Each dish will feature a new nugget to chew on and fuel your digital cravings. This month, John Crumbaugh, Product Manager for ColorPRO Papers in HP's Media and Supplies Division, returns as host to offer his fresh perspective on how this year's pandemic has created a positive opportunity for production inkjet printing.
While times have been hard in 2020, and we're all eager to put it behind us and return to "normal," there are some bright spots to highlight, and one of those is production inkjet technology, which is in the right point in its evolution at the right time. Offset run lengths have dropped, targeted marketing has increased and the need to respond just in time has never been so important. While all of these inkjet benefits have been trending for years, the pandemic accelerated the movement of work from offset to production inkjet and has changed the print market trajectory.
BENEFITS OF INKJET PRINTING
V2020 has brought the newest press and ink technology from OEMs to production print, including HP's T250 HD press, the first to feature HP Brilliant Ink. On top of benefits like personalization and smaller runs, these new inkjet presses also take advantage of the benefits of specially designed inkjet papers with increases in speed, color gamut and performance. Inkjet papers, such as those treated with HP ColorPRO Technology, are designed and optimized for HP's new technologies as well as for current fleets of pigmented inkjet production presses.
THE RISE IN INKJET PAPERS
VThis year, we've seen the gain in importance of inkjet treated papers, with Sylvamo's Accent® Opaque inkjet portfolio and HP presses being highlighted in several high-profile newspaper and magazine articles related to the 2020 election. HP's ColorPRO Program has also grown, and the demand for inkjet treated and coated papers has never been higher as the direct mail, book and advertising markets understand the benefits of high-speed production inkjet printing.
INKJET PAPERS & PROFITABILITY
IThe most successful printers recognize that the key to profitability is using papers that can print on press at full speed with higher coverages and consistent quality, all of which can be achieved with inkjet optimized papers. Not only do these papers help streamline current production, but in many cases, they allow for the onboarding of new work. Having optimized workflows for both inkjet treated and coated papers, such as those utilizing HP ColorPRO Technology, ensure that press capacity is maximized and that any new work with heavier coverage, moving from offset and other digital platforms to inkjet, can be processed as smoothly as possible both through the press and in post-press processes.
SYLVAMO'S DIGITAL INKJET PORTFOLIO
Thank you again to John and HP Inc. for contributing to this month's Digital Dish. While we may never return to the "normal" we had become accustomed to before 2020, we hope that 2021 will see a continuation of the positive changes that have occurred in our industry, including new press, ink technology and paper introductions targeting the inkjet production industry. For a complete list of Sylvamo's Accent® Opaque digital inkjet product line, which includes ColorPRO Technology, visit our website. Lastly, we hope you had a Happy (safe & relaxing) Thanksgiving! 🦃
