WPC
Info:
DRUPA 2004, Düsseldorf-Germany
Interesting Prepress - Printing and Postpress Highlights
CtP Status Quo - DRUPA Resumee
There are now a number of plates rather than just the Agfa Lithostar we had in 2000. The new photopolymer plates from Agfa, Fuji, Lastra and others have really changed the situation. These plates give very comparable results to the best thermal plates, and they too can be baked for very long runs. The only major player as yet without a violet plate is KPG, but this is expected to be announced at GraphExpo in October. Rumour has it that it may be seen at NEXPO next month. That is not to say silver plates are going away. These Agfa, Fuji and Mitsubishi plates are still very important.
The benefits of VDVioletLaser CtP are being increasingly seen in lower purchase costs and lower running costs. At present the technology is mainly being seen for the 2, 4 and 8-page markets. With the new Cobalt 32 from Escher-Grad, ECRM and the larger format Krause units it is now entering the VLF markets. At present none of the VDVL CtP units are offering 10 micron spot FM screening, which is a benefit of a few of the thermal systems. This ultra-high quality is still an exclusive domain for thermal imaging.
There is also the situation of process free plates. Most of these plates are at least 40-50% more expensive than other plates, and also much slower to image. Most assessment of the state of process free at drupa is that it is still more of statement of jam tomorrow rather than jam today.
1- Visible or thermal CtP equipment?
The suppliers of violet diode visible light systems state that one of the advantages of their technology is that it is lower in cost to buy, and lower in cost to run. The provider of this new information is one of the world's leading suppliers, a company that sells both violet visible light and thermal CtP, plus a wide range of plates for both technologies. From analysis of their servicing costs for both types of technologies, they have found that the difference in cost of service operations between violet diode visible light and thermal CtP works out that the thermal systems costs in excess of $1.80 per sq meter imaged more than violet systems. This is irrespective of the volume processed. This because of the high cost of maintenance of thermal heads, and their replacement.
To confirm these figures one only has to look at the..... Annual Report of Creo. In this it can be seen that Creo's service income is in excess of 25% of Creo's revenues. That is predominantly the service cost of the large base of Creo's thermal CtP systems.
These figures appear to confirm that violet diode CtP imaging has reduced the costs of CtP, and it is much cheaper than thermal CtP.
2- What Can You Believe? - Thermal or visual processless CtP plates
If one listens to certain vendors, Creo in particular, you are advised that if you do not go with thermal CtP you are locking yourself out of the future. This is because the future of CtP is stated by them to be process free plates, and such plates can only be imaged by thermal imaging.
Well it appears that this is yet one more piece of misinformation and hype. I had a discussion yesterday with.... Fujifilm who have a technology demonstration of their process free plate. They state that it is not imaged by heat but by light, which can be in any spectrum. This plate in the future could be sensitized to operate in the infra red spectrum, which is where thermal operates, or in the UV space, the conventional plate area, or in the violet space where most visible light CtP devices operate.
3- Esko Graphics' Espresso - CtP without the Froth!
In the CtP market one product that is creating interest is the new.... Espresso product from Esko-Graphics. This is a device that images conventional printing plates using a UV lamp light source, rather than using a laser to image special laser imaged CtP plates. In a previous posting I mentioned that Basys Print, the only supplier of such conventional plate commercial CtP products to date, had introduced a new entry level product at drupa.
The Espresso is built like a digital contact frame. The plate is manually loaded and unloaded, and there is a multiple light LED system that comes on when the plate is positioned in all areas, to ensure that the plate is accurately loaded before exposure starts. The output quality I saw looked really excellent with high screen values being achieved.
4- Ink Jet CtP - future lowcost alternative for small printers?
Suddenly thermal is not seen as the core technology for the future, and may be moving towards being a specific technology only for certain markets. One of the most interesting areas at drupa is ink jet CtP. OK, this is not new. Pisces was doing this with its JetPlate product before going out of business last year. It is now back as JetPlate Systems. The key new arrival is the leading processor supplier, Glunz & Jensen.
