Industrial Printing Takes Branding to Next Level

Industrial printing is considered by many industry experts to be the greatest advancement in the printing industry in decades, and for good reason. We are seeing the opening up of endless opportunities in the personalization, geo-customization and consumer interaction of product packaging.

The ability to connect with consumers in a more personal and engaging manner than that of your competition is more important than ever now. Digital printing has become a ‘game changer’ in creating an efficient, cost-effective way for companies to make this happen.

Whether it is diverse packaging versions, multi-lingual labeling or custom messages, digital printing allows for short runs that keep your consumer loyalty high, while keeping production costs low.

Significant Growth in Industrial and Functional Print Markets

The industrial and functional printing industry is expected to grow another 62% by 2020 (becoming a 107 billion dollar industry). “Printing technology is widely used to decorate items from architectural and automotive glass to ceramics, electronics and textiles with new functions including biomedical, display and photovoltaics becoming significant”.

Although analog printing methods are still widely used, digital printing is growing most significantly here as well. New inkjet inks and fluid are creating new opportunities, and the overall efficiency and cost –effectiveness of digital printing is creating an inevitable shift in the industry.

“Industrial functional print is growing as demand grows for construction, automotive, electronics and manufactured products that use print – and there is more print involved in the manufacturing processes. This is in stark contrast to publication and commercial print, where volumes are declining,” said Sean Smyth, print consultant and author of The Future of Functional and Industrial Print to 2020.

Why Digital Printing is Making a Difference

Although digital printing is still in its relative infancy, it is unquestionably one of, if not the most revolutionary advancements in the history of printing. Digital printings superior accuracy, speed and short run capability has created an industry game changer…and we’re just getting started. Its many benefits include the following:

 Speed

Digital printing eliminates the need for any press preparation. The printing process is extremely simpler. No plate mounting, no adjustments, no ink keys and minimal setup. This means production begins almost immediately and the finished product is delivered much more quickly. As the saying goes, time is money. Digital printing saves a ton of it!

Cost

The financial savings provided by digital printing is monumental. The ability to provide short-run print jobs eliminates the need for minimum quotas, prep time (associated with offset printing) and results in quicker delivery. This all equates to lower overall costs and the ability to offer your services to a wider range of businesses.

Green

When you go digital, your company’s green status is elevated right away. This is because (unlike conventional printing) the pre-press stages involving photo chemicals, plates, ink keys and other materials no longer exist.

Flexibility

Due to the non-existence of plate changes and setup fees, digital printing offers the ability to make design changes quickly and with minimal effort. This is becoming increasingly essential in a world where Web-to-Print and Print-on-Demand markets are growing rapidly.

The Future of Digital Printing

The digital printing industry has increased by more than 400% over the past 10 years. According to Smithers Pira, the digital print market will reach 225% of its 2013 value by 2024. Reasons for the growth cited their report The Future of Digital Printing to 2024 include the following:

  • Improved customer service levels
  • Increased personalization and versioning
  • New revenue streams for customers
  • The ability to produce high quality short runs
  • Impact on labeling and packaging industry

The report also states that while electrophotography is currently a leading contributor to the growth of the digital market, inkjet is the sector that is growing more rapidly. It is expected to account for 53% of the digital print volume by 2024.

The future appears very bright for the digital printing industry, as increased volume is expected in printed packaging, electronics, medical, automotive, glass and textiles.

Engineered Printing Solutions designs and builds specialized machines to fit whatever unique application you can dream up. We partner with you to create a machine that satisfies your requirement 100%. Visit us at www.epsvt.com

EPS proudly offers The XD-70 Multi-Color Industrial Inkjet “image direct” from computer to print. The perfect solution for short or long runs with quick changeovers Single Pass Inkjet Printing and variable data. This printer is ideal for multicolor printing on flat and semi-flat surfaces on a variety of substrates and can be customized to meet your printing needs.