Service & Maintenance

Printers! There’s a thing you should know! I said, Printers! To keep track of your dough! You can make more, and I’m sure you will do
 what you need to increase revenue! (sung to YMCA!)

Part of your business strategy is how you manage your labor. You look at the tasks and roles and what level of expertise you need in the person assigned. For maintenance operations, when you deploy team members and when you take advantage of maintenance programs offered by the vendors requires a careful look at your options.

Every print shop, regardless of the technologies used, should have a maintenance strategy. For many, self-maintenance is an attractive approach. Successful self-maintenance should consider more than just the cost of a full-service contract, however. Here are some considerations so you can make the best decisions!

Inkjet color may be more consistent than any other print process, but it still needs regular checkups to maintain top pop.

Attendees at the Hunkeler Innovation Days conference were motivated to seek new solutions to address their labor challenges. Their goals were: improving automation, simplifying workflow, improved throughput, and decreasing manufacturing time.

Book and magazine printer, Maracle evaluates new digital, inkjet and offset to support growth. Workflow automation drives significant reductions in labor, time to market and paper waste complicating the TCO analysis between offset and inkjet decisions.


We talk about inkjet productivity as though one size fits all, but in practice it is a function of what you need. And we all need different things. Consider the differences between industrial and production productivity and review our checklist for assessing what you need.

Looking at you DIY’ers! When you are building an inkjet system, why reinvent the wheel? Do a self-assessment to understand where your expertise is highest and where you need more help. Then begin to work through these questions to begin your project from the best base.



Understand the agreements you have, review them with your legal counsel and vendors so that everyone is on the same page. Disasters don’t appear by appointment!

Is it economically feasible to clean and reclaim inkjet printheads? Depending on the market the answer is a resounding YES.

Remember 10 minutes could save you 100k or more. Try the calculator and check back for more tips.

Check out our latest planning tool and expert tips from Broadridge on trimming downtime and saving money.

What customers should know about direct and in-direct inkjet sales approaches from 5 OEMS across the EMEAR region. Interview by Jean Lloyd.

Inkjet presses from many equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have delivered on the promise of lower cost, higher throughput, and better uptime. Many in-plant print operations attribute part of their success to their inkjet adoption strategy. Performing regular preventative maintenance is the  key to drive uptime and excellent image quality.

When that reliable, friendly face is no longer sitting in their office on your site, can’t travel, or is less available on the phone, what options do you have for getting the support you need? Ask your vendors about virtual support! It takes many forms. You may already be using some form of it, but make sure you are taking advantage of every option. 

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.

A look at the planning, onboarding and post sales initiatives at Canon Solutions America that go into ensuring long-term success with an inkjet investment.

This 5th post in the inkjet maintenance series looks at OEM apps for smartphones and tablets, and the questions to ask about the availability of advanced maintenance capabilities using augmented or virtual reality.

A fully trained operator is central to a maintenance protocol that ensures the machine will perform its best in your environment.  If you spend the necessary time and consumables during ramp up, you will reap the rewards of efficiency and fearlessness as new types of jobs come into the shop.

In the third installment of her series on inkjet maintenance, Pat McGrew talks about maintenance considerations as you add work or shifts to your press. Like Motorcycle Maintenance, your mileage may vary.