European digital label press installations overtook conventional press sales for the first time, in 2017, according to FINAT’s latest Radar report.
The ninth edition contains a special section on the evolution of digital printing, and the inaugural edition of the FINAT Digital Press Index featuring press installation volume figures from every European digital label press manufacturer for 2017.
The latter found that 2017 was the first year that, with nearly 300 digital press installations, the volume of newly added digital label presses surpassed that of new conventional label press installed volumes.
This is a trend that is set to continue, with 45% of FINAT converters indicating they will be purchasing a digital press over the next 18 months, with inkjet projection volumes surpassing toner-based and hybrid system projections.
The report also included details about investment levels for digital presses. Nearly 60% of digital presses sold into the European marketplace in 2017 were in the price range of €250,000 to €750,000, while 10% were priced below €250,000, and 8% were more than €1 million.
The survey also asked converters to rate specific technical application areas and to indicate their criticality when it comes to customers and prospects. More than one in four converters indicated that the ability to offer digital printing capabilities was critical, while just 4% said the ability to offer digital was ‘not important.’ After digital, the next most-critical ranked criteria included removable adhesives, low migration inks and extended text/extended content labels.
