2017 has been another year of dramatic change for the print industry.
In the next few weeks, we’ll be writing a series of blog posts on the biggest trends of 2017 and the impact these trends have for providers of all types. We’ll also look at the creative solutions and technologies being developed to keep pace with these changes.
In this first post, Memjet’s director of product marketing, Gianluigi Rankin, discusses changes that are happening in packaging production.
The Transformation of Package Production
By Gianluigi Rankin
At one time, analog printing was the rule in package printing, but today, as demand for faster turnaround times, customization, and short runs increases, more and more packaging is being produced digitally.
According to research firm Smithers Pira, analog packaging will grow by 28% in the 2008-2018 period. Digitally produced packaging, however, is expected to increase by 375 percent by 2018.
Clearly, there are new opportunities being created in packaging production. To capture these opportunities, printers need affordable solutions that enable them to economically produce the customized, quality packaging their customers demand.
Bringing quality, speed, and affordability to high-volume markets like packaging
Businesses report a key benefit of inkjet has been the way it greatly simplifies the print production process while still achieving a high level of quality. Memjet’s new printing system, DuraLink, now brings those same benefits to markets like packaging that require high volume printing. With DuraLink, production of these types of jobs is faster, less expensive, and easier than had been previously possible.
Stability and Flexibility for the Packaging Market
The DuraLink printing system is composed of modules that act as building blocks. The standardized-module designs provide both architectural system stability and flexibility, enabling OEMs to rapidly design and create custom press solutions that meet the specific challenges of package production.
OEM partners can build customized presses that offer print widths from 8.77 inches to 100 inches, one to eight colors simplex or duplex, and offset-like print quality up to 1600 x 1585 dpi.
This level of customization means that DuraLink-powered presses can be built to accommodate finishing equipment currently being used in the packaging production process.
In addition to flexibility, DuraLink has a lower printhead cost than competing printhead technologies. The lower cost, in combination with the flexible modules, allows OEM partners to affordably build customized inkjet solutions designed to meet the needs of their specific markets.
Redundancy at the Nozzle Level
At the heart of DuraLink is a smart long-life printhead. Unlike most printheads on the market today, DuraLink’s printhead integrates redundancy at the nozzle level. DuraLink has 5x nozzle redundancy across 70,400 nozzles, which is enhanced by DuraLink’s aqueous pigment inks that are optimized for long life and reliability.
With five nozzles printing each pixel, if one jet goes out, it will go virtually unnoticed in the printed image.
The 5x nozzle-level redundancy also means the printhead does not need to be replaced as often.
The new design and the integrated smart electronics enable improved drop placement and drop volume consistency resulting in high quality and offset-like image quality.
Because the data path is in each printhead and not a central system, these smart and long-life printheads require less maintenance than other printheads and enable longer print runs.
Moreover, printing companies no longer need to take on the cost and complexity of adding more print bars or implementing costly image-quality monitoring systems.
Industry-Leading Speed and Quality
Together, the features of DuraLink provide industry-leading quality and speed to a range of commercial, packaging, and industrial printing markets.
DuraLink Speeds by Resolution
| Resolution | Meters per Minute | Feet per Minute | Inches per Second |
| 1600 x 1585 | 74.5 m/min | 244.5 fpm | 48.9 ips |
| 1600 x 1260 | 93.7 m/min | 307.5 fpm | 61.5 ips |
| 1600 x 790 | 149.5 m/min | 490.5 fpm | 98.1 ips |
| 1600 x 580 | 203.6 m/min | 668.1 fpm | 133.6 ips |
With this level of quality and durability, DuraLink’s pigment-based printing platform is an alternative to other more expensive and time-consuming digital and analog processes. Using DuraLink, OEM providers can create solutions that produce high-quality graphics even on low-quality stocks like uncoated liners for corrugated board.
Moreover, the ability to use up to 8 colors means printers can accurately reproduce brand colors on corrugated stocks.
See DuraLink in Action
Memjet has prepared a video specifically about the features of DuraLink. Take a look!
