Olivia Cahoon

Color Reignited

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By Olivia Cahoon

Xerox hosted its Color Reignited event at the Gil Hatch Center in Webster, NY from May 8 to 9, 2018. Nearly 120 customers as well as members of the press and industry analysts attended. The two-day affair highlighted the launch of Xerox’s Iridesse Production Press in addition to customer panels, one-on-one interviews, and keynote presentations.

Kicking off the second day of the event, Andrew Copley, president, graphic communication solutions, Xerox, and John Ahlman, VP, integrated marketing strategy and content, Xerox, discussed dynamic needs in the market including augmented reality, hyper-personalization, and strong fundamentals.

Ragni Mehta, VP/GM, cutsheet business, Xerox, highlighted increased demands for digital print enhancements including gold, silver, metallic, and clear effects.

Above: At Xerox’s Color Reignited even in Webster, NY, Xerox launched the Iridesse Production Press, featuring digital print enhancement capabilities.

Iridescent Palettes
Following the opening remarks, Xerox unveiled the new Iridesse Production Press. As a high-speed, six-station color press, the Iridesse combines four-color printing with up to two specialty dry inks in one printing pass.

“We created the press to produce these special effects and digital enhancements cost effectively and in a simplified workflow, so our customers can seize the market opportunity and grow their businesses,” comments Mehta.

Color Reignited
Xerox’s Color Reignited event highlighted the company’s ability to stay on trend with demands for advanced digital print enhancements. With the Iridesse Production Press, Xerox demonstrates its continued commitment to the printing industry.

For more information, listen to the DPS Magazine Podcast, featuring an Q&A with one of the first Iridesse customers. Find it online at dpsmagazine.com. dps

Jul2018, DPS Magazine

Digital Print Enhancements

Specialty Dry Inks

Canon Enters the European Label Market

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By DPS Staff

Industry press and analysts were recently invited to Poing, Germany for a special unveiling of Canon’s entry into the label market, the Océ LabelStream 4000 series.

“The Océ LabelStream is based on the inkjet DNA of Canon and Océ. With this comprehensive solution package optimized to benefit from current market dynamics, label converters can boost profitability for short and medium job sizes, and amaze customers with labels of exceptional quality and customized messaging,” says Christian Unterberger, CMO/EVP, production printing products (PPP), Canon.

Above: Canon Unveils the Océ LabelStream 4000 series label press to the European market.

A New Endeavor
At the unveiling, Unterberger discussed the company’s portfolio and market strategy, which was followed by the introduction and demonstration of the Océ LabelStream 4000.

The machine, which currently targets the European market, is an industrial-scale UV inkjet press with optional flexographic printing, embellishment, and finishing units. The five-color press features CMYK plus white and offers a print speed of up to 48 meters per minute (mpm). It offers print widths of 13 or 16 inches and features an optional performance model of 68 mpm.

It employs the latest Xaar 2001 UV inkjet printheads for a resolution of 720×600 dpi and supports a range of standard label stocks including PP, PE, BOPP, and selected special substrates.

Commercial availability of the Océ LabelStream 4000 series in Europe is set for the end of 2018.

Print Portfolio
The world of print is transitioning to digital and Océ offers products and solutions in wide format, web-fed, sheetfed, workflow software, and business services for the commercial print market. The company now expands into packaging with its first label press.

Crit Driessen, VP strategy and alliances, Océ PPP, notes that the technology, market, and customers are at the point where it is the right time for Canon to enter the label printing sector.

The debut of the Océ LabelStream 4000 series offers possibilities and opportunities, providing everything from a digital standalone press to a digital printing system with inline finishing and a digital hybrid press. dps

Jul2018, DPS Magazine

Labels

A Million Impressions

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By Olivia Cahoon

As digital printer technology continues to advance, efficiency and volume improve to make it a viable solution for high-volume printing. Digital production presses offer the ability to produce output volumes between one and ten million impressions per month. This area is served by both production electrophotographic and cutsheet inkjet equipment.

High-volume printers include book manufacturers, commercial printers, direct mail agencies, in plants, and outsourcing providers. Here, we speak to a variety of print providers that utilize the latest digital technologies for high-volume printing.

Above: Tidewater Direct uses digital printing technologies like the Screen Truepress Jet520HD to produce high-quality continuous forms and four-color direct mail trade printing. The press provides the ability to run untreated, coated substrates.

L & D Mail Masters
In 1986, L & D Mail Masters, Inc. started with three employees in New Albany, IN as a home-based direct mail and mailing list management company. Today, it has 100 employees and operates as a full-service direct marketing and statement processing vendor. Services include design, offset and digital print, direct mail, email and landing page campaigns, statement processing, branded promotional products, and advertising specialties. The company operates out of an 180,000 square foot campus.

In 1998, L & D Mail Masters started digitally printing with five Kodak Digimaster 9150 B&W machines. “At this time, data-rich documents were still in demand and B&W print was laid down on pre-printed forms or letterhead, usually provided by the client,” comments Dianne Fischer, president, L & D Mail Masters, Inc.

Clients started demanding four-color digital print in 2006, prompting the company to purchase a Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS C8000 and two Canon imagePRESS C7000VPs. As digital technology advanced, L & D Mail Masters also purchased two HP Indigo 7000s to provide a quick turnaround and meet quality demands of existing clients, says Fischer.

In 2009, the company received more demand for transactional print and acquired its first inkjet press, a Screen Truepress Jet520, and a Screen Dual Engine two years later. “In 2017, we firmly settled into our belief and investment in inkjet technology with the purchase of a Canon Océ VarioPrint i300 machine as well as replacing two HP machines with a Kodak Nexpress to meet the demand of clients wanting four-color digital qualities at a reasonable cost,” says Fischer.

At the core of its business, L & D Mail Masters is a direct marketing and statement processing firm that handles projects from concept to mail truck. According to Fischer, digital printing and data has always been the fabric of the company. “We grew up on data, so while digital has greatly expanded within the industry in recent years, it is second nature with our company.” As digital technology advances, Fischer sees more companies demanding SOC 2 Type II reporting and compliance documents in regard to data security procedure to ensure client data is utilized and deployed safely.

Typical run lengths for L & D Mail Masters vary from as few as 5,000 pieces to 14 million at a time. The company employs a full-time staff of programmers to efficiently evaluate projects and provide quick turnaround for clients. It produces 150 million pieces yearly.

With its digital presses and ability to offer full-color solutions, L & D Mail Masters prints very little in B&W. “With the variety of state-of-the-art equipment and technology we have invested in the past several years, we are able to provide color digital projects very economically,” shares Fischer.

Digital technology and data-driven communication are powerful tools for L & D Mail Master’s clients.

According to Fischer, if a campaign is executed poorly, it leaves the client with a bad experience and a mistrust of using data in a campaign. “Unfortunately, some are willing to undercut pricing just to fill up machines and really hurt the pricing for the entire industry,” she shares.

Combined with ensuring data security and adequate procedures necessary for data-rich campaigns as well as the investments needed for equipment, technology, and an experienced workforce, Fischer believes barriers of entry can become quite high for producing data-driven direct mail.

“Digital has been and will continue to be the future of print,” she adds. “Our company will continue to invest in technology that allows us to not only execute highly complex projects in a printed format, but also combine print with online experiences.”

As the company grows, L & D Mail Masters evaluates its high-volume printing capabilities and invests in future technologies. Currently, Fischer says the company is interested in Screen’s HD Printer as well as the Canon Océ ProStream 1000.

AutoMail
AutoMail, LLC started in 1998 in Jonesboro, AR with three employees. It operates under three company titles; Trinamic Corporation, a Sub S Corporation; AutoMail, LLC, a software development company; and Document Output Center, LLC (DOC), which operates as an outsource vendor for print2mail item processors.

