Feature
directly from customers databases,
configure the data properly, and get it
out as fast as possible. In 2017, long-term
inkjet R&D was in its infancy and partner-
ships between different players, paper/
ink producers and press manufacturers,
were being formed. Lots of R&D dollars
were being spent on making the equip-
ment less ‘troublesome’.
Let’s be clear: The driver behind inkjet
printing is fluid dynamics and bright
researchers. Researchers whose innov-
ations motivate manufacturers with the
competitive spirit are continuously
improving the mechanics and technology
of their equipment to accommodate end-
customer needs. Researchers continue
to see oppor tunit ies to
commercialize the
properties of liquids
being shot through
p inhea d jet s o n to
surfaces to produce
images. A bet ter
understanding of
liquids and how they
behave in different
situations, along with
increasing processor
speed and data capabilities,
co u p l e d w i t h m e c h a n i c a l
advancements, have worked
symbiotically to make inkjet
printing more versatile, more
cos t- ef fec ti ve and more
efficient. The collaborative
research conducted between
inkjet manufacturers, ink producers
and university researchers has pushed
and pulled inkjet to the forefront of the
printing industry today.
Also, the capability of inkjets to print on
corrugated, folding cartons, flexible,
rigid plastics and a host of other sub-
strates, has allowed many printers to
enter new label and packaging markets
and capture market share. Inkjet
innovations also continue to increase
the ability to print on differently sized
surfaces, and the flexibility to produce
images on non-conventional substrates
such as glass, wood and metal.
Researchers are testing droplets of
molten metal that can be used with
conductive material that creates oppor-
tunities for inkjet printing on jewellery,
@graphicarts
electronics and engine parts. Improve-
ments in single-pass technology also
allow printers to work faster – with the
end result that ‘super-fast inkjet presses’
can produce high print quality work on
just about any material in different
dimensions. And, driving cost down
further is the integration of inkjet digital
print ing w it h value - added pos t-
press f inishing systems. Advances
in computer processing power now
allow for the handling of large volumes
of organized data from various sources
at unprecedented speeds in variable
formats. Be the data structured, numeric
data in traditional databases, unstruc-
tured text documents, email, video or
a digital technology, is able to provide
personalization and customization.
That’s where scalability, price and
speed will be the decisive factors.”
Convincing seasoned ‘iron’ press
operators that inkjet printing is efficient
is a hard sell. Past experiences with
an inkjet printing process (compared
to offset printing with respect to down-
time and ink costs) didn’t favour inkjet.
While these metrics have drastically
improved in inkjet’s favour recently,
manufacturers must be at the ready
to provide prospective purchasers
with reliable cost-per-sheet information
and identify ‘crossover points’ where
one system begins to be more costly
to operate than the other.
Taming the
tiger’s habitat
audio,
processing innovations
are making variable-data printing (VDP)
much easier.
Why invest?
If the ultimate reason for any printer
to adopt different printing methods
is to shift work away from high-cost
traditional printing presses, to lower-
cost, more easily scalable equipment,
then, according to Marcel Slot, Senior
Print System Architec t and Lead
Technologist for Inkjet at Océ: “Inkjet
can compete with offset printing.
Moreover, it offers faster turnaround
times for flexible production and, being
Inkjet processing
when done properly is
expensive in terms of
building or buying soft-
ware, designing and
creating equipment space
and training employees.
And, because it takes
significant time to recoup
this up-front investment, one
needs to take the long view.
Building a sustainable inkjet
business doesn’t simply start
with the purchase of an inkjet
press. Success begins with
leaders who invest professional
development dollars in their most
valued resource…their employees.
There’s lots of preparation that needs
to be done to keep the presses running
smoothly, at top efficiency and with
minimal downtime. A wise man (my
father) once reminded me that you have
to spend money to make money. For
printers to earn sustainable revenue
from inkjet printing, they need to be
reinvesting its returns back into their
employees as well as their equipment.
Caterina Valentino, PhD, is an Instructor
at the Ted Rogers School of Management
at Ryerson University and the Faculty of
Health Disciplines, Athabasca
University. She can be reached at
[email protected].
GRAPHIC ARTS MAGAZINE | November 2019 | 27