The global digital printing market will grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 6.45% between 2021 to 2026 says market research consulting firm Mordor Intelligence.

This is being driven, in part, by advertising, commercial, security and transactional work benefiting from on demand, fast, affordable, high quality results. A key factor also highlighted was an increased use of variable data printing (VDP) such as customized content and images in marketing and promotional campaigns.

Short run self-publishing will contribute to this positive outlook, too, as it harnesses the flexibility, optimized stock handling, and minimization of time to market for printed content.

This optimism, given the past year, is welcome but not a surprise. And the highlighted sectors are where we expect digital inkjet to become the most desirable technology. That is something we recently discussed here.

Important, too, is inkjet’s feasibility and how it can respond to evolving market demands.

There are three crucial areas that inkjet delivers on for graphic arts specialists:
• Quality and flexibility
While quality is fundamental to our research and development, it is equally important that new systems and solutions are flexible and adaptable to changing market demands. That includes our flagship color continuous feed inkjet press, the Ricoh Pro VC70000. It is enabling operations to expand their capabilities.

Examples include Print Service Providers (PSPs) strong in transactional print that are now transitioning into magazines, brochures and books. Offset image quality is achieved by the recently previewed Ricoh Pro Z75 B2 color sheetfed inkjet press through Ricoh’s own printhead, aqueous ink and dynamic drop size technology. But it also offers media versatility for those seeking to expand their application range and profitably meet increased demand for short runs.

• Productivity
Digital print, and particularly inkjet, is ‘an increasingly important and valuable part of the overall print market’ according to Smithers Pira’s The Future of Digital vs Offset Printing to 2024. It stated inkjet will increase competitiveness on longer runs via new generations of high throughput presses and offer new revenue streams for graphic arts specialists. The agility of digital inkjet drives this by allowing the efficient completion of short and long runs with equal ease. Set up is fast and simple, too, maximising up time.

• Cost
The ability for digital inkjet to print on demand and produce what is needed when it is needed avoids waste and supports just in time delivery, eliminating the need for inventory. This reduces costs and saves time. Inkjet supports cost effective production, too, by being able to handle quick turnaround smaller repeat orders of longer runs previously printed offset.

These elements make inkjet viable and feasible, but they are not the only consideration.
Inkjet can open up new opportunities. Each printed page can be unique and incorporate data helping ensure content is relevant. This arms marketeers with creative ways to develop engaging communications.

Is also offers greater efficiency by delivering items on time in the quantities required.
To learn more about inkjet’s feasibility and how you can make the most of the growth opportunity visit https://www.ricoh-europe.com or contact your local Ricoh company to discover more.