Until 2006, its flagship product, AutoMail, was its only solution, which was specifically developed for banks and new check image statements. It featured three USPS certified elements that provided CASS, PAVE, and Manifest capabilities, which qualified bank statement mailings for USPS work share discounts on postage—a dollar savings of 25 percent.

“By 2006, AutoMail was the premier mailroom solution for banks throughout all 50 states including Guam,” says Harry Herget, co-owner/director of marketing, AutoMail. “AutoMail became the bank industry standard for mail automation and mixed weight manifesting—in-house users swelled to more than 1,400 banks.”

In 2010, DOC started with one employee and operated in an unfinished, 500 square foot space. DOC is an outsource provider that runs on its proprietary mailing and work process software developed by AutoMail. The company started in response to the house market crash. According to Herget, the total population of banks dropped by 50 percent since 2006—from 12,000 to 6,000.

At this time, banks outsourced item processing and bank mailrooms disappeared while the growth of outsource providers boomed, recalls Herget. DOC now has a target monthly volume of 28,000 items. It has 12 employees and processes more than two million items per month from a 3,500 square foot production space and 5,000 square foot warehouse. The company also has a St. Louis, MO location that occupies 5,000 square feet.

In 2010, AutoMail started to use digital printing technology with HP DI950 presses and then moved to Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS models 1050, 1250, 1200, and 2250. As the company grew it needed to increase capacity and add color printing. “The more we studied printers, the more we were convinced that the cost of an entry-level, roll-fed printer was beyond our reach,” says Herget.

Today, the company is a digital-only business that uses the Xerox Rialto 900 inkjet press. According to Herget, the Rialto 900 was priced above high-end sheetfed printers and below the least expensive roll-fed models. “The market space the Rialto 900 serves is critical and has been a black hole until now.”

The Rialto 900 has a print width of 8.66 inches and produces 342 letter-sized impressions per minute. “The quality of its inkjet technology is superb,” says Herget. “It’s peripherals, such as double stacker, adds to its total through-put, increasing its capacity.” AutoMail is currently in the process of adding a second Rialto 900 to its fleet.

The company serves a variety of transactional businesses for statement printing and is currently expanding into other opportunities in non-transactional commercial printing. Its core verticals are banking, utilities, medical, and insurance.

On average, the company prints 50,000 pages per job with a large variation between large to small jobs. In 2017, AutoMail ran 34.7 million duplex pages. Currently, it prints an equal amount in color and B&W with anticipation for increased color printing in the future.

“Digital print technology is state of the art today and we intend to leverage its production quality and efficiencies to expand beyond transaction item processing and include commercial printing of non-transactional items,” says Herget. “The potential to dramatically increase our processing volume is almost limitless and enables us to leverage our digital print technology for optimal value.”

Tidewater Direct
Tidewater Direct started in 2006 after the assets of Tidewater Publishing, which started in the early 1960s, were purchased. With 125 employees across three locations, the company produces high-color, high-quality continuous forms, four-color direct mail trade printing and finishing, and commercial inkjet web printing and finishing. Its combined workspace is 200,000 square feet.

Tidewater Direct has a large mid-Atlantic presence in the U.S. with locations in IA and MD. In 2017, the company began using digital printing technology. “We believed that in order to evolve as a direct mail component part supplier, we needed to embrace technology to support our customers’ growing inkjet needs,” says Geoffrey Eisenberg, EVP, Tidewater Direct, LLC.

The company uses the Screen Truepress Jet520HD for its versatility in running multiple DPIs on untreated, coated substrates. The Jet520HD has a 520 milimeter media width and prints up to 120 meters per minute. It features an enhanced version of the Equios professional workflow system, which allows for increased production benefits, job automation, color management, in-RIP imposition, JDF communication, and PDF/VT support.

According to Eisenberg, the Jet520HD’s substrate compatibility was a game-changer and created a financial advantage for the company.

Tidewater Direct is also a direct mail component part supplier that prints and delivers personalized and generic direct mail component parts as coated or uncoated rolls to direct mail contractors, newspapers, and print brokers. The company remains focused on direct mail but has expanded its applications to allow clients greater opportunity. “Our clients enjoy trade pricing on high-quality inkjet web printing without an investment—it’s a win all around,” says Eisenberg.

Conventional run lengths for the company are typically several hundred thousand copies to several million copies. With inkjet, the company sees quantities of 20,000 up to several million, with the majority of jobs falling around 100,000 copies.

Eisenberg believes one of the greatest advantages of digital technology is that it allows Tidewater Direct to print on untreated coated stocks.

The company has seen its fair share of challenges. “One challenge has been marketing ourselves and building trust in our clients that outsourcing this product is no more difficult than outsourcing traditional print,” admits Eisenberg.

In the future, Tidewater Direct hopes to grow its digital printing sector. “We see tremendous potential with inkjet. Many clients are realizing this and designing campaigns specifically for inkjet,” offers Eisenberg.

MAR Graphics
Headquartered in Valmeyer, IL, MAR Graphics started in 1961 as a forms printer in a 700 square foot garage. Today, the company has 90 employees that operate in a 98,000 square foot facility. Its services include digital print, direct mail, forms, integrated products, pressure seal, and security printing.

In 1995, the company started to use digital printing technology with a Xerox DocuTech 135. Today, MAR Graphics uses the Ricoh Pro VC60000 for its high image quality and 495 feet per minute speed. “The print engines can be upgraded as Ricoh continues to innovate, helping us to scale into the future,” says Rick Roever, president, MAR Graphics.

The Pro VC60000 continuous feed inkjet printer produces up to 40 million impressions per month. “The Pro VC60000 is narrowing, sometimes eliminating, the quality gap between UV offset and inkjet,” shares Roever. “In some cases, it even beats offset in terms of image quality.”

The company also uses the RICOH Pro C9110 and RICOH Pro 9100. Both presses feature a 13×27.5-inch maximum media size, 400 gsm maximum media weight, and 1,200×4,800 dpi. MAR Graphics also uses the Ricoh InfoPrint 4100 duplex, roll-fed toner press.

MAR Graphics uses other digital printing presses including the Xerox iGen4, Xerox Nuvera 144, Xerox Nuvera 314, Xerox Nuvera 288, and products from Memjet, Hammerhead, and RISO. “Our digital print environment was strategically designed and implemented to cover a variety of applications and capabilities at a consistently high level of quality,” says Roever.

Historically, MAR Graphics’ core business provided forms for direct mail and transactional documents. Its direct mail services include personalization features and the USPS’ Every Door Direct Mail program.

Typical run lengths for MAR Graphics run from one to 500,000. Its devices support a variety of programs and versioning. The company currently mails five million pieces per month and with its most recent equipment, it has grown to ten million per month. “We print more than 64 million UV offset forms per month, which are imaged at letter shops across the country,” offers Roever.

The company prints a mix of B&W, inkjet, and color toner with digital-only projects and applications. It has seven half-web UV offset presses that support its letter shop and other letter shops across the country. “For the most part, color inkjet and color toner complement our UV offset print,” says Roever.

One of the biggest challenges of digital technology for MAR Graphics is taking full advantage of it—including building programs to leverage existing technology for effective solutions and staying on the lookout for new software, hardware, and services to meet customers’ evolving needs. “The biggest challenge is also our greatest advantage—the potential is so huge, it can almost be daunting,” offers Roever.

In the future, MAR Graphics hopes to continue to grow by bringing new, innovative applications to its customers.

High-Volume Printing
Digital printers offer new capabilities and efficiencies for high-volume production environments. From books to direct mail, a variety of print providers invest in digital printing technology to cost effectively produce high volume runs without sacrificing quality. dps

May2018, DPS Magazine

High-Value Packaging

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By Cassandra Balentine

The increased demand for short-run print hasn’t spared the packaging industry. Personalization trends, including customization, versioning, and test marketing benefit from the capabilities offered by digital print technology. To capitalize on this market shift, several print and finishing vendors target this space with folding carton packaging solutions.

