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.

Whether you are currently using production inkjet or considering investing in your first press, you will want to understand how inkjet can help you enter new markets, or do more for the customers you have now. Not every market will be a fit but we will help you understand how to evaluate options at our free webinar on July 17.

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.

Benny Landa first introduced the concept of “Nanography” at drupa 2012. There was a reaffirmation of the introduction at drupa 2016, and since then, lots of quiet. It turns out the quiet was self-imposed, and in the interim Landa has been very busy building an organization and shipping presses.

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.

Inkjet Tip of the Week: Some inkjet devices come with valuable cost-saving features. Here are a few to look out for:

Alex Joos of Group Joos, located in Belgium, joins us for a deeper dive into their use of inkjet across multiple operations. Group Joos provides transaction printing and direct mail services to a very diverse market using inkjet across all areas.

Electronics For Imaging, Inc. and Memjet have established a new partnership, bringing ultra-fast, high-quality EFI Fiery digital front ends (DFEs) to the growing portfolio of Memjet DuraLink digital inkjet production solutions

Xerox has announced the availability of the Baltoro High Fusion Inkjet Press. This is a press announcement, but Xerox was consistent in positioning the Baltoro as a “platform” in the model of the Trivor, iGen and DocuTech series of devices.

Inkjet Tip of the Week – Use Ink Wisely. Using a standard, default profile could be costing you money. When creating custom profiles, be sure to print profiling patch charts with different TAC settings such as 260, 240 and 220,  for high, medium and low ink usage options. Print efficiently and economically based on the customer’s needs, not default settings.

First press in its class to leverage automated intelligence and deliver true HD image quality

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.

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.

Robert Clark, manager of digital operations for IWCO Direct provides an overview of one of the inkjet educational tools he uses extensively – and why it matters. He’s referring to the Glossary of the 2nd edition of the Designer’s Guide to Inkjet. Wow – we have a fan. Thanks Robert.

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.

Inkjet is having an impact on every segment of the print market. While adoption has been slower in some segments than others, the need for inkjet presses to stay running has caused a ripple effect across segments. Many print organizations who invest in inkjet quickly seek to diversify their book of business in order to fill their inkjet presses, minimize marginal running costs and maximize revenue.

Is inkjet eating toner’s lunch? In some areas, yes. But, as long as there are many types of print organizations, there will be a need for many types of printing devices. One size does not fit all. Your mileage may vary. Definitely see the dealer for details.

The Ricoh Interact 2019 event followed the best practices for business development, customer education and ongoing measurement recommended to attendees.

Dave Phillips of Paragon Customer Communications is back with more details on 2 very different UK sites where cutting edge inkjet equipment coexists with some more “old school” tech. Dave provides insight on working with inkjet and coated paper, best fit of different inkjet technologies and the implications of GDPR requirements for transaction printers and direct mailers.

An updated to our series of tools is a fully customizable Process Color Guide for our premium members. Designed as a fan book, the guide can be printed on each of your approved inkjet papers and supplied to customers as appropriate for their design project.