P.O.P INDUSTRY

Utilizing overall shop interior

Originally P.O.P's function is to stimulate customers' needs to increase sales. But now it is extending its roll to use the customized P.O.P for shop's interior as a display or interior element.
Now P.O.P is covering wide range between sign and interior decoration and frequently used in shops as ad and VMD.

Ad and interior decoration with P.O.P

If sign tells shop's identity, P.O.P promotes products inside the shop. P.O.P provides products info or brand images in order to stimulate customers' buying needs. Shop owners use P.O.P aggressively in many places like cosmetic stores, fashion brand shops, electronics mall, hyper-marts, etc., because it is economical and easy to use in the shop.
NamHak Jang, manager of Visual Eye Inc. which is managing P.O.P for LOREAL and other fashion brands said "P.O.P is excellent tool to simply make a certain product or image outstanding. P.O.P catches customers' eyes, so a lot of shops use it." P.O.P is also used not only for ad but also for a design element by being used for shop's interior decoration.
Jang added "Interior decoration is one of the marketing tools, so we can't seperate it from ad." This accelerates to remove the boundary between ad and interior decoration, so P.O.P and VMD works are proceeded by one fabricator.
Therefore, P.O.P fabricators prepare design skills in order to apply P.O.P into ad and interior decoration fitting shop's overall concept.

Subtleties on type of business and concept

P.O.P has different design, location, displaying period, etc., according to types of business. There are variety types of businesses applying P.O.P but cosmetic stores and fashion brand shops are the main customers. Especially, the cosmetic stores, using P.O.P and decoration items the most, focus on exposing product's features or information. P.O.P is made for main items or new released products and describes features of products.
Real size of ad character is placed at the shop's front and also P.O.P is displayed at display stands or show windows. Fashion brand shops usually emphasize on brand image or concept. They usually fabricate a life-size character at the shop's front or decoration items for event season like Christmas or St. Valentine's Day. Besides them, restaurants are using P.O.P when their new menu is released or for special discount event, and so on.
Meanwhile, there is a rush season because P.O.P is changed on each businesses' concept. Especially P.O.P fabrication is rushed when anniversary or event comes. Displaying period is also different from each type of businesses.
Cosmetic stores promote make-up in autumn and winter, and basics during spring and summer. Fashion shops do the same like cosmetic stores or do on each season. Besides regular promotions, P.O.P is made on launching new products or events.

High quality digital printing fulfilling customers' needs

P.O.P is used for show window, ceiling, display stand and even to staff's name tag.
P.O.P's materials are various, so P.O.P makers should be able to suggest to customers what materials are suitable according to each location and concept.
BeomYeol Kim, CEO of Wizard who fabricates P.O.P for E-Land company's branches like fashion brand shop, restaurant, interior, etc., said "It is crucial to find the most efficient way through a meeting with customers to express their requests. You have to recommend materials and make samples on each concept."
Through the meeting, shops decide materials and working methods. And they influence cost, design and ad impact. P.O.P is the way to get the maximum effect with low cost, so to control the unit price is a key point to get customers.
P.O.P is usually made from a stack of fomax, woodrock and acrylic. The use of digital printing is getting increased because it is possible to produce in a small quantity but in high quality, and print directly on the material, so it can satisfy customers' needs. Shops can choose solvent, waterbase or UV printer according to usage, durability, resolution and cost.
Kim said "We have all kinds of printers and equipments from solvent, water-base, UV to lambda. So we can respond properly according to quality, material and cost." Meanwhile, P.O.P is displayed closely to customers and the image must be printed almost same to real products, so it needs high quality machines. Jang said "Customers' requests are quite complicated as it has picture image or product's image.
Therefore, I suggest equipping high resolution machines. Or, you maybe kicked out of the business or do outsourcing."
One more thing, P.O.P fabricators usually have CNC router or digital cutting machines in order for precise work and productivity. Visual Eye Inc also uses digital cutting machine and digital printer to fabricate P.O.Ps from simple work to boxes or dimensional P.O.P. Kim said "In case of very detailed work, it's hard to cut by hand.
Also it can be done only within some hours even though the work is for mass production."

