Drupa recently published its The 5th drupa Global Trends Report, and this year’s report outlines the most optimistic trends Drupa has ever published. As the global economy continues to recover, both printers and suppliers are confident about the future of the printing industry.
This year’s Global Trends Report surveyed 708 printers and 234 suppliers. Of those surveyed, 40 percent of printers and 56 percent of suppliers described the state of their business as “good,” compared with only 9 percent and 5 percent of respondents who are somewhat worried about the future and claimed their business to be “poor.”
As economic confidence continues to grow, so do the capital expenditures of printers and suppliers. And when printers choose to invest, they are investing in digital printing. Printing with electrophotography or inkjet machines are the most widespread processes these days. Thirty percent of respondents claimed that more than a fourth of their turnover is the result of digital printing technology.
Developments in inkjet technology are driving this adoption. The speed, quality, and total cost of ownership of inkjet printing have evolved to be a mature and stable process. Today’s inkjet printers are capable of producing high-quality images on a range of different substrates with customization in any run length at extremely fast print speeds.
These developments are contributing to a new trend: printers are finding competitive opportunities for inkjet in all market segments, including packaging, labeling, commercial, and mailing.
Equally important is that printers are finding they can apply inkjet in multiple markets, creating the opportunity to enter new markets not in their traditional core sector. Participants in the drupa survey reported strong growth in all sectors, but the more specialized the market, the higher the growth rate.
For example, Memjet’s partner Rigoli just announced the MVZ flexible packaging printer. This printer is easy to use can is available as a low cost of entry. This combination of features means that users of all types – package and label producers, commercial printers, brands – can use the MVZ to add the production of quality flexible packaging to their list of services.
What does this mean for your business?
In his recent blog post, industry analyst Marco Boer stated:
“The commercial print industry has turned the corner: data driven personalization and programmatic marketing campaigns across all print applications are becoming a requirement, not a luxury. Production inkjet is a core part of this requirement, and its growth as a technology is critical to the long-term prosperity of the commercial print industry.”
Achieving that prosperity requires printers to understand that the integration of digital communication is no longer a threat. A study conducted by the firm TrueImpact, found that a “multi-channel approach that leverages the unique benefits of paper with the convenience and accessibility of digital will perform best.” According to the report, print was easier to process mentally and tested better for brand recall.
And that’s where inkjet thrives, enabling printers to make the connection between printed communications and the digital world requires a level of customization that inkjet enables.
As printers and other businesses look to the future, it’s clear that opportunity abounds, and that inkjet technology is the critical resource needed to capture it.
As a digital inkjet tech insider, here are key takeaways you should consider:
-Digital inkjet adoption is driving new competitive opportunities for printers in all market segments, including packaging, labeling, commercial, and mailing.
-Digital inkjet printers report strong growth in new markets, and the more specialized the market, the higher the growth rate.
-A multi-channel approach that leverages the benefits of paper with the convenience and accessibility of digital will perform best. Print is scientifically proven to produce better brand recall in the human brain.
To read the full drupa report, click here.
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