This year, Konica Minolta celebrates a major milestone: 20-years of pioneering innovation in the production print industry.
The world of print has transformed dramatically over the last two decades, with
new technologies, greater demands and more complex production challenges. While
it hasn’t been a straightforward journey, it’s been a very rewarding one. Not to mention, a story of shared challenges and triumphs: with the customers’ needs
always front and center.
Konica Minolta’s evolution has been driven by a commitment to understanding and solving the real-world issues customers face every day.
An evolving industry
Production print is a dynamic industry, here are just some of the key developments and milestones from the last 20 years:
The early 2000s
The start of the new millennium saw a transition from traditional offset printing to digital printing. Because the new digital technology made it possible for print providers to handle short print runs and offer faster turnaround times, digital presses quickly grew in popularity.
Early to mid 2010s
Businesses increasingly adopted on-demand printing, reducing storage costs and enabling just-in-time production for marketing materials and direct mail.
As a result, print providers could adopt automated workflows to reduce labor-intensive manual input. This period also marked the rise of software solutions that streamlined job management and improved production speed.
2015-2019
With sustainability becoming a key focus, print providers needed energy-efficient machines, more advanced technologies and recycled paper options, to reduce environmental impact. Particularly in the digital print industry, this required overcoming technical and environmental obstacles.
Having been under development since 1990, Konica Minolta made a breakthrough with our Simitri polymerized toner. This polymerized toner was chemically synthesized to achieve fine and uniform particles, meaning intense heat wasn’t needed as it melted at a lower temperature than pulverized toner.
2020
The pandemic accelerated the need for remote printing solutions and further emphasized the importance of automation. The integration of cloud services allowed for remote job submission, expanding the capabilities of print service providers and offering clients more flexibility.
2024
AI-driven solutions and data analytics became integral to optimizing print workflows and improving customer targeting. Ever more advanced automation reduced manual intervention even further.
2025
Today, print providers have more opportunities than ever before.
Award-winning digital print technologies
Konica Minolta’s innovation is always driven by customers’ needs, not awards.
But we are proud to have been recognized within the production print industry.
For example, we were recognized in the Buyers Lab (BLI) PRO Awards from Keypoint Intelligence for user-centered design and quality, both of which help businesses achieve reliable high-performance.
A bold vision for the future
Looking ahead, advancing digital transformation within the production print industry
will be key. With emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and augmented reality, professional printers will expand their suite of offerings
to provide a more efficient production floor.
Konica Minolta are firmly committed to providing cutting-edge print technology;
and continually strive to be a genuine partner – guiding printers towards efficiency, sustainability, and growth. With customer-centric innovation at the heart of the company, we’re firmly committed to excellence, innovation and environmental responsibility.
By building streamlined workflow systems, fostering creativity, and nurturing
a workforce equipped for profitable growth in the digital age, we’re ready to
welcome the next era of production printing – side by side with our customers.
Here’s to the next 20 years…and beyond!