Jetting Trends

‘INFORMATION IS KING. THE SUNDAY EDITION OF THE NEW YORK TIMES ON

AVERAGE CONTAINS MORE INFORMATION THAN WAS PRINTED IN THE WHOLE OF THE 15TH CENTURY.’ MARTHA BECK, O MAGAZINE, APRIL 2002)

In spite of multiple advances in inkjet printing technology over the last decade, all the indications are that the technology is set to grow even more over the coming decade. The advent of the Internet, far from reducing the desire for printed information as initially expected, has actually seen it grow, creating a spiralling demand for PCs and printers in households the world over, bringing with it the capability of desktop ‘on demand’ printing.

As a backdrop to all this, inkjet printer manufacturers are continually looking at new ways of creating a competitive edge. With R&D spending continually being ploughed into means of decreasing drop size and increasing resolution and multi-drop / variable drop technological advances. Continuous inkjet technology, developed by Scitex for example, can already reach speeds of 300 m/min.

Furthermore, through inkjet, outstanding colour print quality at a low price is now possible, with most devices supporting (or are moving towards support of) six-colour printing/proofing capability (CMYK and two additional colours). Similarly, through advances in ink technology and glossy paper grades, photo-realism image quality is now readily attainable.

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