Cover story
Tell us more about sheetfed inkjet presses. If you are waiting
to invest, can you tell us why you’re holding back?
Over the next two years, do you plan to expand into new
areas of business?
• Far too expensive
• High cost, and quality is not at the level of toner-
based digital print yet
• Waiting for manufacturers to get to second/third gen-
eration, to get the bugs out of the first generation
36%
Yes
• They are too expensive for me at this moment
64%
• The return on investment is uncertain because the
acquisition cost is high
No
• Waiting for quality to offset and price to be lower
Are you planning to invest in a 3D printer over the next two
years?
15%
If yes, which of these do you plan to expand or introduce?
Yes
No
85%
Packaging offerings 30.1%
Large-format services 33.3%
Textile Printing 17.2%
Special digital finishing 30.1%
3D printing 16.1%
Specialty printing
(promotional products)
• Too old to learn
• Have three and there is no market to make money
so will be selling 1-3
• We don't have the client base as yet as no one has
asked us for any such jobs
35.5%
Direct mail 17.2%
Mailing and fulfillment 12.9%
If you have no plans to expand, please tell us why
• Getting old
• No customer demand
• When they start we will know the technology is truly
coming into its own • Upgrading remains one of the costliest advances
simply because every company is just so greedy with
their profit margin
• No demand for it yet • Too busy right now
• Yes, but only when 3D printing becomes even more
mainstream and flexible • Too hard to get customers to pay a fair price for the
service relative to the costs
• Technology too new. Many more changes coming • We are a family business and have no desire to have
employees again
• We are ready, have a small one, looking at upgrading
• There is a demand for 3D printing
• Very useful in making small parts for my business
• Lack of money, space and time to learn new pro-
cesses correctly
Seeking new opportunities
The good news is that most printers plan to expand their
services. Leading the pack here would seem to be most
inkjet-driven applications, as is to be expcted.
@graphicarts
Filomena Tamburri is editor-in-chief of Graphic Arts Magazine.
She can be reached at [email protected]
GRAPHIC ARTS MAGAZINE | March 2018 | 23