Inkjet technology has the "power of innovation" that pioneers the future of various industries. Yet, not all of the manufacturers could generate this power easily. Holding the key is not a collection of "individual technologies" but the "power of integration" to coordinate them for overall system optimization. Fujifilm is one of a limited number of truly comprehensive manufacturers in the world that have both the "individual power" and "integration power" at the same time. The company has the strength of being able to develop printheads, inks and image processing systems within the Fujifilm Group, in addition to the ability to deliver stable distribution of advanced inkjet technology worldwide.
To say that a comprehensive manufacturer's strength can be gauged by its capacity to integrate is no exaggeration. Fujifilm continues to pursue and practice the integration of technology with technology and products with products, interactively linking "printhead, ink, and image optimization". This is the greatest motive power promoting inkjet innovation.
Playing the key role in "printhead development" is FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc. a piezoelectric industrial inkjet printhead manufacturer that boasts the world's largest scale and highest level of technological capability. The company has a lineup of various types of printheads, catering to market needs on required resolutions, ink types and ink drop sizes. Its diverse collection of printheads is used in a wide range of devices including digital presses, Super wide format printers and ceramic and textile printers, winning high acclaim in their respective fields.
Main printheads supplied
- Samba
- StarFire
- Q-class
Fujifilm developed the VIVIDIA range of water-based pigment inks for Jet Press printers in-house, while partnering with FUJIFILM Speciality Ink Systems Ltd. for UV inks and with FUJIFILM Imaging Colorants Ltd. for pigment and dye inks to introduce a variety of inks that suit the characteristics of various printheads. The lineup caters to not only Fujifilm-branded printers but also other companies' printers for both consumer and business use, covering a wide variety of market needs.
Main inks supplied
- Water-based dye inks
- Water-based pigment inks
- Water-based latex inks
- UV inks
- Solvent inks
- Solvent UV inks
It is not out of the ordinary for a company to be able to develop printheads as well as inks. Fujifilm, with eyes set on one step ahead, has made all-out efforts into research for "image processing technology," integrating a comprehensive range of associated fields such as materials, devices, systems and hardware. Leading this initiative are the company's expert R&D teams including the FUJIFILM Advanced Marking Research Laboratories and FUJIFILM Synthetic Organic Chemistry Laboratories. They are conducting a series of experiments, analyses and empirical studies to develop inkjet products of high added value, capable of drawing the maximum performance from printheads and inks, in our challenge for "technological innovation with visible results."
Innovation involves the power to deepen its benefits and the power to broaden the scope of application. Fujifilm Inkjet Technology has pursued and fulfilled both of them. The company has identified a series of fresh needs in the printing industry, and pioneered new business potential in a variety of industries outside the printing world. Fujifilm Inkjet Technology will continue to bring innovation in increasing depth, width and beauty.
Since the company can freely combine high-performance inks and printheads to build systems optimized for specific usage, Fujifilm Inkjet Technology has applications even outside the world of printing. Not only has it been applied in general commercial printing, printers for general use and sign displays, the inkjet's refined expressive powers are being exerted in diverse fields such as textile, 3D print, laboratory equipment and tiles.
Requests from customers always excite developers. Fujifilm always takes on multiple challenges from the user's perspective for the innovation of inkjet technology. Fully utilizing the "power of image design", "power of material development" and "power of system integration", allowed all five characteristics, "high productivity", "versatility", "safety", "reproducibility" and "durability" that were previously in a tradeoff relationship and difficult to develop simultaneously, to be improved at the same time.
The introduction of the ink recirculation mechanism to a printhead has increased the reliability jetting with the most complex inks and improved printhead durability. Detailed design perspectives are employed in pursuit of operation "reliability" instead of"security."
The "Rapic*" technology for achieving optimum and stable reproducibility on actual printing stock is combined with Fujifilm's proprietary image processing technologies to pursue high quality from various angles.
- See detailed description of Rapic technology on page 12
Fujifilm has achieved the high speed single-pass printing method in which inkjet printheads as wide as printing stock width scan at once in an intended printing direction, as well as the duplex variable printing for added efficiency, so as to increase productivity.
Making use of advanced organic material technology, Fujifilm ensures environmentally-considerate ink formulation from the stage of dye / pigment design in order to develop safe inks that are kind to both people and nature.
Fujifilm has developed highly versatile inks that can be set in a variety of media, facilitating inkjet use in various types of businesses and diverse range of jobs.