Olivia Cahoon

Production Volumes

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By Cassandra Balentine

The latest introductions and advancements in production inkjet enable higher speeds and longer runs. The technology is often utilized to hit monthly duty cycles well above ten million impressions. With this capacity for speed, it is able to truly fill what was once a gap between traditional offset and cutsheet digital.

Applications like transactional/TransPromo and book blocks are accustom to the technology and have benefited from production inkjet for many years. However, advancements in quality and media compatibility make it more attractive to new targets in commercial print.

Above: The Canon Oce ProStream features piezo drop-on-demand inkjet printheads, which is leveraged with Oce Multilevel technology for sharper details, smoother half tones, and economized ink usage.

High Speeds, Long Runs
Several vendors offer production inkjet technologies that target high-volume environments, supporting those requiring millions of monthly impressions.

For example, Canon Solutions America offers three production inkjet platforms, including the Océ ProStream Series, the Océ ColorStream, and the Océ JetStream Series. Michael Poulin, director of marketing, Canon Solutions America, Production Print Solutions, says the average range of print volumes on these devices really depends on the environment in which they are placed. Each of these platforms are capable of printing more than ten million impressions per month, the Océ ProStream offering up to 35 million, the Océ ColorStream offering up to 59 million, and the Océ JetStream offering up to 90 million impressions.

HP’s PageWide Web portfolio consists of platforms featuring duty cycles ranging from 50 to 200 million pages a month. David Murphy, worldwide marketing director, HP PageWide Industrial division, HP Inc., says HP’s customers tend to buy PageWide Web presses, “not to print a little, but rather to print a lot.”

Kodak’s Stream continuous inkjet technology powers both its PROSPER S-Series Imprinting Systems and the PROSPER 6000 Presses, offering speeds of up to 3,000 and 1,000 feet per minute (fpm), respectively. Will Mansfield, director, worldwide product marketing and category management, Enterprise Inkjet Systems, Eastman Kodak Company, notes that in general, Kodak Prosper owners produce between 25 and 50 million A4 pages per month. However, some print 100 million or more from a single PROSPER press.

Memjet color printheads use waterfall technology to fire millions of ink drops per second. A variety of OEMs employ the technology to support a range of applications and customers. “The point volumes differ by customer. The ten to 15 million impressions per month range seems to be the sweet spot. Presses that produce that many impressions are affordable even for smaller printers,” suggests Gianluigi Rankin, director of product marketing, commercial press, wide format and packaging, Memjet.

Pitney Bowes works with HP to power its IntelliJet 20, 30, and 42 and IntelliJet 20, 30, and 42 HD printing system family. Using thermal inkjet drop on demand technology, the devices offer print speeds up to 1,000 fpm depending on the platform. The Pitney Bowes AcceleJet printing and finishing system features piezo drop on demand technology and hits speeds of up to 328 fpm.

Grant Miller, COO, Pitney Bowes Messaging Technologies, sees its high-volume accounts hitting two basic break points. The first is customers with total volume under ten million impressions per month, which is typically output volumes between two to five million impressions per month per device. The second is those with the total volume over ten million impressions per month, with output volumes between seven and 80 million impressions per month per device. “For many of our customers, redundancy is a critical necessity for their production environment. As such, the total volume tends to be split between multiple devices as opposed to concentrated on a single device.”

Ricoh offers the InfoPrint 5000 GP, InfoPrint 5000 MP, RICOH Pro VC60000, and RICOH Pro VC40000 continuous feed inkjet presses. “Our continuous feed inkjet customers produce a range of monthly print volumes,” says Ed Wong, continuous feed inkjet product marketing, commercial and industrial printing business group, Ricoh USA, Inc. “Our platforms are capable of supporting monthly print volumes of up to 40 million impressions.”

Screen Americas offers the TruePress Jet 520NX, the TruePress Jet 520ZZ, and the TruePress Jet 520HD. Mark Schlimme, director of marketing, Screen Americas, says the Screen TruePress 520 Series print platforms provide a range of speeds and subsequent duty cycles. “A printer can typically cost justify continuous feed inkjet for as little as four million impressions or equivalent 8.5×11-inch surfaces. However, most printers are producing approximately ten million impressions per month and Screen has many customers worldwide printing as many as four million impressions per day.”

Xerox offers several ultra-high volume inkjet presses. Its Trivor family includes the 2400 HD Inkjet Press and the Trivor 2400 High Fusion Ink Press; the Impika family includes the Xerox Impika Evolution and Xerox Impika Reference; and the Xerox CiPress 325/500 Production Inkjet Systems make up the portfolio for this segment.

