What is inkjet addressing?
Inkjet addressing is when addresses are printed onto a mail piece by an inkjet printer. Inkjet printing allows for high speed printing at low prices. Inkjet printing sprays ink directly onto a piece as opposed to laser or offset printing. Inkjet printing is most commonly used for printing small pieces of variable data like addresses, taglines, salutations, etc. The print quality is not as good as laser and offset printing, but inkjet printing is great for small variable data that needs to be added to a piece. Typically mail pieces are offset printed or digitally printed and then the address is inkjet printed onto the piece. Another advantage of inkjet printing is that finished pieces can have addresses inkjet printed directly onto them. For instance a booklet, self-mailer, or glossy postcard can have the address inkjet printed directly onto the finished piece even after it has been folded, bound, tabbed, or coated.
Some clients even elect to print variable data like salutations or codes using inkjet printers due to low costs of printing. Inkjet printing looks more professional than applying labels and is also more cost effective. The drawback of inkjet printing is that printing is done in line so duplex printing will require two passes. Additionally images and select uniform colors can be printed but the quality will not be as good as digital printing and some images may look pixelated. The most significant cost of inkjet printing is the ink so the more ink used the higher the costs, which is why inkjet printing is mostly used for small pieces of variable information like an address or tagline. Inkjet print heads also have a limited size. Our inkjet heads are 4 inches wide so each head can only print 4 inches wide on the selected piece.
Inkjet addressing is a great way to add personal data like addresses, taglines, promotional codes, and barcodes to any mail piece. Inkjet addressing looks professional is cost effective and will add variable data that is essential to your mailing.