How to Embrace Tactile Wide-Format Printing

As wide-format printing technology has evolved, adding additional capabilities and opportunities for producers to differentiate and seek higher margins, the range of applications that can be produced has expanded in kind. One of the newer opportunities available for print service providers (PSPs) and their customers is the ability to print textures or finishes, offering a tactile and/or visual “bonus” when compared to flat printing on a flat substrate. Wide-format Impressions explores this opportunity with three OEMs whose systems offer printed finishes or textures.

The Technologies

Asked to describe the technologies offered by Mimaki USA, Hugo Gonzalez, senior segment specialist, industrial products, says all the company’s flatbed printers have the capability to build textures, with some capable of building to a height of 0.8 to 0.9mm, which he says is high enough to produce ADA-compliant Braille. These technologies can also be used to produce, for instance, raised numbers or other features for room signage.

Finishes can provide both tactile and visual effects, such as this print including gloss and matte finishes. | Credit: Wide-format Impressions

Patrick Donegain, senior manager, marketing at Canon USA, says Canon currently has two technologies that can produce textures and finishes. Its Arizona line of flatbed printers can build textures up to 4mm in height, a feature typically used to produce, for example, simulated stone or wood surfaces. The company’s Colorado line of printers, he reports, can build five layers of ink to create micro-textures, which are both tactile and visual, and can be used to heighten the perceived value of products including signage and wallcoverings.

Roland DGA has a number of technologies, mainly in the UV-cured space, that allow for the printing of textures, says Kitt Jones, business development manager. While this offers a potential value add for many companies, Roland’s recent acquisition of Dimense, a novel printing system for the printing of textures, has made the most waves in this space. Instead of building textures through layers of inkjet application, this technology controls the surface structure of the substrate to deboss the surface. Color printing is then added to that surface.

Common Applications

Donegain says the largest opportunity area for printed textures is currently the fine art reproduction market, where brush strokes recreating the actual surface of, for instance, a Van Gogh, can be applied. In some cases, he says, reproductions of this sort can be sold for around $2,000. Gonzalez also sees a strong opportunity in fine art, and explains that the added value of texture marks the difference between something special and a poster.

The DG Dimense system uses a debossing method to create deep textures that can then be printed or painted. | Credit: Wide-format Impressions

ADA and room signage are also common applications, Gonzalez continues, and notes that university in-plant printing operations are adopting texture printing to accommodate constant changes in staff names and room designations.

Jones says the landscape for texture printing is changing. Roland DGA, he says, used to deal almost exclusively with sign and graphics companies, but is increasingly working to meet the needs of industrial printers and product decorators. He says that while the “pocket” for the Dimense system is the wallcovering market, he expects to see the number of uses for the system increase as creative users run with the possibilities.

Seeking Higher Value

All three OEM reps see the ability to print or produce textures and finishes as a potential access point for higher-value, higher-margin printing. Jones says that in today’s saturated wide-format space — and in industrial and manufacturing spaces — producers are seeking ways to differentiate. For Roland DGA, part of the current challenge in textural printing is educating producers (and designers) about the possibility of doing something different.

Donegain says the dollar per square foot for textures can bring a significantly higher margin, and notes that while texture printing is much slower than flat printing, those textured prints can be “worth a lot of money.” He says braille printing in particular can be an excellent opportunity for higher margins, but urges anyone entering that space to become well-versed in the regulations and requirements for its production.

Stating that texture is “absolutely a value-add option,” Gonzalez says that by adding dimensional properties to the print, customers can achieve embossed features without the need for traditional embossing equipment and embossing casts.

Managing Costs for Profitability

As mentioned, printing textures and finishes adds significant print time to production. Therefore, one challenge faced by PSPs is whether they can charge enough for textured output to maintain profitability on the job. For instance, Gonzalez says that on Mimaki’s JFX200 printer, printing a full bed at the highest common “build,” takes about two hours. That said, the print can then be cut into roughly 35 room signs that, because of their texture (or braille), can demand a significantly higher price per piece than flat-printed signs.

High profitability in this space, Donegain says, comes mostly for those who can do this type of work in volume. “If you focus on it,” he says, “it absolutely justifies the additional time.” The value, he intimates, incudes customization. He stresses, however, that sales teams must know how to effectively sell textured products.

Higher perceived value, Jones says, can be a selling point for textured printing, and he adds that printing textures on an object will bring a higher perceived value than printing texture on a decal applied to an object. That said, he adds that PSPs must be smart about managing production, and that the market has to bear the cost.

Looking Ahead

Printed braille is opening profitable avenues into ADA signage and other applications. | Credit: Wide-format Impressions

Over time, will the printing of textures become one tool among many that are competitive “must-haves?” Donegain says that with the exception of braille, which will become a more commonplace printed offering, other textures — for instance for wood grain finishes or high-end art reproduction — may stay specialized. He adds that texture production is both expensive and time-consuming, and that for many jobs, that added cost is not attractive to customers. He clarifies, however, that interest in textures is high among those seeking equipment today, and textured prints serve as an excellent advertising tool.

Jones believes textured printing will “always be sort of an option,” and adds that while it is not an essential tool, it is very useful for companies seeking to set themselves apart. He believes that success in this area will go to those that can create the best products with the most unique surface designs.

Gonzalez agrees that textures offer an opportunity for differentiation, a way to add value and “pop” to their prints. He says, as a capability, texture printing is “gaining a lot of momentum — PSPs are finding more places to use it.” Instead of focusing only on 2D printing, they can now offer more permanent, higher interest-level products.