Inkcups, a global leader in direct-to-object printing technology, has celebrated its 25th anniversary with a late-summer boat cruise out of Newburyport, Massachusetts, a busy week showcasing the company’s latest innovations at PRINTING United Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, and two award wins for the recently launched Helix® High Throw. Headquartered in Danvers, Massachusetts in the USA, Inkcups began with founder Benjamin Adner selling his patented universal ink cup and ceramic rings from his home. By 2006, the team had grown to 15 people, several of whom are still with the company, and Inkcups launched the Cobalt 1000, its first laser plate-maker for etching pad printing plates.
Numerous innovations followed, with the B100 1-color pad printer kick-starting the tagless garment label revolution in 2008 and Inkcups’ first inkjet printer for promotional items following in 2010. In 2012 came the XJET conveyorized industrial inkjet printer, which featured a patented loading mechanism that allowed for quick loading while the machine was actively printing – an industry first. By the time Inkcups introduced the groundbreaking Helix® cylindrical direct-to-object inkjet printer in 2016, the Inkcups team had grown to 79 people. In 2020, Inkcups expanded further, opening its European headquarters in Freudenberg, Germany. Ben Adner, Founder, Inkcups commented: “When I started Inkcups 25 years ago, I believed that the best way to build a lasting company was to listen closely to our customers and solve the production challenges others overlooked. That principle became the foundation for everything we do: developing solutions that make printing more efficient, expand what is possible, and help our customers create new opportunities. It has also driven us to continually experiment and develop new machines, technologies, and supplies.”