Inkjet Personalization — Time to Get Personal

The second offering, the Wavejet drop-on-demand technology printer (with a targeted release of first quarter 2004) can ink-jet addresses and print graphics and messages on a variety of paper stocks, including aqueous coatings and most plastics.

The RISO printing and addressing system enables users to print and address mailers, postcards and envelopes, in one pass, reports Anne Barrett, vice president of sales for RISO. The pieces to be printed feed directly through the printer/duplicator for printing of return addresses and teaser messages, and then through the ink-jet variable information printer for the printing of addresses.

Getting the Message Out

For customers, Barrett feels the process represents the best of both worlds. "The printer/duplicator delivers high speed—120 pages per minute—printing in a variety of colors, at a fraction of a cent per impression. So printing the return address and teaser message is fast, inexpensive and the color really brings the message out," she says. "The in-line MX1200 variable information printer then prints the variable information, creating a finished piece that is ready for mailing.

"Printers who want to offer mailing services to their customers can add this capability to their operation for a low investment amount, when compared to other mail printing systems," she contends.

A recent trend has witnessed the migration from shuttle-head printers to fixed-head printers, according to William Longua, manager of marketing services for RENA Systems. And while at one time a single cartridge was used to print data and graphics onto a mail piece at a speed of 7,000 per hour with a six-line address, entry-level printers with multiple cartridges now print information simultaneously with an operating speed of 22,000 #10 envelopes per hour, with nine-line addresses.

"Our printers are all built on a modular architecture that uses banks of three cartridges per printing unit," Longua says. "This process allows us to put together products for our different market segments, but still maintain consistent capabilities and print quality.