FuturePrint Podcast

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Printing on curved packaging sounds simple until you try doing it at industrial speed without missing nozzles, wasting materials, or slowing production to a crawl. We sit down with Florian Fässler, Head of R&D for Digital Technologies at Polytype, to unpack how direct-to-shape digital printing has evolved from a promising alternative into a robust manufacturing process that can handle real-world airflow, turbulence, and uptime demands.

We get into the technical leaps that matter most, including greater throw distance, modern inkjet printheads, and waveform optimisation that improves drop speed while reducing satellites. From there, we explore why manufacturers and brands are increasingly choosing digital direct-to-shape for short runs, rapid changeovers, and simpler logistics, especially in B2C and web-to-print models where lead times can be hours, not weeks. Florian also explains how printing directly on the container cuts label carrier waste and supports recycling goals while keeping inventory lean.

The conversation moves from decoration to capability: variable data printing enables unique QR codes and barcodes within the run, opening doors to connected packaging, traceability, and smarter customer engagement. We also look ahead at AI and automation, from AI-generated artwork to operator support tools, predictive maintenance, nozzle sensing, and even what happens when procurement becomes agent-to-agent ordering. If you care about industrial inkjet, sustainable packaging, mass customisation, and the future of manufacturing networks, this is a practical, grounded listen. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.
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What is FuturePrint?
FuturePrint is a digital and in person platform and community dedicated to future print technology. Over 20,000 people per month read our articles, listen to our podcasts, view our TV features, click on our e-newsletters and attend our in-person and virtual events. 
We hope to see you at one of our future in-person events:
FuturePrint Packaging, Labels & DTS Summit, 29-30 September '26, Valencia, Spain
FuturePrint Industrial Print Show, 11-12 May '27, Munich, Germany

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In this episode of the FuturePrint Podcast, Marcus Timson speaks with James MacDonald, Vice President of Nazdar’s OEM Inks business, about why collaboration is becoming essential to the future of industrial inkjet.
James explains how ink has traditionally been introduced relatively late in machine development—after decisions about printheads, curing systems and equipment architecture have already been made. As industrial applications become more complex, however, OEMs increasingly recognise that ink must be considered from the outset as a fundamental part of the complete system.
The discussion explores how Nazdar works as a strategic development partner rather than simply a consumables supplier. This requires a detailed understanding of the substrate, application, production environment, printhead, curing process and required end-use performance. James also explains how early collaboration can shorten development cycles, reduce technical risk and improve the prospects of successful commercialisation.
Marcus and James examine the balance between customisation and scalability, including how specialist formulations can become significant commercial opportunities as an OEM’s installed machine base grows. They also discuss structured development processes, forecasting, manufacturing capacity, regulatory change and the importance of clear communication throughout a project.
Above all, James argues that the next phase of industrial inkjet will depend upon closer cooperation across the technology ecosystem. Ink developers, printhead manufacturers, system integrators, raw-material suppliers, equipment builders and end users must align their technical and commercial objectives from concept to production.
The message is clear: ink is no longer the final component added to a machine. It is central to the architecture—and ultimate success—of the complete industrial printing system.
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What is FuturePrint?
FuturePrint is a digital and in person platform and community dedicated to future print technology. Over 20,000 people per month read our articles, listen to our podcasts, view our TV features, click on our e-newsletters and attend our in-person and virtual events. 
We hope to see you at one of our future in-person events:
FuturePrint Packaging, Labels & DTS Summit, 29-30 September '26, Valencia, Spain
FuturePrint Industrial Print Show, 11-12 May '27, Munich, Germany

Send us Fan Mail
Two seconds of scrolling versus 108 seconds of real attention is not a small difference, it’s a completely different kind of marketing. Recording live from FuturePrint PodFest in London’s West End, we dig into why physical media still cuts through when digital channels feel saturated, fast, and increasingly fragile. Hosted by Mark Stephenson of IPIA, with Dr Chris Jones from the Ministry of Marketing Effectiveness and freelance marketer Elena Knight, we challenge the tired “print versus digital” argument and replace it with something more useful: print plus digital as a multiplier for brand growth.

We get practical and evidence-led, from dwell time and household engagement to the uncomfortable truth that marketers often measure what is easiest, not what matters. That’s where the McNamara fallacy comes in: obsessing over clicks and last-touch attribution while missing brand salience, consideration, and long-term trust. We also explore the behavioural science behind print, including signalling, reciprocity, and how tactile media can encode memory in ways that fleeting screen impressions often cannot.

