Central repro for brand owners – everything you need to know about it

Once again, we stumbled across the nice article on “Zentralrepro” on flexotiefdruck.de: The article “Zentralrepro für Markenartikler – Alles, was Sie darüber wissen müssen” by Ansgar Wessendorf, (2015) and written by Hayrullah Kavakli highlights the advantages and disadvantages as well as the functioning of centralized reproduction (Zentralrepro) in the context of the packaging printing industry.

Central repro is correctly described here as a centralized form of organization of the prepress process that aims to improve the efficiency, consistency and quality of packaging production for branded companies.

First, it discusses how traditional, decentralized prepress processes work, where brand companies develop their packaging designs in collaboration with different agencies and then forward the data required for printing to multiple printers, which involves a high level of coordination and many potential sources of error, making a consistent appearance on the shelf and quality assurance difficult.

In contrast, central repro simplifies this process by having a single (or very few) service provider (the central repro service provider) responsible for processing the design data before it is (or can be) sent to the print shops.

This leads to a reduced number of interfaces, more efficient communication and improved data and brand consistency.

It should also be noted here that the artwork process can also be included for the corresponding efficiency or is already helpful through specialized companies such as DAS STUDIO by centralizing the artwork process with the knowledge of the repro requirements.

For this reason, the term “central repro” narrows the topic somewhat and other terms such as “decoupling” of design and implementation and “design-to-print process” play a role – however, the “central” character or the attribute “central” is missing here. For this reason, we also like to see DAS STDUIO as an centralized implementation agency – with central repro capabilities.

The article emphasizes the importance of carrying out the implementation step by step and taking into account all parties involved (design agencies, printers, packaging suppliers). A centralized repro requires a detailed analysis of existing processes and a clear definition of goals and expectations. Other advantages of a central repro include improved data security, centralized data management and standardized lead times.

It should be added that a good online workflow solution should also be part of the process, such as the DAS STUDIO “WebJobTasche” for centralized repro.

The article concludes by stating that large brands with extensive product portfolios and global markets have long been pursuing the concept of centralization to reduce complexity and increase efficiency. However, the successful implementation of a centralized repro requires careful planning and collaboration between all parties involved in order to take full advantage of the benefits mentioned. And we would like to add, an experienced central repro service provider or implementation agency like DAS STUDIO 😉

The German original article can be found here:

https://www.flexotiefdruck.de/dossiers/zentralrepro-alles-was-sie-darueber-wissen-muessen/