What trend do you think 2012 will be remembered for?
For wide-format inkjet printing, 2012 will be remembered as the year that digital technology really started to be taken seriously. For the last decade, anyone with a small, wide-format inkjet printer has been able to make money, as the prices they have been able to charge have been high enough to cover all the inefficiencies of their basic equipment. However, things are not so easy anymore. Wide-format inkjet printing is a maturing industry and it is now essential to have very productive equipment and an efficient operation in order to be successful. It still remains less challenging than other traditional print processes, but there is now a clear trend that things are getting tougher for digital too.
What do you think will represent the single biggest opportunity for printers in 2013 and why?
As we go into 2013, printing companies realise that they need to do much more than just print, although this has been the case for a few years now. Customers now require and expect more than just simple prints so providers need to be able to offer a range of services and create a range of different end products.
What do you think will represent the single biggest threat for printers in 2013 and why?
Many small printing firms with basic, wide-format equipment will find it increasingly difficult to keep going. It’s not that long ago that every high street had a little analogue print shop that could produce your business cards, wedding invitations, etc. However, most of these have now disappeared as new, more sophisticated digital technology has enabled work to be done more quickly and more cheaply using less-skilled staff. This trend is set to continue and it will become more and more difficult for small, traditional print shops to survive.
What’s the one thing that the industry should do more of, or do better, in 2013?
In wide-format inkjet, the focus seems to always be on producing better, faster equipment and until now, Inca has achieved this. However, there is still the opportunity to substantially improve the print process through developing better and more versatile inks. To a certain extent, the future of wide-format inkjet printing is dependent on ink development and the ability of chemists to produce inks that are suitable for every possible application.
What was your highlight of 2012?
For Inca, the highlight of 2012 was moving into our new, larger premises in Cambridge. This move has created a better working environment for Inca staff and will enable to company to expand in the future.
What are your hopes for 2013?
We have some exciting, new products in the pipeline and 2013 will be a year of further new developments.
What was the most important thing that you learnt in 2012?
Our customers now find that quality printing is fairly simple to achieve. However, it is the other aspects of the business, e.g. scheduling and workflow, that are more challenging. While they used to get orders for a run of 1,000 or more of one file, they now receive regular orders for 20 runs of 50 each, with variations of image, size, substrate, destination, level of urgency, etc. The printing of such orders is not a problem but the rest of the process, from receipt of order to dispatch, is considerably more complicated.
What will you do differently in 2013?
As well as helping customers with printing shorter and shorter runs, which we have done for some time, we now need to concentrate on helping our customers with the complexities of their business and the everyday management of their workflow and scheduling.
What does the industry need to do differently in 2013?
As with all industries, the wide-format inkjet printing industry needs to find ways of adding value to businesses and generating profit even in a difficult economic climate.
