Production Inkjet disrupting the future of the graphics industry

Production Inkjet systems will change the graphics industry forever. Over the coming five to ten years inkjet systems will be faster and cheaper than offset or laser printers. This in combination with the simple operation of such systems and the possibility to produce finished products will threaten current business models, minimise employment in the traditional printing industry and without a doubt cause bankruptcies. This is not just a pessimistic scenario, this is reality!

Look at new production inkjet systems brought to market by Screen, Canon/Oce, HP and other manufacturers. Beta testing of these systems has been successful and the first orders are in. Quad/Graphic, an American printing giant, ordered no less than 20 HP Web Presses. These highspeed inkjet systems will be able to increase Quad´s digital output by more than 150 per cent. A growth most likely at the expense of offset.

Learnt form previous mistakes

The manufacturers of these systems have learnt from previous mistakes at the introduction of new products. Mistakes such as trying to sell a ´good enough´ quality and hiding the variable costs such as maintenance and supplies which left users with a hard to manage cost price. The print quality of these new systems will be as high, if not higher, as the traditional prints and the cost price of an inkjet print will be able to compete with other systems. Add to that the fact that investment and operating costs are lower than with offset and it´s a no-brainer.

Not just for printing giants

The trend will influence not only the top of the market where speed and high volume of continuous inkjet systems are essential. A new generation sheet fed inkjet printers will find their way to countries where the printing market is smaller. These sheet fed inkjet printers with their low investment costs will enable graphics entrepreneurs to timely change course. Which will be necessary. Digital systems are highly automated, have various print media options inline, the low cost of water based ink and a wide variety of finishing options which offer short production times will be fatal for offset and laser printers. You understand that it is vital to keep an eye on these developments. Starting with projects such as HP´s PageWide and Canon´s Niagara. And don´t forget the interesting developments at Screen with their TrueJet and Landa with its Nanographic.

It would surprise us if toner bastions such as Xerox and Ricoh do not come with interesting ink jet developments, since that technology is the easiest and fastest to get ink onto print media and to change the graphics industry forever.