One prominent example is Nike's use of digital printing to create customized athletic wear. By leveraging custom athletic apps like Color of the Week, which provided users with the ability to design unique shoe colors, Nike reimagined its traditional marketing model into a more responsive program. Nike reported significant gains in sales thanks to the innovative promotion.
Another instance of digital printing's implementation can be seen in the rise of Funko POPs, miniature collectible figurines based on popular culture icons. Funko uses digital printing to mass-produce their POPs line on demand. The company boasts a vast and ever-changing catalog of characters, making digital printing a flexible operation for creating and updating catalogs.
Digital printing is also key to the success of print-on-demand services, such as Teespring and Redbubble, which cater to artists and designers by producing products such as customized items with custom graphics. Teespring's platform allows users to upload designs and artwork, and these are then printed and shipped directly to the customer. By eliminating waste, POD businesses have made digital printing a cornerstone of their operations.
Furthermore, companies such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have made use of digital printing to develop attractive packaging designs that change over time, highlighting the increasing trend towards packaging innovation in the beverage industry. This can include dynamic packaging materials with shifting graphics.
Lastly, in the world of interior design, the furniture designer Herman Miller relies heavily on digital printing to create complex geometries that would be difficult to produce with conventional production methods. Herman Miller's customization of furniture speaks directly to clients' needs for a wide array of custom design options.
The success of businesses that incorporate digital printing into their operations suggests a bright future for this technology. Digital printing opens the door for companies to consider flexible design options, optimized logistics, and short-run production capabilities based on growing customer demands for customization. These competitive advantages provide industries with room for innovation and improved operational best practices.