IPEX 2010: The Battle of the Dominant Printing Technologies

Now that IPEX is over and the industry experts have reported their stories, let’s look back and try to make some sense of the show and then evaluate what it will mean.  I read and watched everything I could get my hands on and there were stories claiming that Inkjet was Killing Offset Printing, DI Printing was Killing Toner Printing, and Offset was Killing Toner Printing.

I thought that Dave Erlandson (Caslon’s General Manager) did a great job with his webinar entitled, “Inside IPEX 2010.” I especially liked the pictures of both the products on the floor as well as from some press conferences. As someone who often thinks about the break-even point of different technologies and for different applications, I especially liked the photos from the FujiFilm presentation on the new break-even point between offset and their 720 – a new B2 sized device. This presentation is available on the podi.org site.

But I thought that WhatTheyThink.com offered the best coverage of the show with their three industry experts reporting from the show: Andrew Tribute, Frank Romano and Richard Romano. Two stories stand out in my mind, Andrew Tribute’s story “Will Inkjet Printing Kill Offset?” and Richard Romano’s report on the Presstek press conference at IPEX.

Richard Romano reported that Jeff Jacobson, Chairman, President, and CEO of Presstek said, “I believe with the advent of inkjet, electrophotographic missed an opportunity.” Romano goes on to report that Jacobson sees shops with three basic equipment rosters: inkjet for short-run, variable printers; offset for long-run printing, and a DI press for the “doughnut hole” between those two technologies’ run-length characteristics. And I have heard from clients that some offset press manufacturers are claiming, in back rooms of the show, that their make-ready and run-lengths can compete with electrophotographic or toner-based printing. The obvious question is, who is really killing whom and when will they be dead?

Same old story?

This is nothing new. It seems like the big international shows bring out the big predications of gloom and doom. A few years ago, before Drupa, William Buckley wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal that said in essence inkjet printing will kill toner.

The story opened with this: “Inkjet-printing technology that dominates inexpensive desktop printers is about to enter the world of commercial print shops. If the new technology succeeds, it could spell trouble for Xerox Corp. and lead to expanded business for Eastman Kodak Co., Hewlett-Packard Co., Ricoh Co. and other inkjet makers. The world’s printing industry gathers Thursday at the Drupa trade show in Düsseldorf, Germany, where a host of companies are showing new inkjet presses touted as the wave of the future. Giant offset presses, which cost several million dollars apiece, dominate the $400 billion-a-year printing business. But inkjet and laser technologies are nibbling at the market.”

I’d like to offer my two cents on this subject, which is just another guy’s opinion. I don’t think that any printing technology is going to kill any other printing technology. In fact, after this article appeared I wrote this letter to the editor, which offers a less lethal predication.

“Dear Editor:

It is naïve to focus on the advances in high-speed inkjet technology in a vacuum (“Inkjet Printers Get Set to Turn the Page,” William Buckley, May 29, 2008). While tremendous advances have been made in inkjet printing technology, inkjet simply does not have the potential in the near future to become the dominant printing technology, in the face of new advances in electrophotographic (laser or toner-based printing) and offset printing. However, the new announcements blur the advantages of each technology more than ever before.

• High-speed inkjet technology’s popularity will grow in specialty printing areas such as merging transaction and promotional communication messages, as well as in new markets such as newspapers, books and office printing. While longer runs have typically offered cost efficiencies and customization, we have not yet seen the higher quality that is comparable to what other printing technologies offer.
• Toner printing technology’s quality and speed continue to improve, resulting in a reduced price per page, even for longer print runs historically reserved for offset printing. Toner printing has always offered the same ability to customize as inkjet.
• Offset lithographic technology will continue to automate the make-ready process and remains the dominant printing technology for the foreseeable future for the highest-quality printing and longer-run lengths.

Ultimately, the print buyer should be aware of the differences in quality, cost and the ability to customize associated with each printing technology. The printer, in order to decide what equipment he requires, must understand how the needs of his customer base are met by each technology.  There is no room in today’s highly competitive marketplace to invest in the wrong machine.”

Or has the momentum changed?

But this year my opinion has shifted slightly. I still don't think that any one printing technology is killing any other but while I don't expect any homicides, there may be some injuries. It would be naïve not to acknowledge the momentum that inkjet presses are achieving. After years and years of predictions of inkjet technology shifting from the transactional print space to the commercial and publishing spaces, it is actually starting to occur. Within the last 9 months, I’ve been having conversations and witnessing commercial printers and book publishers invest in inkjet technology.

While no deaths will occur, we have to admit that the advantages are getting more compelling. The advantages include lower cost per page for certain run lengths, higher speeds, and improved quality – which is something that no one should dismiss without more careful consideration. Clearly this is going to require greater scrutiny for certain products and for more markets. So, as noted above, while no deaths, there may be some injuries!

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