It seems the digital printing industry is experiencing a decline and opportunities for growth are gloomy. If indeed happening, this is bad news for the independent rechargers of ink and toner cartridges. The crises are developing and nobody can do anything about it.
President John F. Kennedy in the 60s once said that crises in Chinese are represented by two characters one stands for danger the other for opportunities. Meaning opportunity lurks behind and one only needs to dig deeper to be able to ride with the crises. It is correct to assume that in printing, all avenues have been tried and the market is already saturated. This is a short sighted assessment though. A huge market is still out there waiting to be explored. The rechargers must lead. Who knows the business better than them? They have to innovate, improve and introduce new print technology, raised the level of efficiency and tame cost parameters.
Competition is actually the name of the game and is fiercest this side of the printing industry. In the recent past for instance, many believed that inkjet printers will cause the demise of toner technology and dominate document printing. Although inkjets were better off at the start, it never caused toner technology to just roll over and die. Toner based printers fired back introducing new print technology, better speed and most of all affordable printing costs. And when color toner reached the market, there really is no turning back. Toner technology has built a niche of its own.
The rechargers are on a similar path, but instead of sulking they assess and innovate for our future. This is a never ending struggle and they cannot rest on their laurels. What has reached saturation point in printing deals with the most common application? The globe is awash with so many applications just waiting to be tapped. They have yet to touch interior design, printing on wallpapers, tiles, ceramics, glass, fabrics, packaging and several others. This part of the application will need expertise and call for to invest heavily on R&D. It will entail the development of new print technology, new inks and new substrates. What about the other applications then?
You see the future of the digital printing industry is really bright. Who says the digital printing industry is on the crossroad? It is simply just beginning to be explored in its full potential.
