Cover story
Wide-format market trends
Tony Curcio
The future remains bright as advances in equipment , media and inks spur growth in numerous new applications
Today , the term wide-format seems to have evolved into almost a cliché , referring to any printing beyond the largest standard tabloid format of 11 " x 17 ." But what exactly is wideformat printing ? Also known as large-format printing — whether sheetfed or roll-fed — the term refers to computer-controlled printers that can support a maximum print width from 18 " to 100 ". That being said , some consider true wide-format widths to begin at 24 ". Printers and presses with capacities over 100 " wide are called super-wide or grand-format devices . Wide-format printers can print banners , posters , tradeshow graphics , wallpaper , murals , backlit film , vehicle wraps , architectural drawings , construction plans , backdrops for theatrical or TV media sets , and much more . They ’ re usually inkjet-based or toner-based and are more cost-effective than screen printing for most short-run projects , depending on print size , run length and substrate type . They can also be categorized by the type of ink transfer process they use such as aqueous ( water-based ), solvent ( usually petroleumbased ), eco-solvent ( usually glycol esters or glycol ether esters ), dye sublimation ( inks are diffused into the substrate ), UV ( piezo inkjet printers whose inks are UV-curable ), and pen / plotter devices where pen / pens draw on the substrate ( mainly used to produce CAD drawings ).
According to UK-based market research firm Smithers-Pira , the digital wide-format industry is dynamic and fast-moving , reaching a high stage of maturity in less than 20 years with a strong proliferation of players and consolidation . “ The number of integral players is shrinking , and start-ups are becoming quite rare ,” it said . “ Major players with diverse interests in the printing industry — specifically the digital printing industry — are now active in this particular market segment . Meanwhile , wide-format screen printing , which for many years has been the predominant technology in the display graphics and visual communications sector , continues to lose ground . Innovations are few and far between , and it ’ s now confined to a role as a legacy technology , although it will retain an important position for several
@ graphicarts GRAPHIC ARTS MAGAZINE | May 2018 | 15