How Is Technology Changing Printing Companies? (5 Key Ways)
Technology is rapidly establishing new ways to complete projects and accomplish tasks. That includes design and printing. To stay competitive, both small and large printing companies need to educate themselves on how technology is changing their industry.
Here, we look at the impact of technology on the printing industry and what it means for your business.
Technological Advancements Affecting the Print Industry
From three-dimensional printing to hybrid print processes, here’s how printing is changing.
1. Digital Inkjet Printing
Though offset printing has been around for many years, it’s seen a steady drop in usage due to its high costs and longer printing times. Instead, commercial inkjet printers are becoming the preferred option as they’re more reliable, efficient, faster and of higher quality than offset printers. High-speed and professional-grade inkjet printers are capable of producing up to 4,000 words per minute, and the speeds for graphics and images aren’t far behind.
Along with being much faster, the latest digital printing technology can render designs that are more intricate than other methods. These possibilities allow designers to produce attractive results while encountering fewer limitations than with offset printing.
2. Sustainable Operations
Environmental sustainability is becoming a major concern for the printing sector. Advances in digital printing are allowing businesses to move beyond simply incorporating renewable resources. Many companies are working towards reducing waste and emissions while improving print accuracy. This has resulted in an increased demand for UV-cured inks as they don’t need any substrate pre-processing and are environmentally friendly. Along with being anti-clogging and quick-drying, they deliver high print quality and can be printed on different surfaces such as plastics and textiles. Industry requirement to enhance sustainable processes and operations is further driving demand and growth for UV-curing ink systems.
3. 3D Printing
Printing is no longer limited to flat sheets, and three-dimensional objects can now be rendered using only raw materials. Large-scale commercial 3D printing is allowing innovations in the trade show industry. As demands for visually unique booths increase, companies incorporating 3D printing have a better chance of attracting exhibitors looking for these services.
4. Cloud Connectivity
In the current interconnected and flexible business environment, most business functions are becoming digitized. This is resulting in most companies using cloud computing platforms to increase communication and accessibility, regardless of device, location or time.
This interconnectivity is helping reshape the entire industry, with cutting-edge solutions being designed to enhance productivity and performance. This helps optimize and streamline workflow which adds to and facilitates better real-time collaborations.
This integration between processes and devices is driving digital printing companies to incorporate cloud computing solutions. By integrating them into their existing print processes, users can execute print operations and modify documents from any device anytime and anywhere.
5. Hybrid Technologies
Despite the rapid pace of technological change within the design and print industries, they don’t have to switch to completely digital processes overnight.
Instead, computer-to-print plate automation integrates offset and digital methods. This allows users to send completed files to electronic plates that can recognize them with technology that is similar to scanning machines.
Also, improvements in plates allow accommodation of more complex projects with varying finishes and colours. Moreover, 3D developments and software improvements are helping the field evolve to meet the demands of the 21st century.
With rapidly changing technology, it’s evident that the future of printing will see many changes, including impacts to both costs and innovation. This makes it the right time for businesses to modernize in order to consolidate or compete in the face of evolving technology.
