our DTO technology, with plans to release more technology for this space soon,” Verbeem adds. With its showroom based in Crewe, Hybrid Services is the exclusive distributor for Mimaki in the UK and Ireland. The company has been exclusively distributing Mimaki technologies since 1996 and offers unique advantages such as first access to the latest Mimaki innovations, product knowledge, technical support, and genuine consumables. A Significant Growth Area Completing our mini round-up of DTO technology suppliers and, coincidentally, another FESPA 2024 exhibitor is Inkcups. Jessica Makrinos, marketing manager of Inkcups, says DTO is a “significant” growth area for inkjet printing, with new applications being developed all the time and an increasing number of print businesses recognising the opportunities in this segment. “Demand for personalised and customised products is a key driver for this growth – with the right technology it is now possible to decorate items such as reusable drinkware, cosmetics, stationery, phone cases, tote bags, candles – you name it – with full-colour, vibrant images, whether it’s a single personalised product or a larger batch,” Makrinos says. “The quality and speed that can now be achieved printing onto more complex shapes is very impressive. It’s easier than ever for print businesses to be exploring revenue opportunities in this booming area of the market. “DTO printing is also a viable method from a sustainability perspective. There is a shift towards DTO as a way of reducing waste and eliminating the need for shrink sleeves, so products are much more easily recyclable. “On top of this, as well as being able to print onto a wider range of media including thicker and cylindrical objects, the UV printing process means lower VOC emissions. So, in an age of great concern around the sustainable credentials of our products, this is another reason why directto-object printing is on the rise.” With this in mind, where specifically can DTO help? Makrinos says knowing DTO printing work to target entails knowledge and awareness of broad trends, with personalisation, as well as sustainability and the shift away from single-use plastics, being topics to keep an eye on. “Certainly, driven largely by those trends, reusable drinkware is riding a wave of popularity in the promotional goods space at present,” Makrinos says, adding: 51 Issue 253 - June / July 2024 email: news@signlink.co.uk “However, as with all opportunities in the print industry, the work that printers should be targeting will vary from business to business. “It comes down to where you can add value, what areas they’re already skilled in, what their existing offerings are, who their customers are, and what they’re looking to achieve. The sweet spot often lies where you can complement your existing successful offering with new applications that increase margins earned from existing customers or enable you to bring in new ones.” Speed and Flexibility Offering an example, one of Inkcups’ customers is a B2C producer of personalised gifts that uses its Helix machines to print onto glassware and reusable drinkware. The client spotted an opportunity to take this further with personalised bottles and other items, and with help from Inkcups technology, has been able to capitalise on this observation and has since established a tradefocused arm serving businesses such as craft distilleries and boutique cosmetics manufacturers. Expanding on this technology, the Helix digital cylinder printer is Inkcups’ DIRECT-TO-OBJECT PRINTING ▼ Marc Verbeem, supervisor of product management at Mimaki Europe ► Mimaki bills the UJF-7151 Plus II as a high-end DTO solution in its UJF Series Developed by Inkcups, the Helix ONE benchtop digital cylinder printer allows users to add cylindrical DTO capabilities to their business Factoid
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