Survey-based analysis of finishing’s impact and expanding role in production inkjet
Production inkjet has evolved into a high-speed platform, with faster printing engines and greater sustained productivity, while the range of press formats has expanded significantly. Early high-volume production inkjet adoption was largely driven by continuous-feed (web) platforms, but the market has since evolved to include cutsheet and a growing range of presses in different sizes and configurations. As a result, print providers can produce more work across a broader mix of applications. This shift is placing greater demands on finishing to support higher volumes and increased application complexity.
As production inkjet capabilities have advanced, finishing, not printing, has emerged as the primary factor in determining overall productivity, because finishing processes are more complex, less standardized, and harder to automate and integrate at the same pace as high-speed inkjet printing. This study was conducted to better understand how finishing is impacting productivity, where constraints exist, and how print providers are adapting their investment and automation strategies in response.
The study is based on two separate online surveys targeting both print service providers and organizations that purchase print. Findings indicate that finishing is now a key factor in overall production inkjet performance. A majority of print providers participating in the survey indicate that finishing limits throughput in their operations, and nearly all say finishing is important to realizing the full productivity of production inkjet. In response, many are placing greater emphasis on finishing investments, particularly in areas such as automation and workflow integration.
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