Folding cartons are printed on heavier paperboard stock and are laminated, cut, folded, and glued. Demand for smaller volumes of packaging make digital printing technology and automated finishing attractive to folding carton producers.

Above: The Kodak PROSPER 6000S simplex inkjet web press delivers up to 12,000 B1 sph with a print quality of 600×900 dpi.

Benefits of Digital
The well-known advantages of digital print apply to folding carton packaging and new equipment supports this market segment.

“The folding carton market is experiencing the same trends as the commercial printing market in many ways, primarily in a growing need for shorter and shorter runs,” says Ed Pierce, product marketing manager, Fujifilm North America Corporation, Graphics Systems Division. “This is driven by several key drivers, including the avoidance of obsolescence, the growing market for local and regional products, ecommerce boutique product packaging, and test marketing packaging.”

Enter digital. “When you combine the cost structure and the ability to run multiple jobs without the need for plates and waste, the digital platform becomes even more of an attractive and viable solution. Consider a folding carton for let’s say a dry pasta. That same package may be sold under 150 SKUs but each having an average length of only 2,000 cartons. This is just not possible with traditional methods, but digital production inkjet makes this possible day in and day out,” explains Pierce.

Scott Robertz, digital printing systems product manager, Komori, agrees, adding that digital print enables marketers to better target customers and offer extremely short runs. He says current technologies now offer packaging printers the ability to print with quality that is indistinguishable from offset and use the same paperboard and substrates they currently use in their pressroom. “This gives printers freedom and flexibility when determining the appropriate output device while being transparent with customers.”

While the worldwide folding carton market is only expected to grow a small percentage, the digital representation part of that growth is substantial. “There is a massive opportunity to convert to digital,” coments Oana Manolache, marketing manager, folding cartons, Graphics Solutions Business, Americas, HP Inc. “The role of packaging is evolving from a functional item to a platform for consumer engagement. The package as a marketing tool can capture a greater impact using digital printing, enabling mass customization as well as unique items such as promotional codes and one-of-a-kind boxes.”

Packaging print providers require the flexibility to meet brand buyers’ needs for prototype, short-run, and just-in-time inventory. “The driving force is the ever-increasing pressure to stand out from the competition with more complex, regionally focused designs and seasonally rotating campaigns. As digital print becomes remarkably close in quality and color matching to traditional printing methods, it enables providers to develop truly realistic prototype packaging. This is also where digital finishing comes into play with the ability to cut, crease/score, and perforate—even with the most complex designs—quickly and easily,” says Heather Roden, strategic account manager, graphics and packaging, Zünd.

The packaging market demands the ability to produce shorter runs with custom or variable content and faster makeready times. Lance Martin, director of sales, North America, MBO America, says digital technologies enable market specialization; lower inventory costs; and increased time, labor, and cost competition due to frequent job changes—making shorter makeready times a must.

Will Mansfield, director of worldwide product marketing and category management, Kodak Enterprise Inkjet Systems Division, points out that when a company implements a digital printing process into its folding carton production workflow, they can realize both direct and indirect benefits. The direct benefits include cost reductions and time savings. The indirect benefits are frequently seen in a company’s marketing and sales activities. “Digital printing enables new applications that can and should command a premium. These new applications often attract new customers that become prospects for a company’s current printing processes. And of course, new applications allow a printing company to sell the new products and services to existing customers. What’s less obvious is that these new, digital-driven applications can also mitigate the price pressures on a company’s more commodity-like analog printing services, thus helping them sell more from their traditional printing operation more profitably,” he shares.

Mansfield adds that when a company implements a digital printing process into their folding carton production, they gain a more advantageous market position and see more revenue and reduced cost for a better bottom line.

Limitations of Digital
While the challenges of digitally printing folding cartons are being addressed and eliminated, digital isn’t the right answer for all. There are several limitations to digital printing and finishing folding carton applications.

Chris Rogers, solution marketing manager, folding carton/corrugated, Esko, says the biggest question of digital limitations surrounds run length volumes. “Digital is ideal for short run, fast turnaround production that supports market demand for variable printing and frequent design changes. For longer runs with no content changes, lithography remains the cost-effective choice.”

Robertz agrees, adding that digital printing today cannot compete with offset in medium-to-large print runs in terms of productivity and cost per piece.

“I wouldn’t say digital is limited as much as being designed for a growing part of the packaging space,” attests Pierce. He explains that digital platforms outperform traditional methods for shorter run lengths. Long run lengths today—mostly for high-volume, national distribution, still fit better with traditional methods. “As digital platforms get faster, which we know is inevitable, this separation will certainly diminish.”

Color consistency is also a challenge. Marcus Tralau, CEO, KAMA GmbH, says this may not matter much for a single-piece application like a photobook, but it does matter on a sheet with 20 boxes of the same green.

As digital printers start to hit the market with the speed of single-pass technology, PSPs find that finishing equipment often requires a two-to-one ratio to keep up, especially if there are particularly complicated finishing processes involved. “While this should be no surprise to PSPs, a similar ratio has long applied even with traditional print processes—it does make it imperative that PSPs carefully consider all components of the digital production line and what they need to do to fully maximize the benefits of a digital workflow,” says Roden.

Martin says process limitations imposed by the use of labor-intensive offline processes—such as flatbed die cutting with nicks—present a significant problem for finishing short run, personalized, or variable production. He adds that format and substrate variations means no single machine can accommodate every variable. Additionally, static electricity can lead to problems when handling coatings or plastics. Finally, inconsistent coloration can occur when using inkjet technology or when changing substrates for variable applications.

Tralau says it is important to understand that digital print in general is in the beginning of the product lifecycle. “It took decades before offset became the most popular printing technology. The limits for digital with folding cartons are the higher costs. Suppliers and customers have to accept higher prices for more value in terms of variable designs and short lead times,” he explains.

Mansfield adds that digital printing has made great strides for folding carton production. “It’s no longer limited to just prototypes and ultra-short print runs, but moving up into more mainstream run lengths and applications thanks to recent developments in inkjet writing systems, pre-coating fluids, and drying hardware,” he offers, adding that limitations vary widely from one vendor to another and include cost per piece, substrate compatibility and availability, and width.

Sweet Spot and Demand
The biggest opportunity for digitally printed folding cartons is variable, as it largely depends on the printing or converting environment’s specific workflow.

“It is essential to look at the whole process including impositioning, job batching, sheet format, and diecut format,” says Sebastien Stabel, sales and business development, Flint Group.

Manolache admits this really depends on the application, as the cross-over point can vary quite a bit depending on the particular job.

Edwin M. Bokuniewicz, product marketing manager, Industrial Print Group, Konica Minolta, says short-run lengths equate to various breakeven numbers for digital folding cartons, depending on the cost structure of the solution, consumables, and the usage of variable data. “That breakeven number can be as high as 50,000 and as low as one.” He says the short-run job is increasing year over year and run lengths continue to decrease. “The number of jobs of 10,000 are a strong sweet spot for digital folding carton applications.”

Tralau also believes experiences are different depending the application and provider. He offers an example of a U.S.-based pharmaceutical/healthcare company running all jobs up to 100,000 boxes with digital. “Others say the crossover is less than 1,000 sheets. It depends on how the folding carton producers calculate and whether they install a dedicated short-run facility, which is more cost effective thanks to less overhead.”

Pierce notes that while there may be varying responses based on each print provider’s unique business scenario, the sweet spot for folding carton applications is generally in the range of 2,500 to 5,000 but can go upwards of 10,000 in certain circumstances.

