Cover story
Print on anything with
wide format inkjet
Chris Smyth
Dye sub and aqueous applications push this segment forward
Wide format continues to be a desirable, value-added mar-
ket area that both new and established print service providers
appear to be keen to enter and to grow. The 2017 Printing
Forecast, prepared by whattheythink.com, reports that wide
format printing, and the related area of specialty print-
ing, are the two leading options for printers looking to add new
capabilities.
In the same repor t , sur vey respondent s identi -
fied the SGIA (Specialty Printing & Imaging Technology) Expo as
the second leading tradeshow they planned to attend in
2017 (Print 17 in Chicago was the leading one).
New wide format equipment, combined with new ink technolo-
gies, are being used to create a sweeping array of products
with high visual impact, including banners, posters, interior
and exterior signage, exhibition and event show graph-
ics, retail and POP (point of purchase) displays, window
graphics and clings, floor and wall graphics, vehicle wraps,
and interior décor pieces.
Wide format equipment is also successfully being used to
help produce consumer product packaging prototypes, as
well as limited runs and specialty promotional items. Col-
lectively, these higher value-added products are creating
new opportunities for printers to expand their current
markets.
@graphicarts
Wide, or large, format printers are generally considered to be
those that support a maximum width between 18 and 96 -
100 inches. Devices with capacity over 100” are considered
‘super wide’ or ‘grand format’.
Today’s wide format devices are digital printers that are either
roll fed or flatbed - built with a table where the substrate is
loaded and the table then moves under the printhead
array. Hybrid printers, which can handle either format, are
gaining attention from printers looking for maximum flexibility,
with reduced capital costs.
The inkjet roundup: from dyesub to UV LED
Today, inkjet technologies are the primary ones used to image
wide format jobs. This generally, but not exclusively, means
the use of electricity and pressure to control delivering ink
onto the substrate, using piezoelectric printheads. This
approach is more popular, across a broader range of end
uses, because it supports a wider use of inks compared to
thermal (heat) inkjet technologies. Thermal technology, how-
ever, can be more economical, and easier for a shop to
maintain.
InfoTrends / KeyPoint Intelligence, a market research firm for
digital imaging, predicts that the two main areas of wide
format growth in North America will be dye sublimation and
GRAPHIC ARTS MAGAZINE | November 2017 | 13