Wide-Format Comes of Age

PROBABLY THE fastest area of growth in the entire printing spectrum is the sector for wide-format ink-jet production. A decade ago, this type of digital process was still in its infancy but, since that time, it has passed through many formats to become an accepted technology and not, simply, a novelty whose ultimate value was questionable. Today’s machines cover all budgets and a vast range of end applications and ink technologies.

Wide-format production has become a relevant part of any printing exhibition that looks at current and future trends across all disciplines. With Drupa 2008 representing a major worldwide platform for new developments, manufacturers in the ink-jet sector will also be using the event to introduce machines and technologies that serve to confirm its importance within the offset and packaging sectors, as well as those in which it is known traditionally.

ADDITIONAL DURABILITY: The development of solvent-based products and UV-curable inks were instrumental in providing the wide-format digital printing market with added durability and a greater range of end materials that can be used. Pundits who believed that the era of the aqueous-based printer was long gone have been proven wrong, however, and this ink type still outsells all others, particularly if one considers its use within the office and home markets.

Moving onto larger sizes, manufacturers such as Epson, HP and Canon have all remained strong believers in aqueous-based printers. With faster and wider models being added to their portfolios in recent times, market trends still show a strong demand across the photography, fine art, proofing and display sectors, which is likely to continue.

GROWTH OF UV-CURABLE TECHNOLOGY: The different ink types have driven the wide-format digital market to the position it is in today, assisted by the continued development of print heads across all sectors. While Epson’s piezo print heads were incorporated into printers from Roland, Mutoh and Mimaki, HP and Canon both chose to continue with their own proprietary technologies, with Kodak Encad also opting for thermal heads.

Early conversions of aqueous-based printers to accept solvent-based inks were remarkably successful, and the divide between the low-end machines and the grand-format printer specialists began to narrow.

ENVIRONMENTAL PRESSURES: The drive toward UV-curable technology and the renewed interest in aqueous-based printers have also occurred because of environmental pressures and changes in attitude. The attraction of the relatively cheap output achievable from solvent-based printers for posters, banners and point-of-purchase applications has a major disadvantage in the odor that lingers on finished jobs and the fact that, as solvents are heavier than air, they tend to fall and taint in-store goods. In addition to being hazardous products for the printer to work with, this makes them unsuitable for use in food and fashion stores.

SUBSTRATES: In terms of materials, in general, wide-format digital printing now caters to the majority of media types, ranging from straightforward papers and display products through to specialist substrates whose end use might extend beyond the field of what’s considered conventional printing. While coatings and profiles need to be considered to get the best results, solvent-based and UV-curable inks are also able to satisfactorily output to uncoated.

APPLICATION DIVERSITY: With the growing range of options now available in wide-format digital, and its increased sophistication, it’s not surprising that its use in the graphic arts arena has extended far beyond the production of signs and posters. Extra-large applications are still very much the forté of ink-jet, with many jobs simply not able to be practically produced using any other process.

This technology has also extended to more diverse areas, including packaging, interior decoration and theater back-drops. Displays that formerly were the province of screen printing can now be handled efficiently using wide-format printers, with one-offs and short runs being easy to produce without the need for time-consuming and costly makereadies.

TRENDS: Some trends suggest that there are too many machines currently in the marketplace, particularly in the grand-format sector, for the number of jobs coming into printing companies. Print shops need to make certain that there’s a market available for their output before making the decision to invest for the first time, and niche sectors are more likely to thrive than those areas that are already covered competitively.

Nonetheless, manufacturers and suppliers of wide-format equipment remain confident that their segment will continue to thrive. But, for many users, much will depend on how they can develop new and interesting applications that can’t be produced using alternative production methods. PI

About the Author
As an independent consultant concentrating on wide-format digital printing, Sophie Matthews-Paul has worked with many of the industry’s leading manufacturers, vendors and distributors.

Drupa 2008 will be held in Düsseldorf, Germany, from May 29 to June 11, 2008. For more information, call Messe Düsseldorf North America at (312) 781-5180 or visit www.mdna.com.