Proof is in the Process

Published: October 01, 2006, By Edited by Claudia Hine Managing Editor

A perennial problem for consumer product companies is approving expensive packaging runs before seeing what the finished product will look like on the store shelf. As products compete for increasingly valuable retail space, major retailers such as Wal-Mart are demanding pre-approval of shelf-ready packaging.

To solve the problem, All Packaging Company (APC) has launched ShelfReady, a prototyping process that yields 3-D proofs — said to be indistinguishable from the final package — at the same cost as traditional 2-D concept proofs.

According to Ken Pepper, president of APC, “When major retailers like Wal-Mart pressure their suppliers for better packaging procedures and solutions, the whole market must react. With ShelfReady, we've found a way to meet this challenge with no cost increase.”

Investing in Prepress

APC, which was formed from the merger of Horwitz Paper Box and American Die and Box companies, has developed and manufactured custom paperboard and rigid plastic packaging for nearly 50 years.

Its high quality prototype process will be aimed at marketing firms and consumer product companies that sell products at retail. “Many of our carton customers use three-dimensional mock-up proofs for their sales teams and in presentations to big retailers,” says Pepper. “The capability to create quality, realistic, 3-D mockups at an affordable price comes from APC's commitment to getting the right people, equipment, and technology working together to create a superior product.”

Investments in prepress systems and formatting software give APC creative and flexible design opportunities that can be shared electronically.

Files are sent to a 44-in. Epson 10000 digital printer to output high-resolution images that are laminated to paperboard and coated with a heat-treated polymer. The last step is to cut and score the mockup using a CAD system and Esko Kongsberg plotter table.

This process yields an accurate prototype that retailers can see and feel, enabling them to pick the best packaging option before authorizing costly, high-volume packaging runs.

By supplying proofs that are essentially identical to the finished product, APC has taken a unique approach that helps marketing departments experiment more freely with innovative designs and provides the sales force a new tool to introduce innovative packaging to buyers.