The Industrial Shift from Offset to Digital Inkjet Printing

The print industry is undergoing a major shift: from traditional offset to advanced digital inkjet printing. This evolution, driven by technological advances and changing market needs, is reshaping workflows across packaging, publishing, direct mail, and commercial print. Today, 98% of print providers report volume moving from offset to digital. Here's why—and how companies like Digital Print, Inc. (DPi) are enabling this transition.

Offset Printing: Strengths and Limits

Offset lithography remains a gold standard for high-quality, high-volume printing. It offers excellent color fidelity, sharp detail, and cost efficiency at scale. Once set up, it delivers consistent results across long runs.

But offset has serious limitations in today’s market:

• Setup overhead: Requires metal plates, calibration, and waste sheets—costly and slow.

• Lack of agility: Every change needs new plates. Personalization is impractical.

• Inventory risk: Long lead times mean companies often overprint and warehouse stock they may never use.

Offset is ideal for static, high-volume jobs—but not for today's fast-moving, data-driven demands.

How Digital Inkjet Caught Up

Print Quality and Speed

Modern inkjet presses rival offset in resolution and image quality. Thanks to piezoelectric heads (e.g. Kyocera), today’s systems achieve 600×600 dpi or better. Single-pass architecture allows continuous, high-speed printing across wide substrates—up to 1000 feet per minute.

DPi’s Kyocera-powered systems are a prime example: variable drop sizes allow sharp barcodes, text, and graphics at high speeds.

Substrate Versatility

Inkjet supports both water-based and UV-curable inks. Water-based inks suit porous stocks like paper and corrugate. UV inks, cured instantly by LED lamps, allow printing on plastics, foils, and coated materials—historically the realm of offset or flexo.

DPi's LED UV systems handle films, foils, synthetics, and glossy substrates inline, unlocking applications offset cannot handle.

Workflow and Data Integration

Inkjet doesn’t need plates or physical setup. A job change is as simple as loading a new file. Digital front ends and RIPs handle imposition, variable data, and job batching automatically. This supports short runs, personalization, and database-driven print (e.g. unique barcodes, localized offers).

DPi’s QPress and integrated controller software pull data in real time, enabling traceability, targeted messaging, or on-demand content.

Cost Efficiency

The crossover point—where inkjet becomes more cost-effective than offset—has moved dramatically. High-speed inkjet now handles jobs of 5,000–10,000 units with better economics, especially when factoring in:

• No plate cost

• Reduced waste

• Lower labor overhead

• Faster turnaround

Offset costs have also increased (aluminum plates, paper, labor), making inkjet’s total cost of ownership increasingly attractive.

Inkjet in Industrial Applications

Packaging

Digital inkjet is transforming packaging—once almost exclusively analog. Brands now demand:

• Shorter runs for more SKUs

• Faster design refreshes

• Seasonal or regional packaging

Inkjet enables all of these without plate changes. For instance, beverage brands can run multiple city-themed designs in a single batch. Inkjet minimizes waste and allows just-in-time production, avoiding inventory glut.

Hybrid presses combine flexo (for base colors and coatings) with digital units (for versioned content), allowing converters to transition gradually.

Labels

Labels were early adopters of digital. Inkjet handles frequent versioning (e.g. 50 flavors, 3 regions), serialized barcoding, and regulatory updates with ease. It also cuts waste and eliminates the need to stock rolls for every SKU.

DPi’s UV inkjet solutions let converters print on standard and specialty label stocks, adding codes and personalization inline without slowing production.

Direct Mail

Direct mail has embraced inkjet for personalized, versioned campaigns. Unlike offset, which requires large, static runs, inkjet allows every piece to be unique—ideal for targeting and A/B testing.

Campaigns are faster to launch, easier to adjust mid-stream, and can print only what’s needed. Inkjet presses now print full-color, high-resolution mailers with database-driven content in a single pass.

Book Publishing

Production inkjet has enabled print-on-demand (POD) for books. Publishers can now print one or 100 copies at a time, slashing inventory costs and keeping backlist titles available indefinitely.

Inkjet enables faster updates and personalized editions (e.g. branded textbooks, custom inserts). Short runs that were uneconomical with offset are now profitable.

Commercial Print

Brochures, catalogs, flyers, and personalized marketing collateral are shifting to inkjet. Print service providers benefit from:

• Fast changeovers

• Minimal waste

• Versioning and customization

• Seamless integration with finishing lines

Automated workflows and web-to-print systems allow streamlined, profitable short runs with near-offset quality.

Broader Operational Benefits

Faster Turnaround

No plates, no setup, no bottlenecks. Digital jobs start instantly, often cutting lead times from weeks to days.

Short-Run Efficiency

Print what’s needed, when it’s needed. Reduces storage, overprinting, and spoilage.

Labor Savings

Digital presses require fewer skilled operators and can often run unattended. Fewer steps and less manual oversight means greater throughput per headcount.

Customization

Every print can be different. Whether for personalization, regionalization, or security codes, inkjet makes customization simple and scalable.

Sustainability

Inkjet removes the need for plates, solvents, and excess inventory. Less make-ready waste, fewer chemicals, and more precise printing reduce environmental impact.

Spotlight: Digital Print, Inc. (DPi)

DPi is a leader in bridging analog and digital with modular inkjet systems. Their inkjet modules (e.g. Hawk M7) retrofit onto existing mailing lines, flexo presses, folder-gluers, and transport systems.

Key Features

• Modular Print Widths: 4.25" to over 17", with scalable multi-head configurations

• Speed and Resolution: Up to 1000 fpm, 600×600+ dpi

• Substrate Versatility: UV and water-based ink support for film, foil, plastic, paper, corrugate

• Software: Integrated controllers with variable data layout, numbering, barcoding, database merges, and proofing

• Retrofit-Friendly: Compatible with Kirk Rudy, Walco, Cheshire, and more

Real-World Impact

DPi’s systems are in use globally across web presses and mailing lines. Clients use them to:

• Add barcodes or variable graphics to offset-printed materials

• Run short or custom box designs on existing folder-gluers

• Add versioned content inline during finishing

By enabling digital capability on analog equipment, DPi reduces cost barriers and accelerates digital adoption.

Conclusion

The shift from offset to digital inkjet is reshaping industrial printing. While offset remains viable for ultra-long runs, inkjet delivers unmatched flexibility, faster turnaround, and lower waste across a growing range of applications.

For print providers and converters, the ability to handle smaller, smarter jobs with digital tools is a competitive edge. Companies like DPi are making this evolution accessible by turning existing analog lines into digitally enabled hybrid workflows.

In a market demanding speed, customization, and efficiency, inkjet isn't just catching up to offset—it’s driving the future of print.