Choosing a printing technology should never be based solely on the purchase price of the machine. The real decision lies in understanding the total annual operating cost, how your production mix behaves, and how variables such as print coverage, annual volume, number of colors, and run lengths impact profitability.
That is why Kento Digital Printing has developed a new ROI Calculator, designed to compare the annual operating cost of Kento Hybrid® against both digital and flexographic printing solutions.
Rather than offering generic estimates, the calculator is built around each customer's actual production profile. It takes into account annual square meters produced, ink coverage, number of colors, run lengths, labor costs, production speed, and job changeover times.
The objective is simple:
How many euros could your business recover every year by switching to Kento Hybrid®?
A decision-making tool based on real production data
The new ROI Calculator evaluates the main variable operating costs involved in production, including inks, printing plates, and labor. Paper costs and machine depreciation are intentionally excluded so the comparison focuses exclusively on the operating efficiency of each technology.
Its biggest strength is that it does not compare technologies in isolation.
Instead, every simulation combines two groups of variables.
The first includes machine-related parameters such as Hybrid production speed, job changeover time, and labor costs. The second focuses on the customer's production profile: annual volume, print coverage, number of colors, and average run size.
As a result, the conversation shifts away from machine specifications and towards what really matters:
How much annual profit can your company recover?
Kento Hybrid® vs Digital Printing
The comparison against digital printing delivers remarkably consistent results.
The updated model evaluates 11 different production scenarios, varying annual volume, ink coverage, number of colors, and run length. In every single case, Kento Hybrid® delivers a lower annual operating cost than a fully digital solution.
The average estimated annual saving reaches €1.36 million, while the most favorable scenario—17.13 million square meters per year with 75% print coverage—shows potential savings of up to €3.05 million annually.
The main driver behind these savings is ink cost. As production volumes increase, relying exclusively on digital printing significantly increases operating expenses.
Kento Hybrid® optimizes every job by assigning each part of the production process to the most cost-efficient technology, substantially reducing the overall annual operating cost.
The higher the production volume and ink coverage, the greater the advantage—but the conclusion remains the same across all eleven scenarios:
Against digital printing, Hybrid is consistently the lowest-cost solution.
Kento Hybrid® vs Flexography
The comparison with flexography requires a more selective approach.
Unlike digital printing, the outcome depends much more on the customer's production mix, plate costs, and market conditions. Within the updated eleven-case model, Kento Hybrid® outperforms flexography in 8 out of 11 scenarios, delivering savings of up to €200,000 per year.
This means Hybrid should not be presented as a universal replacement for flexography.
Its value becomes especially clear for converters managing diverse production mixes, frequent job changes, multiple color configurations, and varying run lengths.
In markets such as the United States, where plate costs are significantly higher, the advantage becomes even stronger. Dedicated simulations show substantial savings compared with flexography, primarily driven by reduced plate costs.
This is precisely where the ROI Calculator becomes most valuable: it identifies whether Hybrid is the right solution for a customer's production profile—and quantifies the opportunity in annual savings.
It's Not About Choosing Digital or Flexo. It's About Maximizing Profitability.
Kento Hybrid® should not be viewed as a compromise between digital and flexographic printing.
Its real strength lies in combining both technologies to match the customer's actual production mix while minimizing annual operating costs.
The machine is the technology.
The real business story is the annual profit your company can recover.
With Kento's new ROI Calculator, we can analyze your production profile, simulate multiple scenarios, and estimate exactly how much Kento Hybrid® could reduce your annual operating costs.
Contact our team today and discover how much your business could save every year with Kento Hybrid®.