he said. “Light packaging is one of our
highest projected areas of growth as
it is currently estimated to be over a
$500 billion market in the value of
prints—and only 2% of that is digital at
this point.”
But creating premium prints today
oft en requires more than superior imaging,
says Fulena. “Finishing is going
to be a huge trend. Print providers
need to consider what they are doing
with an application, such as whether
it’s being folded, going onto a carton,
or getting creased. Th ose are the kinds
of things that make the diff erence
between being profi table—and not.”
At the very high end of the market,
digitally printed home décor elements
such as textiles and wall graphics are
also growing in popularity.
“Offi ces, hotels, and restaurants want
to create an atmosphere that appeals
Ricoh’s Pro VC40000 continuous-feed inkjet printer brings speed, resolution, and ease of use to direct
mail and transactional output.
to consumers,” said Weymans. “Today
you can take any kind of vacation
picture, drop it into a workfl ow system,
and separate it into diff erent panels. It
happens automatically, starts printing,
incorporates instructions on how to
apply the wallpaper, varnishes it, and
sends it to rewinding.”
Automation equals
effi ciency
Th is type of “lights-out” solution, Weymans
predicts, is where the industry
is headed. “In the workfl ow arena, you
see that people are automating their
processes a lot, striving for more effi -
ciency and more lean manufacturing.”
Christopher agrees, emphasizing
that digital presses can help shops
both expedite production and dramatically
lower their running costs. “Th e
ability to migrate off set work to digital
platforms gives them fast turnaround,
fast proofi ng, and
an easier approval
cycle,” he said.
Lou Stricklin,
director of product
marketing for Oki
Data’s industrial
printing group, emphasizes
that, because
the technology
and workfl ows
Kodak’s NexPress
digital production presses provide
optimum fl exibility in regards to substrate types, thicknesses,
and formats.
involved are still
relatively new, many print providers
struggle with just how to price their
digital prints.
“It is important to show print
providers and the design community
how to profi t on short-run digital
applications,” he said, adding that cost
calculators and other estimation tools
can help.
Another common challenge is
ensuring that digital prints appeal to
today’s increasingly online and mobile
consumer.
“Our buying habits are changing,” said
Fulena. “Millennials don’t read newspapers;
they read phones. Th e printed
piece has to go hand-in-hand with a
brand’s e-commerce presentation, and
print providers have to be creative.”
Shaping the future: ink,
toner, and media
Th at is where new, emerging ink, toner,
and substrates come into play, says
Hawkinson. “Inkjet advances continue
to come in the form of media and ink.
We work directly with paper mills and
media vendors to rigorously test and
qualify products, and even co-develop
papers designed specifi cally for inkjet
printing.”
Fuchs emphasizes the important
role new white toners and inks play in
expanding design options. “When added
as an undercoat for CMYK prints,
white enables printing on darker substrates,
and the result is a much more
fi nished look than plain white paper
provides,” he said.
Holdo adds that conductive ink
technology is also advancing, and
promises to help brands better engage
consumers and address growing security
concerns.
“We are currently looking
at new technologies in
conductive ink printing and
printed RFID chips,” he said.
“It is possible to create a print
that allows someone to press
a button and have a light
come on, for example, on a
package or greeting card. Using
a conductive ink, you can also test
that a package is original, and you can
even serialize that RFID to validate
that it is a legitimate product and not a
counterfeit.”
As for the future of digital presses,
Ross says, “Th ere is only so much
growth in traditional print, so we are
going to see a convergence with print
shops broadening what they do.”
According to Holdo, “Th e sky is the
limit. I expect to see innovations that
exceed our imagination today at a pace
that matches what the PC experienced
just a few years ago.”
Weymans added, “It’s very important
for those in the printing market to
stay educated and informed on all the
various options out there. Th ey need
to make sure they are making sound
investments in the technology based
on facts and fi gures.”
16 Printing News October 2017 PrintingNewscom