Deana Conyard, worldwide marketing manager, production inkjet products, Xerox, notes that while impressions vary greatly depending on monthly workload and the customer’s business model, there is typically a stage in which providers ramp up, increasing their impressions drastically as their experience with the device improves and they add business through the extended capabilities inkjet offers.

Application Potential
Transactional/TransPromo, direct mail, and book and manual applications utilize this technology for its speed capabilities and have been for several years. However, commercial applications are also tapping into the potential.

While production class inkjet continues to thrive for the same applications that launched the category, such as transactional, publishing, and direct mail, the technology’s latest advancements enable more opportunity. “Image quality and resolution continues to improve and for many applications is comparable or even advantageous to toner technology. Therefore, as all of these applications continue to grow we also see higher end postcards, self-mailers, and coffee table quality books being added to the mix,” explains Schlimme.

Digital has always been required for transactional printing, since each page is different. However, Rankin says that in the past customers printed shells with static content on analog equipment, and those shells were then loaded into a toner-based printer for monochrome, variable printing. Short runs of books were also printed on toner-based equipment in monochrome. “High-speed inkjet printing has changed these markets. It is now possible to economically print full-color transactional prints on white paper, eliminating the need for pre-printed shells, as well as full-color, short-run books.”

Conyard sees inkjet thriving in service bureaus; in plants—primary for but not limited to the financial services and insurance industries, direct mail, and publishing. “High-speed inkjet production is ideal for these areas because it provides a more streamlined approach to printing transaction and variable data on white paper, eliminates preprinted forms, incorporates more personalization into communications, and optimizes print run lengths.”

“Transactional printers were among the first to recognize the benefits of high-speed production inkjet and were willing to accept the initial print quality,” says Wong. “We’re seeing continued growth in these applications as their customers are driving for higher print speeds and increased print quality.”

Miller suggests that high and ultra high-volume inkjet presses offer new opportunities for transactional mailings, most notably around physical and digital message integration. “By adding a digital component to a physical mailpiece, such as mobile, web, or video-based communication, vendors create additional opportunities for meaningful customer engagement.”

Direct mail is also affected by inkjet. More variable content is used to improve response rates. “Magazines and catalogues are starting to be produced partially or entirely digital as print runs decline and content is personalized,” says Rankin.

“Ultra high-volume production printers are thriving in the direct mail segment,” agrees Miller. He says the equipment allows marketers to create targeted, personalized mail pieces that are driven by marketing messages and brand content.

It is also becoming more cost effective for direct mail as new technologies in the space lead to automatic inserters and faster drying ink, says Miller. “As many in the direct mail segment know, there are numerous ways to drive message reception and retention through mail pieces such as customized content, color-printed, and the use of cross-platform, omni-channel marketing. Innovations in production print equipment and data analytics are making it easier to create dynamic, personalized mailpieces that are tied to digital channels.”

The latest advancements in inkjet appeal to commercial print environments, which require high quality for applications like marketing collateral.
From a commercial print perspective, Wong says changing market dynamics are driving those customers to consider alternatives to better support the shifting requirements in shorter runs, greater customization, and tighter SLAs—all at lower costs.

Advantages for the Print Provider
Many production print environments have invested in inkjet and can speak to the advantages, including more options, equipment consolidation, and a better operational workflow.

Conyard says customers that have embraced high-speed digital production inkjet technology are now experiencing the benefits of consolidated equipment. “Instead of having fleets of devices, providers can streamline to just one or two. These customers are also able to make major improvements in efficiency by eliminating the need for preprinted forms and giving more flexibility in where content is placed.”

“Customers making the investment in production inkjet find they have an alternative to offset printing that allows them to cost-effectively support shorter print runs, turn jobs around with greater immediacy, and help customers create printed pieces that induce increased response and engagement with customized and targeted campaigns,” agrees Wong.

“These machines are highly flexible and capable of producing extremely high monthly volumes for both color and monochrome applications. When volumes are high, these devices efficiently and cost effectively meet company and customers’ demands, all while incorporating variable data and color without preprinted forms,” says Poulin.

Schlimme suggests that printers using high-quality, high-capacity inkjet printers are implementing white paper factory production workflows, eliminating the need to print, store, and manage offset shells—as well as eliminating the significant material waste associated with aging designs and expired content. “Inkjet is enabling printers to blur the lines between traditional definitions of long and short runs and offer their customers new capabilities, such as variable or personalized content at costs, run lengths, and turn times comparable to offset.”

Murphy adds that in high-volume direct mail applications, the legacy process of imprinting variable text on pre-printed offset shells has been largely replaced with single-pass mass customization. “With HP’s high-powered SmartStream Production Pro digital front end, Every Page Is Different is possible with vibrant, variable photo images and customized text. The key is to have quality data to customize for each recipient with relevant offers.”

