Inkjet printing is considered to be a key technology in the field of defined polymer deposition. This article provides an introduction to inkjet printing technology and a short overview of the available instrumentation. Examples of polymer inkjet printing are given, including the manufacturing of multicolor polymer light‐emitting diode displays, polymer electronics, three‐dimensional printing, and oral dosage forms for controlled drug release. Special emphasis is placed upon the utilized polymers and conditions, such as polymer structure, molar mass, solvents, and concentration. Studies on viscoelastic fluid jets and the formation of viscoelastic droplets under gravity indicate that strain hardening is the key parameter that determines the inkjet printability of polymer solutions.

Conductive silver tracks on a polyimide substrate (see figure) are prepared by using microwave radiation to sinter silver nanoparticles printed on the substrate. This method shortens the necessary sintering time dramatically and is independent of the substrate used. Since the polymer substrate is virtually transparent to microwave radiation, a negligible amount of energy is absorbed by the substrate, whereas the conducting silver nanoparticles, with a high dielectric loss factor, strongly absorb the microwaves.

Polymer microstructures are prepared by inkjet etching. By varying the distance between the printed solvent droplets, rectangular and honeycomb hole arrays like those shown in the figure are formed. These holes can act as reservoirs for other inkjet‐printed materials, such as quantum dots. The technique holds promise for rapid‐ prototyping applications and microarray fabrication.