Emerging Security and 3D Technologies in the Printing Industry

Introduction

New printing technologies, driven in part by customer demand for faster and more business-supportive print and digital services, continue to be introduced both in Singapore and internationally.

Printing Technology Trends

According to research by PRIMR and The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies (NPES), the printing industry segments with the most to gain from emerging technologies include:

• Security printing
• Barcodes
• 3D printing

PRIMR noted that the security printing segment of the industry is changing because of the increased sophistication of criminal organizations and other security threats. They also highlighted the use of security printing technologies in the area of brand infringement prevention.

According to NPES, “The most important changes in security printing involve automation and techniques for brand protection that are not easily duplicated. The most significant advances in security printing are in the areas of biometrics, unique and difficult-to-reproduce inks, advanced substrates, and 2D barcoding.”

3-D Printing and Segment Growth

In its 2014 study Future of 3-D printing: The road ahead for 3-D printers, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) reports that after decades of struggling to offer the speeds and prices that businesses expect, 3D print technologies are now beginning to deliver on both demands.

According to PwC, 3D print methods, or “additive manufacturing”, has been used since the 1980s. Until recently however, 3D technology has been too slow and too expensive for most practical applications in marketing as well as high-volume industrial purposes. According to PwC, “Expectations are running high that these shortcomings are about to change.”

Despite the improvement in technology, 3D printing products and services still need to prove themselves in the marketplace to many end-users. While the PwC study noted that two-thirds of industrial print companies were using 3D printing technology, it also pointed out that most manufacturers were using the technology in very limited ways—primarily for prototyping.

The PwC study suggests that, by themselves, there are not enough prototypes produced to make technology investments financially feasible for most printers. To justify technology investments into 3D, there is a need to increase the volume of production-level 3D printing in addition to the existing use in the area of prototyping.

Keeping Up with Technology and Understanding Customer Needs

When using print companies, it’s important to ensure that they have the customer service, expertise, and technology to get your projects completed and on time. At Print City, we offer the highest-quality print and media capabilities including:

• Traditional print services for small and large jobs
• Digital and standard printing, using the best printing technologies in the industry
• Web design and web marketing
• 3D, acrylic, LED and lightbox signages
• Customised booth design and complete solutions for events management
• Marketing support to assist you with your print, media and messaging strategies

Print City is a division of MediaOne Business Group Pte Ltd. Together, we are able to deliver to clients integrated printing, promotion and design solutions as well as digital and traditional marketing, collateral production and exhibition support.

Contact us today to discuss your printing and promotion needs with one of our knowledgeable and responsive consultants.