Maruti Digital, a provider of printing solutions for the advertising media, has installed a Konica Minolta Accuriopress C7100 at its plant. The company provides digital and offset printing, signages, wall graphics, in-shop branding, UV printing, and vehicle wrap services to commercial and corporate clients nationwide.
Shiv Santosh, proprietor, Maruti Digital, said, “We installed this new machine from Konica Minolta on 10 August 2022, introducing new levels of automation and self-calibration. It has a top speed of 110 A4 prints per month (or 70 A3 PPM) with a duty cycle of 1.50 lakhs PPM. This is 20% more than the previous fastest Accuriopress press. Konika Minolta’s optional IQ intelligent quality optimizer system controls precise registration and verifies print quality. “
Digital printing is one of the fastest-growing segments of the print industry and its rise can be seen in the incredible size of what can be produced now, he said. Significant improvements in print manufacturing efficiency, time-efficient production, and enhanced focus on supply chain management, such as better demand forecasting, have reduced the print market’s overall waste.
Santosh said technological advancements favoring digital printing have enabled waste minimization and helped to maintain high print quality. “The advanced technology of digital printing includes mild solvents and less-harmful chemicals than the ones used in conventional printing technologies, such as toner ink printing and offset printing. Hence, the demand for digital printing is growing.”
Latest advancements such as AI, machine learning, and data analytics among many things, have personalized offerings to a great extent. The convergence in digital printing enables superiority in print personalization for large-volume orders. However, the cost factor remains a big hurdle, he said.
High-priced investment restrains the overall growth of the digital printing industry. These costs include the purchase price, support cost, maintenance, and the price of consumables.
“Digital print markets will develop inside the broader print market, which is shifting towards an increasingly digitized world. Print markets depend on end-user preferences that are subject to a wider economic situation as well as specific trends and drivers. Technological developments have a major impact on the prospects of digital printing. Inkjet and electro-photographic equipment developers will continue to invest in the technology along with ink and toner manufacturers and substrate suppliers,“ Santosh added.
(The compilation of this article was done by Pallavi Choudharry, former correspondent, IPP)
