Looking at Production Inkjet? Attend the Inkjet Summit

Mark DeBoer’s a realist. The director of customer experience for Hillside, Illinois-based Darwill is a huge proponent of production inkjet printing, and he’s attended each of the previous three Inkjet Summits.

By the same token, he doesn’t see the technology as a cure-all panacea. Inkjet has it warts. And like any game-changing technology, production inkjet is a moving target, evolving, improving and occasionally taking a step backward.

“I traveled to Florida for the first Inkjet Summit,” he recalls. “We’d already been working with the technology for a year, but I went anyway because I believe improvements can still be made to inkjet in general.

“Most equipment manufacturers are already working towards the improvements, as are most of the paper companies. They’re trying to evolve the equipment to print better, faster and cheaper. They are chasing this optimal image reproduction ideal at a cost that’s affordable. The ink is just as expensive as the paper is, so they're trying to find the best formula is to get both elements to play nice together.”

DeBoer has attended each of the first three Inkjet Summits. The fourth edition of this hosted buyer event is slated for April 18-20 at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

The premise is fairly straightforward: providing senior managers and business executives at printing companies, in-plants and other corporate enterprises an educational forum in which to develop a big-picture perspective about adding their first or additional production inkjet presses. It is also a medium for printers and technology suppliers to meet in a concentrated setting and discuss topics on a more granular level.

The Inkjet Summit is a buyer-hosted, by-invitation-only event, with all expenses paid for those who qualify. It provides the only platform of its kind, where major industry vendors amass in one venue to provide printer attendees with the latest information on what is available from an equipment, software and paper standpoint. Attendees are also able to hear numerous case histories and user panel discussions featuring printers who have already embraced inkjet. Breakout tracks address digital book, direct mail, transactional and commercial printing opportunities.

Even for those printers who possess more than a passing knowledge of production inkjet, the hosted event still offers comprehensive value to attendees. But to DeBoer, for those printers who are now dipping their toes into the technology’s waters, attending the Inkjet Summit is a must.

“I'm not a know-it-all, but I’ve been around long enough to have a good pulse on what’s going on out there,” DeBoer points out. “If you're a newbie to inkjet, it's like being hit by a fire hose of information. You're meeting vendors from finishing, to paper, to OEMs. [The Inkjet Summit] is perfect for someone who's doing inkjet exploration.”

Other 2015 event participants provided their views on what value they found in attending the Inkjet Summit below:

Mike Lincoln, Colorado State Printer

“The Inkjet Summit is what helped me really understand that inkjet wasn’t as big a risk as I had heard it may be. Talking to peers at the Inkjet Summit was the thing that really sold me on it.”

Paul Hudson, CEO, Hudson Printing

“The Inkjet Summit broadened my exposure of the full range of inkjet applications. While my business has been focusing on the commercial print market, I was able to learn about and meet many people from other market segments, some of which we have chosen to pursue. I also met and was able to utilize the expertise of several experts that helped improve our manufacturing processes.”

Joe Maloy, president and COO, Polaris Direct

“One of the great things about the Inkjet Summit is the opportunity to network and have conversations with others in the industry. The ability to talk to peers, as well as competitors, about their experiences with inkjet or their plans for adopting the technology in the future was a great learning experience.”

Rick Lindemann, vice president, Total Printing Systems

“The Inkjet Summit is probably the best networking event in the industry. Each year, the latest and greatest equipment and media that the industry has available is on display, but the peer-to-peer interaction is definitely the most valuable part of the trip for me.“

Click here to access the Printing Impressions post-event supplement and view a video. For information on attending, please visit www.ijsummit.com or contact David Pesko at dpesko@ngagevents.com. A simple qualification form link is available on the website, which is the first step in the process of being invited to attend.