Tralau sees the market driven by pharmaceutical and cosmetics. In addition, there are crossover activities between social media and folding cartons. “I assume the cost can be reduced and crossover higher. The amount of 100,000 boxes/10,000 B2 sheets is where I see the limit in the future,” he shares.

Rogers says an increase in the number of digital printing presses, combined with a growing demand for variable print is anticipated—bringing a significant shift towards short-run production.

“The demand for short-run folding cartons is real and it is increasing,” comments Mansfield. “The demand for customization is also growing, but it is more nascent today while customer brands continue refining their digital strategies.”

Tips and Considerations
For those eyeing digital for folding carton production, several considerations should be top of mind.

Pierce says quality and color consistency should be carefully considered when evaluating solutions. “In the packaging space, color is king to the brand owners and technologies greatly differ. Also, the ability to deliver the same high quality and color consistency from run to run is imperative.”

Mansfield suggests paying close attention to ink pricing and optimization. “If a folding carton printer is considering a full digital press, ink usage and cost will be the primary drivers of production cost and therefore have a major impact on the crossover from traditional to digital production.”

Bokuniewicz points out that ink type; FDA ink certification of indirect food contact; substrate size, type, and thickness; press speed; curing and drying; color management; G7 color compliance; post-press finishing including digital embellishments are all factors to consider.

Roden suggests partnering with a good media provider since the quality of these materials often dictate finishing quality, particularly surrounding the creases. “Also, when considering digital printing equipment, thoroughly test the ink and how it performs in conjunction with all finishing processes—cutting, perforating, and creasing.”

“Don’t skimp on blade quality. What may seem like a higher priced blade may be a far more cost-effective choice in the long run since operators can produce more pieces with each blade and spend less time replacing them,” says Roden. She adds that to achieve ultimate productivity, the goal is to keep the tools engaged with the material for as much of the time as possible.”

Pierce points out that advertising agencies are a great source of short-run packing work. “This has been one area of growth for some of our customers. Also look at local and regional opportunities where the cost structure of digital technology will make you the most cost competitive in this growth segment.”

Robertz says the best advice he can give a print provider just getting into digitally printing folding cartons is to invest in inkjet “because the quality and capabilities of inkjet have surpassed electrophotographic printing platforms and continue to advance in terms of speed, print quality, sheet size, and substrate handling/printing capabilities.”

Manolache stresses the importance of listening to customers. “If you are able to further support their strategic goals with a digital solution, you will see that you are going to have access to new opportunities and set your business up for unprecedented growth.”

Upcoming Advancements
What’s next for folding cartons? Digital printing and finishing tools continue to advance and support this market.

“We will see tighter integration of graphics and structural design departments in communication and the repurposing of information. This will drive productivity and leverage untapped efficiency potential. There will also be greater automation in finishing to match the speed of digital production presses. As a result, highly automated finishing solutions—for instance, those that enable unattended finishing with robotics—will elevate finishing to industrial levels,” comments Rogers.

Martin says single-pass printing and finishing is increasingly supported by integrated equipment and workflows that can meet customer demands as they arise, unconstrained by process limitations imposed by cumbersome makeready requirements, format size, or substrate.

“There is continued research and development in the digital folding carton and package application space. Press solutions offer faster print speeds, larger sheet sizes, wider and deeper substrate types, thicker substrate capabilities, lower ink costs, more UV ink availability, additional substrate partners that will manufacture substrates optimized for digital presses, and additional finishing partners offering inline solutions,” says Bokuniewicz.

From the OEM perspective, Pierce says speed and format size are the focal points for the future. “Owners are fairly consistent with providing market-based feedback that hones in on these two main points.”

Integration into existing finishing platforms is also important. “There is already a significant investment in finishing capabilities and digital platforms should fit with what is already there,” says Pierce.

He also points out that inks are on a continuous improvement track with bigger color gamuts possible as well as inks that compatible with more substrates for more applications.

Folding boxboard and digital printing have a bright future ahead, says Stabel. “We can help brands stand out and respond to key market trends of shorter run times, just-in-time requests, more variation, seasonal packaging, smaller lot sizes, optimized supply chains, and personalization. This also explains why multiple equipment providers are entering this market with additional digital developments. This will further drive the market to go digital.”

Digital Presence
As digital print technologies continue to penetrate the industry, folding carton packaging is a segment to watch.

For more on digital folding carton production, specifically a look at printing and finishing equipment serving this space, visit us online at dpsmagazine.com. dps

May2018, DPS Magazine

Moving Past Mainstream

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By Melissa Donovan

Variable data printing (VDP) is mainstream. The introduction created a new breed of print provider, the marketing service provider (MSP). At its inception, data specific to the recipient in a multi-channel marketing campaign was exciting and new. Today, marketing materials, mailing pieces, and landing pages are easily customized to the intended reader.

Customers expect MSPs to offer VDP capabilities. To keep pace with demand and stand out from the competition, MSPs must mine quality data, track response rates, and provide customers with results. This occurs by taking reliable solutions and leveraging the best features to offer interactive, multi-channel events.

Above: XMPie’s print and digital media touchpoints are driven by its PersonalEffect personalization and composition engine.

Doing More with VDP
Changes in demand for VDP have MSPs revamping their business models.

“Personalization alone doesn’t cut it anymore. The consumer expects it and the novelty has worn off—to stand out from the competition print providers and MSPs need to use VDP as part of an integrated omni-channel campaign,” admits Josie Stein, marketing and communications manager, XMPie Inc., a Xerox company.

Data collection is one requirement. “Customers demand return on investment (ROI) and need to report on it. Combining VDP with electronic communicating and landing pages increases ROI while allowing for tracking results,” shares Dino Pagliarello, VP, product management and planning, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc.

Pagliarello says many Konica Minolta customers conduct A-B testing. By splitting the data one or more times with modified messages, they track and report the results and amend the campaign to the message with the best results.

“More companies use VDP for production work and also print variable data on trim margins to identify jobs on the production floor. VDP is also used for sequential numbering of items in a job, like parking or event tickets,” explains Therese McGady, marketing associate, Aleyant.

Stein points to PDF on demand emerging as a new VDP touchpoint. A link is included in a webpage or email to a personalized PDF document. “This is useful for scenarios such as creating a personalized book based on the visitor’s website choices—price proposals or insurance policy documents. Since the PDF is created on demand, when the visitor clicks the link, it reflects the most up-to-date data,” she continues.

The general consensus is the adoption of these newest demands is slow and unsuccessful. “I don’t feel the MSP masses have fully adopted the depth of what can be done with VDP. From what I see, most still use names, and maybe one image, but don’t personalize based on data they could obtain or variable content based on responses. If they understand content marketing, the MSP would realize many pieces of content go into driving leads and they could all be variable and personalized—or virtualized at least,” says John Foley Jr., president/CEO, interlinkONE/Grow Socially.

Additionally, the next generation of ultra-high-speed digital presses have the potential to change VDP by bringing higher volume, higher quality VDP to a range of applications. “In the document space, this could mean broader adoption of full color in the types of VDP applications that are dominated by monochrome and highlight color imaging today, but could also mean an expansion of what is produced using variable data printing, such as corrugated jobs,” says John Henze, VP, marketing, EFI Fiery.

He predicts printing companies/ marketing service providers and packaging converters will adopt VDP processing tools and skill sets to maximize the capabilities of their newer presses.

Top Movements in VDP
Trends like cloud-based software, big data, mobility, and interactive print affect the use of VDP solutions among print providers and MSPs. In the era of constant communication from smartphones, television, computers, and tablets, it is important to leverage all of VDP’s capabilities for targeted messaging.

