The Academy of Screen and Digital Printing Technologies (ASDPT) is composed of professionals that have dedicated a large part of their career to education, development, and innovation. Academy member interviews are intended to provide insight into the future of our industry from the perspective of Academy members. In this interview, Bruce Ridge, Director of Technical Service at Nazdar Ink Technologies discusses past, present, and future trends of inkjet technology and its place in the print industry with Global Inkjet Systems' Business Development Director, Debbie Thorp.
Debbie Thorp has worked in digital printing for over 25 years and is Business Development Director at Global Inkjet Systems Ltd. (GIS), a leading developer of RIP software, drivers and electronics for industrial inkjet printheads. Earlier in her career, Debbie worked for over 10 years in senior positions at specialist digital printing consultancy companies such as IT Strategies, and was Head of Group Marketing at inkjet printhead manufacturer, Xaar for 4 years. Before joining GIS, she was VP EMEA Operations at iTi, an inkjet system integrator. Debbie has a BA degree in Modern Languages from Manchester University and an MBA from Durham University Business School.
Bruce Ridge: Congratulations on being the first purely inkjet technology member of the Academy of Screen and Digital Printing Technology. What did you know about the Academy prior to being nominated and inducted?
Debbie Thorp: I knew that Vince Cahill and Steve Duccilli were members and as soon as I was nominated. I investigated the membership and found many of the Academy members are people in the industry I have known of and respected for a very long time.
BR: You have an MBA, but your first degree from Manchester University was in Modern Languages - did you travel to another country to complete the degree?
DT: I studied Russian and French and spent three months in what was then the Soviet Union at the University of Minsk, and also lived in France for a year. Although there weren't many opportunities in business to use Russian when I graduated, I knew that I wanted a career working with international companies - and also one where I could use my skills in research and analysis. This has become my passion, and fits perfectly with the digital printing industry as it is such a dynamic environment; there is always more to learn - new markets, applications and technology to understand. I happened to apply for a job at a digital printing consultancy and I loved it from the very start - I worked for IT Strategies with Mark Hanley for many years and also at the company that is now known as InfoTrends.
BR: My impression is that GIS is primarily a software development company?
DT: Yes, that is correct - our Atlas software platform is a key part of our portfolio, but we do much more too. We supply the OEM equipment manufacturers and integrators with the key components that they need to build inkjet printing systems. We are high up in the supply chain alongside the printhead manufacturers as providers of core technology. We provide application software, user interfaces, drive electronics, RIP software, and the fluid delivery system components.
My focus is to help people understand what inkjet can achieve and how GIS technology can enhance existing products and also provide access to new market opportunities. It's interesting, but end-users don't question inkjet as much as they used to. It has demonstrated that it is a proven technology - it's shown it can be reliable in true production environments.
BR: How long ago do you think that changed, the perception of inkjet being reliable?
DT: I think the tipping point was drupa 2016. I did not hear people talking about the problems that used to make them nervous about inkjet - like blocked nozzles. The discussions were mainly on productivity and the quality of the output. People were looking at the printed output and seeing that the systems were delivering the quality and productivity suitable for their market - product that they could sell. But of course, in order to achieve that, there is a lot of very smart technology under the hood of these fantastic machines. A lot of what is driving that reliability and high-quality output is software.
BR: Has printing or imaging been a welcome challenge to your focus in business development?
DT: Digital printing has been my whole career and will continue to be I hope. I'm not an engineer or chemist by training, or been a hands-on printer like many of the Academy members, so I have learned by immersing myself in the industry. For the first ten years of my career, I was primarily working as a consultant helping companies understand their markets through research and analysis and also bringing new products to the market. In the early days I focused on consumables - inks, paper, film - which has been invaluable - and I've seen the inkjet market develop from an office technology, to wide format and now into an ever-increasing range of industrial markets. When I was at Xaar and now at GIS, I get a great deal of satisfaction going to a trade show and knowing that we had a part in bringing a product on display to fruition. Often this may entail bringing several companies to work together in the development of the product.
BR: You have been involved with the development of inkjet print technology from the very early days. What are some of the most exciting developments you have been involved with?
DT: I think the introduction of the first inkjet flatbed was significant at drupa 2000. I was working at Xaar when we had customers developing flatbed systems. Inca Digital was the first - and followed by many others. The XaarJet 500 printhead brought a new level of productivity at that time and - combined with the introduction of UV curable inks - opened up printing onto a new range of media. It was a real turning point.
