Richard Darling
A pragmatic activist in the commercial application of inkjet technology with some of the world’s best-known manufacturers of printers and printheads, Richard is well-known in the industry. He questions thinking and the way things have been done to discern where industrial inkjet can deliver real benefit.
Talk Title:
leaders & followers
The dynamic landscape of industrial inkjet development shows two contrasting approaches. Some organisations focus on technical innovation, striving for higher speed or productivity and image quality to rival offset printing, an almost academic drive to . These efforts so often involve complexity, requiring significant investment in printhead technologies, data processing and software.
Conversely, many businesses, particularly in Asia, prioritize cost-effectiveness and speed to market. Leveraging simpler, reliable solutions that meet most market and application demands. minimising risk and expense, they very effectively achieve “good enough”. The balance between innovation and pragmatism is important, weighing the risks of higher resolution, speed, and complexity against real-world benefit. Western OEMs, who have historically led inkjet R&D, may now need to adopt lessons from the profit-driven strategies of their Asian counterparts, who seem to be rapidly gaining market share.