Ink jet CtP is using an ink jet printer, which may be modified, to image directly to an aluminum printing plate. In the case of JetPlate they image a solution through an Epson printer onto a conventioanl coated plate, and this solution when heated andprocessed generates the image on the plate. Glunz & Jensen images a special proprietary solution onto an uncoated wipe on type of plate, and this generates the image. JetPlate is shipping printers, but Glunz & Jensen is enhancing its system ready for a launch at GraphExpo in October. Both are priced well under $50,000 for a complete solution. These are not for cheap printing, but are producing good quality plates for colour printing. This is a must look at technology for smaller printers. It is likely to have an impact on the market for spreading CtP into smaller printers. It is also another CtP system for imaging conventional plates.
5- Glunz & Jensen Ink Jet CtP Again
With the possibility of plate making in the future not requiring a plate processor as process free plates arrive, Glunz & Jensen, the Danish film and plate processor supplier is moving into the market to supply a platesetter. At drupa it will introduce the.... PlateWriter 4200. This is a low cost B2 format platesetter with a price stated to be in the region of $35,000, with the B3 version significantly less. The PlateWriter 4200 uses ink jet technology to print a Liquid Dot solution onto an uncoated aluminium plate. Plates are then fed through a finishing unit that dries the plate to bond the dots to the surface, and which then gums the plate. The plate then requires no further processing and it is ready for the press.
This is all very reminiscent of the Pisces JetPlate system. Pisces used a modified Epson ink jet printer, and initially a similar approach to Glunz and Jensen with uncoated plates, but found their solution that was printed onto the uncoated plate was unstable. They then developed an updated solution in which a differently formulated solution was printed onto a conventional coated plate. This when heated had the same effect as applying ultra violet light to the plate. A problem with this was the solution had to be specifically formulated for every different plate on the market.
6- ECRM is Back
That headline may seem strange, as they have never gone away. The meaning is that.... ECRM is now back as a key CtP supplier. In the boom days of CtF, ECRM was one of the core players supplying both newspaper and commercial machines. ECRM was the Ford or General Motors of the CtF industry. Excellent well manufactured equipment that was both cost and performance effective. When CtP started, ECRM really lost its way. Its initial CtP machines were to put it politely, real dogs. The company lost market share and was seen as being on a downhill slope. In the past couple of years it has changed its approach to CtP, building on the technologies that are well proven in CtF. This started with a 2 and 4 page machine, and the ideal entry-level newspaper CtP system.
At drupa ECRM's highlights are a very impressive and cost effective 8-page CtP machine, which sells for under $90,000. They also show a very neat autoload facility for the 4-page CtP and newspaper engine. No doubt this will soon find its way to the 8-page machine.
The ECRM machines reflect the company's strategy that CtP should cost little or no more than CtF. The products look really good, and emphasize the challenge that is now coming to thermal devices from violet diode visible light units.
Welcome back ECRM.
7- EFI's Must See Product - PRINTFLOW
As one goes around drupa one occasionally sees real breakthrough state of the art products. The latest one I saw was from EFI. This is their.... PrintFlow product. In almost every printer I have been to over many years the key control system is the big white board in the production office. On these every job is displayed with details of status being regularly updated. PrintFlow is a digital version of the white board.
Guy Gecht
It is not just a display board. It is a superb piece of software to manage all the scheduling, and which allows a printer to see the status of anything and where there are hold-ups in the process. These software tools allow a printer to identify areas of hold-up, and to fully optimize the utilization of every piece of equipment. PrintFlow works with Hagen MIS and will also work with PrintSmith MIS. It is JDF enabled allowing all data for every print job to be entered from an MIS system.
8- KPG Kodak Polychrome Grafics Workflow - PageComposer Software
KPG has added another workflow solution to its product portfolio. It is buying Bell Microproduct Solutions BV and picking up the PageComposer software. The benefit of this software is that it is an add on to other workflows sold by KPG like EFI Velocity OneFlow and Artwork Systems Nexus. It is a file format converter, converting standard prepress file formats like PostScript, PDF, PDF/X-1a, Scitex Native, Handshake CT & LW, and TIFF/IT-P1 into any standard file format. It also delivers data for gravure applications and performs fast anti-aliasing of line work for output to proofers and printers, with high-quality small text, fine lines and close-cut masks. Obviously KPG has found that the world still uses lots of file formats and we have some time to go before PDF rules supreme.
