Part two of two
Short-run profitability has improved because the economics of production have shifted. Digital inkjet reduces the cost and complexity of shorter jobs.
Josh Howard, senior director, inkjet R&D, print operations, Kodak, believes printers are under more pressure from labor constraints, faster turnaround expectations, versioning, and job fragmentation than they were just a few years ago.
“In that environment, the value of inkjet is not just speed, but usable output with less makeready, fewer manual touch points, and the ability to switch jobs quickly without the structural inefficiencies of offset. Continuous-feed inkjet also helps printers do more with fewer skilled operators by automating key functions, simplifying changeovers, and reducing the amount of labor tied up in setup, plate handling, and repeated manual adjustments. That makes it easier to produce shorter, more targeted runs with variable content while still maintaining the throughput needed to keep costs under control,” says Howard.
Historically, short-run print was defined by volume limits and cost constraints, restricting what could be produced profitably. That has changed over the past few years. Tim Bolton, senior manager, product management, Ricoh USA, Inc., says advances in continuous feed and high-speed inkjet technology have expanded the operating window where jobs can be produced profitably.
Lucy Perez-Sierra, senior manager, product strategy, Canon U.S.A., Inc., says faster time to sellable output—enabled by automated startup stabilization, real‑time image quality controls, and reduced makeready waste—helps reduce downtime between jobs, improve utilization, and accelerate return on investment.
Automation and predictive maintenance helps lower costs by reducing operator intervention and unplanned downtime. At the same time, broader media compatibility allows more jobs to run on standard substrates, adds Perez-Sierra.
Today’s platforms deliver higher quality, greater consistency, and more automation at speed, allowing print providers to cost-effectively produce a broader range of run lengths and applications. “As a result, more work now falls into the “profitable shortrun” category, particularly jobs that previously required offset for quality or scale reasons,” says Bolton.
Finally, Perez-Sierra points out that workflow and business model changes have accelerated revenue. Integrated digital workflows, variable‑data capabilities, and tighter MIS integration allow short‑run jobs to move seamlessly from order intake to production. “This has enabled new revenue streams—such as personalized direct mail, versioned publishing, and localized marketing—where higher per‑page value offsets lower volumes.”
Together, these advancements have transformed short runs from a production challenge into a profitable growth opportunity, enabling printers to maximize press utilization, recover investments faster, and respond to changing market demands, summarizes Perez-Sierra.
Expanded operating window enables providers to support a more diverse book of business, improving utilization while maintaining margins. “Short run profitability is no longer defined by minimal volume alone, but by the ability to efficiently produce the right mix of work with predictable outcomes,” comments Bolton.
Advancements in Profitability
Several advancements support the effort to improve productivity on shorter, more complex runs.
Perez-Sierra says Canon’s advancements are designed to reduce non-productive time while maintaining quality from the first page. These innovations directly improve efficiency in high-mix environments.
“The SRA Controller enables full production speeds while handling complex, data-heavy jobs, minimizing slowdowns between runs. Automated splice handling further reduces operator intervention and maintains stability if an unidentified splice is detected within a roll,” notes Perez-Sierra.
Technologies like printing on the ramp and waste free print pause reduce startup waste and prevent spoilage during interruptions, says Perez-Sierra.
Image stabilization technologies such as Canon Digi‑Dot multilevel modulation further support fast job transitions by stabilizing droplet placement and density quickly, contributing to faster time to sellable output and reduced operator adjustment.
“Together with On‑Remote Services (ORS)-enabled predictive maintenance, these capabilities help increase uptime and allow shorter, complex jobs to run efficiently without sacrificing throughput by remote monitoring, diagnostics, and proactive service, to identify performance risks early and resolve issues faster,” says Perez-Sierra.
Bolton points to higher levels of on-press automation are a primary driver of advancements in automation. “Today’s platforms are designed to transition quickly between complex applications with minimal operator intervention, whether that means moving from lightweight to heavy substrates or from lowc overage to high coverage jobs.”
