When it comes to the inkjet transition, size matters
We are heading into another chapter of the Inkjet Drupa. The first show to acquire this title was 2012, followed by 2016 and while 2020 was the virtual Drupa in every sense, the likelihood is that the Inkjet Drupa title will be back. Where in previous years suppliers have been focusing on replacing legacy laser machines or the low hanging fruit of book printing, this year suppliers are hoping to convince commercial printers that the time to adopt inkjet has arrived. But there is a problem or two. We know about speeds and costs, about whether inkjet can print on every paper know to offset litho press. There is also the challenge of size.
The first inkjet presses were conceived of as a forklift replacement for laser imaging presses, so had pretty much the same footprint. Size was not an issue for book printers because work in progress of pallets of sheets awaiting folding, or sections for the binder, covered acres of space which would be eliminated by printing in page sequence and perhaps binding inline. There is no positive space argument for litho printers, especially since the continuous feed inkjet press equivalent to the productivity of a B2 litho machine is often 50% larger in terms of floor occupied. Few commercial printers appreciate this. Their experience of digital printing is that the (toner) machines are quite compact. Even a chunky B2 Indigo does not occupy that much expensive floor space.
It is as if inkjet runs counter to the concept that technology tends to get smaller: think laptops, mobile phones or televisions. Here is an advanced technology that demands more space than the technology it seeks to replace. It is hard to image just how large the Ricoh Z75 is, just how long Canon’s Prostream 3000 or even HP’s Advantage 2100. (One UK company could not replace an older generation HP inkjet press with the Advantage because of its sheet size). For some printers this will not matter greatly (and these will be the target customers for the technology suppliers). But where factory space is limited, inkjet becomes a more challenging proposition. That risks splitting the print world into those that not only can afford inkjet and understand the opportunity it presents, and who also have the space for it and those who do not. In this new world of print, size does matter.
When it comes to the inkjet transition, size matters
We are heading into another chapter of the Inkjet Drupa. The first show to acquire this title was 2012, followed by 2016 and while 2020 was the virtual Drupa in every sense, the likelihood is that the Inkjet Drupa title will be back. Where in previous years suppliers have been focusing on replacing legacy laser machines or the low hanging fruit of book printing, this year suppliers are hoping to convince commercial printers that the time to adopt inkjet has arrived. But there is a problem or two. We know about speeds and costs, about whether inkjet can print on every paper know to offset litho press. There is also the challenge of size.
The first inkjet presses were conceived of as a forklift replacement for laser imaging presses, so had pretty much the same footprint. Size was not an issue for book printers because work in progress of pallets of sheets awaiting folding, or sections for the binder, covered acres of space which would be eliminated by printing in page sequence and perhaps binding inline. There is no positive space argument for litho printers, especially since the continuous feed inkjet press equivalent to the productivity of a B2 litho machine is often 50% larger in terms of floor occupied. Few commercial printers appreciate this. Their experience of digital printing is that the (toner) machines are quite compact. Even a chunky B2 Indigo does not occupy that much expensive floor space.
It is as if inkjet runs counter to the concept that technology tends to get smaller: think laptops, mobile phones or televisions. Here is an advanced technology that demands more space than the technology it seeks to replace. It is hard to image just how large the Ricoh Z75 is, just how long Canon’s Prostream 3000 or even HP’s Advantage 2100. (One UK company could not replace an older generation HP inkjet press with the Advantage because of its sheet size). For some printers this will not matter greatly (and these will be the target customers for the technology suppliers). But where factory space is limited, inkjet becomes a more challenging proposition. That risks splitting the print world into those that not only can afford inkjet and understand the opportunity it presents, and who also have the space for it and those who do not. In this new world of print, size does matter.
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