Book Manufacturers’ Institute Publishes Updated Research Around Inkjet Printing and Finishing
The Book Manufacturers’ Institute (BMI) has published a 2021 version of their research “The Role of Inkjet Printing in Powering Industry 4.0 in Book Publishing,” the findings of a research study, conducted by NAPCO Research (a unit of NAPCO Media LLC) and commissioned by BMI. The paper focuses on how book printers are looking at inkjet printing options, along with various finishing options and their desire to increase automation opportunities.
The report details key benefits of digital book printing and suggests that the economics and flexibility of short-run and print-on-demand are part of the appeal of inkjet to survey respondents, and includes analysis of methods currently employed by book printers, expectations for future investments in plant hardware, including finishing and other functions open to automation.
Matt Baehr, Executive Director of BMI, said, “We are excited to have this follow up research to our earlier inkjet study. Having historical data to look at, along with adding in the questions around finishing will make this information even more valuable for our members.”
Investment in automating workflow is also a key focus of book printers as they shift from offset to digital. To maximize efficiency and productivity, book manufacturers can now begin to rely on equipment and software to accomplish tasks that would otherwise require one or more employees and several different pieces of equipment. While many book printers are not yet running highly automated operations, continuous innovation across the manufacturing process gives companies the option to implement these types of technologies where they see fit.
“It was great to be able to follow up on our previous BMI Inkjet research study with our most recent effort. The latest research allows for trend analysis and highlights the importance of inkjet, finishing and the growth in automation by book printers.,” said Nathan Safran, Vice President, Research at NAPCO Media.
BMI members have full access to the study. Non-BMI members can access an executive summary by contacting BMI.