Inkjet printing officially has moved out of the shadows of toner-based production print. Once seen as a niche or supplementary technology, production inkjet now takes center stage across various applications, including direct mail, transactional printing, books, commercial printing, and even light packaging.
Office technology dealers who sell production printing equipment for OEMs such as Canon, Epson, Konica Minolta, Kyocera, and Ricoh are noticing a significant rise in customer interest. And, thanks to a new partnership, Xerox may also be seeing a resurgence in its dormant inkjet offerings. Other notable players in the production inkjet market include HP, RISO, Screen, and Fujifilm.
RISO maintains a unique position in the inkjet landscape with its cutsheet inkjet devices such as the ComColor GD and FT series, which are known for their high-speed, low-cost output in transactional, education, and government environments. While not traditionally classified alongside high-volume production presses, RISO’s devices offer a reliable, affordable entry point for organizations seeking fast, monochrome or color inkjet at lower duty cycles.
What’s fueling the surge? The answer lies in a combination of market demand for speed, flexibility, and customization, along with significant improvements in inkjet hardware, ink formulation, and media compatibility. Add to those lower operating costs, faster turnaround times, and reduced labor requirements, and it’s easy to see why inkjet is becoming the top choice for many print service providers (PSPs) and in-house operations.
Dustin Graupman, senior director of Kyocera’s inkjet division, said these trends reflect earlier adoption of roll-fed inkjet. “Cut-sheet followed the same trajectory—transactional print, direct mail, and publishing drove early growth, just like they did for roll-fed a decade ago,” he explained.
The Evolution of Inkjet Printing Technology
Over the past decade, production inkjet systems have experienced a significant transformation. Initially limited to high-volume transactional printing, the latest machines now support a wider variety of substrates, deliver better image quality, and operate at speeds that match or surpass toner-based systems. Four key technological advances are enabling this evolution:
- high-density pigment inks enhance color gamut, durability, and media compatibility
- smarter drying systems, including LED and near-infrared technology, support higher print speeds without sacrificing quality
- precision printheads and nozzle technology minimize ink waste and support ultra-fine droplet sizes for improved image resolution
- advanced workflow software and color management tools streamline prepress and ensure accurate output across variable jobs
As a result, many OEMs have expanded their inkjet offerings, giving dealers more options to reach a broader range of customers, from commercial printers seeking offset-quality output to large corporations aiming to bring print jobs to in-house production facilities.
Brian Balow, director of production inkjet sales at Ricoh USA, emphasized that the greatest opportunities for inkjet growth are with PSPs. “The lion’s share of inkjet opportunities, of course, are going to be with your print service providers,” said Balow. “If you’re calling on PSPs and you’re not afraid to pursue that market—because the margin model is a little different—there is real potential there.” He also noted that corporate in-plants acting like PSPs within their companies are the next most likely group to invest in inkjet.
Rory James, director of industrial print and inkjet at Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., observed a similar trend. “Our commercial print and direct mail customers remain key segments, but the lines are blurring. A lot of commercial print houses are evolving into direct mail providers and vice versa,” he said. “We’ve also seen growing interest from in-plant facilities, packaging organizations, and signage and display operations thanks to the substrate flexibility of our AccurioJet product line.”
Graupman pointed to a rapidly growing opportunity in K-12 education. “We’re seeing a lot of excitement from school districts looking to bring more color into curriculum materials,” he said. “If you can do color for just a bit more than black-and-white, schools are all in. School districts are easy to find and easy to qualify.”
Inkjet’s Profitable Advantages
For customers evaluating whether to invest in inkjet printing technology, the conversation increasingly centers on cost, efficiency, and versatility. Balow pointed out that the total cost of ownership is a core part of Ricoh’s inkjet value proposition. “When you have the right inks—latex and water soluble—the right drying technology, and the right platform, the economics make sense,” he said. “We’ve seen some competitors come out with expensive inks, which hurts TCO. We’ve addressed that from the start.”
The latest production inkjet printers support a variety of substrates, including coated and uncoated stocks, synthetics, and lightweight papers. This flexibility broadens the range of jobs that printers can handle, from brochures and newsletters to books, and even light packaging, often without the need for pretreatment or specialty inks.
Substrate flexibility is a key strength of Konica Minolta’s inkjet lineup. “No one can match our substrate flexibility,” opined James. “With our latest AccurioJet KM-1e, we are capturing jobs across offset, high-end toner, and even some large-format segments. It’s not about replacing devices; it’s about integrating inkjet into the right parts of the workflow so customers can maximize profitability.”