Key advancements include: automated paper setup, automated makeready, and automated inspection, all of which reduce setup time, limit waste, and maintain consistency across shorter runs. Bolton says realtime inspection and adjustment capabilities help ensure quality without slowing production, while flexible media handling enables a wider range of applications to be produced on the same device.
“Together, these automation and flexibility improvements allow print providers to efficiently handle frequent job changes and increasing complexity, making shorter runs more productive and economically viable,” adds Bolton.
Quality Advancements
Quality for high-speed inkjet continue to advance.
Perez-Sierra explains that high-speed continuous-feed inkjet requires consistent image quality at full production speeds. “Across the ColorStream and ProStream platforms, Canon addresses this through precise droplet control, stabilization and real-time correction.”
Canon Digi-Dot multilevel modulation, enables smoother tonal transitions and sharper detail by controlling droplet size and placement. “Pre-Fire technology helps ensure stable jetting from the first page, to reduce artifacts,” says Perez-Sierra.
Long-run consistency is reinforced through Canon Image Quality Control (IQC), incorporating Nozzle Activation Control (NAC) and Nozzle Uniformity Control (NUC). These technologies monitor nozzle behavior and compensate for variations in real time, to help ensure uniform color, density, and image integrity across wide webs and long runs. Along with Canon’s Color Uniformity Control (CUC) technology that is designed to help ensure consistent, even color reproduction across the entire printed sheet and over time on Canon production inkjet presses
“These combined technologies offset-class quality with speed, consistency and reliability required for modern production environments,” says Perez-Sierra.
Bolton says the biggest quality enablers are automation and realtime control. “Advances in real-time quality monitoring and automated color management allow presses to maintain consistent output at high speeds without constant manual adjustment.”
Equally important is the reduced reliance on highly specialized labor. “Today’s systems have embedded expertise into the press itself, using closed loop quality control, automated correction, and intelligent setup, reducing reliance on journeymen level skilled operators. That’s a critical shift for the industry. You can’t responsibly deploy a multi-million dollar production system and require a skill set that’s difficult to find,” says Bolton.
By automating quality and color decisions at speed, Bolton says continuous-feed inkjet can deliver reliable, repeatable results while remaining practical to operate in modern production environments.
Additional Trends, Demands
Adoption of web‑fed inkjet is accelerating due to shifting market demands and improved technology. Shorter run-lengths, increased personalization and faster turnaround needs are key drivers, comments Perez-Sierra.
Advancements in print quality, media flexibility and color control have narrowed the gap with offset, making inkjet viable for more applications. “At the same time, improved startup efficiency, reduced waste and automation enhance productivity in high-mix environments. Today’s systems can deliver consistent, high‑quality output suitable for many commercial, publishing, and direct‑mail applications once considered offset‑only,” says Perez-Sierra.
Economic and operational factors further reinforce this shift. Perez-Sierra stresses that rising labor costs, tighter turnaround expectations, and sustainability goals are pushing print providers toward technologies that reduce waste, energy consumption, and manual intervention. “Continuous‑feed inkjet’s ability to produce only what is needed—when it is needed—aligns well with these pressures.”
The growth of data‑driven and digitally enabled business models—from localized marketing to on‑demand publishing—favors platforms that combine high speed with digital flexibility. “As a result, web-fed inkjet is increasingly seen not as an alternative, but as a strategic complement to offset in modern print operations,” says Perez-Sierra.
Bolton adds that third-generation continuous-feed inkjet platforms have significantly raised the quality ceiling, making it possible to achieve results that closely approach offset expectations at production speeds. “That shift has changed how printers evaluate which applications are viable on inkjet.”
At the same time, Bolton expanded media capability has been a major factor. “Today’s systems handle a much wider range of substrates, from lightweight papers to heavier stocks, including many offset coated papers that were previously impractical for inkjet. This broadens the addressable market and allows printers to migrate work that didn’t previously make sense on inkjet.”
Together, Bolton says higher quality and greater media flexibility mean that more jobs now fall into the “viable on inkjet” category, including applications historically reserved for offset. “As a result, continuous-feed inkjet is increasingly viewed as a true production alternative for a wider mix of commercial, publishing, and direct mail work.”
Aug2026, DPS Magazine
