Printers come in various types and varieties, and depending on the use, they can take on different forms. One form of printer is the flatbed inkjet printer which is an industrial printing solution for a wide variety of printable media sizes and materials. For those who do not have any knowledge about industrial printing but need to find an industrial printing solution for a variety of media, a flatbed inkjet printer is worth learning about. Here are some quick facts about flatbed inkjet printers.
What is a Flatbed Inkjet Printer?
A flatbed inkjet printer is typically a large device which is designed to accommodate a very flexible range of printable media of various materials and various dimensions. The devices are called flatbed printers because they have a flatbed mechanism where you put the material to be printed on. The flatbed surface passes through the fixed print head of the device which produces the print as the material passes through. Different models have different sizes of flatbeds, thereby allowing different sizes of media to be used based on the model.
What are the applications of flatbed inkjet printers?
The major applications of flatbed inkjet printers include general printing activities on all types of printable materials like ceramics, signboards, cards, promotional or advertisement materials, small material printing on different media, construction material printing, clothing, customized accessories, and all sorts of general merchandise and products. In general, flatbed inkjet printers can be used for virtually all printing activities, as long as the surface of the material to be printed on is flat and not uneven in texture. The thickness of the material can also range from as thin as paper or as thick as 5 inches. Three-dimensional objects can also be printed on as long as the surface is flat.
What are the advantages of using these devices?
The biggest advantage that you can get from flatbed inkjet printers is the versatility that they offer. No matter what material, what shape, and what size of the material you want to print on, as long as it has a flat surface and does not exceed the maximum size of printable area of the flatbed, you can print on it. The resolution of prints produced by these devices is also very high and they can print in quick speed. The ink consumption of the device is also very efficient and you are able to use the ink as optimally as possible.
What are the disadvantages of using these products?
Since they are used for industrial printing, these printers are quite expensive. They also have a very complicated printing mechanism which adds to the overall cost of the product. And because they are generally applied for profitable purposes, it is also the objective of printer manufacturers to sell these printers at a high, profitable markup.
Who will benefit the most from using these devices?
Businesses that produce a wide variety of merchandise that have prints like novelty items, plastics, home décor, and other consumer goods are the ones that need these printers the most. But other industries may also use these printers for a wide selection of printable media like advertisements, complementary items, etc. T-shirt printing, poster printing, and printing on all kinds of solid products are some of the purposes that industry and business owners may want to use flatbed inkjet printers for.
What brands of flatbed inkjet printers should I look for to ensure quality?
Some of the most well-known brands of flatbed inkjet printers are Yetek, XuanFeng, Mimaki, Inkcups, and Prototype and Production Systems. These brands mainly focus on producing these printers and other industrial printing solutions. These brands are not well known because they have no standard printing products but the fact that they focus on flatbed inkjet printers are statements enough that they give high value to manufacturing and developing these products.
How much budget should I allocate to buy a good flatbed inkjet printer?
Since this is an industrial device and you’ll most likely be using it for profitable purposes, the price of this product will generally not go any lower than $1,000. There may even be very high class products which cost around $5,000 or more. Therefore, before you can actually get a hold of such a device, you need to prepare a good budget for it and you should also use it in a way that the capital you used to buy the device will be returned to you with markup or interest. In other words, it should really be used for profitable purposes.
Conclusion
Flatbed inkjet printers are not just any ordinary printers. They should be used for profitable purposes only especially because they are very big investments. These devices are perfect for your commercial and industrial printing needs.