9- Heidelberg's New Trendsetter -> The Suprasetter CtP - New SM DI Imaging Unit
- New SM XL 105 and SM CD 74-P
Have you looked at the new.... Heidelberg Suprasetter CtP t....thermal external drum device? It looks like a Creo Trendsetter perhaps would look if that product had been updated. It also looks like the planned Trendsetter II product that was being developed in the days when Heidelberg and Creo worked together before their breakup in 2000. I understand the product was well developed and possibly would have been shown at drupa 2000. It has taken Heidelberg nearly four years to develop its own thermal imaging system to replace the Creo SquareSpot head that would have been in the original machine. In the earlier plan I believe Heidelberg would have been the sole manufacturing source of the product.
It also perhaps explains why the Trendsetter from Creo is looking rather old fashioned these days and apart from a more powerful SquareSpot head has hardly been updated since it was introduced more than eight years ago. It also perhaps explains why Creo rapidly put the SquareSpot head on the Lotem product from Scitex, and has made the Lotem Quantum its premier 8-up CtP device. This is because of the superior plate handling, plate punching and automatic operation that came as standard with the Lotem and which were not on the Trendsetter. The Suprasetter has all of these things in its package.
Interesting to see history play out in front of one's eyes!
Heidelberg was also showcasing the Speedmaster XL 105, which is a world premiere of a new series of printing presses for highly industrialized offset printing capable of attaining speeds of 18,000 sheets per hour. As the first press in an entirely new peak performance class, the XL 105 sets new standards in terms of productivity, quality and cost-effectiveness. This makes it the ideal production unit for label and packaging printers that handle long runs, a fact made possible by its high degree of automation, large print format of 74 x 105 cm and simple operation. Its unique system for contact-free sheet transport and innovations in the field of coating application deliver increased productivity of 30% and more. Also to mention the new Heidelberg DI imaging unit:
The Speedmaster CD 74-P is equipped with a sheet reversing system. This enables high-quality perfecting printing with short changeover times between paper and board and between straight and perfecting modes. Depending on the job mix, users can achieve an increase in productivity of between 15 and 25 percent over traditional midsize perfecting presses.
10- Heidelberg SpeedMaster 52-8 and Xerox iGen3 - Both are Long Perfectors
What is the difference between the new. ..Heidelberg Speedmaster 52-8-P-H e....eight unit perfector press and the... Xerox iGen3 digital press shown on the Xerox booth at drupa. Both these presses do very similar things.
1. They both print an oversize B3 sheet in four colours, both sides in one pass.
2. Both presses print high-quality full colour.
3. Both presses are long perfectors.
So what is the difference apart from one prints by offset litho and the other is a digital press?
The difference between these two presses is the Xerox iGen3 is the longer of the two machines (I have not measured the difference in length). The iGen3 being shown by Xerox is the longest digital press Xerox has built. It is as fully configured as is possible with the maximum number of input feed stations; an inline UV coating system; an interposer for inserting extra preprinted sheets plus paper feed stations for this; the module for turning the printed sheets for finishing; and a full inline finishing system for book making.
That shows the other difference between the two presses. The output from the Xerox iGen3 is fully finished, whereas the printed sheets from the Heidelberg Speedmaster still have to wait to go into the bindery for folding, collation, binding and trimming.
11- KBA Koenig & Bauer, Success With New Technologies
In the sheetfed offset market.... KBA is perhaps seen as the most innovative of the suppliers. It is also an innovator in its other market areas of web offset and gravure. At drupa it is showing a number of products using its GravuFlow inking system. This is a system first seen on the 74 Karat DI press. This was perhaps the first almost lights out offset press, as all color control is from the front end prepress system. You cannot adjust color on the press as there are no ink keys. Only by changing the temperature and viscosity of the ink can color values be changed on the run. It is just like a digital press. At drupa the new B3 format Genius, the Rapida 74G B2 press, and the Cortina newspaper web press are all using this new inking approach.
..KBA
Genius 5 colour offset press
As skill levels in the industry are dropping, innovations like these are likely to help with new press implementations. Major benefits like minimal set up waste are being seen. These presses are not designed for specialty materials in areas like packaging, but for normal color printing they are causing a great degree of interest. In newspapers the ability to run the press from the prepress set-up is likely to be beneficial in running to standard ink densities, and matching the proof which has been sold to the customer.
KBA is doing well at present and this may be due to its progressive working with changing technologies. In the USA, I am advised that in 2003 the company saw a 27% growth in turnover. In 2004 they are expecting 40% plus growth. They must be doing something right to grow like this in such times.
