Ink jet technology has extended its market by upgrading functions and improving performances of a few key components (printhead, ink and media) under a simple marking process for years. However, this trend has been saturated in the personal market, and the market has been stagnant. In this situation, two directions for ink jet technology progress have become obvious. One is expansion of the ink jet to various applications such as digital fabrications utilizing a simple process and the other is facing challenges (to the commercial printing market) from performance limitations derived by imaging processes that are achieved only by the interaction between ink and media. The differences of technical approaches in each direction also exist. The progress of an elemental technology region (key components) has been noticeable in the expansion of the possibility. The challenge to the limitation has been effective in the progress of system integration or peripheral technology. The former evolution (Concentrating Functions Progress) can generate “Incremental Innovation” and needs
Masahiko Fujii, "Evolution Theory of Ink Jet Technologies: Progress by Component or Architectural Knowledge" in Journal of Imaging Science and Technology, 2018, pp 040502-1 - 040502-7, https://doi.org/10.2352/J.ImagingSci.Technol.2018.62.4.040502