Sub-Total: $0.00
Inkcups celebrates ’25 years of disruption’
4 November 2026
Widely recognised as a global leader in direct-to-object printing technology, Inkcups is celebrates 25 years of what it describes as ‘pioneering direct-to-object printing innovation’, including two industry awards for its recently launched Helix® High Throw.
Ben Adner, Inkcups Founder, says: “When I started the business 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.”
“Our deep background in pad printing and expertise in adhesion across a wide range of substrates naturally led us to become pioneers in direct-to-object digital printing. I am proud of the many industry-changing developments Inkcups has brought to market to support our customers and advance this technology.”
Headquartered in Danvers, Massachusetts in the USA, and with 29 offices worldwide, 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 conveyorised 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 team had grown to 79 people, ultimately opening its European HQ in Germany four years later.
Since then the company has introduced the Double Helix® (2021), the Helix®+ (2022), the Helix ONE® (2023) and more recently, the Helix® High Throw (2026). Today there are machines from the Helix® family operating in 20 countries across five continents.
2023 also saw Inkcups’ new XJET Switch flatbed UV printer recognised with a Pinnacle Technology Award for decorating reusable bags. And in 2024, the company won three Pinnacle Technology awards for its new Nano Pin Curing technology on the Double Helix®, decorating clear PVC stadium bags on the XJET Switch, and the Lustre Effect print technique on the Helix ONE®. This year, the new Helix® High Throw UV Cylindrical Inkjet Printer, which accommodates height variations and irregular shapes on cylindrical and conical products, received a Pinnacle Technology Award in the USA, followed by a Print Industry Award in the UK.
Delighted with these two accolades, Adner adds: “Earning industry awards on both sides of the Atlantic for the Helix® High Throw Printer, is a true endorsement that 25 years on, the entrepreneurial spirit that founded Inkcups still drives us and continues to make me excited about the future of direct-to-object printing.”