“These trends are coming at full speed. The recipients of communication now expect relevant information. They are bombarded hourly with information, and if you send them something irrelevant they can get angry. Our goal is to help customers build a relationship with the recipient by providing them the right information at the right time,” admits Pagliarello.

In regards to cloud-based software, Foley questions why anyone would want to manage their own servers and networks and pay the expense. “The cloud is just as secure and easier to manage,” he continues.

Big data in limitless. “There is so much more we can do with the amount of data available. It isn’t just company, first name, last name, and demographics like salary, amount of dogs or cats, etc. Look at what you can get from someone’s Facebook page today,” shares Foley.

Big data has a major impact, providing marketers with a new realm of data points to use in direct marking decisions. “Other new developments, like the rise of mobile and the emergence of augmented reality speak to VDP’s role in the broader multi-channel communications market,” says Henze.

Interactive print consists of many things. Perhaps the most well-known and frequently used are quick response (QR) codes. McGady points out that printers now consider QR codes as standard in everyday production.

According to Stein, with trends like cloud-based software, big data, mobility, and interactive print, print providers and MSPs can now bridge their print and digital channels and track results and response rates in real time. “This bi-directional tracking aspect is critical. It gives marketers a better understanding of how their campaigns and strategy perform over time and allows the consumer to talk back to the brand,” she shares.

Accessing Data
Cultivating data properly is one of the biggest obstacles MSPs face when it comes deploying a successful multi-channel marketing campaign with VDP elements.

Stein says that compared to other countries, the U.S. market has the most available and accessible data. “Marketers can buy or rent lists and target to recipients based on consumer demographics, financial segments, attitudinal and behavioral data, or even use geo fencing technology for location-based marketing,” she explains.

“There is so much data today that the better companies embrace the need and deploy an expert as part of the process. The availability and accessibility of business data is there. It is up to the organization to capitalize on the information,” agrees Foley.

The real challenge is having an expert with the time to mine through data and put it to proper use. A MSP may have the data expert on staff, but see them as a prepress person or a graphic designer. “These are real positions that can help the MSP make more additional revenue, but having a part time approach won’t do it,” says Foley.

“Most companies do not have the necessary data to trigger personalized marketing messages and collecting this data takes time,” shares Pagliarello.

VDP Advances
Vendors share how their VDP solutions have evolved to support trends like cloud-based software, big data, mobility, and interactive print or demands for more reporting and tracking capabilities.

Aleyant added support for QR codes and also data and image merging including merging text into body text messages. It is also in the process of adding sequential numbering capabilities and the ability to see an instant preview.

EFI has worked to simplify many composition aspects of VDP with Fiery FreeForm. It is built into every cutsheet Fiery server to eliminate the learning curve and need for additional software.

EFI has focused on making its Fiery DFEs faster so variable data processing doesn’t become the choke point in production.

interlinkONE’s fulfillment and marketing software solutions exist in the cloud so customers do not need a separate IT suite. The result is a reduction in cost by outsourcing platforms to the cloud.

“We have always had a print and digital mindset. When you are doing a VDP campaign, do it for offline and online companies. Over the years, this function may have grown, been further developed, etc. But at the end of the day this print and digital mindset has always been there. We have customers and customers’ customers all using VDP components on a daily basis,” explains Foley.

Konica Minolta offers its customers the option to purchase both emails and mailing addresses inside its XMedia Platform. The company also runs personalized campaigns to collect prospects and customer preferences for use in future campaigns.

“We have and continue to enhance our software with additional features and ease of use. Because most MSPs and print providers do not have the staff to run sophisticated software, we have created turnkey campaigns and supply both technical and strategy support for our MSPs and print providers,” says Pagliarello.

XMPie’s print and digital media touchpoints are driven by its PersonalEffect personalization and composition engine. “This means that our customers can create and automate omni-channel customer experiences or journeys that guarantee a consistent synergistic view of the customer over time and across touch points—this is highly effective in engaging consumers and improving overall ROI for marketing,” shares Stein.

Sophisticated VDP
MSPs successfully using VDP in today’s multi-channel marketing climate are focused on harnessing all of its features. This includes finding and correctly using data skewed to the intended recipient. MSPs’ customers want results. With targeted data, tracking and reporting support technically advanced campaigns. dps

May2018, DPS Magazine

Publishers Rejoice

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By Olivia Cahoon

Finishing equipment is a key component in the digital publishing model, which demands shorter, more frequent jobs in comparison to traditional methods. A variety of finishing equipment is used to produce publications including perfect binders, trimmers, and tools for case making. To keep clients satisfied, print providers look for innovative ways to improve the production process by investing in the latest finishing technologies.

Above: Total Printing Systems of Newton, IL recently printed 1,000 perfect bound books for River Junction Press using the Kodak NexPress SX3300, Screen TruePress Jet520, and Standard Horizon BQ-470 Perfect Binder.

Total Printing Systems
Established in 1973, Total Printing Systems started in Newton, IL as a commercial printer. With two employees, the company produced business cards, letterheads, and forms from a 750 square foot barn. It gradually worked its way into saddle stitching, perfect binding, and adhesive case binding, eventually becoming a complete book manufacturer with nearly all binding styles available in house.

Today, the company has 53 employees and operates in a 45,000 square foot production facility in addition to a 15,000 square foot print-on-demand and fulfillment center. It serves customers nationwide, many of whom take advantage of its Midwest location for shipping and distribution. Total Printing Systems’ customers include government, manufacturers, religious publishers, self-publishers, small presses, trade book publishers, and university presses.

The company started digital printing in the early 1990s with a Xerox DocuTech press and several early digital Océ printers. As a short-run book manufacturer, Total Printing Systems produces a variety of book shapes, sizes, and finishing styles. It mostly serves small- to mid-sized publishers in the education, independent, and religious markets.

Total Printing Systems utilizes two inkjet web presses from Screen Americas—the TruePress Jet520 and TruePress Jet520 EX. The TruePress Jet520 is a full-color variable printing system featuring a roll-fed transport system for high-volume printing. It prints up to 420 feet per minute. It is suitable for a range of paper types including peel-off postcards.

The company uses several toner-based sheetfed devices including a Kodak Nexpress SX300, Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS C1100 and C8000, and several Ricoh 1107EX production printers. “Our digital printing portfolio has changed and grown overtime as different technological breakthroughs became available,” says Rick Lindemann, president, Total Printing Systems. “We’ll be changing and adding new digital presses and capability throughout the next 15 months.”

The print provider selects media based on printing method. From an inkjet standpoint, it runs Mitsubishi’s Sword Gloss stocks and Flambeau River’s Torchglow Opaques. For toner-based output, the company uses a variety of sheets from several manufacturers.

Total Printing Systems uses a PDF workflow and Quite Imposing as well as Impostrip or the front-end software on its presses.

Digital Book Finishing
Digital print technologies help book manufacturers and publishers transition to a printing on demand business model. Digital finishing equipment is needed to reduce bottlenecks in the workflow.

Binding is a critical element of its operation. Lindemann estimates that over 90 percent of Total Printing Systems’ print jobs require some form of bindery. The company has a complete in-house bindery department that includes case binding, lay-flat, loose leaf, mechanical binding, perfect binding, polyurethane reactive (PUR) binding, saddle stitch, and three-hole drilling.

Its digital finishing department consists of a variety of equipment from several manufacturers. The majority is from Standard Finishing including the Horizon BQ-270 EVA Perfect Binder, Horizon BQ-470 Perfect Binder, Horizon HT70 three knife trimmer, Horizon Stitchliner 5500, Hunkeler POPP-6 System, and CABS 400 Perfect Binding System.

