Switch to latex inkjet printing for bolder, safer and more eco-friendly prints

by Ray Bauer

The wide-format printing space has seen significant change and growth in recent years, with a wider variety of output applications available than ever before. It seems that new and innovative printing options spring up every day. A major undercurrent throughout this growth period has been the move away from using solvent-based inks toward latex inkjet printing.

What’s driving this shift, and why should your print shop consider making the latex inkjet switch? It mostly comes down to three major areas of improvement: environmental responsibility, safety and flexibility.

Latex-based inks [have become] just as efficient as solvent inks, enabling printers who have previously been forced to decide between sustainability and their bottom line to finally get everything they need.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the only limit to what you can print is your imagination.

Latex flexibility: more substrates, more possibilities

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Another great benefit of latex inks? They let you print to a wider variety of substrates, both in terms of color and substance, which provides you with a larger toolbox to work with. Whether you’re looking to make attention grabbing, eye popping backlit signs, beautifully brand a company car with a wrap, or produce a sharp, customized duvet cover, latex inks can be of assistance — and those examples are just the beginning.

Innovators throughout the print industry are finding lucrative margins and niche markets to leverage the flexibility of latex ink to provide unique services and boost customer satisfaction— impressing customers in the process.

As latex ink technologies continue to surge ahead, it is becoming increasingly clear that the only limit to what you can print is your imagination.

Ray Bauer, Production Marketing Manager, Channel and Field Marketing, Ricoh USA, Inc. (RAC), possesses more than 37 years of experience in the imaging industry, currently focusing on wide format and small format production print. Through extensive travel, Bauer gathers keen voice of the field insight and reports his findings to RAC and Ricoh Company, Ltd. By interfacing with Product Marketing, he helps guide the direction of the wide format business. Most recently, Bauer served as Product Manager for Digital Duplicators for more than 12 years, where his expertise, technical and marketing skills helped define the product category.

¹Occupational Safety and Health Standards (Part 1910, Sub-part Z) (Part 1910, Sub-part Z). United States Department of Labor. Website accessed Sept. 8, 2016.