SCREEN presents its cutting-edge digital inkjet printing solutions at drupa 2024
Dusseldorf, Germany / Aalsmeer, the Netherlands— As a digital inkjet printing pioneer, SCREEN was excited to exhibit our latest innovative printing solutions at drupa 2024. During the eight years since the previous exhibition, SCREEN has been hard at work pushing the boundaries of inkjet technology. These efforts culminated in the release of the Truepress JET 560HDX, our best-in-class, high-speed inkjet printer, which provides new design and productivity capabilities to our partners and prospective clients in the commercial, publishing, direct mail, and many other printing industries.
SCREEN’s excitement at drupa was shared by our many visitors, including prestigious C-level executives, company owners and renowned technical experts, eager to discover what the print industry innovator would unveil. The question on everyone’s lips, “Is now the time to finally invest in digital printing equipment?”
Whether an analogue printing business or a long-time inkjet user, after these industry experts experienced SCREEN’s latest array of inkjet solutions at drupa 2024, the answer was clear: Yes, now is the time to seriously consider investing, because the future of print is clearly digital and clearly inkjet!
The Maturation of Inkjet Technology
In the years since the previous drupa in 2016, inkjet technology has undergone an exponential leap in development, addressing many of the critical issues which once hindered its widespread adoption.
Print quality is often perceived as one of traditional offset printing’s primary strengths. At drupa, industry decision-makers saw that SCREEN inkjet has risen to the challenge, able to match and sometimes exceed offset printing quality. They observed how the next-generation inkjet presses deliver crisp, vibrant images at resolutions up to 1,200 × 1,200 dpi with newly developed ink sets that reduced ink consumption while reproducing the high-optical density designs clients expect. With SCREEN’s LABEL and PAC range of printing presses integrating low-migration UV and Truepress ink NP water-based inks, respectively, to comply with food safety standards and ensure an elevated level of consumer safety.
Printing Speed is another concern for industry experts looking to invest in inkjet technology, requiring a press that produces top-quality images quickly enough to fulfil existing orders and expand their client lists. Again, SCREEN technology excels, with the Truepress JET 560HDX’s high-efficiency drying system enabling heavy ink coverage at full-speed printing. Additionally, its precise web control system supports near-instantaneous inkhead adjustments to provide top-level drop placement accuracy at all speeds. Together, these and many other innovations can produce high-quality print applications at a faster rate of up to 150m per minute at 1200 x 600 dpi, an increase from the Truepress JET 520HD+’s 150m per minute at 600×600 dpi.
However, it was the cost-saving capabilities of SCREEN presses, thanks to their reliability and potential for near-constant uptime that genuinely wowed many drupa attendees. Ground-breaking productivity innovations such as continuous flow-through printheads that reduce clogged and deviated nozzles ensuring stable and consistent printing while decreasing flushing and reducing flushing line requirements to minimise substrate waste. These and many more transformative technologies coupled with SCREEN’s proprietary EQUIOS software, capable of making autonomous corrective image adjustments integrated into the JET, LABEL, and PAC printers, results in robust presses with a rapid ROI that will operate just as efficiently after one year or ten.
Overcoming Hesitation: Embrace the Future with SCREEN
The exhibits at drupa 2024 revealed to many longtime analogue printing companies that digital inkjet has reached a level of technological maturity that could match and, in many cases, even surpass the capabilities of offset printing. These industry leaders recognised that inkjet technology would only grow more advanced, and they would need a partner they could trust with their investment to take the plunge and fully commit to transitioning to digital inkjet.
To be prepared to meet this expanding frontier of the printing landscape, it is critical that printing service providers future-proof their operations with the right digital equipment from a partner with the expertise to provide the necessary guidance to make digital inkjet integration a long-term success.
Screen Europe Senior Vice President Sales Bui Burke shared his forecasts for the future of digital printing following drupa 2024’s conclusion, saying, “I spoke with various influential people throughout the industry. It is now generally accepted that by the next drupa in 2028, digital inkjet’s position within the printing landscape will be firmly established, and those too inflexible or unable to embrace this shift risk being outmanoeuvred by the competition.”
