FuturePrint Podcast

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Can digital direct to object printing compete with analogue on speed and cost, even when producing hundreds of thousands of identical objects? Ken Stack, Executive Chairman of EPS, believes it already can, and that the next growth phase for industrial inkjet is taking shape.
In this episode of the FuturePrint Podcast, Marcus Timson speaks with Ken about the technologies and commercial pressures accelerating production of digital direct-to-object printing.
Drawing on more than three decades in industrial inkjet, Ken explains how single-pass systems are moving digital decoration into high-volume manufacturing. We discuss why customers buy complete automated decoration cells, incorporating product handling, surface treatment, printing, inspection and sorting, and why labour savings and reduced setup time are central to the investment case.
The conversation then explores EPS’s XD-AQ system, announced at the FuturePrint Packaging, Labels and DTS Summit in Valencia. Using high-viscosity water-based inks and Xaar Aquinox printheads, the technology addresses the challenges of printing strong colour and fine text on porous substrates, including moulded fibre packaging.
Ken outlines the branding opportunity in a market where molded fibre packaging remains undecorated, and how direct printing could reduce reliance on additional labels and sleeves. We also examine printing on pre-die-cut blanks, enabling manufacturers to customise packaging closer to dispatch.
Finally, Ken shares his view of industrial inkjet’s maturity curve, explaining why direct-to-object printing and functional manufacturing applications could offer significant growth opportunities.
An insightful discussion about automation, materials innovation and the economics of bringing digital printing deeper into manufacturing, with practical implications for brands and producers.
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What is FuturePrint?
FuturePrint is a digital and in person platform and community dedicated to future print technology. Over 20,000 people per month read our articles, listen to our podcasts, view our TV features, click on our e-newsletters and attend our in-person and virtual events. 
We hope to see you at one of our future in-person events:
FuturePrint Packaging, Labels & DTS Summit, 29-30 September '26, Valencia, Spain
FuturePrint Industrial Print Show, 11-12 May '27, Munich, Germany

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Inkjet gets called “printing” so often that we forget what it really can be: a manufacturing tool that adds function, not just colour. We are joined by Peter Ueberfuhr from C-marx to unpack how an inkjet integrator approaches the real-world problems factories bring to the table, from materials and compliance to throughput, operator workflows and the production environment. 

We walk through the full journey of an inkjet integration project: the early technical calls, clarifying requirements, and getting customers hands-on with the technology so everyone is speaking the same language. Peter explains “golden samples”, process development timelines, and why pre-treatment and post-processing can make or break performance. From there it’s engineering, proposals, negotiation, and delivery with FAT and SAT, followed by lifecycle support with service, spares, consumables and retrofits. 

Then we shift into one of the most exciting uses of inkjet: accessible signage. Peter shares how C-marx prints tactile features and Braille by building layers of a durable material that adheres across a wide range of substrates for indoor and outdoor use. We compare digital tactile printing with traditional screen printing, embossing and milling, and explore the bigger opportunity in haptic pictures and tactile learning materials for blind and visually impaired people. 

We finish with what’s next for C-marx: staying broad across industries, launching more configurable “off-the-shelf” printers in the MarXman series, and developing software that makes automation and robot connections easier without heavy programming. Subscribe for more, share this with someone in manufacturing or signage, and leave a review if you want more practical conversations about where print meets production.
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What is FuturePrint?
FuturePrint is a digital and in person platform and community dedicated to future print technology. Over 20,000 people per month read our articles, listen to our podcasts, view our TV features, click on our e-newsletters and attend our in-person and virtual events. 
We hope to see you at one of our future in-person events:
FuturePrint Packaging, Labels & DTS Summit, 29-30 September '26, Valencia, Spain
FuturePrint Industrial Print Show, 11-12 May '27, Munich, Germany

Send us Fan Mail
Print is no longer just a hardware story. It’s a data story, a software story, and increasingly an automation story too and that shift is forcing every manufacturer, reseller, and print service provider to rethink how they compete.

We are joined by Anthony Sci, CEO and president of Keypoint Intelligence, to unpack two big forces shaping print technology right now. First, we talk candidly about Keypoint’s acquisition by Constellation Software and why Anthony believes long-term stability matters more than ever for a research and advisory firm. We get into what changes, what doesn’t, and how being part of a large vertical market software group can affect investment in new capabilities across testing, consulting, and market intelligence.

