In the early days of the production digital printing market, electrophotography ruled. The most commonly-supported sheet sizes were Letter (8.5" by 11"), Legal (8.5" by 14"), and Ledger (11" by 17"). Some systems even supported sheets as large as 12" by 18". With a couple of notable exceptions, 12" by 18" was as large as it got. This relatively small size contributed to the perception that digital printing devices were not suitable for commercial print markets where print service providers (PSPs) were accustomed to much larger sheet sizes.

There were some exceptions, of course. Some electrophotographic devices supported the printing of long sheets, which opened up opportunities for applications like multi-panel brochures, wrap-around book covers, and pocket folders. There are even a few sheet-fed electrophotographic devices that support formats as large as B2 (19.7" by 27.8" / 500 mm. by 707 mm.), most notably multiple models in that size from HP Indigo. In addition, some roll-fed electrophotographic devices could support B2 format, but that idea didn’t really resonate with commercial printers who were used to sheet-fed workflows that provided more flexibility when changing paper stocks.

Enter Inkjet

As time wore on, advances in inkjet technology, specifically those that increased the speed, resolution, and color capability of modular printing heads, spurred a boom in the use of inkjet for a wider variety of printing applications. Wide-format printers, both roll-fed and flatbed, became popular for applications like technical drawings, posters, billboards, and a variety of display graphics. What made these larger applications possible was the modularity of the heads. They could be ganged together to cover wide swaths in an affordable fashion. Creating electrophotographic imaging drums in wide formats was technically challenging, and so for all practical purposes, electrophotography had hit its limit in terms of size.

The first wave of inkjet printing systems for production markets took advantage of this modularity in roll-fed designs that supported widths of 20 inches or more. There had been successful roll-fed electrophotographic systems, but before long PSPs with applications like transactional mail, direct mail, books, and catalogs began shifting to roll-fed color inkjet systems. There were a handful of reasons for this. First, even though PSPs bemoan the high cost of inkjet inks, these inkjet systems were productive, cost-effective, and relatively easy to service compared to electrophotography. They also allowed the use of color to expand and were particularly useful in low coverage applications on uncoated papers—a very good fit for bills, statements, books, and direct mail. What held them back in commercial print markets, at least initially, were issues related to printing high-coverage applications on standard coated offset papers. The other drawback was that these were roll-fed devices, and it remains true that many commercial printers were familiar with and wanted sheet-fed digital models to replace their aging offset presses.

If you are printing large quantities, offset lithography is tough to beat. Even for shorter runs, a commercial printer with offset presses can be very cost-effective if it has efficient make-ready protocols and uses advanced imposition techniques to gang multiple jobs on a press sheet. Production digital print is the most compelling versus offset lithography when it looks beyond short runs to support customers through on-demand and just-time-manufacturing models as well as personalized or customized output.

Inkjet and the Sheet-Fed Market

Perhaps the most interesting outcome for the commercial printing market is the impact of modular inkjet printheads in B2- and B1-format sheet-fed devices. (Note: B1 format is 27.8" by 39.4" / 707 mm by 1,000 mm.) Product designers have been trying to crack the commercial print sheet-fed market for a while, and though modular inkjet heads are helping them achieve that goal, PSPs have been somewhat reluctant to jump on board. The capital acquisition costs of these systems are quite large, and their speed has typically lagged behind offset lithographic printing presses. Even so, the interest is there.

One real test case of the market interest for sheet-fed commercial printing systems in larger formats, of course, is Landa. By all accounts, this company had a successful drupa 2024 with repeat orders and growing print volumes in its installed base. Its newest models, the S11 and S11 P, both support top speeds of 11,200 sheets per hour. Landa reports that its print technology, Nanography, is being accepted by the market. Nanography, of course, requires modular inkjet heads. Without them, there is no B1 sheet-fed inkjet device for the commercial print market.

In a press event preceding the Printing United trade show, Landa highlighted three customers using its devices:

• Smurfit Westrock (with sites in Europe)
• Grandprint (Shangda) – The first Landa commercial customer in China
• Advantage Color Graphics (in Los Angeles, a repeat customer)

Landa notes that it had installed 55 of its systems prior to drupa and was handling 40 additional orders (many from repeat customers). This is good news for production digital print in general, because it shows that there is a path forward for larger format sheet-fed digital printing systems in commercial print environments.

The Bottom Line

B2- and B1-format production digital printing systems, whether inkjet or electrophotographic, account for a very small percentage of the total installed base, but they do produce significantly large print volumes. As these larger format systems gain traction, it is extremely important for PSPs to understand the overall investment and costs involved. These are not one-to-one offset press replacements. If the job mix does not take advantage of on-demand, just-in-time, and variable data print, then traditional offset presses (or perhaps multiple smaller format digital devices) can be an extremely viable option.

Author bio: Jim Hamilton of Green Harbor Publications is an industry analyst, market researcher, writer, and public speaker. For many years he was Group Director in charge of InfoTrends’ Production Digital Printing & Publishing consulting services. He has a BA in German from Amherst College and a Master’s in Printing Technology from the Rochester Institute of Technology.