12- GOSS International - Variable Cutoffs
At a May 10 press briefing in Hall 17, CEO Robert A. Brown anticipated the leading question by reporting that..... Goss was Òworking very cooperatively with HeidelbergÓ to complete the proposed acquisition of the latter's web press division. Noting that some European regulatory hurdles remain to be cleared, Brown, the former president of Heidelberg Web Systems, said that Goss, a maker of newspaper equipment, sees Heidelberg's commercial web portfolio as Òa great fit for Goss.Ó
The main purpose of the briefing was to introduce Goss's new Òflexible printing system,Ó a newspaper solution built around what the company calls Òthe publisher's pressÓÑa highly automated web configurable in multiple formats and designed for ease of operation and maintenance. One printing unit was on display in a theatrical setting that emphasized the equipment's compactness: Goss says that the system's comparatively low tower heights will permit the press to be installed in buildings the size of a supermarket. Another noteworthy feature was the unit's three-part, ÒVersaChangeÓ construction, enabling the track-mounted DigiRail inking units on either side of the central cylinder stack to roll apart for quick access to the heart of the press.
According to Goss, the flexible printing system will offer variable-cutoff capability in double-width, 4 x 2, 6 x 2, and narrow-width configurations for full-color coldset or heatset printing. When the system becomes commercially available, Goss envisions futuristic installations that will include, among other features, the robotic delivery of CTP plates to press-side cassettes feeding automated plate changers.
13- KOMORI New Web-Press and the 10 Color "One-Pass Superperfector"
Komori's ...resentation in Hall 15 was the largest it has ever staged at drupa, comprising five new or newly configured presses, examples of other models, and displays of related technologies. All of the presses were CIP4 compliant by virtue of their linkage to DoNet, Komori's JDF implementation for MIS-driven production control. DoNet, according to Komori, provides total management of job information Òfrom initial enquiry to final printed output,Ó with job data streamed continuously to and from the MISÑin this case, the Hiflex graphic arts and media solution, used for demonstration purposes at drupa:
- Komori System 38S, a web press shown for the first time in a 16-page configuration capable of printing 60,000 iph and incorporating the new DC38 double chopper folder, designed for both 16-page and 32-page presses.
- Lithrone LS40SP, a 10-color, 5/5 dedicated Òsuper perfectorÓ incorporating the features of Komori's LS series presses. With one-pass printing at 15,000 sph (30,000 iph), the B1 (28.66" x 40.48") press is said to achieve three times the productivity of a straight press printing both sides of the sheet.
14- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries - Variable Cutoff and Reusable Image Carriers!
In MHI's ....stand in Hall 15, three themed areasÑthe Future Technology Zone, the New Technology Zone, and the Digital ZoneÑshowed drupa-goers what this all-around manufacturer of printing, paper manufacturing, and paper converting machinery has in store for the commercial web offset and offset newspaper markets. MHI also presented its digital workflow credentials with demonstrations of MAX-net, a CIP4 compliant solution for integrating MIS and prepress data into the press production process. MHI's most notable announcements were about the ongoing development of technologies for two of the most advanced features of web press design: variable cutoffs and reusable image carriers.
MHI said that its new press, the Diamond 16 MAX-V, can handle variable cutoff sizes from 546 mm (21.5") to 625 mm (24.6") by fitting plate and blanket sleeves of different diameters fit over their respective cylinders in a quick and easy operation. Changeover from one signature cutoff to another is fully automated, according to MHI, enabling printers to print A-size magazines, B-size inserts and standard letter-size work on a single press.
In MHI's Reusable Plate System (RPS), an aluminum plate takes a special polymer coating film to which text, illustrations, and photos are applied by direct digital imaging. After printing, the film is washed from the plate and a new coating film is put on, enabling the plate to be used repeatedly. Prior to drupa, MHI said that rewriteable RPS plates can be reimaged up to 20 times without sacrificing quality and that plate life is 100,000 impressions per job. An offline process, RPS is said to reduce press costs and eliminate press downtime required for on-board imaging in computer-to-press workflows.