For affordability, a lower total cost of production helps to speed up the migration of print work for incumbent processes—including offset, gravure, and flexography—to digital. It also improves the profitability of digital print service providers, according to Mansfield.

“High-volume printing production that uses inkjet technology increases speed and reduces downtime,” adds Miller. “In an industry where enterprise mailing or production printing is a large part of a business, ultra-high volume production can save tenths of pennies and fractions of seconds per piece of mail, leading to potentially surprising—and significant—cost and time savings.”

Since ultra high-volume printers are created for mass production, Miller points out that they are equipped with technologies that create quality issues such as paper curl or smudging. For example, the Pitney Bowes inkjet printers use technology to ensure no static or paper curl through the production process and utilize specially formulated oil-based ink prints, which dry faster, are fade resistant, and produce higher quality deliverables, according to Miller.

Improved quality enables a wider application range, which increases the revenue and profit for digital print providers and the technology vendors who serve them, adds Mansfield.

Existing Limitations
Technology limitations are depleted as technology improves. For example, media versatility was a bigger challenge in the past. However, these challenges exist and should be considered when discussing the technology.

Rankin says inkjet ink requires a porous surface to print on. “While uncoated offset papers are generally printable with inkjet inks, offset coated papers with their closed surfaces have been a challenge.”

Coated paper suppliers have reacted and many offer inkjet coated papers. “However, the premium over offset coated papers can be quite steep,” he comments. “With time, as volumes of inkjet coated papers grow, the premium is expected to shrink as the economies of scale kick in.”

Mansfield suggests selecting the right substrate is key to successfully harnessing the power and promise of today’s high-speed inkjet printing systems. “While many papers may look alike, printers know the different properties—pulp, additives, smoothness, and surface chemistry—are specially formulated to support different applications. Inkjet papers have unique advantages for image quality. They are optimized for optical density and color gamut, and are formulated to reduce color-to-color bleed, show through, and ink mottle,” he points out.

Mansfield admits that looking ahead, there is an issue with the availability of coated glossy papers for inkjet. “Although there are a few select paper companies offering inkjet-treated papers, the market needs more. For our part, Kodak is enabling printers to use traditional glossy papers, which today can be found at a relatively low price, in their Prosper inkjet printing systems, by applying an inexpensive pretreatment developed by Kodak.”

Schlimme argues that the costs associated with inkjet-treated papers as well as managing separate and multiple paper lines for conventional offset printing and digital printing can be significant. “Typically, paper costs account for 30 to 40 percent of a job’s total cost. When premium inkjet treated papers carry a 30 percent pricing premium compared to standard coated lithography stocks, that percentage of total costs can be prohibitive at worst and low margin at best. Researching the ink solutions that expand paper choice is a very important part of the inkjet evaluation process,” he says.

Color management is another issue. “Spot colors can be tricky, unless a system has excellent color management and expanded color gamut capabilities,” admits Schlimme.

“Precise color matching of some corporate brand colors, especially reds, can be challenging with CMYK inkjet,” offers Murphy. However, HP has achieved improvements with its profiling capabilities and ColorGATE color management software. “Servicing time-critical 24/7 production environments has been a challenge for some, but we have introduced the HP Visual Remove Guidance service to facilitate faster issue resolution. With this service, operators enjoy collaboration with HP expert engineers worldwide and share live information. The remote customer engineer can see what the operator sees and does and provide real-time guidance via a wearable computing display and text chat with real-time language translation. This seamless experience expands operators’ skills and simplifies the resolution process.”

Miller adds that production printers face ever-changing customer needs and expectations. While vendors understand the importance of making deliverables consistently more eye catching and personalized, the technology must continue evolving in a timely manner as well to keep up with new demands.

“While gaps in print quality are closing, there are still some print applications that can be challenging and not necessarily cost effective to print on inkjet,” says Wong. “It comes down to the amount of ink coverage, achievable print speed, or a combination of those. But inkjet technologies show great promise as significant investments continue to be made in terms of printheads, inks, and media to overcome current limitations and expand the range of potential applications.”

Print buyer expectations are also changing and the increased quality of inkjet brings more likely acceptance of the technology for more applications, as the advantages of digital and variable print are fully realized. “This is especially important where customer data can be exploited such as purchase histories, etc. to make messaging more relevant,” says Schlimme.

USPS rate changes also affect customer demands, as there is a growing need for vendors and print providers to quickly adapt to new postal stream discounts and adjust business operations efficiently, says Miller.

Future Expectations
Compared to the more mature technologies inkjet competes with, the segment has undergone significant change in the past decade. However, it continues to improve and attract new potential.