In addition, the print provider runs the GP2 SC2 Casemaker, Muller Martini SigmaTrimming Center, On Demand Machinery (ODM) SuperSticker Model 27, ODM SuperSmasher Model 55, Schmedt PräForm HHS 21 Book Press, Schmedt Präleg HHS 1805 Casing-In Machine, and Tecnograf Pronto EndSheet Machine. “Each manufacturer has something to offer that the others don’t or didn’t at the time we purchased our equipment,” offers Lindemann.

The book manufacturer offers book finishing features like embossing, foil stamps, and coated stocks in cream, gloss, matte, opaque, and satin. The Kodak NexPress SX3300 allows the company to offer tactile finishes using dimensional clear ink. Also, case bound covers can be wrapped with various materials including cloth, printed paper, rainbow products, and ecological fiber material.

Challenges
Compared to traditional methods, digital book finishing involves challenges like transportation and feeding. According to Lindemann, it’s slightly more difficult to deal with transporting and feeding loose sheets versus folded signatures. “We’ve been used to that for years,” he comments. “Some options are available to get digitally printed folded signatures, but we haven’t made that leap at this point.”

As run lengths continue to become shorter and more frequent, Lindemann believes the ability to change over from job to job/book to book quickly and accurately is more critical. “You can’t perform a changeover, then need to make even a minor tweak or two because you can’t afford to waste the books, especially as you get down into the run lengths of one, where you can’t have any spoilage, or you have to go back to press,” he shares.

River Junction Press
In December 2017, repeat customer River Junction Press LLC approached Total Printing Systems for a digitally printed book order. Based in Omaha, NE, River Junction Press publishes a variety of books from local authors. The book order was the second title the print provider handled for the client but the fifth order they had received.

From submittal to shipping, the job was produced in 11 days. The pages were printed on 118 gsm Mitsubishi SWORD iJET Gloss Text and the cover printed on 10 pt. Kallima Coated Cover C1S.

The print provider imposed the interior of the book with Quite Imposing Plus and the cover with the Kodak NexStation digital front end. The interior was produced on the Screen TruePress Jet520 and the cover on the Kodak Nexpress SX3300.

The books were bound on a Standard Horizon BQ-470 Perfect Binder, which runs PUR adhesive fed from a Nordson Pail Unloader. “We generally use PUR adhesive for books printed on coated interior paper,” explains Lindemann. “PUR provides a more aggressive bond to coated papers than a standard Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) adhesive. The combination of our inkjet web interior and sheetfed toner covers provides the perfect mix of high-quality, yet affordable output needed for shorter print runs.”

The Horizon BQ-470 is a fully-automated, four-clamp perfect binder that produces up to 1,350 perfect bound books per hour. It features a 10.4-inch LCD touchscreen to provide motor-controlled automation to the professional quality binding market. The BQ-470 binds books up to 2.5 inches thick and its interchangeable glue tanks support EVA and PUR adhesives.

Total Printing Systems printed 600 perfect bound book copies and 400 case bound versions for River Junction Press. The job required no customization and experienced no challenges. “While every job is unique, this project was typical of those we produce for our clients on a regular basis,” says Lindemann.

River Junction Press was pleased with the completed books. “The photos look even better than what we were accustomed to. We can’t believe the detail, sharpness, and brightness of the colors,” comments Lindemann.

Printing to Finishing
Digital finishing equipment streamlines book printing operations for reduced labor and fast turnaround times. Print providers like Total Printing Systems keep clients satisfied with the ability to print in small batches, on-demand, and with value-added impressions. dps

May2018, DPS Magazine

Let’s Get Technical

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By Melissa Donovan

Technical documents include everything from blueprints, instructional booklets, operator manuals, and assembly guides to geographical or topographical maps. Used in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC); computer aided design (CAD); or graphic information system (GIS) industries, these documents benefit from advanced digitization and remote printing capabilities found on both multifunction products (MFPs) and standalone scanning devices.

Above: The HP DesignJet T1700 is a large format workgroup printer that can be bundled with the HP Pro Scanner or HP SD Scanner.

Read and Distribute
The manner in which technical documents are read and distributed is heavily influenced by the evolution of today’s MFPs and standalone scanners, particularly digitization and remote printing.

Digitization is a natural fit for AEC, CAD, and GIS industries. For example, Marilu Lopez, marketing manager, Paradigm Imaging Group, points out that AEC companies coordinate a lot during the design, approval, and construction stages and it is often essential that this information be shared between multiple parties. “Often, documents need to be sent to the field or remote office personnel. With MFPs, drawing sets can be printed at half the size so they are referenced more easily at a job site,” she continues.

Digitization decentralizes the entire printing process for technical drawings. What was once printed by the architect and distributed at a construction site to all the stakeholders is now sent over PDF or uploaded to the cloud and printed ad hoc, shares Bryan Martindale, HP DesignJet category and sales manager; Eddie Anderson, wide format graphics technical consultant; and Sergi Gilabert, worldwide product manager, HP Inc.

Ray Bauer, production marketing manager, commercial and industrial printing business group, Ricoh USA, Inc., says documents are kept in the electronic form longer. “With smartphones, tablets, and laptops it’s easier to view documents and specifications quickly without having to print a huge piece of paper,” he admits.

“Everything can be communicated, almost in real time, with the specific need for that recipient. Ten or 15 years ago, it had to be printed and mailed. Today, as soon as hard copies are digitized, it can be shared and printed locally,” explains Steve Blanken, GM, Contex Americas.

Distributed printing is a direct result of digitization and remote printing. Bauer provides an example of an architect with a 250 page document. Thanks to distributed printing, he no longer has to print 30 copies and mail them to contractors. The architect sends a PDF version to contractors and denotes which pages are relevant to them. The contractors then print select pages either in house or at a shop.

“Having access to all documents on the go is crucial for any technical printing environment. The need to be able to view, edit, and share technical documents is necessary to achieve maximum efficiency. From a printing standpoint, there’s an increase in the demand to print directly from mobile devices and tablets without the use of a PC,” says Matt Kochanowski, product manager, professional imaging, Epson America, Inc.

Bob Honn, senior director marketing services, Canon Solutions America, argues that printing from handheld devices hasn’t really taken off in terms of remote printing. “Where we see strong remote printing is through the use of plan rooms that remotely connect project documents online where they can be ordered and shipped or picked up from the reprographer.”

Technical Requirements
Users in the technical printing space demand security, mobility, speed, and color. MFPs and standalone scanning equipment are equipped to meet these needs.

“In the digital age, sharing information via printers and other networked devices is vital to working efficiently, but it also involves a certain level of risk. We see an increased demand for advanced security functionality such as e-shredding and removable hard drives. Both are frequently used in high-security environments such as companies involved in defense and energy,” says Honn.

To combat this, companies like Canon Solutions America create products like the Océ PlotWave and Océ ColorWave series with features meeting high security standards and reducing high security vulnerabilities. For example, the Océ PowerSync Controller protects confidential information with the latest security and protection features supported by a Microsoft Windows 8 embedded platform.

Lopez says mobility is increasingly popular. Paradigm distributes standalone scanners from Colortrac and Graphtec. The Graphtec DT530 desktop scanner comes with an optional mobile carrying case and can be easily combined to an existing large format printer with the Scanning Arts 2 interface. The Colortrac SmartLF SC 36 scanner is also available with an optional mobile carrying case.

Most technical documents now require some element of color. “Color is now the norm, monochrome is the exception. The technology has come down so much in cost, it has created this change. Scanning color is as fast as monochrome, which is equally true for scanning and printing,” shares Blanken.

Martindale, Anderson, and Gilabert agree, citing the increase of color versus B&W as one of two demands that are more rapidly adopted. “The increase of color versus B&W is due to the democratization of colored inks. The second demand is for the gradual replacement of single functions to MFPs to enhance collaboration and sharing.”

