TY - BOOK
T1 - Hybrid media in packaging
T2 - Printelligence
AU - Lindqvist, Ulf
AU - Aikala, Maiju
AU - Federley, Maija
AU - Hakola, Liisa
AU - Mensonen, Aino
AU - Moilanen, Pertti
AU - Viljakainen, Anna
AU - Laukkanen, Mikko
N1 - Project code: 15451
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - Packages are expected to carry ever more information in a
limited space. One solution is hybrid media, i.e.,
printing intelligent elements on packages. The aim of
this study was to find the best way to produce additional
business for the package value chain using existing
technologies for hybrid media. The approach included a
technology survey of 2D applications, interviews with
industrial experts from the package value chain, two
industrial case pilots with user studies and a study tour
of forerunner companies in Japan. Hybrid media can offer
benefits in the form of cost savings, new business
opportunities, added value to existing business and
increased customer loyalty to all players in the value
chain. The available hybrid media technologies are 2D bar
codes, digital watermarks, imge recognition, fibre
matrix, RFID tags and magnetic codes. The pilot tests and
user studies showed that additional hybrid media services
should include detailed product data, recipes, nutrient
requirements and user instructions, and match user
demand. Obstacles to their use are cost and complexity,
and the fact that they are time-consuming. In Japan,
mobile barcodes are part of everyday life. They are well
known to consumers and are used on a flat-rate basis.
When they were introduced, they were based on consumers'
needs, not on early profit. Today, it is a win-win
situation with benefits for all the players in the value
chain, and many traditional printers have created
completely new service concepts for their customers.
AB - Packages are expected to carry ever more information in a
limited space. One solution is hybrid media, i.e.,
printing intelligent elements on packages. The aim of
this study was to find the best way to produce additional
business for the package value chain using existing
technologies for hybrid media. The approach included a
technology survey of 2D applications, interviews with
industrial experts from the package value chain, two
industrial case pilots with user studies and a study tour
of forerunner companies in Japan. Hybrid media can offer
benefits in the form of cost savings, new business
opportunities, added value to existing business and
increased customer loyalty to all players in the value
chain. The available hybrid media technologies are 2D bar
codes, digital watermarks, imge recognition, fibre
matrix, RFID tags and magnetic codes. The pilot tests and
user studies showed that additional hybrid media services
should include detailed product data, recipes, nutrient
requirements and user instructions, and match user
demand. Obstacles to their use are cost and complexity,
and the fact that they are time-consuming. In Japan,
mobile barcodes are part of everyday life. They are well
known to consumers and are used on a flat-rate basis.
When they were introduced, they were based on consumers'
needs, not on early profit. Today, it is a win-win
situation with benefits for all the players in the value
chain, and many traditional printers have created
completely new service concepts for their customers.
KW - Hybrid media
KW - packaging
KW - 2D codes
KW - printed functionality
KW - value chain
KW - business models
KW - user study
M3 - Report
T3 - VTT Working Papers
BT - Hybrid media in packaging
PB - VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
CY - Espoo
ER -