While machinery automation and circular materials dominated many halls at the Düsseldorf show, packaging print technologies – particularly for labels, folding cartons and flexible packaging – revealed an industry rapidly repositioning itself around shorter runs, variable data, faster product launches and more sustainable packaging structures.
The message from exhibitors was no longer that digital print is “emerging”, but that it is becoming part of an industrial packaging production ecosystem alongside offset, flexo and gravure.
For print businesses servicing packaging markets, interpack offered a clear view of where the sector is heading: hybrid production environments, greater workflow integration, smart packaging connectivity and growing pressure to align print technologies with circular packaging goals.
Beyond the press
One of the strongest overarching themes at interpack was that packaging print suppliers are now positioning themselves as end-to-end workflow partners rather than simply press manufacturers.
That direction was particularly evident at Heidelberg, which used interpack to present itself as a “system integrator” for the packaging production chain.
Rather than focusing solely on presses, the company showcased integrated production environments spanning offset, flexo, hybrid inkjet, finishing, robotics, intralogistics and workflow automation.
Its vision for “turnkey end-to-end packaging production beyond printing” reflected a much broader industry shift underway across the packaging sector.
Packaging converters are being asked to deliver connected manufacturing environments capable of integrating printing, converting, inspection, logistics and data management into unified production systems.
At the centre of Heidelberg’s presentation was the idea that packaging production is becoming data-driven and automated, particularly in growth sectors such as food, beverage, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
The company highlighted technologies including its Speedmaster offset platform, Boardmaster flexo press, Gallus hybrid inkjet systems and Prinect workflow software, with increasing emphasis on AI-supported automation and production transparency.
That broader integration story was repeated throughout interpack.
Packaging print is no longer operating in isolation from the wider converting environment. Press technologies are being discussed alongside robotics, inline inspection, digital workflows, sustainability metrics and smart packaging connectivity.
Digital flexible packaging accelerates
Among the clearest signals at interpack was the growing maturity of digital flexible packaging production.
Fujifilm used the show to reinforce the industrial credentials of its Jet Press FP790 digital flexible packaging press, positioning it not as a niche short-run solution, but as a viable production alternative to flexo and gravure across a growing range of applications.
According to Fujifilm, converters are moving flexo jobs under 9000 metres and gravure jobs up to 22,000 metres onto the Jet Press FP790 platform, particularly where shorter lead times, reduced setup costs and versioning flexibility offer commercial advantages.
The company also highlighted expanded substrate compatibility, including MDOPE, BOPE, paper and label stock, reflecting broader market demand for recyclable mono-material packaging structures and paper-based alternatives.
That substrate flexibility aligned closely with wider sustainability themes seen throughout the show. Mono-material flexible packaging and recyclable structures were recurring themes, with print technologies being adapted to support thinner films, paper-based formats and simplified material constructions.
At Screen Europe, digitalisation was similarly framed as central to the future of packaging converting.
The company used interpack to demonstrate live production on its Truepress PAC 520P digital inkjet press for paper-based flexible packaging, emphasising the role of water-based inks, workflow automation and sustainable substrate compatibility in future packaging production.
Screen also highlighted developments around its Truepress PAC 830F for plastic flexible packaging and the Truepress LABEL 350UV SAI label press platform, with strong emphasis on automation, “lights-out” production and the operational pressures facing converters.
The company pointed to growing demand for shorter production runs, rapid artwork changes and the increasing shortage of skilled labour as key drivers behind digital print adoption.
Notably, Screen’s messaging reflected a broader industry narrative visible across interpack – namely, that packaging converters are under mounting pressure to become more agile, more automated and more connected.
Sustainability reshapes print thinking
Sustainability conversations at interpack extended well beyond packaging materials themselves.
Print technologies are now being positioned as contributors to circular packaging outcomes through reduced waste, simplified production and compatibility with recyclable structures.
That trend was perhaps best illustrated by a collaboration involving Xeikon, PoliFilm Performance Films, Actega and converter Gruber Folien.
At interpack, Xeikon’s Frank Jacobs showed Print21 a digitally printed mono-material polypropylene pouch structure designed to deliver strong oxygen and water vapour barrier properties while remaining recyclable within existing PP streams.
The pouch was produced using how Xeikon’s TX500 digital press and Titon technology, allowing direct printing without the need for additional lamination or varnish layers traditionally associated with flexible packaging production.