MHI also manufactures sheetfed presses, and at drupa, its exemplars in the category were the Diamond 3000TP and the Diamond 3000LX. The Diamond 3000TP is built for one-pass perfecting and aqueous coating/IR drying on both sides of the sheet by means of its tandem perfectorÑan in-line unit arrangement for both front and reverse side printing. the tandem perfector (TP) achieves high-quality printing with easy operation. The press demonstrated at drupa also featured a one-phase plate cylinder positioning system said to enabling simultaneous plate-changing for significant reduction in makeready time.
15- Another Highlight: 3D Imaging
The most amazing new development is the. ..3D imaging from HumanEyes. I first saw this a few months ago and was very impressed with what it could do. Here it was demonstrated on the KBA stand, but also 3D printing was shown using this technology on the HP Indigo, Inca, Creo and a few other stands.
Why am I so excited by this? It is because it adds a new dimension to printing. Potential customers are now asking signage companies like Inca for 3D for the signage and point of sale products. The prospect however goes way beyond printing. It is enabling 3D digital photography for home users, and here HP printers are being used. The real excitement however is in display technology. Imaging 3D in games consoles and how that will change games. Also in personal computer systems.
The crowd around the HumanEyes corner of the KBA booth never got smaller. And, I'll admit it; I got my picture taken too! With a professional digital camera, a rotation arm or tripod with an extension arm and rotation option, and a continuous high quality light source are all that's needed to take 3D pictures. Add a Mac running OS 10.1.5 or 10.2 (minimum 700 MHz) with a firewire connection and a high capacity, fast memory card, Quick Time 6, and a standard monitor; and you're there. As far as output, you can use anything from a desktop printer to production digital, photographic or offset printers.
Human Eyes has combined 3D stereo and panorama photography and created patented technology that uses mathematical algorithms to create unique projections and reconstruct multiple viewpoints, which allows viewing of a scene from different directions. The technology is suitable for creating 3D images for print and display. OK, I'll admit that while 3D cell phones are already on the market, one is not on my Christmas list this year. However images created with the HumanEyes technology can be viewed on new display technology being developed by Sharp and the 3D Consortium (3DC). Just a few applications might be posters, vehicle wraps, point of purchase, vending machine signage, packaging, magazines, newspaper/magazine inserts, greeting cards, and the list goes onÉ and by the way, who is participating as CEOat Human Eyes? BENNY LANA!
16- The Ink Jet DRUPA
In the digital print arena one of the key trends for the future that became increasingly apparent at drupa, was that ink jet will be one of the key technologies for the future of the printing industry. Admittedly many of us have believed that for some time, but it became more visible at drupa. In this I am not really talking about the specialty printing areas where ink jet has already taken over. This was first of all with the wide and very wide format printers for posters and signage. At this drupa it was the battle of the flatbeds for point of sale and displays. This latter development has all happened since the last drupa. What I am really talking about is ink jet moving into the offset production space, and also in starting to challenge laser or LED xerography in digital printing.
Gand Innovations: You haven't seen anything until you've seen 16-foot images coming off a printer with print heads mounted in a carriage the size of a Volkswagen!
Highlights in this have to be the Kodak Versamark VX5000e at the top end of the market, and the RISO Orphis HC5000 at the entry level of the market. The Versamark uses continuous ink jet and the RISO piezo drop on demand technology. According to Homi Shamir, the CEO of Kodak Versamark, the future is in continuous ink jet, but after seeing a number of approaches in piezo drop on demand I think it is a very open question. Just looking at the prototype FastJet from Inca Digital and Sun Chemical, which uses Spectra heads, the Miyakoshi continuous feed engine using Panasonic heads, and the Agfa Dotrix using Toshiba Tec heads, one can see there is an alternative. If you then look at the future ink jet head development coming from Spectra (M Series) and Xaar (Omnidot), it is predictable that in a few years time that drop on demand single pass engines will be very fast and very good quality. Kodak is however not sitting back on what it has done. Future combined Kodak Versamark and Kodak technology using their Stream technology will move the barrier forward.
17- Esko-Graphics Extends Lead in Flexo
Esko-Graphics, the world leader in flexo imaging, has extended its leadership in this area. Its major competitor Creo, added new units to its line-up with a Lotem based unit for smaller format, and a dual function larger unit to image both plates and sleeves without having to remove the imaging cylinder. Lüscher entered the market with an interesting new system using an as yet unknown material from Japanese company Toyobo. It is too early to assess how successful this will be.
