Inkjet is the printing industry's fastest growing technology, with plenty of benefits for print service providers and their customers. Many commercial print operations, with well-established workflows and investments in offset equipment, find it difficult to envision an inkjet migration path without disrupting the entire operation-or spending a fortune to replace fully depreciated equipment.
Document Data Solutions (DDS) believes a hybrid arrangement makes the most sense for many print companies. Add digital inkjet printing to existing web presses for the best of both worlds at a manageable cost.
An Easy Transition
Besides the lower acquisition cost, a hybrid solution comes with added advantages. Operators can run hybrid presses with little additional training. Paper loading, transport, major maintenance, and offset ink color management will remain unchanged after adding digital print heads to your press.
Also unaffected are finishing workflows. The processes used to turn printed materials into finished products will be exactly the same when printing is completed in a hybrid environment.
You are probably aware of inkjet technology’s benefits. Inkjet modules can produce variable images and personalized materials that enhance the effectiveness of print projects without the overhead associated with conventional printing. With digital printing, print service providers can move their businesses into a value-driven price structure and avoid commoditization.
Benefits for All
Even shops that don’t create personalized documents can benefit from a hybrid production line. Many of our customers tell us their average run sizes are shrinking, which affects their profit margins. Printers can avoid higher costs caused by running small jobs on their analog presses by implementing a hybrid solution. With a hybrid press, printers can merge small jobs to make longer print runs. The new print heads will image only areas on the page that differ among versions.
