Formica Group has inkjet-printed architectural laminates for dividers, tabletops and display walls.
Photos courtesy Formica Group
Benefits and obstacles
The survey’s participants were asked, “What do you believe is the main value that inkjet printing provides for decor production?” With multiple answers permitted, the most popular options cited were the following:
- The ability to print short runs, due to the flexibility in production and cost savings (85.3 per cent).
- The ability to personalize and customize output (72.6 per cent).
- The freedom for designers to experiment and add new value (64.7 per cent).
- The ability to print multiple designs without increasing costs (52.9 per cent).
- Savings from not having to stock large inventories (48 per cent).
- The ability to print direct-to-surface without paper (35.3 per cent).
- Savings from consolidating and/or simplifying the supply chain (32.4 per cent).
“These responses seem to be more typical of a consumer-oriented market than an industrial one,” says Hanley. “It is more creative, but it is also harder to build from scratch.”
With that in mind, participants were also asked which problems are holding back inkjet adoption in the decor industry. The following were the top answers cited:
- A lack of technology knowledge and expertise among potential users (59. 6 per cent).
- High costs of ink (56.6 per cent).
- Technical difficulties with non-contact inkjet printing onto challenging surfaces (47.5 per cent).
- Prevention of change by companies threatened by potential disruption (30 per cent).
- Lack of open collaboration between suppliers (26.3 per cent).
- Misleading assumptions about digital technology needing to be simple to implement (26.3 per cent).
- Heavy investments in older technology making change seem too risky (25.3 per cent).
- Limited selection of digital print machinery options (20.2 per cent).
“The concerns about high costs and lack of knowledge are not really correct, but default answers until the industry decides the time is right,” says Hanley.
InPrint, for its part, responds to these concerns by emphasizing the need for more effective collaboration between inkjet technology manufacturers, particularly given the steeper learning curves, longer-term investments and yet-unclear value propositions faced by large-scale floorcovering producers. Also, data suggests ink costs will be high until the market develops and matures, at which point they will decrease and normalize.
Changes to come
Finally, survey participants were asked what changes would be needed for inkjet printing to become more widely used for decor. With multiple answers again permitted, the most popular options were as follow:
- Improved understanding of inkjet’s value as an additional technology, rather than a replacement (62.4 per cent).
- Greater knowledge of the flexibility inkjet technology offers to designers (57.4 per cent).
- More collaboration between suppliers of industrial inkjet equipment, inks, integration and expertise (55.5 per cent).
- Access to lower-cost inks (39.6 per cent).
- Clearer rationale to justify changing and adopting inkjet printing (27.7 per cent).
- More openness from the flooring industry to accepting new technology (23.8 per cent).
Certainly, it is difficult to convince business owners to take a risk on new technology when there is hardly any proof yet of it being used successfully by key companies in the same market.
“The existing scaled decor market has so far failed to get into digital printing for a range of reasons,” says Hanley. “This will change, but the day has not yet come. For now, direct-to-consumer is a better bet.”
As when any new production technology enters a given market, InPrint explains, there will be an initial period of resistance and learning until further clarity is gained as to the specific role it will play and the relevance it will have in the long term. InPrint also points out are projects set to launch that will help show what specific value inkjet technology can add to floorcoverings and wallcoverings. Once these competitive advantages are proven, the rest of the market will begin to integrate inkjet technology, too.
There is already a high level of interest and a confident expectation of growth. The next few years should be significant for industrial inkjet printing of decor.
With files from InPrint, the next edition of which will be held from Apr. 25 to 27, 2017, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit www.inprintshow.com.
