Inkjet Summit 2015: Sponsor Vision for success
Canon Solutions America
By Francis A. McMahon, Vice President, Marketing, Canon Solutions America, Production Printing Solutions
Canon Solutions America was pleased to sponsor the 2015 Inkjet Summit, for the third year in a row. As the identified market share leader—both worldwide and in the United States—for high-speed inkjet devices with our Océ branded technology, our customers know they can count on us to partner with them for success.
We know that print service providers are seeking guidance around this new technology projected to account for one-third of all digital print volume by 2016.
We know that print service providers are seeking guidance around this new technology projected to account for one-third of all digital print volume by 2016. Whether it’s discussing customized solutions, developing growth strategies, or helping navigate the transition to inkjet technology, we work directly with our customers.That’s why we participate in events that enable us to have conversations with our industry counterparts—whether it is a one-on-one consultation at their place of business, at our Customer Experience Center with the newly built Media and Solutions Lab in Boca Raton, Fla., or in an industry forum like the Inkjet Summit.
The Inkjet Summit gives us the opportunity to discuss and understand specific customer issues and work together to ensure that we are developing the right products for the market to enable profitable production of books, magazines, direct mail, transaction and transpromo. The event also gives us the opportunity to showcase some of our customer success stories in the form of case studies that highlight how our advanced inkjet printing technology translates into real-life success.
Most excitingly, we had the opportunity to preview some of our newest innovative products that just hit the market in 2015, including the Océ VarioPrint i300 and the Océ ImageStream 3500.
Our customers want to know how they can turn inkjet technology into their next competitive advantage. We showed them how. At Canon Solutions America we are excited to help customers make the most of inkjet technology and take their print operations to the next level of productivity and profitability.
Want to learn more about inkjet technology?
Visit pps.csa.canon.com/Inkjet for on-demand webinars, case studies, white papers, and product demo videos including the Océ ColorStream 3500 inkjet press demo.
Mike Herold
Ricoh
By Mike Herold, Director, CF Inkjet Technologies, Ricoh
Every year the organizers of the Inkjet Summit find ways to create a show that addresses the most timely inkjet trends and topics, and this year’s 2015 show was no exception. As a keynote sponsor we have the opportunity to provide our insight on the most pressing topics of the day for our customers—items like the best ways to incorporate digital or multichannel services into a print program or something as simple as the best ink management tools.
But, what was different about this year’s event is several of our current customers participated in the education, presenting case studies on the successes they have achieved through their work with Ricoh.
To have customers that appreciated their successes to the level that they felt compelled to share them with their peers was something we found to be both an honor and a privilege, and made the 2015 event something special.
As a company that focuses on the customer first and our bottom line second, we see their successes as our successes, and are thrilled when those achievements can be shared with the industry. Each day, month, year, we strive to be a partner to our customers, making their challenges—like fear of the full digital transition or ways to maximize the potential of multichannel services—our own, driving us to develop new solutions (or enhance current ones) to solve those challenges and open up their time for focusing on new business opportunities.
With full-color and monochrome inkjet solutions becoming more important each year, and printers looking to improve efficiencies, cut costs and expand their businesses, we have seen the inkjet market explode to a level that it is becoming an either/or with offset printing. We see our advancements with the Ricoh InfoPrint 5000 and the new Ricoh VC60000 playing a major role in helping to drive that change and are proud to have helped make those transitions possible for our customers.
This year, the Inkjet Summit organizers noted that, “Industry forecasts show that total annual inkjet impressions will account for close to one-third of all digital printing volume worldwide by 2016.” That’s a huge gain when you look at where inkjet technology was five years ago and, based on what we heard from customers during the show, that number is only going to grow. As we continue to work side-by-side with our customers, we plan to continue to play a major role in driving that growth and making inkjet something printers ask for first when looking at printing needs.
Xerox
By Dustin Graupman, Vice President, Inkjet Business, Xerox
What struck me about this year’s Inkjet Summit was the new wave of customers interested in adopting production inkjet. It’s becoming widely known that high-speed, color inkjet is closing the gap between offset and digital print. As inkjet moves down market, preprinted offset shells, overprinted with cut-sheet monochrome digital devices, can be migrated to full-color digital printing at a more cost-effective price point. So, with many lower volume users in attendance, it was a prime opportunity to discuss a new and easy entry point to the inkjet market.
The Xerox Rialto 900 Inkjet Press has the lowest acquisition price point in the market. It changes the playing field by lowering print volume thresholds and allowing more providers to acquire inkjet technology.
For those who previously saw entrance into inkjet as out of reach, this technology dispels that notion, providing a cost-effective means to deliver everything from mono book pages to high-value, high-quality, direct mail applications. And there’s no denying the unbelievable opportunities enabled by digital print, including shorter runs, demand for personalization and fast turnaround times.
Throughout this year’s Summit, Xerox showcased its focus on the inkjet market and our commitment to providing new opportunities for our customers to grow. Our Impika range of inkjet presses offers unique capabilities for customers to scale a solution to their needs today, while growing for the future. The Impika Compact has the smallest footprint for full web width, single engine duplex printing, while the Impika Evolution is among the fastest solutions in the market at 833 feet per minute.
We were able to use the event to develop relationships, host important conversations and spot trends progressing in the market. These conversations are critically important to us as key decision-makers might be betting the future of their business, or their careers, or both, on the partner they select.
Steve Butler, president, U.S. Graphic Communications, echoed this sentiment. “Inkjet purchasing decisions need to be made with a trusted partner who completely understands the market, its opportunities and potential. We are fully engaged in inkjet—our dedicated sales and service support, along with our business development tools/services, offer print service providers the confidence needed to produce massive volumes of print.”
The 2015 Inkjet Summit truly gave attendees a stimulating environment to rethink inkjet. More importantly, the setting emphasized that inkjet is transforming print’s future and vitality.
