Production inkjet has changed the role and economics of print manufacturing, bringing digital flexibility, automation and productivity to a broader range of applications and volumes. But as providers move more work to inkjet, the performance of the press is only one part of overall production performance.
Finishing: Production Inkjet’s Next Frontier, an Alliance Insights study, examines what it takes to get more from production inkjet as volumes, applications, and production complexity increase. The research is based on surveys of 182 print providers, including 60 production inkjet users, and 207 communication buyers and influencers. The research was made possible with the support of Canon U.S.A., EMT International, Müller Martini/Hunkeler, and Tecnau.
Productivity Is Becoming a Workflow Issue
The research finds that the next productivity gains are increasingly tied to how efficiently work moves through the entire production environment, including workflow, automation, job setup, material movement, finishing, and the connections between systems. That shift is showing up in investment priorities. Software or workflow integration is the top planned investment among production inkjet users surveyed to support finishing, cited by 50% of respondents (Figure 1). Providers also plan to invest in binding systems (38%), nearline finishing (35%), inline finishing (33%), inserting (30%), and automated cutting and folding (30%).
Read this full article on Printing Impressions, a publication of PRINTING United Alliance, ASI’s strategic partner.