According to Jacobs, the removal of lamination not only simplifies recycling outcomes, but also eliminates lengthy drying times typically associated with conventional flexible packaging production.
The development highlighted how digital print is intersecting with broader packaging sustainability objectives – not simply through shorter runs and reduced make-ready waste, but by enabling simplified material structures better suited to circular economy systems.
Hybrid production becomes the norm
If there was one consistent message across interpack’s print technology exhibits, it was that the future is unlikely to be purely analogue or purely digital.
Instead, exhibitors presented hybrid production environments where offset, flexo, gravure and digital technologies coexist according to job length, substrate type, turnaround requirements and finishing complexity.
That trend was reinforced by AB Graphic International (represented in ANZ by Currie Group), which used interpack to present its Flex Pack workflow concept in partnership with Galaxy Packtech.
The display combined pouch converting, lamination and digital embellishment technologies within a connected production environment designed to streamline flexible packaging manufacture.
Central to the presentation was the Galaxy GS-24 Plus 200 pouch-making system alongside ABG’s ThermoLam laminator and PouchJet digital embellishment platform.
The emphasis was not simply on standalone machinery, but on integrated workflows capable of handling increasingly complex production requirements with faster make-readies, digital controls and late-stage customisation capability.
That focus on connected production workflows reflects wider commercial realities facing converters globally.
SKU proliferation, shorter campaigns, seasonal variants and premiumisation strategies are placing growing pressure on packaging printers to deliver flexibility without sacrificing efficiency.
Interpack suggested the sector increasingly sees workflow integration and automation as essential to maintaining profitability in that environment.
Smart packaging and digital connectivity
Another important direction emerging from interpack was the growing convergence between packaging print and digital product connectivity.
Koenig & Bauer made this a central focus of its interpack presentation, positioning itself as an “architect” of connected packaging ecosystems spanning print, marking, coding, verification and consumer interaction.
Under the theme “Smart. Connected. Secure.”, the company demonstrated integrated process chains designed to support Digital Product Passport (DPP) requirements, GS1-compliant track-and-trace systems and smart brand protection technologies.
Koenig & Bauer’s presentation underscored how packaging print is increasingly becoming part of a much broader digital infrastructure.
The company showcased technologies spanning high-volume inkjet, CI flexo, offset printing, coding systems and connected packaging platforms including myKyana and AuraVeo, which enable packaging to function as a digital consumer engagement channel.
Importantly, the discussion around DPP readiness highlighted the growing regulatory and data-management role packaging printers may soon be required to play.
As governments and brand owners move towards more sophisticated product traceability requirements, printers and converters are likely to become increasingly integrated into digital supply chain ecosystems extending far beyond traditional print production.
Inkjet broadens its industrial role
Industrial inkjet technologies also continued expanding into adjacent packaging applications at interpack.
Ricoh used the exhibition to launch its new MH3820 printhead, targeting coding and marking applications while also highlighting broader packaging opportunities including corrugated, labels, flexible packaging and direct-to-object printing.
The company’s focus on compact high-performance printheads reflected another recurring trend at interpack – namely, the increasing overlap between industrial printing, coding, marking and packaging production.
As packaging lines become more connected and data-driven, print technologies are increasingly being deployed not only for graphics production, but also for traceability, serialization, personalisation and smart packaging functionality.
Packaging print enters a new phase
For the print sector, interpack 2026 offered a clear signal that packaging print is entering a more mature and strategically important phase.
Digital technologies are no longer confined to niche applications or proof-of-concept demonstrations. Instead, exhibitors presented them as industrial production tools capable of addressing mainstream converter challenges around sustainability, agility, labour shortages, workflow integration and supply chain responsiveness.
At the same time, analogue technologies remain highly relevant, particularly for high-volume production and demanding packaging applications.
What is emerging is not a wholesale replacement of conventional processes, but a more sophisticated production ecosystem where multiple technologies are deployed according to application requirements.
For Australian print businesses operating in packaging markets, the message conveyed by interpack was this: the future of packaging print will be shaped not only by print quality, but by automation, connectivity, substrate versatility, sustainability alignment and the ability to integrate into increasingly intelligent packaging production environments.
This article was first published in the May-June 2026 edition of Print21, page 8.