If you still think that digital wall tiles manufacturers are using screen printing technology to design their products, then you are wrong. Screen printing has been traditionally applied for decorating tiles and involves application of each of the colors in a design with a separate screen or roller. Today, inkjet printers are taking place of screen printing technology with grace.
Why inkjet printing technology got success in replacing screen printing?
It happens because the screen printing process has numerous limitations including –
- High setup costs
- Long production runs
- High cost of ownership
- Difficulty in matching exact colors on repeat orders
Inkjet printing technology is digital, non-contact, and using HD method of printing patterns. It provides substantial benefits over screen printing, such as-
- Pattern flexibility
- Low waste production
- HD printing
- Elimination of hard tooling
- Greater automation
Ceramic tile full-width printing machines are gaining more attention of buyers since it is the best technology for making custom and bespoke designs for consumer and commercial market. The full-width print heads are also responsible for making inkjet printers so popular.
Due to non-contact feature of inkjet printers, manufacturers can design thinner tiles as they don’t need to be strong at the point of printing. Inkjet printing machine can vary their image continually as they run, so there is no need to repeat the image. You can run a marble-effect across multiple tiles with veins linking across tiles and every image will be different. Inkjets can print textured surfaces over tiles that you cannot expect from rotary screen.
These reasons are enough to explain why tile industry is moving its interest towards inkjet printing technology. The financial incentives are so good that the whole industry is attracting to inkjets. The ceramic tile makers can easily pay back their investment in an inkjet digital press within six months. This study is made by industry analysts who believe that ceramic tile inkjet printing will continue to grow.
As per recent research, experts found that the main market drivers are different today. People look for the affordable yet best products. Some of the drivers are as under-
- Shorter life cycle of products
- Customization and personalization
- Shorter print runs
- Cost reduction
- Quality
- Supply chain restructuring
Digital wall tiles manufacturers are investing more in inkjet technology as it promises more returns. It is expected that the future of inkjet printing technology is stable.