premium finishes.

As an artist who loves nothing more than a beautiful print, I can’t wait to tell you all about it and show you just how HDPrint can transform your packaging into a true work of art.

But before I share more photos of some of my favorite examples of HDPrint, let’s dip our toes (painlessly, I promise!) into the nitty-gritty of printing technology and how it relates to custom packaging. I will give you a sneak peek, though.

Superior technology yields superior definition.

Once upon a time, custom packaging was only for the elite

In the past, and we’re not talking about the ancient past either, custom packaging was beyond reach for many small businesses. That’s because it was expensive, time-consuming, and inflexible.

It costs a lot of money to get started with lithographic and flexographic printing. And traditionally, only large brands were able to afford it.

Set-up costs (for example, a print plate for each color of ink) can be hundreds of dollars each; unless that cost is spread over thousands of units, litho and flexo are prohibitively expensive. And because those plates have to be re-made each time you make even minor artwork changes, these technologies can’t adapt to your changing message and growing brand. At the end of the day, that meant that smaller brands and startups simply couldn’t take advantage of custom packaging.

Custom packaging is now for everyone

Packlane was founded in 2015 on the belief that startups and emerging brands should be able to compete on even ground with the larger companies they were disrupting. We brought this vision to life using digital printing technology to offer short runs.

Overnight, smaller companies and startups were able to leverage custom packaging to build their brands, delight their customers, and grow their businesses – enabling them to compete directly with those much larger companies.

When we started we were laser-focused on one thing: democratizing custom packaging. And 5 years later, we’re still focused on making sure everyone can build their brand and business with the very best in custom packaging.

But along our journey, we discovered a small catch. While digitally printed custom packaging is beautiful, the first generation of digital printing machines simply couldn’t match the crispness and brand color accuracy of litho and flexo.

That’s because when you apply ink as tiny dots in multiple passes (multi-pass digital printing), the lines and colors can’t be rendered as precisely as printing done with a single application of ink.

The future of digital printing is here

That’s where next-generation HD digital printing comes into play. With HDPrint finishes, the limitation of multi-pass digital printing is a thing of the past.

HDPrint digital printing uses new technology that applies the ink in a single application – similar to lithographic and flexographic printing. This is known as single-pass digital printing. And it’s beautiful.

HDPrint’s smaller ink dots and increased precision will take your brand to the next level.

The crisp lines and color accuracy of HDPrint rival flexo and litho.

Single-pass digital printing brings together the best of the digital and analog printing worlds.

Traditionally, the advantages of using digital printing have been:

• Low prices
• Low minimums
• Fast turnarounds
• Artwork flexibility (no print plates!)
• No set-up fees

With HDPrint finishes, you’ll still get low prices, low minimums, fast turnarounds, and the flexibility of plate-less printing, but with the added benefit of stunning high-definition print quality that you’d traditionally only get using lithographic and flexographic printing.

HDPrint is available now

Ready to step into the future? Our first high definition finish, HDPrint Gloss, is available now. Just select “Dreamcoat” as your material and select “HDPrint Gloss” as your finish.

Start designing in HDPrint!