Wallpaper at a commercial level is commonly produced in very large runs. Most vendors agree that analog technologies are still best suited for long runs of the same design based on productivity and consolidates costs. However, medium-size runs for things like limited collections are great for digital printing, in addition to shorter runs and one offs.
“Despite obvious advantages such as no setup time, the related cost of cylinders or screens, less waste, reduces maintenance, and smaller footprint, the challenges for digital production as a replacement to conventional production are primarily found in productivity, running cost, and special effects. Without customization, limited collections, micro runs, or unique pieces, it remains challenging for digital to compete with conventional,” admits Van Gaever.
Georgiou adds that large runs benefit from flexographic and offset technologies, and this is purely based on the cost efficiencies of massive, long-run homogeneous printing.
Traditional wallpaper printing has a major flaw though, which according to Dr. Aleksey Etin, CTO, Veika, is that it freezes large amounts of money into stock. “In order to be effective, traditional wallpaper producers manufacture 1,000 to 2,000 rolls of each SKU in one go. Bearing in mind that collections are usually comprised of 30 to 50 different designs or shades, 30,000 to 100,000 rolls are produced and put into warehouses, without knowing which will sell well. The cost of digital printing is almost the same despite whether one or 100 units are printed, thus there is no need to keep a huge stock of an item. That is a huge cost advantage over traditional production methods.”
Digital has the capability to be used for larger runs depending on the printer, suggests Wittenberg, specifically pointing to HP Indigo technology for medium to large runs. “The benefit with digital is that even the long runs can be made short and to order, which reduces inventories to just in time. Carrying costs and obsolescence are greatly reduced to improve profitability.”
Wide format roll printers are somewhat limited on the other hand. “Due to roll weight limits and roll diameters, economically printing longer runs is not possible without constant supervision and roll changes. Unless a shop installed several printers, long runs are still the domain of other methods of printing,” says Rugen.
However, Etin points out that digital printing is rapidly evolving and faster, more cost-effective machines will eventually be available. She compares this to the textile printing evolution. “Just a few years ago digitally printed textiles were mostly used for short runs and custom, one-off designs, but at the moment it already comprises a significant part—seven to ten percent—of the industry, as the technology advances.”
“Digital printing versatility is a winning solution for any size print run. It represents the most cost-effective option to satsify modern printing needs—fast time to market and high customization,” adds Marco Girola, marketing and communications manager, JK Group/MS Printing Solutions.