Consumables for the Printing Industry

The printing industry is a processing industry which uses three major materials: files (text, images and data) which are necessary to prepare the image carrier; paper and consumables. Graphic arts consumables are essential supplies for transferring an image onto the image carrier and for ensuring that machines work properly.

Whatever the printing technology, consumables can be classified into at least three categories:

1. Prepress consumables (i.e. for the preparation of the image carrier):

• Plates, films, developers.

2. Printing consumables

• Offset printing, rotogravure and flexographic inks and varnishes;
• Offset blankets;
• Squeegees, scrapers, cleaning products;
• Cylinders;
• Inks and varnishes for digital inkjet printing;
• Toner and other consumables for digital laser printing.

3.  Finishing, direct mail and packaging consumables

• Staples, bindings;
• Finishing consumables;
• Envelopes, wraps;
• Packaging films and papers;
• Engineering consumables.

Other wear parts which have a pre-determined lifetime and are essential to keep machines in good working order are called "engineering consumables". Like car wear parts (e.g. windscreen wipers, tyres, brake pads) their quality and technical advancement are key issues. For digital printing, they can be included in the cost per page or in the maintenance contract.

By Patrick CAHUET, market expert and GRAPHITEC consultant