BR: What are the most important trends in inkjet development that you see happening now?
DT: Inkjet being used as part of the manufacturing process is a key trend. These are not always the type of machines you would see at a trade show - they are often built for specific manufacturing applications - kept hidden and used behind closed doors. This makes inkjet just another step in the manufacturing process. Sometimes it's still being used for decoration - so still graphics - but increasingly inkjet is viewed as a deposition device for jetting a functional fluid. This is also linked to printing direct to three dimensional shapes - like tubes, cones and tubs - and also more complex industrial products using robotics. With robots, this is being done by either the robot presenting the object to the printheads, or a robot with an inkjet printhead mounted onto the robot itself. There is a huge amount of software that is being developed in this area.
BR: When GIS makes software to run specific printheads that may be used in different OEM machines, do you have special print testing devices to test the software and printhead?
DT: We do have some small test rigs in-house, but they are not commercial systems. Our software can simulate and test systems of any size, any configuration - it's done virtually.
BR: Inkjet technology has changed the printing technician from mechanic to an electrician or software expert. How do you see this affecting the final image? Do you think the craft aspect is gone?
DT: I think the craft is still there. Optimizing and tuning the system to achieve the best possible results with inkjet still requires craft and knowledge of print. Leaning over a finished print with a loupe may not be necessary in all applications, but the need for the highest possible print quality doesn't change in applications like primary packaging, where color stability, solid flat blocks of color, and first-to-last print consistency are critical. There is craftsmanship and technology involved throughout the process; in every part of the system - inks, media, curing and more. Everything has been tuned to work together - it's just that we take it more for granted now. A simple example is what we consider plain paper in the office. That paper was specifically developed and manufactured to print with optimum results in a laser printer and an inkjet printer - mono and color. That took huge investment, but it's largely forgotten now and we take it for granted - it's just "plain paper".
BR: Are the GIS Print Manager Boards manufactured in the UK? Do you know if those boards are screen printed or imaged by another method?
DT: GIS designs the boards and they are manufactured in the UK. Although inkjet is making inroads in solder mask and dielectrics, I understand our manufacturers are just using traditional processes. Manufacture is focused in the UK to ensure the yield is high. Even then we test every board in-house before it's shipped to a customer.
BR: When you were at the SGIA show last year, did you visit the golden imaging area and if so, what was your impression of the entries?
DT: The inkjet prints - yes. I look for fine details, flesh tones, stitch zones and the most difficult thing to print in inkjet, large areas of solid flat color.
BR: Do you think that, because each print process has its own limitations, this emphasizes the need for good education in the design area of the process?
DT: Digital offers huge opportunities for the designer, but education is critical - and in sectors where digital is a new phenomenon that is challenging. Brand colors, spot colors often fall outside of the gamut of CMYK digital presses. So when it comes to trying to reach the full Pantone range of colors some of the digital equipment manufacturers are adding additional colors to supplement the CMYK gamut - with 7 colors some systems can reach 95% of Pantone. Designing for digital can help manage expectations.
BR: When you go to a trade show, do you ever attend seminars and if so, what are you looking to learn or find out?
DT: When I can - yes. But at trade shows, I really concentrate on learning about new products, new applications - how OEMs are positioning their products and how old problems are being solved by new technology. I have found that I'm going to more specialist trade shows - Ligna, the wood processing show in Europe, Drinktec for the beverage industry in Munich where they are printing direct onto containers, and to the K Plastics show - because inkjet is starting to get into printing on all the unusual plastic shapes that have traditionally been decorated by IML, IMD, float graphics or pad printing. I also read trade journals looking for case studies about people's experiences with inkjet.
BR: What would you like to see the Academy do for the industry?
DT: I think what you are doing with these articles to raise the profile of Academy members is very positive - it shows the range of knowledge of the members. I am currently chair of ESMA, originally the European Screen Manufacturers Association, but which is now about 50% inkjet companies. We have a team called the ESMA Experts that have decades of experience. This group writes educational articles; they have a portal on the website for answering questions; and at trade shows or conferences there is an area where you can meet and talk with these industry experts. Maybe that is something the Academy could consider - to share knowledge.
BR: Academy membership has primarily been an acknowledgment of the work done by individuals that have given back to the specialty printing industry committing time to educate and communicate for the betterment of the industry. Thank you for your contributions.