Digital printing for decorative surfaces
Marc Graindourze, Business Manager Industrial Inks, Agfa
As demand for shorter production runs and bold, bespoke designs increases, furniture manufacturers are exploring new strategies for decorative surface printing. The industry is witnessing a transformative shift from traditional gravure methods to digital inkjet printing, and manufacturers can reply to the rising demand for personalised, fast-turnaround jobs. Unlike analogue printing, digital processes support instant design changes and just-in-time manufacturing.
Digital printing offers highly efficient production even at small scale or variable batch lengths. With digital, every print can be unique, transition times between jobs are minimal, and customization becomes much more economically accessible. More efficient printing means manufacturers can reduce ink consumption, material usage, and lower energy bills, supporting enhanced sustainability.
However, these benefits are just the beginning. Most importantly, digital printing unlocks true creative freedom, as new patterns can be implemented without new hardware or major investments, requiring only a print file to operate.
Going beyond CMYK
Transitioning to digital is not without its challenges. Matching the realism of wood or stone, especially between edge bands and adjacent panels, requires precise control over ink formulation, color management, and substrate preparation. Standard CMYK inks developed for the commercial and packaging sectors, simply cannot deliver the necessary printed color requirements of high-end decorative surfaces. The furniture and floorings sector requires specialised pigments, such as specific red pigment instead of the standard magenta pigment, to enable printers to match the vast range of natural wood tones while avoiding color distortions caused by metamerism – when two colors that appear to match under one light source shift out of alignment with each other.
As an inkjet ink specialist, Agfa has designed water-based inks for printing on décor paper as well as UV LED curable inks for printing on furniture edge bands. The ink formulations are designed to meet the industry standards and deliver consistent print output for repeat jobs. These inks provide invaluable tools that unlock true quality and flexibility for printing decorative surfaces.
Driving digital forward
To accelerate the adoption of digital printing in furniture manufacturing, partnerships with technology providers can further help to lower adoption risks and unlock the full
potential of digital printing for the sector. In terms of technology providers, Agfa stands at the forefront of digital innovation for decorative surfaces as the key ink supplier in single pass printing on décor paper. Designed specifically for printing onto décor paper used in laminate floors, furniture, and wall panels, the company’s range of water based ink sets (multi-pass or single pass) deliver outstanding reliability and top image quality. For direct-to-wood or edge band printing, Agfa’s LED-UV inkjet inks, including the Altamira Design PID ink set, deliver industry-leading solutions. These inks minimize metamerism, maintain color constancy across varied lighting, and offer high indoor lightfastness, helping printers achieve superb color matching between panels and edge bands – which is critical for premium furniture aesthetics.
Digital printing is propelling the decorative surfaces sector toward a new era of personalization, sustainability, and design innovation. As print engines and ink formulations continue to advance, digital printing will provide those who embrace it with a powerful competitive edge.
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