Printing Catalogs and Magazines with Production Inkjet

This June, Kodak announced the launch of their latest device: the Prosper Ultra 520, fulfilling their promise to “double down on digital.” We take a deep dive on the device specs and what makes Kodak’s latest offering remarkable.

The new press is the first Kodak-manufactured press using Kodak’s revolutionary ULTRASTREAM writing system, which employs high-precision placement of smaller, perfectly round, satellite-free drops to produce the highest inkjet image quality available in the marketplace today, according to Kodak announcement.

With the introduction of two new VarioPPRINT iX models, Canon is focused squarely on the needs of general commercial printers for high image quality on a wide media range and flexibility to run mixed media jobs at full speed. Canon will continue to market and support the current VarioPrint+ iSeries in the appropriate markets along with the new VarioPRINT iX Series. The new devices will be ready to ship in July 2020. See overview and supporting white paper.

This week HP provided a pre-drupa peek at the HP PageWide Web Press T250 HD and new Brilliant InkTM that will be added to its inkjet portfolio this year. Learn about the new capabilities of the device, available before the end of 2020, and how they compare to other devices already in the market from Canon, Ricoh and Screen.

Our most recent white paper, sponsored by RICOH, examines the many factors that combine to create a quality inkjet solution for a particular market need. The production workflow and quality sensitivity varies significantly from one application segment to another. While some companies may be replacing one technology platform with another, others are challenged to maintain compatibility between inkjet and toner or offset platforms.

Adding a tactile differentiator like soft-touch to inkjet pages is the simplest way to gain attention and make inkjet print stand out. Learn about options for different applications and the potential benefits beyond haptic response.

Get the latest Inkjet Insight white paper “Experience, Relationships and Inkjet in the Commercial Printing Marketplace.” Download for free compliments of Komori.

Most inkjet applications require paper. For many reasons, compatible inkjet paper is in short supply. If you are involved in the inkjet print supply chain, or a buyer of the finished product, it is in your best interest to help clear hurdles to identify and qualify compatible papers and to communicate availability as efficiently as possible.

David Zwang cites Mercury printing as one of the most interesting and exciting printing companies he has seen. And they have made it a practice to leverage new technologies throughout the life of the company to revolutionize their business. Read coverage on their investment and integration of technology from Landa, Xerox and Manroland Goss.

Editor’s Note: Last month we published an article by David Zwang on Landa’s first S10P duplex press beta site, Mercury Printing in Rochester, N.Y titled “Landa: And They’re Off!” With

Elizabeth Gooding spoke to John Hume, President of Hume Media, about their decision to be the first customer for the Xerox Baltoro HF Inkjet press and their expectation for ramping up production and transitioning volume from other devices.

Augmented Reality has a significant potential to reinforce your position as a though leader and open up nontraditional revenue streams that will not disrupt your existing inkjet operations. The market for Mixed Reality (Print + AR) services is projected to reach $162 billion by 2020. Let’s talk about making Inkjet Insight members part of that market.

Many buyers in 2019 are looking to complement or replace their offset production capabilities. High speed inkjet is gaining acceptance in a market with high print quality and color expectations. We are talking about high end, high value printing such as marketing collateral, magazines and catalogs. Read on for a round up of factors in evaluating presses for this market and top OEMs making the cut.

Jacki Hudmon, of Komori America talks to Elizabeth Gooding about why Komori is the best kept secret in production inkjet. Komori has committed to the market with a portfolio of inkjet products with multiple types of inks, multiple types of heads and even multiple approaches to getting the ink on the substrate in order to serve different aspects of their commercial print-focused customer base. Watch now to learn about Komori’s growth roadmap.

Inkjet Insight maps out I.T. Strategies North American print volume data to explore opportunities for production inkjet technologies. The map looks packaging, publishing, and document application categories. Production inkjet has been successful with applications that have light ink coverage printed on uncoated stocks … namely, transactional, direct mail, and some book applications. Many of these applications were converted from high-speed roll-fed toner devices and inkjet provided economic and process benefits and by adding color. Inkjet also provided the ability to add value to printed pages. It’s useful to look at the entire market to help put this area of success in perspective and to think about the requirements for expanding adoption.

The catalog market looks unexpectedly bright for 2019, both due to retail brands embracing direct mail and advances in inkjet technology to meet the needs of this challenging application segment.

Printing from the first tower allows ink twice as long to dry helping reduce roller build up and print defects in finishing.

If you are using inkjet coated or primed offset coated paper, different papers will have different porosity levels on each side of the sheet.

“To the inkjet world changing their name to Pixelle is quite fitting as it is Glatfelter’s performance inkjet brand compatible on high speed inkjet devices.” -Mary Schilling Find Pixelle Performance

In this video Elizabeth Gooding shows the event magazine developed by WhatTheyThink and Printing News and the trend toward inkjet compatibility with offset grades.