Photos courtesy Fujifilm North America
By Peter Saunders
Flatbed inkjet printing systems have become a very popular and useful tool for graphics producers. According to document technology strategy and consulting firm InfoTrends, the retail value of wide-format graphics has experienced a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5 per cent in North America over the past five years, reaching an estimated $20.5 billion U.S. in 2015. Signs and other wide-format graphics remain an integral part of major marketing campaigns, representing a major opportunity for print service providers (PSPs).
The rise of wide-format printing has been particularly impressive in comparison to the commercial offset printing sector. When North American wide-format businesses grew by an average of 10.4 per cent in 2011 over 2010, commercial offset businesses shrank by 0.5 per cent. Not coincidentally, many offset printing companies have begun to add wide-format digital inkjet printers to their production departments in recent years.
The shrinking market for some traditionally offset-printed applications is not the only reason for this trend, however. Offset PSPs are also attracted to the higher profit margins that can be realized with wide-format graphics, from flexible banners, wall murals and floor graphics to rigid point-of-purchase (POP) displays, fine art reproductions and trade show exhibits.
“They may also seek to ‘build a fence’ around their existing client base by adding capabilities to meet more of their customers’ marketing needs, like end caps for store aisles and backlit prints for restaurants’ menu boards, rather than force them to shop elsewhere,” says Heather Roden, associate product marketing manager for Fujifilm North America’s graphic systems division. “And compared to screenprinting, setup time is minimal, short runs are economically feasible and customization can become highly personalized.”
That said, it may not always be clear when a sign shop or PSP is ready to make a significant capital investment in a flatbed system, let alone what to look for to ensure the best equipment purchasing decision is made for the needs of that particular business.
Winning more work
One issue is determining the right tool for the job. Different kinds of equipment lend themselves to achieving different kinds of applications.
Roll-to-roll inkjet printers, for example, offer many of the same digital advantages as flatbeds and can print a broad variety of wraps, banners and other flexible graphics, using paper, vinyl or lightweight textiles, but they cannot by their nature print on rigid media. So, while many PSPs and sign shops first dip their toe into digital wide-format graphics with a roll-to-roll model, it is often just a stepping stone. As soon as they are called upon to print on materials like foamboards, rigid polyvinyl chloride (PVC) panels and aluminum composites—or unusual substrates like glass, wood, carpets, metals and magnetic materials—they will need either a ‘true’ flatbed press or at least a ‘hybrid’ printer.
(By way of explanation, with a hybrid flatbed printer, the printing carriage is stationary and the substrate passes through it, from a feed table to a take-up table. With a true flatbed printer, on the other hand, a vacuum table keeps the substrate stationary, while the inkjet printhead carriage is attached to a gantry that moves over the table.)
Many sign shops first dip their toe into digital wide-format graphics with a roll-to-roll inkjet printer.
Other flatbed-friendly applications include edge-to-edge graphics, lenticular displays, double-sided graphics, textured prints and ‘tiled’ large-scale displays involving multiple panels. All can be accomplished with perfectly repeatable registration.
Another issue is finishing. Roll-based printed graphics begin as flexible substrates, but often need to be mounted onto a rigid backer anyway. With a flatbed press, on the other hand, the same graphics can instead be directly printed onto rigid substrates, avoiding the cost and time involved in mounting them.
“With efficiency comes increased speed,” says Roden, “and with increased speed comes a better production process.”
Saving time, especially, has become increasingly important in today’s market. More and more, graphics customers have come to expect shorter turnarounds in an age of on-demand, just-in-time service. Many also order shorter runs than in the past, which has given digital an advantage over analogue printing technologies.