Poulin suggests this segment is constantly evolving as manufacturers race to evolve their current technology offerings and bring new innovative products to market. “The largest area of advancement seems to be in inks and media,” he offers. Adding that Canon Solutions America is constantly working to improve its inks—both pigment and dye—and couple them with technologies like ColorGrip, enabling printing on a wider range of media.

Similarly, Murphy says HP introduced inline priming solutions to enable nearly any offset coated media.

“Looking at the supply side, advances in high-speed color inkjet systems are extending the application of printing from monochrome and transaction applications to color-critical books, direct mail, catalogues, and magazines,” says Mansfield. “Our mantra for the near future is faster, better, cheaper. At Kodak we’ve set our sights on converting the traditional analog printing process to inkjet. To accomplish this we will continue to drive for faster production, better quality, and lower total cost of production,” he continues.

Hardware manufacturers continue to push multiple vectors. “We will see increases in productivity and print quality. At 1,600 dpi, Memjet printheads meet the demands of many customers and applications,” says Rankin.

Conyard says customers can expect gains in image quality, expansion of substrate latitude, and improvements in accessibility. “These devices are also coming down market to accommodate lower volumes and acquisition points.”

Miller agrees that inkjet technology is becoming more accessible to a larger segment of the market. “For example, the Pitney Bowes AcceleJet printing and finishing system offers a lower entry point to production inkjet printing.”

The device features flexible printing modes and finishing options designed to deliver high-quality output at low capital and run costs. It offers a duty cycle of up to 21 million impressions per month and according to the company, it can help more print and mail operations processing letter-based applications realize the operational performance and business improvements that come with upgrading to color inkjet.

“We should expect inkjet to continue advancing in speed, image quality, and ink technologies. As high-end inkjet printheads deliver smaller drops and finer detail, image quality will equal offset and in turn, printers will demand larger gamut and support for specialty inks including spot colors and gamut expanding colors but also inks that deliver unique value to the printed page such as invisible ink and secure ink technologies,” says Schlimme.

As technologies rapidly change and become somewhat more affordable, pieces are produced in higher quality. “In addition to quality printing, people are inclined to print on glossier stocks, which tend to stand out more, and embracing embossment and unique finishing. The consumer-driven need for more enticing and engaging products continues to drive additional advancements for production inkjet, beginning with color printing many years ago to today’s fade resistant and quick drying inks and quick-response (QR) code integration,” says Miller.

In the near future, Murphy expects to see increased adoption of digital watermarking integration into the printed page. “With HP’s Link Technology, more applications will be enabled to bridge print to the internet via covert of overt marks. With the use of a free application and a mobile device, the user can unlock dynamic and serialized content behind photos and text without the intrusion of a QR code,” he explains. The technology enables track and trace authentication in books and packaging to percent gray market and fraudulent reproduction and it also creates a unique user experience with the ability to access customized, web-based video content.

Inkjet Value
High-speed production inkjet has transformed transactional, book printing, and direct mail environments. With its sights set on commercial applications, we continue to see improvements in speed, quality, and media compatibility.

October 2017, DPS Magazine

A Commitment to Print

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By Melissa Donovan

Many print providers celebrate a rich history in print. They’ve adapted and reinvented themselves along the way to remain players in an ever-shrinking group of participants. Part of their success involves offering quality service and staying ahead of trends. The other element is strategically implementing digital printing technologies—both narrow and wide format.

Here we speak with one blueprint provider turned display graphics firm with over 80 years in the industry.

Above: A multitude of applications made up a recent job Cushing produced for JCC, with the amount of media totaling 201 square feet.

A Vast Timeline
Cushing, based in Chicago, IL, has seen it all in regards to print. Opening in 1929 when F. John Cushing Sr. purchased his then-employer, National Blueprint Co., and changed the name to Cushing and Company, the acquisition took place 28 days prior to the stock market crash. To keep the doors open, Cushing Sr. conducted every sales call and in a smart-yet-subtle marketing tactic, branded the company in orange and blue to mimic both the University of Illinois and the Chicago Bears. The method worked and Cushing and Company gathered clients from architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) backgrounds.

Cushing Sr.’s son, Jack, joined the business in the early 1950s. At that time, the company also began manufacturing specialty paper. Adding this service meant competing print shops became customers, further growing the company’s client base.

By the mid-1970s the third generation of the Cushing family joined the business, Jack’s daughter Cathleen. Simultaneously, the print provider slowly moved away from blueprint production.

In the 1980s, during the AutoCAD craze, Cushing and Company acquired technology to plot and print files. With this newest introduction, the organization’s drafting material and coated paper business disappeared. But, while one service faded, another opportunity arose.

“The 1990s brought a commitment to color imaging, as color digital technology opened untapped markets. With B&W dwindling—and the PDF taking away construction documents, the Cushing and Company team knew diversifying the suite of services would be important,” shares Jon Davis, marketing manager, Cushing.

