Digital printing, particularly inkjet technology, has been a growing segment of the printing industry. It has a lot to offer in terms of quality, cost effective short runs, ease of operation, and compatibility with many substrates.
But perhaps its most important appeal is the capacity for variable printing and personalized marketing and mailing pieces. Research shows that personalization leads to higher open rates, greater engagement, better ROI, and more impressive conversion rates than static pieces.
If you’ve made a substantial investment in a traditional web offset press, you know you have a workhorse that’ll last decades. You may, however, be disadvantaged in your attempts to attract new business because you can’t meet the growing demand for variable text and images. Investing in a new digital production line is a huge commitment of time and resources and may not be the answer.
You can, however, enjoy the best of both worlds by bolting an inkjet unit onto your web press and creating a hybrid printing line.
Cost-Effective Variability for Long Runs
Inkjet technology has come a long way since its early days. Its quality is now near offset levels and its versatility is unmatched, printing on a multitude of substrates from newsprint to wood with an expanded choice of inks.
The benefits of variable printing have mostly been limited to shorter runs, where digital inkjet presses excel. Long runs typically produced on a web offset platform were not cost effective to produce on an inkjet press, which meant variability was limited. A bolt-on unit, with its high quality, virtually eliminates that shortcoming. You can fully customize long runs with text, images and graphics.
Variable capabilities greatly expand the value you can give your clients and may make your shop more attractive to new clients. Adding variable components to otherwise static pages can easily turn into an untapped revenue stream for you.
An investment in a bolt-on inkjet unit, either in monochrome or four color, is less expensive than a full inkjet production line. It’s less costly and easier to operate.
Also, DDS bolt-on units do not carry any click charges, a pricing model that print shops have complained about for decades.
A bolt-on inkjet system protects and future-proofs your web press investment since you can upgrade or retrofit the variable unit while extending the life of your existing press.
Inkjet Technology for All Your Needs
The Freedom Series of Print Modules from Document Data Solutions brings high-speed/high-resolution variable data inkjet printing to your production environment without the high cost of click charges or printhead refurbishment.
DDS offers a wide variety of bolt-on inkjet printing units in both monochrome and CMYK color. Available in several sizes, the variable capabilities of the DDS bolt-on inkjet units include text, barcodes, graphics, logos, or images, perfect for enhancing documents, labels, envelopes, and packaging. All our print systems are powered by our proprietary iDataPrint™ universal controller which supports IJPDS, PDF, and our DDS proprietary file format to easily integrate into your current workflow.
One of our top sellers, the iDataPrint™ FS-1200, is a perfect example of the high quality and speeds that are possible. The FS-1200 offers print widths from 1.7-inches to 27-inches, easily handling most jobs running through the press. It’s single-pass, monochrome printing keeps up with the web press and prints up to 1,200 feet per minute. The FS-1200 runs low-cost inks, including dye-based, pigment based, latex or UV curable, with selectable drop sizes to ensure the quality you want. Spot Color inks are also available. It’s easy to install, the heads never need refurbishing, and the FS-1200 is available with an optional automatic cleaning function.
Our color iDataPrint™ FS-600c system offers print widths from 4.25-inches to 17-inches and is available with pigment or dye CMYK or spot color inks resulting in full color images that really pop!
With this much versatility, ease of operation, and high-quality output, the Freedom Series Print Modules from Document Data Solutions can take your shop to a new level of productivity and profitability by implementing a bolt-on digital printing solution.