HP responds in particular to enhanced collaboration and sharing by offering a range of compact and intelligent MFPs that integrate with phones, tablets, and the cloud. With HP Mobile Printing customers are able to print wherever and whenever they need it. The HP Smart application allows for access to extra printing and scanning features for better and smarter collaboration.

“The trend of keeping documents electronic for longer is driving the demand for multifunction machines. With fewer larger runs, customers in the AEC market look for devices that print and scan and have a smaller footprint,” adds Bauer.

Comparing Cost
Price is a factor with standalone scanners and MFPs. While MFPs generally carry a higher price point, that doesn’t deter buyers. If a technical document user requires multiple functionalities at once, they are prepared for a higher investment that benefits them in the long run.

Canon Solutions America does not disclose pricing, but Honn shares that the percent delta between the two types of systems is in the 30 percent range—and ironically the vast majority of systems sold are multifunction.

Paradigm offers standalone scanners from Colortrac and Graphtec ranging from $3,350 to $15,995. Its multifunction Flex Systems—combining the scanner with a large format printer—range from $4,995 to $15,995.

Blanken says a standalone scanner is about 50 percent the cost of an MFP. “The advantage of a standalone scanner is that it can connect with the existing printers, which gives greater value for the investment. The acquisition of a printer isn’t necessary, since a scanner can connect to any device on the network, or print to a device wherever the sender chooses,” he continues.

Epson understands that customers don’t always know from the get go whether they require a standalone or MFP for printing and scanning, so it designed a modular solution that allows customers to add a 36-inch wide scanner. The street price on the MFP option in its Epson SureColor T-Series printers is $4,195.

“Compared to a standalone printer or scanner, MFPs are typically more expensive. We find that most customers who buy a printer do really need a scanner and vice versa, so the multifunction option is a practical one,” says Bauer.

Martindale, Anderson, and Gilabert say running costs are nearly identical when it comes to comparing its standalone scanners and MFPs. This is because they use the same platforms and supplies. Specific to the hardware, the delta between standalone and multifunction device pricing is based on a number of factors. If there is an HP-sponsored national promotion, for example, the pricing can be close. But, according to Martindale, Anderson, and Gilaber, other times a device with an integrated scanner may command a premium of up to 50 percent over its standalone counterpart.

Serving AEC, CAD, and GIS
MFPs and standalone scanners service the technical printing space. Here, vendors share specific feature sets on products that target AEC, CAD, and GIS industries.

Canon Solutions America’s Océ PlotWave and Océ ColorWave series offer a simple user interface, the Océ ClearConnect Panel, which is a touchscreen with multi-touch features similar to tablet and smartphone interaction. An integrated top delivery tray neatly stacks and collates documents. Océ Image Logic technology allows for better copy and color scan results thanks to its ability to automatically compensate for wrinkled and light colored originals. Instant print engine startup occurs with Océ Radiant Fusing technology. Effortless roll changing, reliable print quality, and performance round out some of the features targeting technical printing.

Contex offers the IQ Quattro scanner series, with options in 24, 36, and 44 inches. For the technical print market, it interfaces with all printing devices, directly or via the network, as well as smart devices. The IQ Quattro scanner can be networked with an entire workgroup and cloud enabled so anyone from a project team can access it from a smartphone. Fast and efficient, the scanner series’ scan speed is up to 14 inches per second.

The Epson SureColor T-Series printers have the ability to make a full-color copy of a D-sized print in less than 40 seconds. With an MFP instead of a standalone scanner, the ability to make a copy of any technical document increases productivity. The T-Series includes the SureColor T5270/D and SureColor T7270/D printers, which have a 36-inch wide scanner option.

The HP DesignJet T3500 is a 36-inch print and scan device. It offers an integrated stacker, dual roll capability, a wide variety of preset options for printing and scanning, an i5 core processor for faster processing speeds, plus an integrated SD scanner. It is designed for technical offices that do a fair amount of scanning and printing but not on an industrial scale.

In January 2018, HP announced its HP DesignJet T1700 large format workgroup printer. It features advanced security technologies designed to keep corporate network printers, documents, and data protected. The printer can be bundled with either the HP HD Pro Scanner or HP SD Scanner.

Paradigm offers Flex Systems, adding a high-quality scanner to an existing large format printer. The floor stand provides four height adjustments with clearance to accommodate printers from 39 to 45 inches high so that it can be coupled with a variety of technical printers. The Flex System can optionally add Paradigm’s Rocket Scanner Controller. It brings performance, ease of use, excellent scan quality with a fast processor, upgraded graphics capabilities, and network readiness—all ideal for technical printing.

Ricoh’s AEC portfolio includes the MP CW2201SP. It offers high-resolution scanning, as well as the ability to scan to a variety of endpoints like USB, email, folder, and file on a network. Scanning solutions detect title blocks and name scanned documents accordingly, minimizing wasted time spent sifting through a number of randomly named files.

MFPs and Standalone Scanners
The digitization and mobility requirements lead to advancements in how these files are shared. AEC, CAD, and GIS professionals in the technical printing space look for user friendliness, ease in media handling, high-quality output, productivity, and reliability from both MFPs and standalone scanners. dps

May2018, DPS Magazine

Maintaining Standards

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By Melissa Donovan

Working with big brand retailers means taking a serious stance on color. For many print providers with deep roots in the business, the production area is an amalgamation of printing technologies from flexography and lithography to wide and narrow digital. A client may need several pieces for one job, and depending on quantity, cost, and material, these are run on multiple presses. The concern—ensuring the color matches across pieces of hardware.

Above: Meyers of Minneapolis, MN recently invested in an Inca Onset X3 through Fujifilm North America Corporation.

The Variety of Life
Meyers, based in Minneapolis, MN, provides brand marketing and high-end commercial printing. In business since 1949, the centrally located company is close to raw goods from paper mills in both MN and WI, and a day and a half away from the East or West coast—providing convenient shipping anywhere in the country in addition to Canada and Mexico. Its Minneapolis location hosts 250 full-time employees in 250,000 square feet of office, production, distribution, and warehouse space.

With a hand in many industries, some of its notable customers include Aveda, Hormel, Starbucks, Target, Ulta Beauty, and Verizon. The print provider offers multiple in-store displays, promotional materials, and other large format printing applications; label and package printing; and promotional cards. Meyers provides complete retail marketing solutions, from strategy to creative conception and execution; custom engineered packaging and display solutions; printing and assembly; and distribution and installation logistics.

With the goal of providing customers with high-quality work while simultaneously adjusting to the trend of smaller runs, Meyers turned to digital printing technologies. “Digital printing allows Meyers to deliver high-quality work in an efficient manner for short-run projects. This opened the door to handling a greater variety of SKUs and increased regionalization of projects,” shares Josh Schiro, prepress manager, Meyers.

The company’s digital printer arsenal includes a Durst Image Technology US, LLC Rho P10, ideal for short-run, high-quality projects, according to Schiro. An HP Inc. Indigo is used for label orders. Last year, Meyers installed an MPS EF SYMJET powered by Domino digital hybrid printing press. It combines the best features of digital and flexographic processes on narrow web jobs.

The company’s newest digital printer is an Inca Onset X3 through Fujifilm North America Corporation. With a print area of 126.8×63 inches, the flatbed is capable of printing up to 9,600 square feet per hour. It was chosen for a number of reasons, including speed, consistency, and quality. “It is also capable of printing on most any substrate, which gives us tremendous flexibility in the work we do,” says Schiro.

Predictable Results
Part of the company’s success is its focus on color management. With big box retail clients, Meyers is constantly tasked with hitting the correct color consistently. The company celebrates 11 consecutive years with G7 Master Qualification from Idealliance. Schiro believes it is one of the most important tools the company uses for color management.