A Digital Combo
Today Cushing and Company, or as it is now known—Cushing, operates out of a 17,794 square foot space and employs 44 people. A fourth generation family business, Cathleen serves as president, her brother Joseph as EVP, brother-in-law Brian Burke as corporate asset manager, and nephew Matthew as an account manager in the sales department. It has taken steps since the 1990s to become a display graphics firm. In 2015, construction printing was no longer its top-selling service.

Clients range from graphic designers to event planners both nationally and internationally. Offerings include wall graphics, window decals, floor graphics, environmental branding, point of purchase (POP) signage, acrylic displays, banners, custom books, brochures, posters, postcards, and direct mail. AEC services are still available, including construction documents printing, engineering grade graphics, and on-site print rooms for commercial companies.

To create all of this, Cushing utilizes a mix of wide and narrow format digital technology. An HP Inc. Indigo 5600 Digital Press is used for common marketing collateral pieces. Recognizing that the same customers requesting this work also require wide format services, Cushing also employs a range of digital devices over 24 inches in width. These include a Canon U.S.A., Inc. imagePROGRAF iPF9100 and imagePROGRAF iPF9400, “which are ideal for fine art clients requesting photographic-quality images,” shares Jill Wicklund, color production supervisor, Cushing. For much of its POP and display as well as environmental branding the company relies on an HP Scitex FB750 Industrial Printer, several HP Latex 365 and HP Latex 280 machines, and eco-solvent Epson SureColor S30670 printers.

When each device is used depends on the needs of the job and how it coincides with a printer’s biggest strength. The Epson SureColor printers are preferred for adhesive vinyl graphics that require solid color panel matching. The HP Latex devices print efficiently onto wallpaper materials and allow for faster output when it comes to outdoor banner graphics. The HP Scitex FB750 eliminates laminating and mounting by printing directly to a rigid substrate.

Profiting from the Wide Side
According to Davis, offering wide format services presented previously untapped opportunity to reach companies with repeatable print needs and opened doors to vertical markets, starting conversations it would not otherwise had the opportunity to begin.

Approximately 59 percent of the work Cushing completes is considered wide format—and this is growing. Commercial real estate, healthcare, retail, non-profit, restaurant and hospitality, architecture, and educational industries all request wide format digital print from the display graphics firm. Davis specifically sees an uptick in environmental branding such as wall and window graphics. The Cushing team serves this demand and is educated on recommending the correct materials, placement, and project managers for the job.

Wide format also complements the shop’s narrow format services. “If a marketing coordinator orders brochures or custom books for a presentation or trade show—and is happy with the work—it creates opportunity to continue the dialogue. Narrow and wide format complement each other well. There is a natural fit to start conversations about wide format services as Cushing evolves into a display graphics solutions provider,” admits Davis.

Collegiate-Level Branding
First time customer, Joliet Junior College (JJC), based in Joliet, IL turned to Cushing for branding elements that would ultimately be placed in its Event Center. The newly constructed facility contains gyms and event spaces. Not only did JJC want the facility to have the appearance of an athletic center, it also sought to convey the message of a multi-purpose space that is attractive to outside groups hoping to rent the fieldhouse for events like soccer games and career fairs.

Cushing won the bid for the job in November 2016. “We put out a bid early to get this project completed and on time, with graphics being finished ahead of schedule,” explains Rick Lyman, manager construction/facility planning, JJC. Completed graphics were submitted in January 2017 and installation was completed by March 2017.

A multitude of applications made up the JJC job, with the amount of media totaling 201 square feet. Wall graphics, dimensional signage, dimensional lettering, privacy film, banners, framed and mounted graphics, acrylic prints with standoffs, and vinyl cut lettering were all created. In total, 11 pieces were constructed for the job.

For the wall graphics, 3M Commercial Solutions 3M Controltac Graphic Film with Comply Adhesive IJ180C was used and laminated with 3M Scotchcal Matte Overlaminate 8520. The material was chosen due to its minimal shrinkage, ability to be contour cut, and smooth application. Graphics were printed on the HP Latex 365. “In general, latex inks cure almost instantly, are very durable, and very minimally outgas. This allows for quicker production times and cleaner printing environments,” says Julia Kaufman, project manager, Cushing.

Vinyl cut lettering was also produced using 3M Controltac Graphic Film with Comply Adhesive IJ180C and cut using the company’s Zünd G3 L-3200 5×10-foot cutter. Matthew Cushing, account manager, Cushing, says the company selected this particular material because it’s best for textured surfaces. “The Zünd cuts with ease and that’s why we used it for this project,” he adds.