Esko-Graphics range of CDI imagers however have also moved forward. First is they maintain their speed lead with the fibre laser system with up to 16 imaging beams. It images a maximum size plate of 50 x 18 inches at full resolution of 2540 dpi in 19 minutes. This is faster than the fastest downstream process system in the flexo process, so it can always keep ahead of processing sections.
The major new system designed for high volume users (Esko-Graphics largest user has eight machines), is their autoload and semi automatic load feature. They are the only supplier to offer this. The full autoload shows just how well Esko-Graphics understands flexo imaging. They invented the market and continue to make it a major part of the product portfolio. It is not surprising they claim to have in excess of 70% of the market.
18- New Gravure Technologies
One of the key developments at drupa is in new and enhanced technologies for cylinder preparation for gravure printing. This area of printing has been digital for a long time with digital cylinder engraving, but at this drupa there have been major advances in other cylinder preparation technologies, plus enhancements in diamond engraving systems. In this area we now have three different technology approaches. The first of these is the very well established diamond head based engraving systems from Hell Gravure and MDC Max Daetwyler. The second is direct laser engraving of cylinders from Daetwyler, plus something new at drupa from Hell. The third approach is a mix between laser imaging of a mask material, followed by a cylinder etching or reverse electrolysis system. In this there are a number of suppliers. The major new developments at drupa were the Exactus system from Creo and Acigraf, and the new Think Laboratories system that uses Creo imaging. In this area there are also systems from Sheppers, a Daetwyler company, Applied Laser Engineering, and Hertzog Graphics.
The Exactus system which links a full Acigraf reverse electrolytic copper removal system with Creo SquareSpot imaging, and a thermal resist developed initially for Creo's attempts to enter the direct PCB imaging market, is claimed to be the fastest cylinder preparation system in the market. This appears a somewhat dubious claim as the Think system is just as fast, and the Daetwyler two channel DLS laser system appears fastest of all in total throughput. All of these however challenge the latest 16 channel diamond engraving systems for throughput, but add greater process control and continuity.
The Exactus and Think systems rely on chemical processes for creating the cells in the cylinder. Because of the high resolution of the imaging head, significantly higher quality in areas of line work and text can be achieved than with diamond engraving. Screening values are also higher giving improved image quality. It is however still a mix of digital and analog processes. It also does not allow for individual cell processing to enhance cell shape and depth. The Daetwyler DLS system appears to offer greater flexibility as it allows unique shaping of cells to optimize ink transfer and improve image quality. It also allows high image quality in text and line work alongside screen values of 175 lpi. This is a purely digital process that produces the finished cylinder. The only subsequent processes are a cleaning and chrome plating if required.
All these systems will enhance and improve gravure printing and allow it to challenge offset in shorter run lengths. I believe Creo in their press event totally oversold this aspect of the business claiming it made gravure competitive against offset at around 90,000 impressions. Since the savings in time against existing cylinder preparation systems are only limited, it appears Creo has misunderstood how this industry operates.
19- Hell's Laser Gravure Unit
One of the most eagerly awaited gravure developments was being shown to invited guests in a closed area of the.... Hell Gravure Systems stand. This is the prototype Hell laser engraver for gravure cylinders. This differs in a number of ways from the MDC Max Daetwyler DLS laser system. The first it images directly to a copper or chrome cylinder, whereas the Daetwyler unit images to a zinc coated copper cylinder. The second difference is the Daetwyler unit uses a pulsed laser where pulses of laser energy are used to ablate cells in the cylinder. The Hell unit uses a new laser, the specification of which I have asked not to disclose in writing, which uses a very high power continuous modulated laser beam. It is stated that very high power has the instant effect of vaporizing the copper before the high conductivity of copper can dissipate the laser's energy. Hell believes that a continuous laser beam where the timing of the exposure can be infinitely controlled, gives them more control over cell shape and depth.
There is obviously lots of technical stuff here that is beyond the understanding of all but the physicists and engineers involved. Naturally Hell says their technology is better. I am sure Daetwyler will say "prove it in the market", which is where currently Daetwyler has more than a dozen systems working.
It is all good news for gravure printers to see developments that will enhance the quality of gravure cylinders giving better quality ink transfer on the press, and finer text and line work detail. There is little additional speed from this apart from in smaller format packaging gravure, where speed is not the major issue. Hell plans to have a pilot site in packaging gravure next year. After that they will look into publications gravure. Daetwyler is now moving its technology into publications gravure.
