The world of printing has changed over the years. In the first half of the 20th century, letterpress was the leading technology. Over the years, offset virtually eliminated the use of letterpress. Meanwhile, many foods typically packaged in boxes went over to plastic bags, and flexo and gravure became key printing processes.

In the past two decades or so, digital printing has emerged as an alternative to these analog printing technologies. In some cases, inkjet printing has completely taken over markets such as billboards and ceramic tiles; in other markets, inkjet is making headway.

Digital printing will not completely replace analog printing, but it will continue to grow. The National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers (NAPIM) showcased some fog the latest technologies in its first Digital and Emerging Technologies Conference (DETC), which was held May 18-19, 2021.

“We are really pleased with the first-ever Digital and Emerging Technologies Conference,” said George Fuchs, NAPIM director, regulatory affairs and technology. “The topic selections are timely and the speakers and panelists have been well prepared and informative. We are already looking forward to next year!”

DETC offered a powerful roster of speakers from inkjet leaders. Presenters included EFI, HP, Sun Chemical, INX, Ricoh, LogoJET, Domino and others, as well as end-users.

“Each of the sessions in this year’s DETC was carefully selected to focus on issues and topics that are of great interest to ink manufacturers and our printer customers,” Fuchs noted. “Every ink manufacturer and their upstream supply chain need an understanding of these technologies and how they can be used to enhance their product lines.”

The conference’s first day, which was moderated by Jim Lambert of INX International Ink Company, offered lots of inkjet insights, including Inkjet 101, a look at the growth of inkjet printing, and direct-to-object printing. After BASF’s Mike Oberski welcomed attendees, Xaar’s Mike Seal opened the talks with “Inkjet 101,” a comprehensive look at inkjet printing, from ceramic tiles to glass and labels.”

“I strongly believe we are only scratching the surface of what can be jetted,” Seal told attendees. “Inkjet adds value and can be robust. Digital printing has gained an increasing share of the industrial label market. It can print on a wide range of substrates, and can also print high levels of varnish on the label. The other extreme is the ability to print reliably in any orientation. Inkjet will continue to come to the fore in the manufacture of many of the products that we buy.”

James Bullington of LSINC Corporation looked at direct-to-object printing in his talk, “What Do Digital Effects and Contoured Printing Offer to Brand Owners and Require from Suppliers?”

Bullington observed that water slide decals are the current form of decoration, but inkjet offers some key advantages.

“There are opportunities for direct-to-object printing,” Bullington said. “You can launch market-tailored promotions with less work in process. Inkjet is well suited for high mix, low volume production, and small orders with customized graphics for seasonal or regional market promotions are ideal. Prototyping can be done quickly. This eliminates screens, pads and plates.”

Shane Bertsch of INX International Ink then gave an informative talk, “Digital Printing Evolution – Ink and Printers.” He looked at the way digital technologies converted markets such as billboards, plate making and T-shirts.

“Billboards were the first to be replaced by digital printing,” said Bertsch. “In 1990, billboards were still being handpainted, and silkscreening took over in 1994. In 1996, digital printers were introduced, and by 2005, billboards were a fully digital market.”

Similarly, direct to plate technology was introduced in 1995, and by 2000, the market had fully converted to digital.

Bertsch noted that digital textile printing is moving toward digital.

“Digital T-shirt printing was first demonstrated in 2006,” said Bertsch. “Now the market is about 50%.”

Bertsch said that direct-to-object digital printing is a new development, with very high-quality graphics being seen on glassware and cans.

Day 1 closed with a panel discussion covering “Analog to Digital Panel.” Panelists included Sun Chemical’s Phil Jackman, HP’s Adi Shorer, Lubrizol’s Andrew Grantham and Dr. Jianping Wang of AGC Automotive Americas R&D, Inc.

Dr. Wang spoke about the present and future usage of ink in the automotive glass market. Presently, automotive glass manufacturers use black ceramic inks and conductive inks.

“Black ceramic ink hides wires, and black UV ink protects adhesives,” Dr. Wang noted. “They are also used for logos. Conductive silver ink is used for heating lines, which now also apply to windshields in front of camera and Lidar systems, as well as glass antennas and busbars. We typically use screenprinting.”

Dr. Wang said that inkjet printing offers some key advantages, beginning with the ability to greatly reduce the cost and space requirements of keeping inventory of all windshields.

“Why digital print? We will be able to print on demand and also print continuous silver lines,” Dr. Wang concluded.

Jackman focused on industrial markets.

“In digital packaging printing, we are seeing reductions in run lengths and trends toward local production and more focused marketing,” Jackman said. “The demands on print are significant, and ink is very often the enabler for industrial markets. Applications are almost endless.”

Adi Shorer of HP noted that digital is growing faster than the market, and discussed corrugated market trends.

“The corrugated market is seeing a move toward high-quality boxes,” Shorer said. “The Internet has led to the explosive growth of eCommerce, and COVID-19 has broadened the base of customers. Inkjet offers short lead time, the ability to make last-minute design changes, reduction of costs, high-quality print and sustainable print.”

Lambert asked the panel what is holding back inkjet.

“Everyone says inkjet is the answer, so what is slowing the adoption?” he asked.

