Abstract

Packaging continues to be a growth area in the printing industry worldwide, with significant increases in demand and it is predicted that the industry will grow annually at a rate of 4% until 20181. There will be growth in the US and Europe, but the most significant growth will be in Asia. As the use of packaging increases so will the complexity and functionality of the packages also increase. Active and intelligent packaging are two of the areas that are showing significant innovation in their functionality and this will continue. This paper will focus on the applications and solutions that are currently available and those that are being developed in research activities at companies and also at universities.