Here at PRINT 18 in Chicago there were many opportunities to see pure inkjet applications and hybrid applications that used a combination of inkjet and toner, inkjet and offset or all three. In this video I talk briefly about the event magazine developed by WhatTheyThink and Printing News. The entire magazine was envisioned, designed, written and produced in a few short weeks with a series of variable covers highlighting the versioning and personalization value of inkjet.
It also highlights a growing trend in inkjet technology which is the ability to print on offset grade papers rather than inkjet formulated papers. The magazine was produced using the Océ ProStream™ Continuous Feed Inkjet Press from Canon, however many other OEMs offer solutions that broaden the array of substrate compatibility. Ricoh had samples from the VCPro 70000 produced on offset coated and uncoated papers (for which they received Vanguard and Franklin awards), Xerox also has multiple aqueous inkjet devices using ink formulations that don’t require inkjet treated grades. Konica Minolta leverages UV curable inks to broaden substrate compatibility. HP was one of the first companies to deliver compatibility with offset grades using their priming agent to precoat the paper in-line.
Since one of my primary activities at the show and leading up to the show was to research the use and availability of inkjet formulated papers in the North American market, I was very interested to see how the quality on offset stocks was progressing. There has been tremendous progress, and clearly it is a focus for OEMs.