A High-Speed Inkjet Press (Reality) Check —Michelson
Despite all the buzz about the marketplace upheaval that will eventually ensue as high-volume, continuous-feed, color inkjet presses gain greater traction, don't assume that your existing offset presses and cutsheet digital output devices will become obsolete any time soon. Nor should that deter any plans to upgrade your offset gear or acquire an electrophotographic (EP) digital machine. With the fastest color inkjet systems currently limited to maximum speeds of 750 fpm and up to 30˝ print widths, offset presses—for the foreseeable future, anyway—will continue to churn out the lion's share of longer-run commercial jobs. Even so, keeping abreast of inkjet technology advancements should surely remain on the to-do list for most printers. To help, two articles in this issue address the status and types of high-speed inkjet systems currently available, and try to forecast what the adoption rates will be within the commercial printing industry.
