Tech-Knowledge

There are many different stages in the life of a job, from the quotation through to final output, and its not always easy to link these together. But there is help at hand finds Nessan Cleary.

There is a tendency in wide-format to think in terms of individual machines and their capabilities but where there are multiple machines this can lead to a fragmented production department. The Image Reports’ annual Widthwise survey flags-up that, increasingly, PSPs are recognising that as a problem and looking at ways to improve their workflow.

Nessan Cleary looks at the current trends in ink development for the wide format sector.

One of the most important components of any print system is the ink itself, thus a great deal of R&D money is spent on developing new ink types as you’d expect. It’s a given that for the most part inks determine application possibiities so in a maturing market like the UK, where print companies are generally satisfied with the print quality, speed and price of their wide-format inkjet printers and will only replace their existing devices if a new machine can demonstrate a clear return on investment, new ink formulations are where it’s at for many suppliers. 

There are a number of after market ink suppliers around but what are the risks and the benefits of using these inks? Nessan Cleary investigates. 

Ink is arguably the most important component of a printer, as well as potentially being the most expensive over the lifetime of the machine. Naturally the printer manufacturers insist that customers should buy their inks, pointing out that the original inks are designed specifically for the printer in question. But there is a healthy market in third party inks and using these can lead to considerable cost savings.

By being clever with how it works with media Ltd Limited has carved out a niche for creating stunning graphics that invite clients to think outside the box.

When it comes to innovative use of substrates, one print company really stands out. Ltd Limited, based in the east of London, works with materials from around the world, often combining and layering media to create stunning effects. It's a formula that obviously works as the company has just celebrated its tenth anniversary.