Inkjet excels in short-run environments where personalization and rapid turnarounds are crucial. With no printing plates to image and minimal set-up time, it’s easier and more cost-effective to run dozens or hundreds of versions of a job with unique content or offers. This makes inkjet an ideal choice for direct mail, transactional documents, and marketing collateral that rely on targeting and customization.
Many buyers are placing greater importance on environmental impact when making purchasing decisions, too, and inkjet printing provides several eco-friendly benefits as well. Water-based inks, lower energy consumption due to no heat-based fusing, and less waste make inkjet a more sustainable option compared to traditional printing methods.
Opportunities for Dealers
For office technology dealers, inkjet offers opportunities for deeper customer engagement and higher revenue streams. Dealers who previously focused on cut-sheet toner devices now can promote inkjet as a solution for clients seeking new features or looking to switch from offset to digital. Balow views inkjet as an avenue for organic growth, not just a shift. “If you’re moving offset work to digital, B2-plus is the sweet spot—23×29 sheets. Those are fresh clicks, not recycled ones. It’s the kind of growth we haven’t seen in this industry in a long time.”
What Kyocera observed when it first entered the inkjet production space was that its inkjet products were replacing existing toner equipment. “It was the higher volume customers who were able to just drop the inkjet device in as a new piece of equipment and not replace anything,” said Graupman. “They had the volume, and the ROI was there. Now it’s about evaluating inkjet as a primary piece of equipment.”
Notable Market Developments
Across the board, OEMs are doubling down on their inkjet printing roadmaps. For example, Canon’s inkjet portfolio spans both roll-fed and sheetfed platforms, giving print providers a broad range of production options. The ColorStream and ProStream series anchor Canon’s high-speed, roll-fed lineup, supporting transactional, direct mail, and commercial print applications.
For sheetfed/cutsheet production, its varioPRINT iX series, including the iX3200 and iX1700, offers offset-like quality, according to Canon, with the flexibility of digital output on a wide variety of substrates. The OEM also is preparing to enter the B2 market this fourth quarter with the varioPRESS iV7, which will bring enhanced speed, automation, and media compatibility to larger sheet formats. Rounding out the portfolio are legacy and specialized systems like the JetStream, VarioStream, and LabelStream, designed for high-volume publishing, monochrome, and label applications.
Konica Minolta offers the AccurioJet KM-1e, WEBjet, and PKG-675i series inkjet devices. James said the evolution of Konica Minolta’s inkjet technology since 2016 has been significant. “We’re faster, our RIP [raster image processing] times are better, and our workflow tools are second to none,” he believes.
Kyocera’s TASKalfa Pro 15000c has gained ground with cost-conscious in-plants and CRDs (centralized reprographics departments), offering high-speed inkjet printing at an attractive price. “Kyocera has done a spectacular job of developing the product and getting it to price points and performance profiles where there’s not a lot of competition for this product at this price point and this level of productivity,” said Graupman. “Our product allows more people to get into inkjet with an entry-level solution. Now we’re seeing wider adoption in new environments, and some users are pushing close to three million prints a month on our devices. That’s how reliable they are.”
Looking ahead, Graupman said Kyocera will continue evolving its platform with expanded accessories and an upcoming device designed for coated stock. “We think that will be a bit of a game changer,” he noted.
Also notable are Kyocera’s partnerships with Ricoh and Xerox for its inkjet production devices. “When you have two major OEMs—Xerox and Ricoh—choosing to sell your product, people start to ask, ‘What am I missing?’” said Graupman. “That’s why we’re seeing more interest and traction in the channel.”
Ricoh has refreshed its inkjet printing lineup with the Ricoh Pro VC series and Pro Z75 B2 sheetfed inkjet press, aiming to bring offset-level performance to digital customers. Balow acknowledged that Ricoh was a late entrant to the color inkjet market but believes that has worked to their advantage. “We were the last to the game, but that allowed us to let the market mature and develop our technology in a way that truly hits the mark,” he said. “For example, some competitors released presses that only print one side at a time, requiring two passes—a major pain point. Our technology allows duplexing with one pass, which is critical for productivity.”
The Inkjet Inflection Point
With continued improvements in printhead durability, ink chemistry, drying technology, and substrate range, inkjet printing is positioned not just to coexist with other print technologies but to define the next era of digital production.
“Many customers who didn’t make the move a few years ago are now back in the cycle, reevaluating their options as their businesses evolve,” said James of Konica Minolta. “As more toner production leases come up for renewal, the opportunity for dealers to step in with inkjet solutions is only growing.”
If production printing is a key part of a dealer’s strategy, Graupman said they will need to figure out where inkjet technology fits into it. “What pages can go to inkjet printing will go to inkjet—it’s just a matter of when and how,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to be a revolution but another evolution that will just continue to boost growth.”
