Why commercials printers should look at high-speed inkjet

Is inkjet superior to offset?

For the bulk printing of identical papers, offset printing is the dominating technique, but inkjet press technology is employed where any degree of personalisation is necessary. Offset printing, commonly known as litho, is ideal for magazines, but transactional data, such as bank statements, necessitates a digital interface coupled with an inkjet printer capable of producing large volumes cost efficiently.

In this article we look for the answers, and if it comes down to winning more customers, and increasing your profitability while maintaining the quality, we think you will be surprised at our verdict!

What advantage does inkjet have over offset?

It’s time to reconsider inkjet printing, since if you’re willing to question everything, you can solve everything! So it is with inkjet, which has unique capabilities: it is cost-optimized for big volume variable print, and it delivers without the time-consuming and expensive set-ups of an offset press. After all, you need agility to get your margins out of the commodity zone and drive value. Right?

Transactional printing advantage

Inkjet is ideal for transactional work (mono or with colour embellishments) or short-turn high-volume assignments, and it really shines when you market print as “beyond a commodity”: direct mail may become quite profitable, and the possibilities are limitless!

Is there a cost advantage with inkjet?

Because the Xerox Baltoro replaces up to twenty Xerographic machines, adding inkjet capability to your in-house print room or commercial print business is now very inexpensive.
It makes logical to cut your costs to £3.00 per 1,000. We are certain that lowering your costs from £30/1,000 to £3 is a sound financial decision. This is the Baltoro equation, which combines value, velocity, and volume in a single production press.

When it comes to high-volume transactional work where personalization is critical, you have two options: print colour with litho and overprint with mono, or do the project in-house in a single pass. With 90% of your profit on the line, consider twice!

Inkjet press versatility is a key factor

Our production print specialists are available to walk you through the options and advise you on alternatives. Maybe you need a roll feeder, or maybe you need to install a second high-capacity ‘unload while run’ stacker. For new, higher-value applications and increased flexibility, use the new inline Tecnau Dynamic Perforator or Bourg BB3202 Inline Perfect Binder. We have the answers.

The Inkjet Revolution

Another print revolution is underway, with global inkjet usage increasing from 350 to 700 billion pages in only five years. Inkjet has reduced costs and improved quality, and while it is still limited by media when compared to offset, the gap is closing.

Where the monthly volume of transactional work is between .5 and 3 million impressions, and you see the benefits of being able to employ coated or uncoated media with a vastly streamlined supply chain, inkjet wins hands down.

Of course, the economics of investing in a Baltoro can be enhanced for print shops by combining customisation with static content.

Speed and energy utilisation are still important, which is why low-water inks reduce drying time by 35-50% on a press that already uses up to 65% less energy in run mode. The argument has simply gotten stronger!

Can You Tell The Difference?

Offset or inkjet?

Offset vs. Inkjet… this is no laughing matter! We don’t think you’ll notice the difference. The Xerox Baltoro heavy production press will put your printing skills to the test, thanks to the ‘Colour Accelerator’ module and exceptional artificial intelligence.

The Xerox R&D pays off

Xerox has invested substantially in improving its ink set, so the current high fusion inks lay exceptionally nicely on top of coated papers, offering a quality that, unless you have a loupe, is practically indistinguishable from offset printing.

Deana Conyard, Xerox’s Worldwide Product Manager, states, “It’s interesting because when printers start to evaluate print, they over-analyse it. They start to pull out their loupe, they smell it, they scratch it, they crumple it …” She’s correct, and the public receiving your print can’t tell the difference (except, they do love the personalised communications aspect)!

Print Personalisation

Because marketing is evolving quickly, we talk a lot about print personalization and hyper-personalization. It’s no longer about sprinkling paper communications everywhere but rather engaging in a multi-channel manner to trigger a measurable engagement, whether that’s making an appointment or demonstrating an engagement by visiting a website.

Integrating with XMPie

People can relate to the printed word emotionally when personalisation is combined with the unrivalled visual quality of high fusion ink. When you combine that with XMPie software, communication is brought to a completely new level of relevancy and is far ahead of offset!

What makes the print stand out if not the personalisation factor: seeing their name – or relevant graphics – incorporated, if printers can’t identify the difference between offset and inkjet? Inkjet is the answer, and Advanced UK is prepared to demonstrate it to you “hands-on”!

Why it’s time to consider the Xerox Baltoro inkjet press

Offset-like quality

You can now access offset printing’s superior quality. High Fusion Print Engines and Ink’s superlative performance enables you to operate a wide variety of coated media that customers are requesting. Additionally, printing without a primer is more environmentally friendly, and the texture and sheen of your substrate will pop.

You receive a number of advantages when using the Xerox High Fusion Ink and their W-series Print Heads, including exceptionally fine line detail and edges, remarkably smooth sweeps and gradients, flawless registration, sharp white knock-out, powerful blacks, and a wide spectrum of brilliant colours.

Inkjet is taking over the market!

“High-speed inkjet presses are the biggest growth opportunity in production print. Not only will they grab share from toner devices, they will help push the analogue-to-digital conversion. Inkjet changes not only the pricing model for print SPs but also how they handle workflow and automation because of the increase in uptime and print volume. For the print SPs, inkjet is a game changer, and choosing the right technology supplier is imperative in riding that inkjet wave of success.” — Amy Machado, research manager, Imaging, Printing, and Document Solutions

Commercial printers are particularly interested in the publishing industry since new technology makes it possible to produce high-end publications and books with several advantages that were not before possible.
Roll-fed inkjet’s fast speeds are advantageous for direct mail. Direct mailers gain from being able to quickly create mail pieces that can be modified, versioned, or embellished with changeable data.

The transactional industry is getting better marketing tools, which historically hasn’t had the same full-colour benefits as other printed products. Offset shells can be created by commercial printers in this sector, which can then be spruced up with full-colour inkjet printing that interacts with the recipient.

Isn’t it time to learn more?