To retain its qualification year after year, Meyers employs a G7 expert to analyze its print processes and establish gray balance across all of its presses. “This gives our printers a neutral foundation that makes it easier to balance color output and produce repeatable, predictable results,” explains Schiro.

Its ChromaChecker application complements G7 qualification. It’s used throughout the year to read color bars on every job and guarantee consistent gray balance. Other tools also help manage color. Kodak ColorFlow drives printing plates to manage color through the application of the printing curves, GMG ColorProof controls its proofing equipment, Esko software handles color consistency on the SYMJET and HP Indigo, and Caldera software manages the Inca Onset X3 and Durst Rho P10 presses.

Meyers credits its years of experience hitting color on traditional presses in its ability to seamlessly transition to the level of expertise required today when it comes to managing color on digital presses. “Whether we are working with analog or digital technology, we print with the same target in mind from a color standpoint. The goal is to maintain color consistency between our flexographic, lithographic, and digital presses. That push for consistency drives our need for color management,” shares Schiro.

Matching Between Presses
Color management tools are used on every job produced by Meyers. The company views all projects as color critical and works to meet clients’ expectations and maintain brand standards. This was the case for a recent job for Toys R Us. The main goal was to achieve a close match between lithographic and digital print, so that colors were consistent throughout the store.

“Matching digital to lithography is always a challenge because the technology underlying the two processes is so different. Achieving that match is much easier with G7 calibration and Gracol color space,” explains Schiro.

From job submittal to completion, the project took two weeks. It was printed on various materials from a C1S label stock and a variety of plastic substrates. Printed with both lithographic and digital technologies, Meyers chose its newest digital press, the Inca Onset X3, for its color consistency, color gamut, and resolution. 150 pieces of in-store signage were produced.

Constant Color
Color is constantly top of mind for Meyers. Each project that comes through the door—whether analog or digital—is vetted to ensure it meets client’s brand expectations. With its G7 Master Qualification, the company is positioned to helm some of the top marketing campaigns and commercial print jobs in retail. dps

May2018, DPS Magazine

Taking Print Further

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By Olivia Cahoon

Kodak hosted 220 printers, analysts, press, and industry influencers to its inaugural Taking Print Further event, held from February 28 to March 1, 2018 at the Kodak headquarters in Rochester, NY.

The two-day event featured keynote presentations and panel discussion centered around print industry market trends and the future of print. Attendees were also invited to the Kodak Center for product demonstrations of Kodak’s latest technologies, including the recently announced Nexfinity digital press platform and Sonora X Process Free Plates.

Above: Kodak held its first Taking Print Further event in Rochester, NY from February 28 to March 1, 2018. The event focused on print industry market trends and the future of print.

Taking Print Further
The event kicked off with Brad Kruchten, president, print systems division, Kodak, highlighting the company’s continued commitment to the printing industry.

With 85 percent of the company’s revenue and 100 percent of its earnings deriving from print, Kruchten says Kodak’s print systems division is the largest, most profitable Kodak unit including profitability earnings from plates, CTP, and Nexpress platform.

The company announced that print remains relevant, differentiated, and value-creating in today’s hybrid world of digital communications and printed content. Kodak believes in the growth potential of print beyond images and text.

In its enterprise inkjet systems division, Prosper annuities grew 15 percent year to date, year over year. Additionally the Ultrastream received its first order from an OEM partner. Scheduled for release in 2019, the Ultrastream is an inkjet writing system designed to move production inkjet into mainstream commercial printing, labels, packaging, and home décor.

Compared to Q3 2017, the company noted that its packaging and digital license sales increased 14 percent. Further, Kodak Prinergy Cloud Services, launched in Q1 2017, closed over 30 deals, according to Kodak. Prinergy Cloud is hosted by Microsoft Azure and delivers cost saving automation capabilities deployed quickly and affordably. Prinergy Cloud features decision analytics, dynamic print planning, and file archive and backup.

The Kodak advanced materials and 3D printing technology division recently completed its production facility for manufactured light blocking materials. The company also produced hundreds of specialty films for 3D printing partners requiring high optical transparency. It announced consolidation plans in Q4 to increase focus and reduce investment in this segment.

Kodak also emphasized its partnership with print providers across the globe to promote literacy through its Print for Good Program. Launched at drupa 2016, the program has placed 30,000 books and school materials in children’s hands throughout Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S.

Keynote speakers included Frank Romano, professor emeritus, Rochester Institute of Technology; Tad Carpenter, designer and co-owner, Carpenter Collective; and Tom Cavanagh, COO/VP, advanced materials and 3D printing, Kodak.

Introducing Nexfinity
The Taking Print Further event hosted the launch of the five-color Kodak Nexfinity press. The platform is based on Nexpress digital printing technology and is designed to offer more production, higher quality, and support for additional substrates than the existing Nexpress portfolio. The press handles sheet sizes up to 14×48 inches and includes four standard feeders for an 11,000-sheet capacity. It features new LED imaging technology that delivers 256 density levels per pixel.

Delivering speeds up to 152 pages per minute, the Nexfinity writing head system utilizes LED technology and delivers resolution of up to 1,200 dpi. The writing system enables press speed adjustments based on paper stock and job features. Dynamic imaging technology automatically optimizes images in real time with proprietary computational screening algorithms. The press’ high-resolution writing system and screening algorithms tighten control of dot sharpness, boosting quality and consistency for long runs.

The Nexfinity has capability for light black, gold, and opaque white dry inks. Its fifth station is easily interchangeable and features the ability to run white first. It has the capacity to create digital enhancements like clear watermarks, dimensional, gold, light black, and opaque white.

“With the Nexfinity press, printers get a robust digital printing platform that delivers offset quality while driving down costs and equipping them with the flexibility and speed to handle an expansive range of applications for customers, whether it’s an order for a few hundred or millions of impressions,” says Chris Balls, GM, equipment and VP, print systems division, Kodak.

The Nexfinity is intended for print providers with monthly impressions over one million. It produces business documents, commercial print, direct mail, packaging, photo applications, prototypes, publishing, retail signage, and small format packaging. The press handles up to 24 pt. paper substrates and 14 mil synthetics while saving ten percent on paper costs by eliminating the need for special digital papers.

A straight paper path extends compatible substrates including paper, glossy coated labels, paper-backed transparencies, magnets, photobook paper, synthetics, and pre-perforated and scored specialty stocks. On-board paper registration sensors, algorithms, and an inline densitometer automatically adjusts and monitors image density to ensure sheet-to-sheet image registration quality. Recycled substrates are also compatible and printed sheets are certified as de-inkable by Ingede.

During the event, Kodak announced that two Nexfinity presses were recently purchased by Fotofabriek in Groningen, Netherlands. Fotofabriek is an advertising agency and digital printing company that served as the Nexfinity beta site in Europe.

“The Nexfinity press offers awesome quality, consistency, and color uniformity that will allow even better products at more competitive pricing. With its long sheet option at 120 cm, we will be able to expand our photo offering by making beautiful lay flat albums, and with the ability to run thicker substrates we see the possibility to add new products for the retail market, like boxes and cardboard signs,” offers Stephan de Vries, CEO, Fotofabriek.

The Nexfinity presses are powered by the Kodak Nexfinity front end. Its Multi-Press Station allows press operators to handle multiple jobs on up to four Nexfinity presses. The digital press is available in Spring 2018.

Kodak Innovation
Kodak’s first Taking Print Further highlighted Kodak’s staying power as an imaging company. With the Nexfinity press, Kodak demonstrates its continued commitment to the printing industry and drives its technology into longer production runs while maintaining cost and sustainability.

“We will invest approximately $90 million building new print solutions including factories, expansions, processes, and products. We have never had a product set as complete as now,” says Jeff Clarke, CEO, Kodak.

We look forward to what’s to come for Kodak in the near future. DPS

May2018, DPS Magazine