Inkjet Personalization — Time to Get Personal

By Erik Cagle

Senior Editor

As the war continues to rage between the supporters for freedom in telemarketing and the U.S. government's national Do-Not-Call (DNC) list, the world of direct mail can be heard off in the distance, quietly giggling in glee.

Should the DNC list ultimately prevail, direct mail supporters will be uttering the old farewell line after a partygoer departs: "More beer for us!"

Some will suggest that direct mail remains a far more effective tool for promoting one's products and services as opposed to telemarketers delaying tuna casserole gratification. It is safe to say that personalization via ink-jet imaging in the finishing department hasn't diminished that theory in the least.

"Printers today must be prepared to offer more services with more efficiency to their client base and, in response, suppliers must provide printers with the tools to be competitive, regardless of any trends," notes Homi Shamir, president of Scitex Digital Printing.

Among other issues of relevance are the increasing quality requirements from the U.S. Postal Service with MERLIN and PLANET barcodes, Shamir notes.

"Our 100 percent variable data, digital printing technology coupled with an engineering design platform of modularity allows us to deliver the most flexible printers and printing systems in the industry," he says. "Our product lineup includes printing capability for monochrome, spot or process color printing, printing widths from 1˝ all the way to a full page 9˝ and, as always, the capability to upgrade an existing press and to give life to an older asset."

The Scitex 3700 printing system incorporates a flexible system of high-precision mounting rails for both 4˝ and 9˝ print heads, up to a maximum of 16, to allow users to configure a system to match their business needs, whether printing monochrome or spot color applications. Print heads can be added as needs change. The system is also offered as part of an upgrade package.

Ease of use and uptime are a pair of critical issues that all ink-jet manufacturers are working to improve, according to Troy Greenwald, director of sales and manufacturing for inc.jet Inc.

"Older ink-jet systems can take half a day to start up on a Monday morning," Greenwald says. "Changing colors can also take half a day. On the maintenance side, repair issues force larger users to keep 10 to 20 percent additional print heads in inventory/repair."

In terms of equipment, Greenwald sees a continuing market penetration of ink-jet imaging as lower cost equipment makers employ the technology. "Recent price declines of ink-jet print systems make the technology possible in simpler, less complex systems," he says. "Smaller equipment is sold to smaller end users and, as ink-jet enters those fields, the need for ease of use increases.

"Let's also remember that the higher resolutions ink-jet offers today also opens new opportunities. You can customize printed material with an appearance that closely matches the printed media."

The latest offering from inc.jet is the jet.engine variable data printing system. The system enables users to put high-speed, high-resolution variable data virtually anywhere in a printing or production line. Speeds range from 125 fpm to 1,000 fpm, depending on resolution.

The capabilities provided by Hewlett-Packard print cartridge technology provides mailers with the ability to add value to a mailing piece by use of spot color and additional messages with wide-format print capabilities, according to Melvin Collins, president of Kirk-Rudy.

Kirk-Rudy, which offers systems with print areas ranging from 1.5˝ to 8˝, introduced a pair of new ink-jet systems at the recent GRAPH EXPO. The W'Inkjet II (HP cartridge) offers a simplified print module format based on a 1.5˝ format with the option of a remotable 0.5˝ module.

The print modules may be linked by a network to print in multiple locations, as well as any wide-format printing. New layout and mailing software provide added capabilities and a simplified operation.

The second offering, the Wavejet drop-on-demand technology printer (with a targeted release of first quarter 2004) can ink-jet addresses and print graphics and messages on a variety of paper stocks, including aqueous coatings and most plastics.

The RISO printing and addressing system enables users to print and address mailers, postcards and envelopes, in one pass, reports Anne Barrett, vice president of sales for RISO. The pieces to be printed feed directly through the printer/duplicator for printing of return addresses and teaser messages, and then through the ink-jet variable information printer for the printing of addresses.

Getting the Message Out

For customers, Barrett feels the process represents the best of both worlds. "The printer/duplicator delivers high speed—120 pages per minute—printing in a variety of colors, at a fraction of a cent per impression. So printing the return address and teaser message is fast, inexpensive and the color really brings the message out," she says. "The in-line MX1200 variable information printer then prints the variable information, creating a finished piece that is ready for mailing.

"Printers who want to offer mailing services to their customers can add this capability to their operation for a low investment amount, when compared to other mail printing systems," she contends.

A recent trend has witnessed the migration from shuttle-head printers to fixed-head printers, according to William Longua, manager of marketing services for RENA Systems. And while at one time a single cartridge was used to print data and graphics onto a mail piece at a speed of 7,000 per hour with a six-line address, entry-level printers with multiple cartridges now print information simultaneously with an operating speed of 22,000 #10 envelopes per hour, with nine-line addresses.

"Our printers are all built on a modular architecture that uses banks of three cartridges per printing unit," Longua says. "This process allows us to put together products for our different market segments, but still maintain consistent capabilities and print quality.

"The product differentiation comes more in material handling ability. The higher end printers have larger material hoppers and more powerful feed systems. In fact, the production level equipment leaves the material feeding to our Streamfeeder-built AF-500 heavy-duty feeder."

RENA offers the XPS-90, a tabletop/console model that combines the speed of a fixed-head printer with the setup and ease of use benefits of a shuttle-head printer. It features digital robotic positioning that automatically positions the print heads based upon the software template from the user's PC. Its automatic maintenance system performs functions including purging, wiping, capping and storing.

Mailing on the Rise

With post-9/11 concerns gradually fading, there seems to be a rise in both the interest and quoting activity for mail related equipment, adds Ron Books, channel marketing manager for Videojet Technologies. This, coupled with positive fallout that may result from the Do-Not-Call list, should bolster the mailing of catalogs, he says.

Videojet's latest offering is the entry-level VIP 9100 line controller designed for messaging on magazines, catalogs and newspapers. "The purpose is to open up line control capability to printers who need inside/outside printing, usually involving a mail table," Books explains.

Whatever the system chosen, enhanced mailing and ink-jet personalization capabilities can create new, value-added revenue opportunities and allow printers to build more personal relationships with their customers. In today's price-driven business world, the value of that can be immeasurable.