The Growing World Of Inkjet
Part 1 of 3
(for the full article, contact the publisher:
omike@dealercommunicator.com)

If inkjet can be considered a bandwagon technology, graphic communications professionals are jumping on it-and at an impressive rate.

by Julian Robledo, General Manager, Agfa Corporation, Inkjet Division

Major trade shows, such as Graph Expo and SGIA, are seeing more visitors than ever before lining up to see inkjet solutions being demonstrated live, to listen to inkjet developers and vendors share their industry visions, and to talk to inkjet users who have already established a marketing foothold with the technology. It is no coincidence that over the last 18 months many new vendors have appeared on the scene with new inkjet-based products and technologies, just as a growing number of dealers and end-users have decided to find out as much as they can about the product category. Inkjet is a non-impact technology that offers a wide window of opportunity unlimited by size or dimension. Using precision print heads, inkjet systems can place fine dots of ink on virtually any medium that can fit under the heads. If it can be considered a bandwagon technology, graphic communications professionals are jumping on it-and at an impressive rate.

What's the Attraction?
The answer to why inkjet is such an appealing option lies in the fact that the benefits and opportunities of the technology are becoming clearer to the creative, production and print-buying communities. Inkjet is a direct route to creative, cost-effective and profitable printing. It can be customized, proofed on press, and effectively carried out at a very wide array of sites and locations. It can be used with both rigid and flexible media, and delivered with the highest degree of quality.

Inkjet can turn over many jobs in a short period of time, complementing all other print technologies that printers may currently be using, thereby increasing their overall output. Plus, it is not difficult for most shops and corporate print departments to bring inkjet in-house, even if it hasn't been part of the overall planning for too long.

One industry observer, impressed both with inkjet's precision and relatively straightforward procedure, referred to the Dotrix as a cluster of high-tech print heads that beam down an image with unmatched accuracy on almost any medium that can fit under the heads. That, of course, may be a fancy turn of a phrase, but it's not too far from the truth. Inkjet technology is, in essence, thousands of ink droplets landing in exact designated locations on the substrate.

In many ways, the technology is growing even faster than we had anticipated. Today we see inkjet images as advertisements on the sides of buses, as creative labels on oversized boxes and packages, as large backlit displays, as brilliant fine-art reproductions and more. And we are currently laying the foundation for uses as broad as the imagination will allow.

For the full article contact the publisher: omike@dealercommunicator.com Part 2 of 3 will appear in the March edition of Dealer Communicator and again in DealerCommunicatoronLINE