Then we move into the messy reality of AI in the print industry. Where is AI already useful today? Think predictive maintenance, faster software development, and sales enablement for teams that have been cut to the bone. Where are the limits? Trust, data quality, cultural differences by region and company, and even environmental concerns that can create real friction inside organisations. Anthony also shares what they’re learning from a global voice-of-the-customer programme across Asia, Europe, and the United States, including rising demand for “AI connectors” that can query reliable industry data without inventing answers.

We close by looking at robotics in production, the link with industrial inkjet, and why combining AI and robotics could be a powerful formula for short-run manufacturing and product decoration as costs fall and labour gets harder to replace. If you found this useful, subscribe, share the episode with a colleague in print tech, and leave us a review so more people can find the show.
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What is FuturePrint?
FuturePrint is a digital and in person platform and community dedicated to future print technology. Over 20,000 people per month read our articles, listen to our podcasts, view our TV features, click on our e-newsletters and attend our in-person and virtual events. 
We hope to see you at one of our future in-person events:
FuturePrint Packaging, Labels & DTS Summit, 29-30 September '26, Valencia, Spain
FuturePrint Industrial Print Show, 11-12 May '27, Munich, Germany

Send us Fan Mail
Packaging is changing in a way that can feel subtle on the surface, but the forces underneath are massive. We’re joined by Allan Bendall from Sun Chemical to talk about what’s really driving the shift: digital-native consumers who expect more than a protective pack, and fast-moving packaging regulation and legislation that keeps brands, converters and printers on their toes.

We get practical about what digital packaging printing and inkjet actually bring to the table. Yes, there’s personalisation and short runs, but we also dig into non-contact printing on newer sustainable substrates with recycled or bio-based content, and why “print what you want, when you want, where you want” can reshape the packaging supply chain. Faster launches, less stock, and more flexibility are all on the line.

Then we zoom in on the idea Allan is sharing at Valencia: the hybrid stack. We talk through how inkjet can sit alongside flexo, gravure and offset, with primers, varnishes, adhesives, lamination and barrier coatings adding the functionality packaging must deliver, from freezer moisture resistance to retortable performance and abrasion protection. We also tackle what’s holding fully digital packaging back, including the workflow and MIS reality of moving from a few jobs a day to thousands of versions.

If you care about sustainable packaging, variable content, and future-ready production, press play, then subscribe, share the episode with a colleague, and leave us a review.
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What is FuturePrint?
FuturePrint is a digital and in person platform and community dedicated to future print technology. Over 20,000 people per month read our articles, listen to our podcasts, view our TV features, click on our e-newsletters and attend our in-person and virtual events. 
We hope to see you at one of our future in-person events:
FuturePrint Packaging, Labels & DTS Summit, 29-30 September '26, Valencia, Spain
FuturePrint Industrial Print Show, 11-12 May '27, Munich, Germany

Send us Fan Mail
Single-pass inkjet can sound like a technical detail until you hear what it unlocks: speed, repeatability, and a realistic route to industrial automation. We sit down with Thomas Amrein, CEO of Matti Technology, to talk about how a 20-person, engineer-heavy team in Switzerland designs and manufactures custom-built printing machines that are anything but off-the-shelf. Along the way, we get an honest look at what customers actually ask for, how ambitious ideas stretch engineering limits, and why making the customer’s life easier is the only metric that matters. 

A big thread is modularity and the mindset behind Thomas’s talk title “Think Product, not Project”. Instead of treating each build as a one-off, Matti develops reusable technology components, from ink delivery to data handling, that can scale from a single printhead to thousands. We dig into the trade-offs: no module survives every edge case untouched, but a solid foundation reduces risk, shortens delivery, and helps machines mature quickly from prototype to production. 

We also widen the lens beyond traditional printing into functional printing and energy-related manufacturing. Thomas shares why the USA is especially strong right now, with momentum around batteries, fuel cells and the infrastructure driven by data centres, AI and shifting energy needs. That growth only happens through partnerships, so we discuss working across multiple printhead manufacturers, co-developing inks for drying and energy use, and integrating UV curing and plasma treatment to make systems reliable in the field. If you care about industrial inkjet, modular machine design, and where digital printing innovation is heading next, subscribe, share the episode, and leave us a review.
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What is FuturePrint?
FuturePrint is a digital and in person platform and community dedicated to future print technology. Over 20,000 people per month read our articles, listen to our podcasts, view our TV features, click on our e-newsletters and attend our in-person and virtual events. 
We hope to see you at one of our future in-person events:
FuturePrint Packaging, Labels & DTS Summit, 29-30 September '26, Valencia, Spain
FuturePrint Industrial Print Show, 11-12 May '27, Munich, Germany