InkJet Advantages
While at lunch during a conference of the National Print Owners Association, I sat among other owners and we enjoyed print-small-talk. While sharing details about our shops, my eyes lit up as I detailed the new technology on our floor.
With a giddy smile, I looked around and said, “I’m sorry. My print-geek is showing.”
“It’s alright,” I was assured, “You’re safe here.”
We laughed and continued our conversation; it’s fun to talk to people who “get it.”
At that NPOA event, Pocket Folders Fast, a dba of Wright printing/Barnhart Press, featured a folder with digital print, digital die-cutting, and variable digital foil with UV effects. It’s no wonder I was giddy. It’s time to talk about the advantages the inkjet technology brings to the mix for you and your clients.
Quality
Our investments are driven by our customer’s expectations. Of course, quality of print is the first and most important benefit. What I love the most about the inkjet quality is the color consistency, first sheet to last, one side to second side, folder to insert pieces; it is unbeatable. Obviously, quality is an assumed requirement on every job. Still, there has been a learning curve of acceptance regarding digital print and it’s been fun showing off this technology’s capabilities.
Speed to Finish
The other required benefit is the speed. Not the run speed of the press itself. The Fuji 720S runs 2700 sheets per hour, that’s respectable, but won’t win any print drag races against an offset press. No, where the speed factor of this press reigns is the speed-to-finish. With production time needs coming quicker every day, it’s critical to have these sheets dry and ready for the next process so when a sheet comes off the press. Press sheets are dry and ready for UV flood coating or UV effects, die-cutting, cutting to stitch and trim – whatever! There is no need for a coating on jobs that come off of this press.
No Coating Required
Coating is simply an aesthetic option. Even then, if a piece is heavy/full ink coverage, there is even less reason to add an aqueous coat, because the ink is so shiny that the piece looks coated, even when it’s not. The cost savings for this is an important tool to keep competitive in the market.
Short Runs and Variable Data
The next feature driven by demand is the cost-effective options of short print runs. One of the questions I get most often at trade shows is, “What is your minimum?” We’ve come to call minimums, “Suggested Minimum” because literally, any quantity is possible when using digital technology. Short runs allow you to provide options for every project, from mass mailings to a meeting of 12.
Speaking of that meeting of 12, shouldn’t every piece be customized with variable data? The answer is Yes! Yes, it should. A name, a picture, a color…variable options abound and you can provide that magic with digital print.
In Action
Call us to see the wide variety of solutions that this technology has to offer!
