PUBLICATION CENTER

An updated 63-page report from WhatTheyThink provides an easy-to-read rundown on the current state of inkjet printing systems for wide-format graphics, digital commercial printing, and proofing the U.S. The report, entitled Inkjet Printing: It’s Not Just for Proofing Anymore, was designed as a primer on inkjet printing in the commercial printing industry.

In addition to listing manufacturers and systems currently on the market, the report provides a clear explanation of the various inkjet technologies—piezo, thermal, and continuous—and looks at the many different applications for which inkjet systems are being developed and used, including packaging, variable-data printing, transactional printing, and industrial printing.

The report also places inkjet printing in the context of the current state of the printing industry, and looks ahead to some of the new product announcements and demonstrations likely to be on display at IPEX in May 2010.

One researcher in the report asks: “Is there a war shaping up between toner and inkjet digital printing? Or is it just the latest skirmish in the ongoing war between digital and offset printing? Or is there any technological war at all?” The thrust of the report is that it’s more important to look strategically at what it is you want your shop to produce and then decide which equipment is most suitable.

Registered users of WhatTheyThink can download a PDF of the report for $195 by visiting the secure WhatTheyThink eStore. ( http://members.whattheythink.com.) Enterprise site licenses are also available for $995.