Connected prints and connected packaging - Technologies, uses, good practice

At the start of the 21st century, two technological universes have evolved rapidly and in parallel, opening up a new field of functionalities and uses:

• mobile technologies, with the Smartphone revolution and easy access to mobile Internet for the majority of people;

• the development of printing technologies, less well known to the general public, notably marked by the arrival of digital presses. These have made it possible to print small and medium runs, print on demand and "personalize" printed products.

By convention in this article, the terms "printed matter" and "connected printed matter" refer to all types of printed matter in the broadest sense, with a special chapter devoted to the specifics of packaging and connected packaging.

Consumers are familiar with the barcode, which facilitates payment for products at the checkout. However, they are far from having imagined the services that printed matter, connected to their Smartphone, can offer them. Uses, both for the general public and for professionals, are still in the exploration phase:

• Some are useful and relevant, but need to be better known and refined;

• others, mere gadgets or fads, will be abandoned.

All fields are concerned: consumption, health, daily life, leisure... Connected printed matter is involved in the digital transition of structures and in related transformations:

• to Big Data ;

• to predictive marketing ;

• to the Internet of Things.

The solutions they provide help meet the challenges of modern society:

• safety ;

• traceability ;

• counterfeiting ;

• sustainable development...

To bridge the gap between print and digital content, technologies that often already exist have been adapted to the smartphone, and are still evolving. Three of these technologies - QR codes, image recognition and NFC - are particularly popular today. Despite their apparent simplicity, these technologies are fraught with pitfalls. Implementing them requires a good understanding of how they work, their limitations and the associated costs, in order to choose the one best suited to the context of use.

In some cases, it may also make sense not to oppose them, but to combine them. What's more, moving from the production of one connected print product to millions of copies,...