Printing has come a long way since the Gutenberg press. The first book that was published by the press was the Gutenberg Bible and 180 copies were printed at the time. This might seem like a very small number to us, but in those times, this was the mark of a bestseller. As time passed, technology became more and more evolved and now we have the 3d printers and such.
Technology has become ubiquitous in our lives and in the industry. In a short period of time technologies like 3d printing and digital printing have changed the entire landscape of the printing business. People now have more options. They can mass produce their products in less time and with more accuracy. Also, they can get customized parts and products made easily without putting in a lot of effort and in affordable means. The traditional methods of printing are quickly becoming obsolete and the printing businesses who want to stay alive in the future and move forward are embracing this technological evolution wholeheartedly. There are other technologies such as laser transfer paper that have helped the industry a lot.
To stay relevant in the industry and to survive, it is essential that businesses understand the various ways that technology helps us. We must make sure that we educate ourselves in the latest printing technologies and give state of the art solutions to all our customers so that they can benefit from t too.
3D PRINTING
One of the latest and game-changing technologies that have entered the printing business is 3d printing. It is also called additive manufacturing. Basically, it makes a three-dimensional model from a digital file. You can use a plethora of materials to create any number of products that you want. You add the raw material to the 3d printer, and it uses an additive process to lay down layer upon layer of the material until the product is created. Nowadays, you can even load the 3d printer with multiple materials and use it to map out your product. Each layer that the printer lays down can be seen individually as a thin slice. Using 3d printing, companies are now able to manufacture highly complex and difficult to make shapes. It uses less material than traditional printing methods and provides you with more accuracy.
This technology has been adopted in the industry in a major way and now all types of industries are using it to manufacture elements that were too costly to produce or too complex in the past. 3d printing has affected industries like manufacturing, healthcare, printing, automotive industry, as well as a slew of others and it is not showing any signs of stopping. Businesses that are not taking advantage of this technology are becoming obsolete quite rapidly. This technology was once only being used to design prototypes but now it has hit the mainstream industry in a big way, and it is making waves all over the market. Research indicates that it is going to reach $41 billion dollars by 2026.
DIGITAL PRINT TECHNOLOGIES
Another technology that has been making a lot of waves in the printing business is digital printing technology. There was a time when printing was all about letterpress. Now with the passage of time, digital printing has become all the rage and more and more businesses are turning towards it to survive and to make their way into the future.
There are a lot of advantages that technological ways of printing can afford a business. Here we are going to discuss some of the major ones and how they are impacting businesses.
COST
One of the major benefits that people get from adopting technology in any industry is the cost. The same is the case with the printing industry. Digital printing has brought down the cost of printing, whether we talk about small scale jobs or large print jobs. Especially with smaller jobs, they used to take a lot of time and the cost was higher as there was a lot of wastage. But with digital printing, the wastage has greatly reduced and the cost as well. This has provided small scale businesses the opportunity to compete with large scale businesses as they can now afford to print more in a very affordable manner.
ACCURACY
Another great benefit that technology has provided to the printing businesses is that they can now print anything that they want on any surface that they want without the worry of mistakes and lack of accuracy. With digital printing, you can print any number of images or anything else and each one will be exactly like the others. Digital printing is done with digital imaging and that is how the task of accuracy is accomplished. One of the main drawbacks of traditional printing methods was the wastage that the company would have to bear. The traditional machines would heat up and streaks of ink would start appearing in the printing or there would be other complications. Now thanks to technology, this disadvantage exists no more.
This way not only can businesses print more accurately, but also in a very cost-efficient manner as they don’t have to pay for the wastage anymore. They can buy the raw materials according to the printing task and not more to account for the wastage.
QUICK TURNAROUND
Thanks to technology, now we can complete large printing jobs in mere days when in the past it would take weeks or maybe more. When offset printing was the main printing technology, it would take a lot of preparations to start the printing and a lot of on the spot maintenance. Now with the latest printing technologies in our hands, we can accomplish the same tasks in much less time. This way, we can take on more jobs and provide quicker and better results for our customers.
MEDIUM OF PRINTING
Before the technological revolution in the printing business, there were only a handful of materials that you were able to use if you wanted to print anything. You didn’t have too much of a choice. Now, thanks to technology, you can print on almost any surface that you want without giving it a second thought.
CONCLUSION
Just like any other industry, technology has helped the printing industry make leaps and bounds and become what it is today. If you want to make sure that your business not only stays afloat but also increases, then you must ensure that you are taking the benefit of the latest technologies to the fullest.
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