By adding functionality, objects can become intelligent, capable of carrying information and even communicating. The bearer of this intelligence is the packaging.

For example, large retailers can add intelligence to their supply chains by attaching information to the goods they transport, store and sell. The first step would be the integration of a RFID chip; the second, the addition of sensors that can sense the condition of the object and of the environment. As Baumann says, in this context we also have to think about battery systems that must be adapted to the specific needs of the individual item.

He explains that this is not so far from printing as we know it today. In theory, the RFID antenna can be printed easily with a packaging press, merely by using a silver ink as if it were a spot colour. So one printing couple would be used to print the antenna. However, the process requires some extra steps, such as coating and application of the chip, so the presses will become more complex. In the laboratory, an inkjet press with a dryer is used.

Baumann concludes with a short explanation of 3-D printing, a process that can build three-dimensional objects by using a kind of sand that is fixed with a special ink. Step by step, in layers, the object is constructed – but should we call that printing?