Tetra Pak, Lausanne, Switzerland, said it will be the first company in the food and beverage carton industry to offer full-color digital printing on its carton packages. 

The new digital printing technology, made in collaboration with Dallas-based printing company Koenig & Bauer, will reduce the time from design to print and open up new opportunities for flexibility in order placement and product customization. Beverage brands can take advantage of added benefits such as dynamic on-package printing and the ability to include a variety of designs within the same order, Tetra Pak said.

“We are committed to helping our customers explore new avenues with a truly ‘smart’ package, supporting their need for product customization, smaller batch sizes, greater traceability and the ability to interact with the consumer,” said Charles Brand, executive vice president of product management and commercial operations at Tetra Pak. “Our investment in this digital printer demonstrates our commitment to support customers with future-proof technologies as the digital revolution transforms the way we all do business.”

The full-width digital printer is currently being built by Koenig & Bauer and will be installed at Tetra Pak’s converting plant in Denton, Texas. Field testing of the new digitally printed carton packages is expected to begin in early 2020 with North American customers.