Advancements in inkjet technologies have transformed how direct mail is produced. We’ve come a long way from generic direct mail addressed to “current resident.” In the 1970s and 1980s inkjet addressing systems were limited to text address blocks. They ran slowly and the resolution was very low.

Next-generation inkjet heads improved high-speed addressing and barcoding for matching, delivery and mail tracking. Further advances in inkjet heads and ink formulations enabled hybrid direct mail solutions with inkjet heads mounted over offset presses. This type of configuration still facilitates high speed variable data and versioning of direct mail content.

Inkjet has changed how printers define themselves. For the last 40 years five categories described the print industry. Companies would say their primary purpose was transactional, direct mail, financial, commercial or specialty print. Print buyers, procurement teams, lines of business staff, and original equipment manufacturers (OEM) sought services based on the category the company fit in.

Many print operations are considering new inkjet investments to realize their strategic goals. There are many cutsheet and continuous feed production inkjet options to choose from, with more product announcements expected before the drupa trade show.

According to Peter Drucker, “Only three things happen naturally in organizations: friction, confusion, and underperformance. Everything else requires leadership.” Leaders in printing, mailing and fulfillment have a worthy goal of striving for operational excellence. In the last few years, the mix of applications and volume of print work has changed dramatically at many in-plants. Managers are focused on strategies to improve their operations, increase efficiency, and enhance value to their organizations.

Smaller in-plant operations are evaluating and installing production inkjet presses. In-plants in the manufacturing sector are migrating to inkjet to address a trifecta of challenges: labor resources, workflow automation, and printing costs.

Labor and training

Much has been reported about the ongoing labor challenges in many vertical markets and the printing industry in particular. In-plant operations across the U.S. are devising new strategies to address the convergence of:

Aging workers retiring, lack of skilled workers to run offset and finishing equipment, younger workers preferring to work with technology, and needing to onboard and train new employees without printing experience.

At the Hunkeler Innovationdays conference back in March, I spoke with several print service providers who shared their goals for growing and evolving their print and mail businesses. They also talked about challenges in production and how they are approaching new investments. The conversations brought to light three themes driving investments: innovation, workflow optimization and partnership.

With significant growth in 2022, Ontario based book printer Maracle, began their journey to upgrade print capabilities. Their sales grew by 30% and they were unable to accept all the work their clients wanted to print in the 2nd half of the year. Under the new leadership of Alec Couckuyt, they embarked on a solution to replace one of their three digital presses, an older HP Indigo. Who is Maracle?

Maracle is a midsized, privately owned, commercial printer serving Canadian and US customers, running a 2-shift operation

How can mailers and service providers minimize the impact of twice annual postal rate increases? By taking advantage of the USPS promotions. Start by registering for all the 2023 promotions, even the ones that may not appear relevant. Promotions provide postage discounts of 3-5% over several months. Even for medium size mail campaigns the discounts have a significant budget impact. The promotions are designed to demonstrate the value of mail and have the ability to drive consumers to digital channels.

Inkjet is delivering substantial return on investment for direct mail programs. This is the second article of a two-part series on how next generation inkjet is delivering results for direct marketing firms.

I recently spoke with Mark DeBoer, Senior Vice President of Darwill about their inkjet journey. They are a national integrated marketing company with two production facilities. They provide omnichannel services for direct marketing programs including data, creative, production, mail, and reporting solutions for their customers across many B2C industries.

Inkjet presses from equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have delivered on the promise of lower cost, higher throughput, and better uptime. Many in-plant print operations attribute part of their success to their inkjet adoption strategy. Performing regular preventative maintenance is the key to drive uptime and predictable excellent image quality.

No Short-Cuts

The last year has presented many unexpected changes in production schedules and staffing models. Proper preventative maintenance is more important than ever in unpredictable situations.

For Part 2, I spoke with Michael Graf who is the Technology Director of the New York State, Cattaraugus Allegany Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES). The BOCES organizations were created in the 1930s to meet the educational needs of students in rural New York State school districts. The Cattaraugus Allegany BOCES supports 22 school districts across four counties in southwestern New York state.

Inkjet, toner, offset. Do print service providers need them all? I interviewed two companies who have a mix of technologies to get their perspective on why they use different print platforms, and to understand their customers’ perspectives on print quality.

First, I spoke with Cheryl Kahanec, the CEO of Quantum Group. A full-service commercial printer in the Chicago area, Quantum runs offset, digital, and inkjet printers. Their 250 employees also provide marketing services, e-commerce, direct mail, fulfillment, and logistics to a diverse customer base across most major vertical markets.

I recently spoke with four book printers to better understand how inkjet supports their current manufacturing process and how inkjet has changed their approach for future capabilities. Each have taken different paths to migrate to inkjet platforms. All four executives expressed optimism about growth opportunities in book printing. All shared ways that inkjet is a key component in their manufacturing capabilities and how it complements other press technologies.

As we begin to go back out to our favorite stores, restaurants, gyms and public places we are looking for reassurance about cleanliness. It’s never been more important for retail and services business to be transparent about their hygiene protocols to protect the safety and health of customers and employees*.

Is it clean?

Long before COVID, my father held and still holds, the distinction of biggest germaphobe in our family. He had hand sanitizer and wipes long before the grandkids arrived 20 years ago. Like many, I have upped my game and often pause before touching many surfaces in public places.

Direct mail continues to be a critical component for many marketing plans for both B2C and B2B products and services. It’s always more effective than digital-only channels like email or social media ads. Three trends are driving new strategies in direct mail marketing.

• Consumer expectations for brands to know my preferences

• More data and tracking to understand the correlation between online and offline transactional behaviors

• Inkjet technology driving improved and complex workflow

Many new inkjet production presses have been installed across all sectors of the print industry in the last five years. The overriding reason they are installed is because they print faster at a lower overall cost than toner and offset.

Advances in wide-format and grand-format printing; a growing number of new substrates for indoor and outdoor signage; and the popularity of vehicle wraps and wall coverings means that designers can now think big. So big that sky is the only limit.

We recently assisted one of our customers with a major business evolution to inkjet. The company migrated from a cut-sheet toner printing environment to a continuous roll-fed inkjet platform. It’s a journey becoming common as clients demand the flexibility inkjet provides and printing companies scramble to respond.