From packaging to product passports, QR codes, and the convergence of physical print with digital experiences, we look at how modern print is becoming more measurable without losing what makes it powerful. We also talk about AI, platform volatility, and why education needs to catch up by teaching print effectiveness as a strategic part of the marketing mix, not just a design execution.

If you care about brand building, marketing effectiveness, and smarter omnichannel strategy, this conversation will sharpen how you plan and how you justify budget. Subscribe, share the episode with a marketer who lives in dashboards, and leave us a review with your biggest question about using print in the marketing mix.
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What is FuturePrint?
FuturePrint is a digital and in person platform and community dedicated to future print technology. Over 20,000 people per month read our articles, listen to our podcasts, view our TV features, click on our e-newsletters and attend our in-person and virtual events. 
We hope to see you at one of our future in-person events:
FuturePrint Packaging, Labels & DTS Summit, 29-30 September '26, Valencia, Spain
FuturePrint Industrial Print Show, 11-12 May '27, Munich, Germany

Send us Fan Mail
"We do not impose; we propose."
Buskro built a strong European presence in direct mail and transactional printing, then went quiet as that market contracted. It never stopped engineering. Now, fifty years into the business, the Canadian family firm is returning to Europe with a different proposition.
Frazer is joined by Frank de Jonge, Sales and Marketing Director for Buskro Europe, and Kyle Kropman, third generation of the family behind the company, to talk about Argo-108 and the wider Argo-Verse: a modular architecture built on common mechanical, electrical and software interfaces, designed so customers configure a system around the job rather than reshaping the job around the machine.
The conversation covers why Buskro develops its own software, controllers and printhead drivers rather than buying a print engine and putting a frame around it; how monochrome, two-colour and CMYK configurations scale across print width and orientation; the collaboration with adphos to bring drying into the architecture as a module rather than an afterthought; RFID and traceability; and where the platform fits commercially against multi-million-euro fixed presses.
There's also a candid section on evidence. Argo-108 has no installed customers yet, and both guests say so plainly. What exists is fifty years of engineering, a prior carton printing and labelling project that returned roughly $300,000 in annual savings on a six-month ROI, and strong reactions from recent shows in Germany and Mexico.
Buskro will run the only live machine demonstration at the FuturePrint Packaging, Labels & DTS Summit in Valencia on 29–30 September, printing labels, corrugated board, pre-erected folding cartons and selected porous substrates.
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What is FuturePrint?
FuturePrint is a digital and in person platform and community dedicated to future print technology. Over 20,000 people per month read our articles, listen to our podcasts, view our TV features, click on our e-newsletters and attend our in-person and virtual events. 
We hope to see you at one of our future in-person events:
FuturePrint Packaging, Labels & DTS Summit, 29-30 September '26, Valencia, Spain
FuturePrint Industrial Print Show, 11-12 May '27, Munich, Germany

Send us Fan Mail
What role can marketing play in the transformation of a century-old industrial company?
In this episode of the FuturePrint Podcast, Marcus Timson speaks with Jana Bachstein, Head of Marketing at Gallus Group, about brand, communication and the importance of making industrial technology more tangible, accessible and memorable.
Jana joined Gallus three and a half years ago after working in B2C e-commerce and performance marketing. Arriving from outside print gave her a fresh perspective on an industry whose products are everywhere, but whose innovation is often poorly understood. She discusses the challenge of translating complex technology into engaging stories that connect with customers while remaining authentic to the company’s heritage, expertise and culture.

The conversation explores why effective external communication must begin with internal listening and alignment. Jana explains how working closely with colleagues across R&D, product management, sales and applications helped her understand Gallus before communicating its transformation to the market.

She also considers how marketing can move beyond promoting machine specifications to demonstrate genuine customer value. This thinking has influenced the communication surrounding Gallus Classics, System to Compose and the wider vision for smart, connected production.

The episode also examines the Gallus Experience Centre as a physical expression of the brand, bringing customers, employees and more than 20 industry partners together to exchange ideas and build trust.

Finally, Jana reflects on balancing heritage with modernisation, maintaining momentum after major events such as Labelexpo 2026, attracting younger talent and helping Gallus communicate its next chapter with clarity and confidence.
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What is FuturePrint?
FuturePrint is a digital and in person platform and community dedicated to future print technology. Over 20,000 people per month read our articles, listen to our podcasts, view our TV features, click on our e-newsletters and attend our in-person and virtual events. 
We hope to see you at one of our future in-person events:
FuturePrint Packaging, Labels & DTS Summit, 29-30 September '26, Valencia, Spain
FuturePrint Industrial Print Show, 11-12 May '27, Munich, Germany