Articles By Lois Ritarossi

With the evolution and variety of inkjet options now available, smaller volume print operations like small and medium size in-plants are now considering inkjet adoption. The justification and cost analysis for inkjet is not as straight forward as the cost of acquiring previous new printers. In evaluating the cost of inkjet adoption there are many considerations beyond the cost of acquiring the printer. While there are varying opinions and models for comparing total cost of ownership (TCO), a detailed cost analysis should compare total cost of finished pieces leaving the facility and the opportunity for impacting the results of printed communications.

Too often, the term “in-plant” has become homogenized. It is used as a generic term for any organization-owned print operation. When we take a closer look, we see that in-plants have varied names, especially when broken out by vertical market. These differences are important for OEMs to understand, and buyers to communicate when evaluating production inkjet.