As another year reaches its conclusion, once again it is time to reflect on what the past twelve months have revealed in terms of new machines and emerging technologies. In keeping with last December's predictions, significant developments in wide-format have not been particularly forthcoming, as ink-jet production continues along its predicted path.

There have, of course, been new printers brought to market, mostly based on technology incumbent in their predecessors. Refinements have tended to be the order of the day, even if an engine ends up with brand new moniker. Some manufacturers are continuing in their analogue to digital drive, with highly productive machines targeted to replace offset litho as well as screen, while we are seeing greater scrutiny being given to segments such as packaging and labelling.

Attention is being paid to the growing need to address both speed and quality without compromise, and it's not surprising that HP Scitex, Inca Digital, EFI and Durst are coming out as key players at the top end, responding to the challenge to produce tough engines with impressive throughput and reliable results.

That is not to say that life at lower investment levels has been dormant. Roland's latest offerings prove that there is plenty of life left in eco-solvent, while Mutoh and Seiko I Infotech have also introduced new inexpensive yet solid work-horse printers that serve the market more than adequately for bread-and-butter, roll-fed applications.

While we see Mimaki continuing to rule the desktop UV-curable arena, new entry-level printers have been a bit thin on the ground, with refinements instead being made to existing platforms to give them a bit more oomph; things have remained pretty dormant on the aqueous-based printer front. Likewise, latex has seen a productivity hike, with the HP Latex 3000 carrying a host of useful and productive refinements that demonstrate how this technology is being honed.

Did digital textile finally take off in 2013? Well, no, although awareness of its potential seems to be on the increase and those who have installed printers are producing some interesting applications. Agfa has continued to pursue its interest in the sector with a new option, MTex is making inroads and Hollanders has an entry-level model about to make an appearance, joining its unusual double-sided system.

From a user perspective, increased emphasis is now falling on greater efficiency across the board; this has been reflected in the uptake in interest in workflow products, from RIPs through to MIS, ERP and CRM. The universal acceptance of an online structure has resulted in a far greater reliance on the internet for running software and maintaining communications, both locally and remotely. This has led to an increase in remote diagnostics with web-to-print also being an example of the diversity of web-based activities that we include in our daily lives.

Although RIPs are commonplace, linking productivity software to other resources to allow integrated workflow practices simplifies operations, making it easier to adhere to industry standards such as PDF, XML and, of course, brings JDF compliance. From a production viewpoint, the days should be gone where pre-press operators had to battle with native PostScript files; today's options increase functionality while managing to maintain an interface that doesn't take rocket science to comprehend.

This year there has been an upsurge in the realisation that efficiency in workflow is as relevant to wide-format as it is to other areas of print. This has meant that manufacturers are addressing our sector more widely, and it comes as no surprise to find the likes of Agfa, Fujifilm and EFI among those who are seeing the value of productivity software.

We are continuing to see a lull in terms of new ink technologies and their respective platforms, so there's not a vast amount that's likely to make a huge impact on the wide-format market for now. This isn't to say there aren't some fascinating developments going on behind the scenes and, although many of these are not targeted directly at the graphic arts segment, elements of them are likely to filter through to our industry sector in due course. That said, the longevity that we are seeing from existing engines shows that, for the most part, end users are pretty happy with what's available today.

Yes, we are certain to see developments in the future. But, this year, they've been thin on the ground; the past twelve months have largely been dedicated to improving what is already out there in order to bring cost-effective, reliable systems to end-users of all sizes.