David Savastano, Editor06.07.23
Editor’s Note: The digital printing is growing rapidly, and Fujifilm is a leader in the industry, from its digital printers, software, printheads and inks. Steve Billow recently added CEO to his duties as president of FUJIFILM Dimatix, one of the major leaders in the printhead field. Billow succeeds Martin Schoeppler, who is retiring after 15 years as CEO.
Billow has been in the digital printing industry since 1998, and worked on the early inkjet printers at Kodak before moving on to EFI and 3D printer Desktop Metal before joining Fujifilm in 2022. He offers his perspective on where the inkjet industry has been, how it has grown over the years, and where it is heading.
Ink World: How long have you been in the inkjet field?
Steve Billow: I have been part of the digital printing industry since 1998, and I’ve seen a lot of change. I am an engineer by trade, and spent the first 10 years of my career sensitizing plastic films for cameras. I did R&D on fluids and coating flows, and toward the late 1990s you could see that digital would be a good opportunity. Kodak had its own digital group, and it turned into a desktop printing project which I was part of.
In 2011, I joined Jetrion, which was sold from Flint Group to EFI. We developed label printing systems, and I spent two years with them, and then joined EFI’s larger inkjet group in New Hampshire, where I saw a lot of various aspects of industrial printing. Then I transitioned to Desktop Metal, which was in the 3D printing space, for three years as president, and then joined FUJIFILM Dimatix in October 2022.
I never thought about building inkjet printheads again. When we created the desktop printer printhead at Kodak, we built it from the ground up and it turned out to be the hardest part of the entire program. When a recruiter called me about returning to the printhead field, I initially declined, but then mentioned it was FUJIFILM Dimatix. I was a customer of theirs, and we considered their printheads as best in class in performance and reliability. I just love good engineering, and when they brought me around their fab, I was all in.
Ink World: What have been the most significant changes you have seen in the inkjet industry over the years?
Steve Billow: In the late 1990s, inkjet printers were niche – we printed photos and graphics slowly. Now it is full blown production in all kinds of applications. It has taken off. It is an exponential growth – the reason inkjet printing has grown rapidly is because of printhead technologies, system integration and inks that are completely different from what they were 20 years ago. They are so much more advanced today. We can print on nearly any substrate. That is how it has gone from a niche to a true production solution.
Ink World: As previously a competitor and now as part of Fujifilm, what do you see as Fujifilm’s strengths when it comes to digital printing?
Steve Billow: I never really felt like I was a competitor of FUJIFILM Dimatix as the company was a supplier to us. As related to digital inkjet printing, FUJIFILM Dimatix has been in the forefront of opening new opportunities for our technologies in graphic arts, packaging, surface decoration and functional printing, as well as developing novel systems and technologies for emerging industries.
Ink World: What inkjet printing markets is FUJIFILM Dimatix strongest in?
Steve Billow: We’re strong in the surface decoration markets like ceramics and textiles. We also serve the established graphic arts markets from documents to packaging. From a packaging perspective, that is where suppliers are focused right now. We certainly see great growth potential there. Print service providers are now printing at speeds exceeding 100 meters a minute at 1200 dpi, and the print quality rivals that of analog. We’ve have removed many of the objections for using digital inkjet in production environments.
Ink World: Along those lines, what markets do you see inkjet printing making headway in next?
Steve Billow: Packaging is the next big opportunity and is absolutely the place to watch. I think some of the packaging markets will go digital in a big way in a range of diverse applications such as labels, corrugated, flexible packaging, folding cartons, and direct to object. I also believe that inkjet technologies impact industrial segments like additive manufacturing and printed electronics enabling significant growth opportunities, new supply chain path and naturally diversifying our market reach.
Ink World: What is your outlook for FUJIFILM Dimatix as well as the inkjet industry in general?
Steve Billow: I’m positive about the future. What has made FUJIFILM Dimatix the leader that it is in the inkjet field is being the top supplier in terms of performance and quality. The other thing is our focus on our customers – I’ve spent my first six months visiting many of them, and what they are doing with our printheads is inspiring. We are going to stay close to our customers. We have our two platforms – Bulk Piezoelectric printheads like the STARFIRE® and the MEMs like the SAMBA® printheads – and we will continue to leverage those two core technologies and even combine them.
