Could printed electronics be getting a cigarette break? The tobacco companies campaigning against plans to introduce plain cigarette packs in the UK clearly do not believe that their customers, like modern-art lovers, will be attracted to blank rectangles. But necessity could be the mother of invention. Among a variety of packaging responses being mooted - such as branding the inside of the boxes - at least one manufacturer is looking at printed electronics, a technology that has long promised to enliven products from perfume bottles to children's toys. By using conductive inks, printed electronics technology can incorporate electrical circuits into cardboard and plastic for just a few pence per unit. That could mean packaging that does more, not less - even under tighter regulation. With existing technology, for example, individual cigarette packs could appear blank while on the shelf, but branded once in the consumer's hand. "Printed electronics open [up] what you can put on packaging, and what you can disguise," says Stephen Mills, director of packaging consultancy TPG. Kent, the cigarette brand, for instance, has previously used reusable boxes that lit up with messages when touched. Because printed electronics are more difficult to copy than holograms, they could also act as a security feature, allaying cigarette manufacturers" concerns that plain packaging regulation would increase counterfeits. "Printed electronics are already sufficient for brand promotion," says Scott White, chief executive of PragmatIC, a UK-based developer in Cambridge. It's a case of pulling the pieces together. It's an engineering task, not something you need lots of PhDs for. Research start-ups have long seen high-value consumer goods, such as tobacco, alcohol and cosmetics as possible springboards for electronic printing. While developers have printed batteries on pieces of paper or produced posters that act as loudspeakers, prototypes often remain answers in search of questions. Only occasionally have technologies been scaled up - for example, the battery tester printed by Duracell on its packets. L'Oréal has used printed electronics from Ynvisible, a Portuguese company, for its in-store displays. There's a lot of technology, but very few products. Users don't know what to do with a printed battery, for example," says Raghu Das, head of consultancy IDTechEx, who has followed printed electronics for a decade. Packaging companies, looking to add value to their traditional print businesses, are possible mediators. This week, PragmatIC announced a deal with Illinois Tool Works, the US industrial group, to integrate printed electronics into commercial packaging. It expects production to start at the end of the year. Others are working towards smart, functional packaging. One venture - a tie-up between Norway's Thin Film Electronics and US packaging group Bemis - is developing packaging that could monitor freshness and expiry dates. However, its products are unlikely to launch before 2014. In pharmaceuticals, smart packaging could even tell a patient when to take a dosage. "The awareness of what is possible has risen among retailers and pharmaceutical companies," says Tom Taylor, of the UK's Printable Electronics Technology Centre, which helps start-ups to make their technology commercial. After years of product demonstrations, developers feel their techniques are winning converts. "You can now make something that is compelling for the end-user," says Neil Chilton, technical director of Printed Electronics, which has co-developed prototypes including greeting cards and interactive packaging. Within the next 12 months, you would expect to see real applications.