Jackman said that inkjet’s evolution is continuous and there is a market pull. He also said that he anticipates more aqueous inks and green solutions.

“The business model is there too,” Jackman added. “Analog is a pretty good process. Ten years from now, inkjet will be everywhere for sure. Where will print be – it could be print on demand at the point of consumption. Inkjet has only just started.”

Stephen Shannon of HP, who joined the Q&A portion of the panel, discussed sustainability and water-based inks.

“HP’s True Water-Based Ink is truly environmentally-based and recyclable,” Shannon said. “We are looking to avoid anything that is not truly sustainable.”

The second day was moderated by Peter Saunders of Sun Chemical and examined a diverse range of topics, including printed electronics, printhead technology, food-grade edible inkjet inks and corrugated inkjet printing, a growth area.

Erica Rebrosova of Sun Chemical led off with “Advancements in Materials and Processes for Printed Electronics Manufacturing.” Rebrosova noted that rigid PCB solutions are still dominating electronics, but there is a clear need for increased use of flexible circuits in multiple markets.

“Silver is the benchmark. Copper Flex is the clear choice for copper surfaces, while silver wins out on cost and lower complexity,” Rebrosova said. “Printed electronics is more sustainable for printed circuits. The ability to increase the resolution of silver circuits helps to improve the competitiveness of silver circuits on PET vs. traditional copper flex on PI film. Smaller particles and uniform dispersion are preferred for reliable performance of superfine line printing.”

Rebrosova noted that screenprinting is 98% of printed electronics processes.

“In my opinion, inkjet stands out as a contender,” Rebrosova said. “It is a digital, additive process. There is minimal material waste, and there is a limited number of materials available. There is an opportunity for inkjet to displace the vapor deposition process, such as in OLED and solar.”

Ricoh’s Richard Darling then discussed “Print Head Tech,” offering an overview as well as information on Ricoh’s new variants of bulk piezo printheads.

“Formulating ink for jettability is often a tradeoff with final product properties or process performance,” Darling said, noting that cost, sustainability and energy consumption are aspects to consider. “Only certain things should be disrupted. Analog does some things better. Replacing analog completely is unrealistic. We have to prove clear economic benefit.”

During his talk, “Food Grade Edible Inks,” LogoJET’s Oscar Granados noted that LogoJet first made its name in printing golf balls.

“Our customers want to go into the customization business. You can get so many different things customized,” Granados said. “Because of the pandemic, many of our customers went into home business. Also, a lot of sporting goods are being customized.”

Granados said that LogoJET is working with Sun Chemical on food-grade edible inkjet inks. “Our inks are 100% FDA approved,” he said.

“We were stepping out of our comfort zone,” he noted. “Our ink delivery system can print on anything that is edible.”

“If you improve the experience, people will buy more,” Granados added, using the examples of weddings and pet foods. “We are allowing our consumers to improve their product and enhance their experience. The range of applications is infinite.”

“Oreo is selling one cookie sandwich for $2.50 per cookie sandwich, with a minimum order of 20 cookies,” said Granados. “We have a customer that is decorating 40,000 cookies digitally per day.”

When it comes to food-grade inks, Granados recommended working with knowledgeable ink companies.

“You should always partner with strongly equipped and regulatory knowledgeable ink companies,” he concluded.

The conference concluded with a panel discussion from the perspective of inkjet manufacturers and converter. Liz Logue of EFI opened the panel talk with a focus on the EFI Nozomi 18000 digital corrugated printer.

“Custom expression is growing, and online sales are booming,” Logue said. “Brand packaging trends are driving digital – we are seeing a huge increase in the number of products in the field. SKU count is growing in all sub-brands, which means more customization. We are seeing the digitalizing of the entire packaging ecosystem. This is going to push digital printing going forward – unlimited design, fast turnaround time, very environmentally friendly as there isn’t much waste. Digital printing is driving revenue for our customers.

“Inkjet is important in corrugated,” Logue added. “Offset litho is a two-step process, and flexo needs color for each plate. Inkjet prints directly onto the substrate. We see the box as the new branding platform, from the brown box to branded boxes. Digital printing also allows different effects, like specialty colors and printing over white. We use LED inks, which use low power and don’t require drying. We are all becoming more environmentally conscious.”

Whitebird is a converter located in Ontario, Canada, and George Perreira of Whitebird talked about how the EFI Nozomi 18000 has increased business.

“The bulk of our business has been in eCommerce, and our customers want to improve their image on the doorstep rather than at a brick and mortar location,” Perreira observed. “Digital has been an impressive tool to improve our business. People who used to nickel and dime us are happy to pay $3 or $4 a box. They see the value now. It’s exciting.”

Matthew Condon of Domino focused on Domino’s offerings, including the box market, with Domino’s new X630i press.

“The new business model is shorter runs, new streams of business and expanding current capabilities. These types are more nimble when it comes to going to market,” Condon reported. “There is less set-up and make-ready. There are no printing plates and lower minimum run quantities.

Dave Reed of Sun Chemical then joined the Q&A and looked at packaging. “These are exciting times we are in,” he said.

For more information, check the NAPIM website at www.napim.org, or contact Fuchs at gfuchs@napim.org.