Inkcups Marks 25 Years in Direct-to-Object Printing

04 November 2026: Inkcups marked its 25th anniversary in 2026 with a boat cruise in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and participation at PRINTING United Expo in Las Vegas. The company’s 3 November 2026 announcement connected the milestone with two awards for its Helix High Throw printer, which expands cylindrical printing to products with uneven surfaces.

Headquartered in Danvers, Massachusetts, Inkcups lists 29 offices worldwide. The anniversary also coincides with ten years of the Helix cylindrical inkjet platform, first introduced in 2016, according to the company’s anniversary history.

Inkcups anniversary traces its printing roots

Founder Benjamin Adner began by selling his patented universal ink cup and ceramic rings from his home. Inkcups’ anniversary account dates the Cobalt 1000 laser plate-maker to 2006 and the B100 single-colour pad printer to 2008, linking the latter to tagless garment label printing. Apparel decorators can find related background in Inkcups pad printing for apparel.

The company introduced its first inkjet printer for promotional items in 2010. Its XJET industrial inkjet printer followed in 2012, using a loading mechanism that allowed operators to load products while printing continued. International expansion included the opening of a European headquarters in Freudenberg, Germany, in 2020.

Ten years of Helix cylindrical printing

The Helix cylindrical direct-to-object inkjet printer arrived in 2016. Inkcups subsequently introduced Double Helix in 2021, Helix+ in 2022 and the Helix ONE benchtop printer in 2023, before adding Helix High Throw in 2026.

In its November 2026 release, Inkcups says machines from the Helix family operate in 20 countries across five continents. For related product coverage, see Helix ONE benchtop printer updates.

Why Helix High Throw won recognition

Helix High Throw addresses height variations and irregular shapes on cylindrical and conical products. Inkcups’ 2 June 2026 launch announcement says the ultraviolet (UV) inkjet printer handles height variations of up to 15 mm, with applications including stepped vessels, planters and pet bowls.

According to the launch specifications, the printer accepts product diameters from 65 mm to 180 mm. Inkcups identifies vessels with posts for attaching handles among the shapes the system can decorate.

The manufacturer says the machine combines product scanning with programmable tilt and height adjustment for conical printing. Related reading covers the Helix High Throw launch.

The 2026 Pinnacle Technology winners gallery lists Helix High Throw among the PRINTING United Alliance’s winning technologies. In the UK, the 2026 Print Industry Awards winners list names the printer as the winner of Best New Release Hardware.

Inkcups says these honours bring its total to five Pinnacle Technology Awards and one Print Industry Award over four years. The earlier Pinnacle wins covered the XJET Switch for reusable-bag decoration in 2023, followed by three awards in 2024 for Nano Pin Curing, clear stadium-bag printing and the Lustre Effect technique.

Adner said the company’s pad printing background and knowledge of adhesion across different substrates helped it move into digital printing directly onto objects. The Inkcups founder described customer feedback as the starting point for the business:

“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.”

www.inkcups.com