43 www.printmonthly.co.uk Issue 359 - March | April 2026 of additional expertise and support when working with clients. “We understand and have a wealth of experience in the print industry,” he comments, adding: “We take time to listen to our customers’ needs and requirements prior to discussing what a solution might look like.” Among the potential issues Humideco can provide support for, French describes how customers can find problems not just with the control of relative humidity, but also with temperature. In these cases, Humideco is on hand to advise and assist with cooling or air conditioning requirements, again with energy consumption as a prime consideration. With what French sees as a sustained and growing focus in digital printing, he believes that we will see “an increased demand for smaller, localised systems to control conditions around single machines.” With energy costs rising considerably in recent years, French also highlights that operating costs are “of paramount concern for any business,” which he says will increase the need for systems such as Ultrasonic or EcoMist. Finally, he points out the impact of waterbased inks like HP Latex on humidification, commenting: “The increase in water-based inks, driven by the need for sustainable, eco-friendly solutions and stricter environmental regulations, has increased the importance of relative humidity control to prevent premature drying and its associated problems.” An Array of Solutions Another expert in humidification systems is the aptly named Humidity Solutions, which was started in 2008 by managing director, John Barker. Explaining how the company came about, Barker says: “I had previously worked for a German humidifier business where the focus was selling high-pressure water humidifiers into the print sector in the UK. However, I wasn't happy with the level of technical support or customer service I was able to or allowed to offer.” Humidity Solutions was therefore founded with the core focus of providing what Barker describes as “industry-leading products and customer service,” with installation teams covering the length and breadth of the UK. Barker asserts that a wide array of systems are required to cater for the entire print industry. As he says: “Large litho press halls would benefit from a high-pressure water system, as it offers really low running costs, adiabatic cooling to help with temperature control, and distributes the controlled humidity via zone control across the whole factory, without the need for ductwork. “Small digital press rooms, however, would be better suited to wall-mounted steam humidifiers which provide precise control and ensure that the press is comfortably within the Q zone demanded by the press manufacturer.” Humidity Solutions previously worked with commercial printer, Wilmot Budgen, where it supplied not only a high-pressure water system but also electric space heating and desertification fans. Humidity also installed the equipment and provided the controls and planned maintenance of the systems. As Barker describes: “From initial site visit to system calculations, selection of the equipment, supply, installation, and continued product support, we provide the Gone are the days where a maintenance engineer just turns up every six months to provide maintenance. Now we can remotely dial into the humidifier, see the hours run, any fault codes or concerns, and plan our visit accordingly ▲ Humideco’s systems can be set up to control multiple zones within a facility HUMIDIFICATION SYSTEMS | JONATHAN PERT
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