For the dimensional signage, including the JJC’s mascot, Cushing worked with a partner through the ReproMAX network called Vision Graphics. The mascot, a wolf, was printed second surface to clear acrylic and backed with styrene.

The entire production process and installation were without challenges. A crew of two went into the new Event Center and worked over three days to place everything in the facility. “We had the luxury of this being a new building, so we didn’t have to work around students, faculty, or staff. Most of the time that is not the case,” shares Lyman.

“The install team put in a solid eight hours installing all of the vinyl and acrylic elements,” says Kaufman. “They had to return a second day for banners since those required the coordination of a lift. They returned a third day to finish installing the acrylic images.”

Success as a Major Player
Cushing’s success is based on its knowledge of the industry and wherewithal to take chances. It continues to expand its client base and product offerings thanks to investments in leading-edge digital print technology.

In the Summer of 2017 the Cushing team moved to a new facility to accommodate its need for a larger footprint. As technology advances the print provider is poised to become a major player in display graphics output of all shapes and sizes.

October 2017, DPS Magazine

Seamless Production

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By Olivia Cahoon

Book publishers transition to digital print technology to accommodate lower runs and reduced inventory. With the proper digital print engines, finishing solutions, and workflow, print providers can run large batches of different titles without interruption. In this article, we speak with a print provider that acquired a publishing company to take advantage of the benefits of digital technology.

Above: Headquartered in Annapolis Junction, MD, Ironmark offers creative and graphic design services, digital and offset printing, digital marketing, large format, logistics and warehousing, marketing strategy, promotional products, and website development.

Printing Innovations
Headquartered in Annapolis Junction, MD, Ironmark began in 1955 as Frank Gumpert Printing. The company originally provided offset print production serving clients from the Maryland and DC area. Jeff Ostenso, CEO, Ironmark, took over Frank Gumpert Printing in 1992 with 22 employees and a 3,000 square foot facility. It rebranded as Ironmark in 2014.

Ironmark currently has 170 employees and operates out of a 130,000 square foot manufacturing space. The print provider offers creative and graphic design services, digital and offset printing, digital marketing, large format, logistics and warehousing, marketing strategy, promotional products, and website development. It serves clients nationwide and has several international clients in Asia and Europe.

“We are in business to provide our clients with a rock-solid partnership that leads to creative, effective results,” says Ostenso.

The company is committed to staying on the leading edge of a changing industry and solidifying its position as a top choice for integrated print production, marketing, and communication services.

The print provider’s vision is to be the catalyst for growth and success through communicating an image by which companies are inspired. “We’re nimble, fast, and focused because we know that our customers deserve one thing—great outcomes,” comments Ostenso.

Books on Demand
Ironmark’s interest in digital print technology started just before the inkjet shift became a common discussion for printers. “It clearly had potential to maximize productivity in a way that the industry hadn’t seen,” explains Ostenso. However, the company’s profile at the time didn’t justify the costs, so it went out to find the need.

In 2015 Ironmark acquired United Book Press, a book publishing company. This helped them capture a piece of the inkjet market as it was just beginning. Ostenso says the company’s web presses were antiquated and Ironmark saw an opportunity to convert many of its book titles to digital.

In that same year, Ironmark purchased the Ricoh InfoPrint 5000MP—a monochrome inkjet platform. The InfoPrint 5000 is a multi-purpose press designed to migrate print providers into digital at a personal pace. It offers high-performance monochrome with the ability to convert to full digital color in the future.

The InfoPrint 5000 prints up to 420 feet per minute in B&W with a resolution of 720×360 dpi. Its ink management tools are designed to improve the accuracy of job estimates and monitor ink usage to lower operational costs. Water-based ink options and low power consumption help reduce costs.

Ironmark’s first step with the InfoPrint 5000 was to convert the book titles to digital. “We knew the transition to inkjet and digital would be an ideal solution,” comments Ostenso. He believes the speed and runability of continuous feed inkjet allowed the company to be more efficient operationally and from a cost perspective.

“We knew the InfoPrint 5000 would perform well and it has,” says Ostenso.

Ironmark also uses a Canon Océ VarioPrint 6250, Canon Océ VarioPrint 6320, HP Indigo 700, and HP Indigo 3600.

The company constantly evaluates media to ensure that it selects the best substrates to perform in the company’s environment alongside its applications while maintaining high levels of uptime and runability. Its primary focus continues to be book publishing, particularly print on demand books. The company primarily uses 40- to 60-lb Williamsburg and Accent media with Titanium 30 lb stock. “With these we find the quality remains constant even when the speed increases,” explains Ostenso.

For finishing, Ironmark uses a suite of Standard Horizon finishing equipment including a Stitchliner, 470 Perfect Binder, 270 Perfect Binder, and HT 80 Trimmer. The company also has a Tecnau trimmer.

