The printing sector is always evolving. Kasper follows all innovations with great attention. An eye-catching novelty is ‘printed electronics’: prints with electronic conductors. Think, for instance, about a business card with a little lamp.
To print an electronic product it’s important to have a good combination of materials (paper, plastic or metallic foil) and special conductive inks. Different layers need to be printed over another. There’s also a specific action called sintering. In the ink there’s a large amount of silver particles. After the inking these particles need to be melted together (sintered).
The applications are endless: a little lamp that’s burning on your business card, a sensor in food packaging that tells you more about the content (e.g. indicate the freshness of the food), a poster that plays music as soon as you touch it (http://www.novalia.co.uk/portfolio/becks-playable-poster) or sends product information to your smartphone. The latest novelty of Novalia is an album cover with a printed DJ deck that can be connected to your iPhone: http://www.novalia.co.uk/portfolio/dj-qbert-interactive-dj-decks.
Thanks to printed electronics you can personalise the cover of a magazine, book or box with one simple touch.
Kasper developed a gift box for Bongo that plays the Brabançonne as soon as you open it. It works by means of a light sensor. For more info click here.
This extra way of sensory branding is the future of marketing! It uses the power of the senses to make products more visible and successful.
These applications are still in their infancy but we attentively observe this topic. Please contact us if you wonder how intelligent printing fits into your marketing plan.
Acknowledgements:
- “Intelligent drukwerk: kansrijke innovatie in de grafische sector” – author not mentioned – TNO – Innovation for life
- “Uitdaging voor grafische industrie: intelligent drukwerk” – Ruud van der Ros – TNOTIME
- “A5 eyecatcher in de zintuigendimensie” – Wereld van papier
- “Kickstarter funding for printed electronics demonstrator” – Dr Stone – www.printedelectronicsworld.com
- vision document: Printed Intelligence – van technologie naar toepassing, Albert Noppen en Richard van Hoorn, www.media-alliantie.nl
