IPEX 2010 marks a watershed for Domino, with the Cambridge, UK-based company using the show as the launchpad for a brand new range of four/five colour digital presses. The move marks Domino’s transition from acknowledged market leader in in-line variable data printing to mainstream supplier of full colour digital printing equipment. The introduction is underpinned by the establishment of Domino’s Digital printing solutions division, dedicated to the Printing, Mailing, Packaging and Converting markets, focussing on label printers as well as in-house, near line printing in the packaging sector.
The company’s existing wide range of ink jet technologies for personalisation and numbering will sit alongside the new N-Series full colour solution to meet the complete range of digital printing applications. Nigel Bond, Group Managing Director at Domino Printing Sciences plc, said: “Domino has become pre-eminent in industrial ink jet over the last three decades and is continuously expanding its product range to add value to customers’ businesses, helping them to enter new markets and create additional opportunities for growth. “Drawing on our accumulated wealth of experience in ink jet technology, we believe that the time is now right in terms of price, technology and print quality for Domino to expand our offering to incorporate full-colour ink jet printing.” One of the pioneers of industrial ink jet technology,
Domino’s credentials in terms of delivering and supporting ink jet printers are beyond question. The company was formed in 1978: it floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1985 and has just reported its 31st year of consecutive growth, with sales to November 2009 of £256m (€290m) and operating profit of £36m (€40m). Ongoing and substantial investment in R&D has seen the Domino portfolio expand beyond its initial continuous ink jet (CIJ) offering to incorporate the broadest and most complete range of flexible system solutions, including continuous, binary, thermal- and drop on Demand ink jet technologies.
For the commercial printing sector, this translates into added value in a variety of applications, such as printing addresses, barcodes, numbers and graphics with integrated controllers that interface with existing industry-standard databases and software. This allows users to easily manage rapid speed and high quality variable data on printing, finishing and mailing lines. Many early applications of Domino products were in the commercial printing sector – applying unique codes to game cards is typical – and these are still very much in demand today.
The company is committed to delivering value across the board: many printers in the field have a service life of twenty years or more, while other customers have upgraded to take advantage of new capabilities and are now running their third generation Domino printer. This long term commitment reflects in the design of the new products; they are fully specified and designed for heavy duty use, with robustness to match that of any conventional litho or flexo press. Philip Easton, Director – Digital Printing Solutions at Domino, says that this heritage is reflected in the design and build of the new N-Series. “Domino is committed to delivering the right product to the market at the right time. We have been monitoring developments in the fast-moving CMYK ink jet market closely dating back to 2006 when we test marketed our first CMYK solution and are confident that the printer we launch at IPEX will be the one that meets the needs of printers and brand owners now and for some time to come.”