What Is the Delphax Elan 170 Inkjet Press and What Can It Print?

The Delphax Elan 170 is a high-speed color inkjet press built for envelope and direct mail production, and it can also handle packaging and other applications. According to Delphax, it runs at 150 ft/min — equivalent to 18,000 #10 envelopes per hour — and uses pigment inkjet technology with water-fast CMYK inks that resist smudging from water or handling. It is aimed at commercial printers and mail shops that need both productivity and material flexibility.

Core specifications

The combination of 1600 x 1600 dpi resolution and a 2.1 picoliter drop size is what Delphax points to for image quality — smaller drops generally mean finer detail and smoother gradients, which matters for color-heavy direct mail and branded envelopes.

What it can print

Delphax lists the Elan 170's applications as:

• Envelopes — its primary design focus, sized around high-volume #10 production
• Direct mail — color output suited to personalized and promotional mailpieces
• Packaging — part of the press's stated versatility
• "And more" — Delphax positions it as a flexible press rather than a single-application machine

The water-fast pigment inks are relevant here: mailpieces get handled by postal equipment and can be exposed to moisture, so smudge resistance is a practical requirement rather than a marketing extra.

Who it's for

Delphax names two audiences directly: commercial printers and mail shops. The fit is strongest if your workload is high-volume envelope or direct mail production where speed and ink cost both affect margin.

A documented customer outcome

Delphax shares a case example of a direct mail service operation that replaced two unreliable tabletop inkjet envelope systems. Per Delphax's account, the Elan 170:

• Doubled the output of the previous dual tabletop setup
• Cut running costs to 1/10th of the old setup
• Produced $130,000 in ink savings alone over five years

The stated problems with the old systems were frequent breakdowns and high costs for ink and printheads. Treat these figures as the vendor's reported results from one customer — useful as a reference point, but your own numbers will depend on volume, coverage, and current equipment.

How to evaluate it for your operation

Delphax offers three starting points rather than a self-serve spec sheet:

1. Print samples — see actual output quality firsthand
2. Ink cost analysis — compare ink economics against your current device
3. TCO & ROI analysis — a total-cost-of-ownership and return assessment built around your printing operations

Delphax states its team helps you compare real production data — labor, setup, and waste — against your current device. If you are weighing a replacement, that comparison is the practical next step: gather your own labor, setup, waste, and ink figures first so the assessment is grounded in your actual costs rather than general benchmarks.

What the page does not specify

The Delphax material does not list pricing, substrate width limits, finishing options, or physical footprint for the Elan 170. If any of those are decision-critical for you, they need to be confirmed directly with Delphax rather than assumed from the published specifications.