Production Inkjet Printing: Ready for Prime-Time for Commercial, Package Printers?

• Image quality is at least adequate for most applications that will run on an inkjet press.
• Operating costs can vary widely. Rather than relying on vendors' claims, he recommends talking with other printers who have machines similar to the one you're considering in order to learn about true operating costs.
• The technology is generally solid, works well and is reliable. But, as with any press, thorough training and ongoing learning is required to get the best results.
• Head replacement is usually a top-of-mind concern, but in fact heads seem to be outlasting even vendor expectations. Again, tap other printers to get a real-world read on head life. And don't be afraid to see what kind of agreement can be crafted with the vendor. Heads aren't cheap, so you must have a clear understanding of costs and service requirements.
• Paper is abolutely critical with inkjet presses (more on that shortly). Testing is urgently required here.

But while the current print markets that are favorable to production inkjet press output represent a critical consideration in the "why to" decision making process, the bread-and-butter of production considerations, namely paper, ink, feeding and finishing, represent a lion's share of the questions that beginner entrants into the space are (or should be) asking. Many improvements in the inks and papers used, in fact, have driven the quality improvements and made it possible for production inkjet to make serious inroads into commercial work.