The FuturePrint Leaders Summit is taking place on the 23rd and 24th of March, where global leaders in print technology will offer insight, opinion and a vision for the future as the world emerges, a new market materialises, and new opportunities are revealed. In this article, Stephen Tunnicliffe-Wilson, CEO, Inca Digital, offers some insight into Inca’s journey from graphics to packaging ahead of his session at the upcoming event.

Inca’s journey - from Graphics to Packaging

In 2000 we set up Inca Digital to develop inkjet printers for packaging. Following a chance meeting, we saw an opportunity for a detour into retail graphics. We spent two decades becoming a leading supplier of flatbed printers for Point-Of-Sale advertising. Our machines print almost every material from paper to plastics, corrugated to metal. Over 15% of all UV inkjet prints are from an Inca Onset, and we have a 30% market share of high-end flatbed output.

We have learned a lot from retail graphics – how to develop, build and service reliable high- performance inkjet printers. We’ve also learned how a print industry changes when it goes digital. Our products led a revolution in the retail graphics industry and we’re planning to change the packaging world next.

What can digital packaging learn from retail graphics?

Analog packaging printing with offset and flexo has been established for decades, providing high speed and quality with reliable operation. Digital printing with inkjet and toner must do a lot to prove it can match what analog delivers.

Screen printing was the dominant analog print technology in retail graphics until a few years ago. Inkjet technology has gradually taken its place by delivering faster and better printing. The retail graphics market has also evolved to get the best out of the digital print technology.

Everybody knows that digital printers are evolving fast to meet packaging industry needs. We expect the market for packaging print will also adapt to the digital revolution.

The Packaging Industry’s demands now are similar to those of the Retail Graphics market 20 years ago. Like our early customers, they want digital print to match analog speed and quality before it can be taken seriously. But inkjet isn’t just about faking offset print, it’s about finding opportunities and satisfying needs which analog fails to meet.

Register for the session ‘Posters To Packaging: Inca Digital’s Journey’ here.

View the full FuturePrint Leaders Summit here.

Find out more about Inca Digital here.