中文SCREEN Europe welcomed a delegation of Portuguese print industry professionals to its Inkjet Innovation Center in Aalsmeer, Netherlands, for a two-day event built around a clear thesis: digital inkjet is now a practical necessity for printers navigating consolidation, shorter runs and labor shortages. Organized with Portuguese distributor inPrintout, the program gathered commercial printers, industry experts and technology specialists to examine how production inkjet can reshape Portugal’s graphic communications sector.
A Market in Transition
The event opened with market insight from Fernando Tordo, CEO of inPrintout, and Dr. Lopes Castro, president of APIGRAF, the Portuguese Association of Graphic, Packaging and Digital Communication Industries. Their presentations painted a market where overall print demand holds relatively steady, but production is shifting toward shorter runs, greater personalization and data-driven workflows that strain the economics of conventional offset.
Together with a growing shortage of skilled labor, the speakers argued that digital printing has moved from a future opportunity to a present business requirement. The implication for Portuguese printers is stark: adapt production models or lose share to those who do.
Seeing Is Believing
Visitors then watched live demonstrations of SCREEN’s production inkjet portfolio, including the Truepress JET 560HDX for commercial print and publishing, and the Truepress PAC 520P for paper-based flexible packaging. The demos emphasized real-world output rather than specifications. Guests evaluated samples printed from their own customer files on the 560HDX, while packaging converters explored how digitally printed paper-based flexible packaging can replace conventional materials without sacrificing protection or quality.
“Everyone at SCREEN, myself included, has known for some time that digital printing is exactly what Portuguese printers need. But seeing is believing,” said Tordo. “By bringing our printers to the Netherlands they could really hear and see how and why digital printing is the solution.”
A Broader European Shift
The event reflects a wider movement across European print markets, where digital production is evolving from niche application to core manufacturing strategy. As consolidation, workforce gaps, sustainability requirements and shorter cycles reshape commercial printing and packaging, technology suppliers are leaning into education and hands-on demonstration, helping printers judge transformation on measurable business outcomes. For many, the question is no longer whether inkjet belongs in production, but where it delivers the greatest advantage.
Source: INKISH.NEWS.
