Wondering whether inkjet printing capabilities make sense for your business today, or perhaps further down the road? Then be sure to check out our production inkjet printing special report, which begins on page 30 in this issue. There, several of today’s leading digital printing thought leaders discuss the current state of the market and what a printer should consider before taking the plunge into the inkjet pool.
At PRINT 13 in Chicago, Fujifilm North America Graphic Systems Division highlighted many new products, including the Graphium digital UV inkjet press for labels, packaging, and specialty print. The press was recognized as a 2013 Must See 'Ems “Best of Category” award winner.
The biggest paper news during the PRINT 13 show in Chicago this past week, was the announcement by International Paper of the permanent closure of its Courtland, AL, mill. As to the show itself, digital remains front and center, and within digital, papers treated for continuous-feed aqueous inkjet, continue to be the buzz.
Phoenix Innovate in Troy, MI, has added a Screen Truepress JetSX sheetfed inkjet press. "When Screen approached us about the Truepress JetSX, we were ready for a commercially viable inkjet solution to fit in a high-quality print environment," said founder and CEO, Kirk Vercnocke.
At the upcoming PRINT 13 in Chicago, more than a dozen Memjet-powered products from a record-setting number of Memjet partners will be launched and exhibited. Three Memjet-powered products have already been awarded Must See 'Ems in advance of the PRINT 13 show.
At PRINT 13, Canon U.S.A. will be highlighting the new “Niagara” (development name) high-volume sheetfed color inkjet digital press that is designed to help consolidate sheetfed black-and-white and color workflows on to one production printing system.
A young designer I spoke to the other day was very frank about the fact that she did not like digital printing because you could only print on white paper. Granted there are some print providers that prefer to print on white coated stock all day long (digital or offset, it does not matter to them). And these few give our whole industry a bad reputation.
The inaugural Inkjet Summit 2013, held at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, in April, was a first-of-its-kind conference model for the printing industry. One of my biggest takeaways after attending the Summit was the consensus among printer attendees, leading consultants and participating industry suppliers alike that inkjet production printing will be a disruptive technology.
Sponsors of the Inkjet Summit 2013, Canon Solutions America, Finch Paper, Ricoh and Xerox Corp., share their thoughts on the inaugural event that was held in April at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, near Jacksonville, FL.
The potential for digital packaging is great, and while there are many obstacles, these can all be overcome. Commercial printers would also like to get into packaging, but commercial shops have some additional challenges. Commercial printers generally do not have the finishing equipment: folding, scoring, diecutting. Perhaps more significant, brand owners generally look to box makers for boxes, not commercial printers.
