By Tianqi Liu, Patrick Sargent, Zaheed Islam and Koen Burger, Cabot Corporation, Billerica, MA
Inkjet has emerged as one of the most promising printing technologies for commercial, signage and packaging due to its flexibility in variable data processing and customization, high throughput, economical workflow, and cost structures. Packaging demand continues to increase particularly for food packaging, but the industry still faces challenges such as supply chain optimization, waste and cost reduction, flexibility with customization, and EH&S compliance. These challenges result in a highly fragmented market, which plays to the strength of print-on-demand digital inkjet technology.