The Standard Horizon 470 Perfect Binder is a fully automated four-clamp perfect binder that produces up to 1,350 bound books per hour. It binds books up to 2.5 inches thick and its interchangeable glue tanks support both EVA and PUR adhesives.

The company’s software consists of Ricoh’s TotalFlow BatchBuilder with an Esko front-end PDF workflow. The TotalFlow BatchBuilder is designed for print providers and book manufacturers that produce one offs and short runs. It simplifies and automates short-run digital production by personalized rules programmed by the user.

“When we’re running multiple titles, Ricoh’s BatchBuilder helps to achieve our runability and uptime expectations in the sense that we can run 30 different tittles without any interruption,” says Ostenso.

Inkjet Now and the Future
Despite a successful integration of inkjet printing, Ironmark faced challenges when the technology was relatively new. At the time, many operators in the print industry weren’t trained in inkjet printing. The company had to train its staff from the ground up and implement an education process for inkjet technology.

“Our technicians were eager to learn but there were many nuances we had to understand,” explains Ostenso. The learning curve took longer to overcome than the company originally anticipated, but it now has a solid team and other employees were cross trained.

“We definitely know now that when exploring new technologies as we did with inkjet, we should be allotting extra time for education to ensure a strong comfort level,” says Ostenso.

After acquiring United Book Press and adding inkjet to its capabilities, Ironmark had clear goals of how the transition from analog to digital would take place. According to Ostenso, the company exceeded its goals with the help of Ricoh.

“We produce projects of a wider gamut, we are running consistently, and our uptime is great. Ricoh was able to look at our business and help us identify the best products to ensure we deliver for our clients time and time again,” he admits.

Although the company has become accustomed to inkjet technology, that doesn’t stop Ironmark’s integration for the future. Ostenso is excited about inkjet’s various capabilities and range of markets.

The company is currently exploring integrating more analytics capabilities with its digital campaigns to enhance data collection, with a goal of better understanding its customers and helping them better serve their clients. “We anticipate putting more emphasis on front end data in the future. And of course, cutsheet inkjet brings a world of new capabilities to any business, and that’s something we’re paying attention to as well,” comments Ostenso.

The International Monetary Fund
In 2013 Ironmark began producing monthly statistical reports for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) using analog technology. The IMF is an organization of 189 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, and reduce poverty around the world.

Previously produced in analog, the IMF requests 900 monthly statistical reports of 900 pages. In September of 2016, the company converted the ongoing IMF project to inkjet. According to Ostenso, Ironmark can turn the project around in half the time as analog—four days from job submittal to delivery.

Due to the page count and binding restrictions, the statistical report’s media must be lightweight. Using Domtar Titanium 30-lb stock, Ironmark prints 900 copies of the report every month on its Ricoh InfoPrint 5000 and finishes it with the Standard Horizon 470 Perfect Binder. Ostenso says the company chose the InfoPrint 5000 and 470 Perfect Binder for this project because of the equipment’s speed, flexibility, and media handling capabilities.

Every month the project totals 810,000 printed pages. While it is always completed on time without challenges, Ostenso says that running 30 lb stock with a tight production window doesn’t allow for runability issues.

“This is one of the best examples of the power of conversion from analog to inkjet. This job and time window was not possible in our analog environment,” says Ostenso. IMF continues to request monthly statistical reports from Ironmark and is impressed with the company’s ability to get the job done in four days.

Digital Innovations
Using digital print technology, traditional manufacturers, publishers, and print providers meet faster turnarounds with little to no error. “We saw a huge opportunity with inkjet, and once we made the justification for the investment, we have seen impressive results,” comments Ostenso.

While Ironmark satisfies its existing customer demands with its current capabilities, the company continuously explores how to further innovate its business with digital advancements.

October 2017, DPS Magazine

Lil’ Box of Sunshine

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By Olivia Cahoon

Digitally printed packaging expands as automated finishing equipment, embellishment options, software tools, and print technology advance. Brand owners and packaging manufacturers leverage digital printing and finishing as part of an end-to-end fulfillment strategy.

To successfully compete, companies that provide digital packaging services must commit to offering precise colors and shapes that maintain brand consistency.

Above: SunDance recently created a promotional campaign to highlight its packaging and finishing capabilities while offering a treat for clients.

SunDance Marketing
SunDance is a multi-channel print and marketing solutions company based in Orlando, FL. It provides full-service, in-house, multi-channel marketing solutions to a range of clientele.