20- DRUPA Surprise 1: Labels On Demand
Print on demand applies to a lot more than marketing collateral; for example packaging on demand, wallpaper on demand, and even labels on demand. Matan Digital Printers launched the Springª digital printing system for tags and labels. Just think of the opportunities! Customized wine labels, for example. A wine bottler could personalize a case (or 2 or 10) for a favorite customer. How about test marketing a new sauce? Who needs 50,000 labels when testing colors, graphics, or a new layout?
Using Matan's thermal transfer technology, the Spring provides up to 400x1600 DPI, and can print spot colors, process colors, metallics and white. Add an inline digital die-cutting system, and you have a complete label on demand system, at a very reasonable price. I brought home samples printed with process colors and both gold and silver on the same design.
You'll need to chat with the folks at...... www.matanprinters.com to get a price quote on your configuration. Imagine, label printers can add this system and offer extremely short run for their regular label customers, or commercial printers can add labels to their range of services.
21- DRUPA Surprise 2: Personalized Cookies? Yum!
Spectra, Inc., manufacturers of precision piezoelectric ink jet print heads, provided a technology demonstration printing images on cookies! So what's the point you say?
Just think of all the flat surfaces that could be printed with food-quality, edible dies and integrate that with the concept of print on demand. Combine short run and variable data with any edible flat surface and the end result is personalized food. Promotional items will never be the same! Cookies printed with your daughter's Girl Scout troop number and slogan. Why stop with printed hot dog wraps to for snacks at the football stadium? Print the home team's name or logo on the buns!
Spectra is not some Johnny-come-lately to ink jet technology: nearly all the major ink jet printer manufacturers use Spectra ink heads. Many of them are super wide format printer manufacturers. For more information, see.... www.spectra-inc.com .
22- Finishing As You Like It - JDF and the more important UP 3i standard
Finishing equipment had new and more efficient designs as well as digital capability. I saw many easy-to-use LCD panels providing automated job changes and production feedback with error messages. For instance, the Stralfors LX550 Unwinder, LX560 Cutter, LX565 Stacker, LX530 Buffer and LX568 Feeder appeared with Océ, IBM, Bowe, in PrintCity and at Xerox. They showed interactive touch-screen displays capable of remote diagnostics and enhanced error recovery. As you would expect from a core member of the UP3I consortium, their devices were UP3I compatible. As the postpress equipment becomes more digital, job data can also be stored for reuse, analyzed to improve margins and available to enhance scheduling or predict job completion.
Another trend was increased speed and application capability. Speeds are being increased to meet the needs of higher speed presses, and the more one device can accomplish efficiently the better for the finishing cycle. Standard Hunkeler, for example, presented in production lines with Heidelberg, HP Indigo, IBM, Océ, Weko and Xerox. They announced the CS4-2 longitudinal and cross cutting module. Separation of the paper web in the cross and longitudinal direction is a key function in digital printing lines. As the speed rises, the CS4-2 will set itself automatically via the UP3I interface plus automatic synchronization with register marks. They also announced the LS4, a large stack delivery station that enables he delivery and offset stacking of sheets up to 27 inches in length. The UM520-W for the Variweb System is the universal module for die cutting, perforating and longitudinal and cross cutting with gutter cut, increasing the diversity of production options.
Some of my favorites were the ones I didn't expect. Consider the SigmaLine from Müller Martini, where, instead of fitting their finishing around someone's press, they just put the Delphax engine in their finishing line! Müller Martini's very apt booth slogan was "Integration Solutions--from A to Z." Another that got my attention was the Stralfors LX501 Stack Lightweight solution that handles paperweight as low as 60 gsm. It hadn't really occurred to me how popular lightweight paper is becoming in the print world, but obviously it allows printers to conserve space, resources and costs. Another favorite was the Stackport from Duplo, Xerox, GBC and CPBourg. Trying to eliminate the final manual job of moving paper, the Stackport is an intelligent paper transport system linking digital printing to near-line finishing environments. It has a ways to go, but I liked the idea. Packaging was on a high, especially from HP, who showed a laser diecutter, label design and printed holograms.
