“FUJIFILM Business Innovation’s production press plays an important role in our creative process, providing us with inspiration and empowering us to turn creative ideas into real business opportunities.”
– Nicholas Yum, Director of Beluga Limited, a Hung Hing Printing Group subsidiary
Started as a family business in Hong Kong since 1950, Hung Hing Printing Group never stops transforming. From a local original equipment manufacturing (OEM) provider to a regional printing solution leader, the company continuously grows through its creative arm Beluga and other portfolio businesses. Aiming to promote personalization and sustainable designs, Beluga has developed its own brand, PAPERY, to offer customized products like MASKfolio mask holders, ionCARDholder card holders, and OmniTote tote bags using extremely durable and 100% recyclable washable kraft paper.
The passion for innovation has led Hung Hing to venture into the creative design and personalized printing business. To celebrate digital art and promote local artists, Beluga’s latest offerings under PAPERY are high-quality prints of NFT images for private collectors (NFprinT) and art prints from selected artists (ARprinT).
“Digital is a new media for art creation. We would like to leverage our heritage in printing to help digital-based artists to broaden their reach by bridging their online and offline audience,” said Nicholas Yum, Director for Beluga Limited.
One major challenge of offering ARprinT and NFprinT is to support their anti-counterfeiting authentication system. Aiming to protect ownership and intellectual property rights, each print includes a unique bank-grade QR code, which acts like a digital watermark. By scanning the QR code, viewers can verify the authenticity of the art prints, and access its unique print ID with the artists or NFT information.
Nicholas added the QR code design is highly delicate and unique to each print, any slight blurriness will affect the authentication process and access to information. On top of the precision in printing the QR codes, he said the company also needs digital production presses to accurately presents different color combinations and fine lines to capture the quintessence of these art pieces.
“But every challenge presents an opportunity for us to do better and grow bigger,” said Nicholas.
With the adoption of FUJIFILM Business Innovation’s flagship production press, Hung Hing can deliver high-definition printing of these bank-grade QR codes. The company also leverages its industry-first 6-color print engine to present brilliant specialty colors, including Gold, Silver, Clear, White, and Neon Pink, on top of the regular CMYK color combinations, to support the vibrant colors of different art pieces.
The production press also enables the company to offer anti-counterfeiting capabilities on different products. As the official ticket supplier of different major events, like the Hong Kong Sevens, Hung Hing relies on high-quality printers to provide clone-proof products for its clients.
The same high-definition technology also supports the printing of QR code labels found in drugs and dietary supplement bottles. These QR codes are unique to every bottle, providing consumers with better information and traceability of their medication.
“The technology at FUJIFILM Business Innovation has redefined personalized printing,” said Nicholas. “It is no longer about adding a personalized signature or image. By customizing each print with a unique and high-definition bank-grade QR code, we are enabling traceability of drugs and protection of intellectual property rights for artists.”
He added FUJIFILM Business Innovation also supports the R&D process of Beluga’s many in-house products. Used as the primary printer to develop prototypes, the design team can experiment with different colors and printing materials, speeding up their product development process. It enables the development of many award-winning products, including the origami-art-inspired Ori Tote bags made with folding washable kraft paper.
“FUJIFILM Business Innovation’s production press plays an important role in our creative process, providing us with inspiration and empowering us to turn creative ideas into real business opportunities,” added Nicholas.
The experience to turn creative ideas into business success has also inspired Hung Hing to nurture creativity for the next generation.
To nurture next-generation designers, Beluga has been organizing internship programs, encouraging student designers to work with its creative teams to develop new product ideas.
As part of the company’s appreciation for Hong Kong culture, Beluga’s design team also developed MahjongDao—a celebration of Chinese traditional tile games. This game set is made with recyclable material, but the laminated processing provides leather-like tiles, making MahjongDao a luxury collectible item that meets sustainability.
Moving forward, Hung Hing will continue to diversify its heritage in printing with a passion for creativity. One example is the company’s subsidiary called YumMePlay – an experiential learning platform for kids. With a history of printing children's books and toys packaging, YumMePlay is a natural extension to nurture creativity through curating products and experiences using print and digital media.
“Printing is and will always be our core business. But bridging print and digital media to nurture creativity will be our motivation and inspiration for continuous growth,” Nicholas concluded.