The inkjet community is big but it is a close-knit group. It is one of those cases where the rising tide floats all boats. I think inkjet can grow in many ways. To that end, Fujifilm has made a massive investment in the industry and in FUJIFILM Dimatix. We are committed to inkjet as a technology and a community that can benefit our industries served collectively.
Billow has been in the digital printing industry since 1998, and worked on the early inkjet printers at Kodak before moving on to EFI and 3D printer Desktop Metal before joining Fujifilm in 2022. He offers his perspective on where the inkjet industry has been, how it has grown over the years, and where it is heading.
Ink World: How long have you been in the inkjet field?
Steve Billow: I have been part of the digital printing industry since 1998, and I’ve seen a lot of change. I am an engineer by trade, and spent the first 10 years of my career sensitizing plastic films for cameras. I did R&D on fluids and coating flows, and toward the late 1990s you could see that digital would be a good opportunity. Kodak had its own digital group, and it turned into a desktop printing project which I was part of.
In 2011, I joined Jetrion, which was sold from Flint Group to EFI. We developed label printing systems, and I spent two years with them, and then joined EFI’s larger inkjet group in New Hampshire, where I saw a lot of various aspects of industrial printing. Then I transitioned to Desktop Metal, which was in the 3D printing space, for three years as president, and then joined FUJIFILM Dimatix in October 2022.
I never thought about building inkjet printheads again. When we created the desktop printer printhead at Kodak, we built it from the ground up and it turned out to be the hardest part of the entire program. When a recruiter called me about returning to the printhead field, I initially declined, but then mentioned it was FUJIFILM Dimatix. I was a customer of theirs, and we considered their printheads as best in class in performance and reliability. I just love good engineering, and when they brought me around their fab, I was all in.
Ink World: What have been the most significant changes you have seen in the inkjet industry over the years?
Steve Billow: In the late 1990s, inkjet printers were niche – we printed photos and graphics slowly. Now it is full blown production in all kinds of applications. It has taken off. It is an exponential growth – the reason inkjet printing has grown rapidly is because of printhead technologies, system integration and inks that are completely different from what they were 20 years ago. They are so much more advanced today. We can print on nearly any substrate. That is how it has gone from a niche to a true production solution.
Ink World: As previously a competitor and now as part of Fujifilm, what do you see as Fujifilm’s strengths when it comes to digital printing?
Steve Billow: I never really felt like I was a competitor of FUJIFILM Dimatix as the company was a supplier to us. As related to digital inkjet printing, FUJIFILM Dimatix has been in the forefront of opening new opportunities for our technologies in graphic arts, packaging, surface decoration and functional printing, as well as developing novel systems and technologies for emerging industries.
Ink World: What inkjet printing markets is FUJIFILM Dimatix strongest in?
Steve Billow: We’re strong in the surface decoration markets like ceramics and textiles. We also serve the established graphic arts markets from documents to packaging. From a packaging perspective, that is where suppliers are focused right now. We certainly see great growth potential there. Print service providers are now printing at speeds exceeding 100 meters a minute at 1200 dpi, and the print quality rivals that of analog. We’ve have removed many of the objections for using digital inkjet in production environments.
Ink World: Along those lines, what markets do you see inkjet printing making headway in next?
Steve Billow: Packaging is the next big opportunity and is absolutely the place to watch. I think some of the packaging markets will go digital in a big way in a range of diverse applications such as labels, corrugated, flexible packaging, folding cartons, and direct to object. I also believe that inkjet technologies impact industrial segments like additive manufacturing and printed electronics enabling significant growth opportunities, new supply chain path and naturally diversifying our market reach.
Ink World: What is your outlook for FUJIFILM Dimatix as well as the inkjet industry in general?
Steve Billow: I’m positive about the future. What has made FUJIFILM Dimatix the leader that it is in the inkjet field is being the top supplier in terms of performance and quality. The other thing is our focus on our customers – I’ve spent my first six months visiting many of them, and what they are doing with our printheads is inspiring. We are going to stay close to our customers. We have our two platforms – Bulk Piezoelectric printheads like the STARFIRE® and the MEMs like the SAMBA® printheads – and we will continue to leverage those two core technologies and even combine them.
The inkjet community is big but it is a close-knit group. It is one of those cases where the rising tide floats all boats. I think inkjet can grow in many ways. To that end, Fujifilm has made a massive investment in the industry and in FUJIFILM Dimatix. We are committed to inkjet as a technology and a community that can benefit our industries served collectively.