Mueller-Martini
This may not be a trend, but a "digital back end" does offer a certain amount of modularity. By linking one piece of postpress equipment to another, a digital back end can run the show either nearby or remotely. Xerox showed three entire finishing lines run from three presses, all online, with the ability for each press to switch to another line. Standard Horizon showed their i2i solution with a postpress controller that intelligently managed multiple devices.
Books on Demand Solution by Mueller Martini
By and large, postpress embraced the JDF workflow, making use of the electronic job ticket information for finishing processes. Digital printing industry leaders promoted the message....... "Get productive with UP3I at drupa." .....The core members, Oce, IBM and Xerox, Duplo, Hunkeler and Stralfors, encouraged the finishing standard through live demonstrations in partnership with other members and in educational sessions in the JDF Parc. The principal aim of the UP31 (Universal Printer Pre- and Post-processing Interface) core members has been to define an open standard for end-to-end communication of data between the components of an integrated digital print line, enabling postpress integration with other workflows and standards. The one real live UP3I system I could find that was actually using UP3I was the Oce VarioStream 5000 with Duplo in the Océ booth. There were many other UP3I compliant pieces of equipment where the standard was not actually being used for process control. The hard part of a UP3I demo is that is looks a lot like a proprietary demo. Any well done protocol will manage the entire system. So, what's the big deal?
While there is little doubt that UP3i will improve productivity by allowing more time for printing and less setting up, and production will be optimized. But I like the freedom it brings to printers. Without UP3i, you cannot use the finishing devices of your choice with your press. You cannot expand and update the equipment when and how you want to. You will not be able to decide for each piece of equipment whether you want it inline, online or nearline. You are hostage to your press vendor and the choices they have made regarding finishing. This is not to say that the press vendors are not working hard to select partners and open opportunities. They are. And they are working hard to develop more modular approaches that will offer more options. But it's not the same as independence. What do you think?.
23- HP - Showtime's Over
I left going to the HP Indigo show until the last presentation of drupa. By this time there is a degree of anarchy and celebration in that the event is almost over. I have been now to every one of the Indigo events since they started. They are all over-the-top and great fun. I must congratulate the two key players, Richard de Boissezon and Robin Walton, both HP Indigo execs for their enthusiasm, stamina, and Ôbad' acting. They have appeared multiple times per day for fourteen days, and also for three drupas in a row. They deserve an Oscar! The final performance, and let's hope it is not the real final performance, was even more wild than usual.
drupa events like this are good for generating attention. HP Indigo's stand was always busy, more so than almost any other supplier. The big question is does this level of attention convert to future business? I fear it may not, which is why I wonder if this was the last ever performance. Thanks again for the good fun and for increasing the awareness of digital printing now over the past nine years.
24- Last Day at DRUPA
Well finally we've made it. It is the last day of a two week extravaganza in print. It is amazing that some exhibitors would like the show to be longer. Come on, give us a break. When most of the world's shows go for a maximum of a week, two weeks is a long time, and for vendors a tremendous cost.
drupa is being seen as a great success. As Bernhard Schreier, the Chairman and CEO of Heidelberg stated, Òbusiness is back". Many vendors are saying that this has been a good show. Not all however is sweetness and light. The big question at drupa is what happened to the Germans? Germany is the major print center for Europe, but attendance from German printers is down. In the first week more than 60% of attendees came from outside Germany. Last drupa it was only around 50%. Overall attendance however is not up. It is just far fewer Germans are coming.
It will be interesting to see what the attendance figures are like when they are published. If it is close to 400,000 it will show that drupa has been a real success. If it is close to 350,000, then it will not be so good.
The President of drupa 2004, KBA CEO Albrecht Bolza-Schünemann, indicated that print and paper rediscovered their forte, possibly at the expense of prepress. That is good news for KBA. He was particularly pleased to see the increase in numbers of visitors from Eastern Europe. This is obviously a good market for new presses, when markets in Western Europe are swamped with an over-capacity of modern offset presses.
The big question following the apparent success of drupa is will this recovery in buying continue and will we see strong demand at GraphExpo in October? Early reports that printing is in recovery are good. We await the ongoing prognosis.
The Sappi Girls - Love You!
The World's Smallest Printed Book!
Thanks Folks from the Bavarian Tent! I'll come back!
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THE AUSGANG- See you in 2008 ! (29.5.08-11.7.08)
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