Document Data Solutions has helped numerous print companies implement custom hybrid printing solutions for over 20 years. We’ve encountered countless variations and combinations of equipment at customer facilities as we successfully manufacture brackets, rails, towers, and other items required to integrate our digital inkjet print stations with our customers’ existing hardware.
Lately, other suppliers have entered the hybrid inkjet arena only to discover there is more to it than simply providing a print module, as they cannot provide the total solution. We’ve found the key to success is the integration aspect of the installation. No one wants to spend money on new printing technology only to find out it doesn’t fit with their tried and tested production process. This is where DDS shines.
You shouldn’t have to change your workflow or buy new finishing equipment to take advantage of a new printing device. Integration into their existing equipment is one reason companies are so enthusiastic about hybrid inkjet solutions. They can leverage their investments in web presses, folders, creasers, and other equipment in their shop while reaping the benefits of variable data printing.
Unique Challenges, Custom Solutions
Every printing company is different. The existing equipment, job mix, materials, deadlines, and physical space are unique to them. Sometimes an off-the-shelf digital printing solution just won’t work. At DDS, we believe the integration of our solutions with our customer’s existing operation is just as important as the solution itself. We’re proud of our onsite and remote teams that make sure our equipment fits the workflow and allows our customers to continue leveraging their existing hardware investments.
Here are a couple of examples of DDS custom integrations we recently shared with attendees at the recent Inkjet Summit event.
A customer approached us with a need to print and keep track of barcoded labels with a unique format. The DDS software team was able to develop a custom program that managed the formatting, layout, and sequencing of the numbers and their corresponding barcodes. Our hardware specialists, were tasked with modifying the customer’s existing carriage to accept the new DDS inkjet module. The DDS team successfully installed the solution onto the customer’s existing web transport and the results were even better than expected. After running the DDS system for one month, the customer was able to produce more labels in that short time than was possible in a year with their previous method and with far superior print quality!
In another example, our customer needed to replace their mechanical crash numbering systems. They were experiencing quality control problems, spending too much on maintenance and spoils, as well as new requirements to add other variable information and barcodes. The facility featured three different forms presses on which to establish new numbering solutions. Our DDS team went to work and created custom inkjet towers for their production lines. This purpose-built hardware facilitated the integration of DDS iDataPrint™ with FS-1200 inkjet printers and our iDataTAC™ advanced signal processor. iDataTAC coordinates multiple, different print technologies keeping everything in sync.
Custom solutions and integration take precise specifications into account. DDS customers get the flexibility they need to meet current and future market demands, produce high quality output, and benefit from improvements in scalability, productivity, and a positive return on investment.