Over the last year, in a series of articles on the ‘PastPrintFuture’-blog, industry experts Laurel Brunner and Ed Boogaard have been chronicling the 25-year history of digital printing.
25-year history of digital printing
To commemorate this milestone, there will also be a book of the same title – to be launched during Xeikon’s 30th-anniversary celebration.
It has been 25 years since the Xeikon DCP-1 and the Indigo E-Print 1000 were introduced at IPEX 1993. The digital printing industry has come a long way since, and 2018 was an excellent moment to explore digital printing’s evolution. The ‘PastPrintFuture’ project set out from the beginning to not just talk technology, say Brunner and Boogaard: “We wanted to focus also on the people that made it happen, on the changes that digital printing has enabled in business models and in applications, and on how this helps to define the future of the industry.”
Brunner and Boogaard managed to engage with a broad range of people that have been closely involved with print’s digital journey in various ways. “We have talked to great entrepreneurs who often have been pioneers in digital print and are still pushing the boundaries. And industry pundits such as Frank Romano, Andy Tribute and Kurt Wolf have helped us to put things in a broader perspective.” Danny Mertens, corporate communications manager for Xeikon, adds, “We hope both the blog and now the book will be beneficial to those who are relatively new to the industry, and a walk down memory lane for veterans who have been around for a while.”
“Writing down these stories and reading through historical publications, we have once again been impressed by what has been achieved in only 25 years – but even more so by what the future may still bring to this industry. Our book is to mark this important moment in time and celebrate print,” say Brunner and Boogaard. And the project isn’t over: “As print’s digital journey continues, we invite all people from the industry to join us: please visit the ongoing PastPrintFuture-blog and keep contributing your experiences, stories and pictures.”