PACKAGING INDUSTRY

Sample, correction printing works

For a while, large format printing industry was looking for breakthroughs in interior, wallpaper printing, textile, etc. to get out of the recession. Digital printing is available for masscustomization and many designs, and it can save time and cost to solve the issues of existing packaging industry's system. Let's see how to apply digital printing to the packaging industry for high value-added products.

Saving time and cost

Packaging is essential finishing process before shipment. Whenever you eat ice cream, you must tear off the wrapping, and electrical goods are well packed by box or corrugated cardboard and sent to customers. Like this, meaning of packaging is used in a very wide range such as food/beverage, medicine, cosmetics, electrical goods, living goods, etc.
Sign market is trying to apply printing machines and finishing equipments to various packaging works. Existing packaging industry is doing the printing works by gravure, silk screen printing or offset printing, and they are wasting extra time and cost. But the digital printing doesn't take much time and cost, so it can get good feedbacks from people in packaging industry.
Hosuk Seo, a chief executive of MARCUS Inc. said "It usually takes two days in printing shop when we get a design confirmation. But the digital printing can work immediately so it can save time."
Jungwoo Printing, running a printing shop in Chungmu-ro, is running UV printer KEC-300, and 30~40% of its work is to do correction printing of packaging material.
Osung Kwon in Jungwoo Printing said "We are working with a confectionery company for correction of packaging, and also working with some companies occasionally. Especially for those who know that it takes much expense for gravure or packaging correction printing, the digital printing is the answer, and actually they are satisfied with it." Like this, the digital printing shows infinite possibilities in packaging industry.
Then, what is the best way for sign industry to enter the packaging industry by using the digital printing? Most of sign shops said that print samples and correction printing are the answer.
The digital printing is available on applying to many materials and it can save time and cost more than existing process.
So sample and correction printing which should be checked in texture and design in a short time are the best option to choose.
And also sample and correction printing are produced in a small quantity, they also match the feature of mass-customization of digital printing.

Correction printing matching to final product texture

Besides saving time and cost, it is also important to check the texture if it realizes almost the same texture of final products during sample and correction printing works. So it is another advantage of the digital printing to check the texture while sample and correction printing are being done.
Seungyeol Lee of MacPlus Inc. said "Previously, paper was the only material that customers could check the sample work, so it was impossible for them to see the differences in other materials like vinyl, metal or transparent film. Printing on paper gives quite different feeling or colors than printing to the actual materials. If we use the digital printing, it can give almost same texture of final product in correction printing."
The digital printing should be applied to many materials from soft materials like vinyl, transparent film, metal, foil, gold foil to rigid materials like box, corrugated cardboard. Therefore, sign shops should use an equipment having installed white ink because it is difficult to express colors on transparent film, metal or dark materials.
White ink is suitable for packaging printing because it prevents a penetration of transparent film and shows excellent coloring on dark paper or metals.
Because UV flat-bed printer can print both on soft packaging materials and rigid ones, it has more fields to apply to.
Dongyeol Bae, executive in Inchem Tech Inc. said, "Previously a printing expert said that it was unavailable to print a correction sheet of box more than 500g, so correction sheet had to be attached on the box after large format printing and then correction work could be done. But UV flat-bed printer can print directly onto materials in full color, so actual texture can be felt."
UV printer has a coating option and it can make designs differently. JETRIX and LEC300, 330 model load a varnish function and these machines can work as partial coating or etching. Especially coating on packaging materials is dominating in packaging industry for high added value by relevant usage.

Researching related knowledge

As mentioned, sample and correction printing are the best way that sign shops can choose for packaging industry. Besides the common area in printing and cutting, it is clear that sign industry and packaging industry are totally different.
Therefore, shops should accumulate skills and know-how by learning related knowledge.
Taeil Kim, a manager in Dgen Inc. said "Packaging industry uses specific colors frequently which are not familiar to sign industry, so shops should get used to use those colors with tests for about a month.
Because this market is also sensitive in colors, so illustration skill is necessary."
It is also crucial to find out what exactly packaging industry demands. For this, Jungwoo Printing has joined related communities and run a internet blog to get knowledge about packaging industry and makes more personal connections.
Besides that, it is recommendable to equip a cutting machine because customers prefer to do printing and cutting at a same place. It is better to use auto cutting machine to reduce errors in folding and bending while packaging works need a sophisticated process.