Commercial Print, Meet Inkjet

Inkjet printing has made big gains in wide-format applications. It is also coming onstream in roll-fed “transpromotional” print, where personalized data print (credit card bills and the like) is combined with marketing messages in high volume runs. IBM, Kodak, Screen and Agfa have debuted speedy roll-fed systems recently.

What about the commercial sheetfed market? With top speeds of 18,000 sph, could full-sized sheetfed presses be displaced by faster inkjet platforms? If so, will digital prove to be a complementary or a disruptive force?

Inkjet has taken share among screen printers, many of whom have successfully added digital capabilities. Executives at leading screen ink manufacturers Fujifilm Sericol and Nazdar, which supply both markets, say customers with the foresight to add digital presses have found them to be profitable. Fujifilm Sericol also sells U.K.-based Inca Digital wide-format printers, which use Sericol UV inks.

With an eye toward the commercial sheetfed market, Sakata Inx acquired Triangle Digital LLC in early 2006 and merged it into INX International Ink Co. Brad Kisner, president of Triangle Digital INX, sees the commercial sheetfed market evolving in a similar way to wide format. “The same thing is happening in conventional,” he says. “We see the middle market growing—more wide-format machines. For conventional printers, moving into digital is a way to expand business and profits. It's a real opportunity for traditional printers who are willing to take the risk. We have received several inquiries from INX's installed base, indicating that these printers have an interest in moving into digital in the next few years. Meanwhile, some large commercial printers already have digital equipment.”

Suggesting commercial sheetfeds will be displaced by digital in the near-term is probably far-fetched. Rather, says Sean Skelly, director of marketing for Jetrion Industrial Inkjet Systems (now part of EFI), companies are developing hybrid technologies, combining sheetfed and digital to best serve their customers by adding variable data and personalization inline with offset.

“As with other traditional printing technologies, inkjet technology is initially cooperating with sheetfed printing to enable new applications,” Skelly notes. “This is referred to as the hybrid model of printing. A good example of this is in the bindery where sheetfed output is batched and then variable information is printed.

“Additionally, there are certain offline, niche applications where personalization and batch printing have enabled inkjet to excel,” he says. “Examples include personalized calendars and localized short-run advertising.”

“Inkjet printing is likely to make inroads against conventional commercial sheetfed printing only where variable printing is required or where personalization can add value,” adds Peter Saunders, sales and marketing manager for Sun Chemical's SunJet division. “It is more likely inkjet will be a complementary technology in this area, at least for the near future.”

There are some challenges that will have to be overcome before inkjet can overtake sheetfed. “There are certain barriers for printing fast, high-quality work,” Saunders says. “There will have to be a lot more printheads, which is expensive in terms of hardware, and a lot more computing power is required. Still, there have been recent advances—printheads are jetting smaller drop sizes, which is improving quality. The inkjets also are jetting faster, which allows data to be sent more quickly.”

Says Triangle's Kisner, “Some new head technology is coming down the pipeline: microelectromechanical systems technology, which is much cheaper than using a piezo crystal. It will be a key to mass array high-speed printheads for, say, commercial catalog printing.”

Indeed, reports are circulating of print firms and equipment manufacturers in accelerated development and testing of such advanced, high-speed inkjet platforms. Ink suppliers can expect to play key roles also, since the performance of ink is a significant factor in inkjet engine operation.

“We're also creating Global Service Squadrons—selecting key specialists from U.S., Europe and Asia support centers,” Kisner notes. “Squadrons can be dispatched to handle new installations as well as problems on-site. As digital continues to change, the steps we're taking will enhance our position as cross-platform ink specialists and digital service providers.”

Only when inkjet presses are able to match sheetfed productivity will inkjet pose a legitimate threat in this area.

“Ultimately, inkjet printing will simultaneously meet all the key requirements of commercial sheetfed printing (speed, quality, width and cost) and, at that point, inkjet will be considered a more direct technology competitor than it is today,” Jetrion's Skelly adds. “This technology/product adoption model—first hybrid, then replacement—is a recurring theme throughout all printing markets, just at different rates—e.g., screen printing sooner than offset.”

And, notes Kisner, “Digital currently is ideal for small customized runs, where it is not cost-prohibitive. As the technology becomes faster, inkjet will take bigger bites out of the market—10, 20, 30 years from now, everything will go digital if it can print fast enough.”