Starting in 2007 with 12 employees in a 15,000 square foot workspace selling art prints to the Orlando area, the shop evolved to 48 employees, operating out of a 43,000 square foot facility today. It serves global clients for branding, direct mail, fine art, food-safe printing, large format printing, raised UV effects, security printing, and website design. The shop creates products like business marketing materials, canvas prints, coasters, custom labels, custom bibs, custom packaging, lighted cubes, promotional items, wallpaper, and wine boxes.

Its equipment portfolio includes the HP Indigo 5500, Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102, and Heidelberg Versafire. For finishing, the company recently invested in an MGI JETvarnish 3D digital print enhancement system. It also operates a Zünd flatbed cutter.

SunDance has created select packaging on the HP Indigo 5500 digital press for five years. It uses up to seven color printing and supports 68 pages per minute (ppm) in full color, 136 ppm in two colors, and 272 ppm in monochrome. The press handles a maximum paper format of 13×19 inches.

It also operates a Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102, which is an offset straight-printing press that reaches 15,000 sheets per hour.

For finishing, the Zünd L-3000 flatbed cutter handles media up to 70.5×118 inches and is compatible with Zünd’s multifunctional tool heads, which are used for creasing, engraving, kiss-cutting, routing, and through-cutting on acrylics, hard and soft foam boards, plastics, styrene, and textile materials. “The Zünd allows us to do rapid prototyping,” says JohnHenry Ruggieri, managing director, SunDance.

The MGI JETvarnish 3D offers traditional flat spot coating and 3D raised effects, which can be features on the same sheet or separately. It produces up to 3,000 B2 sheets per hour and is intended for a range of applications including book and magazine covers, business cards, close-up 3D varnishing, invitation cards, packaging, and product brochures.

For media, SunDance uses a variety of packaging paper stocks from Case Paper, GPA, Mohawk, and Sappi. Case Paper offers a portfolio of paperboard products including blister board, folding box board, solid bleached board, and high yield grades in standard and custom sheets and rolls. For flexible and floppy boxes, it uses PVC plastic. Metals and thin metal veneers help create additional effects.

Its software lineup includes Tharstern MIS and Adobe Creative Suite. SunDance also uses Impact, Arden Software’s packaging design program. Impact is designed for short-run and high-volume production with solid boards, corrugated, and plastics. The program features three-dimensional modeling and animation as well as design components, die making, in-store visualization, a layout creator, and a standard library.

This range of equipment, media, and software allows the team to produce almost any type of packaging.

The company had its first open house to show off its packaging capabilities in 2014, and Ruggieri says since then it has been inundated with requests.

When deciding how best to produce a job, factors like barcodes, retail components, packaging wear, and shipping durability are considered. “The project must fit the parameters. Narrow format is great for small runs and small packages,” says Ruggieri. These printers are generally under 24 inches—ideal for applications like bags, envelopes, labels, pouches, and shrink sleeves.

Lil’ Box of Sunshine
Packaging is a core application for SunDance. It produces promotional boxes, cosmetic, food, and snack packaging.

The print provider recently created a self-promotional campaign designed to highlight its packaging and finishing capabilities. It created small treat boxes filled with yellow M&Ms.

“We wanted to brighten someone’s day,” explains Ruggieri.

Using the HP Indigo 5500, SunDance printed 500 of the promotional boxes using Case Paper’s C2S 16-point paperboards. Ruggieri says the HP Indigo 5500 was selected due to the size of the run and the quality required. “At only 500 boxes it was an ideal fit,” he adds.

The boxes included a soft touch laminate with spot raised UV effects on the outside and an FDA laminate on the inside. The company used the Zünd L-3000 to finish the packaging and MGI JETvarnish 3D for digital spot UV coating.

According to Ruggieri there were no real challenges when it came to designing and producing the self-promotional treat boxes. “We just had to make sure to FDA laminate the inside of the box for direct food contact,” shares Ruggieri.

Compared to previous projects, this piece was one of the tiniest packages the shop had ever completed.

The company’s employees and clients were pleased with the boxes filled with a sweet treat.

Bundling Boxes
The ideal combination of a print technologies, finishing effects, media range, and software helps prepare print providers meet and exceed client expectations. As digital technologies continue to innovate in the packaging space, print providers like SunDance take notice and strategically invest in the latest solutions.

October 2017, DPS Magazine

Expanding Business

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By Olivia Cahoon

Wide format presents an opportunity for print service providers (PSPs) looking to expand services and revenue streams. With the addition of wide format, PSPs can offer outdoor applications like banners, building wraps, mesh banners, outdoor installations, signage, vehicle wraps, and wallscapes.

Before investing in a wide format device, consider the applications it is intended for as this often affects the type of ink and printer that will ultimately be implemented. Cost, ease of use, and finishing technology are also important considerations that affect return on investment.

“Know what you want to sell and what application you are going to market,” stresses Tom Wittenberg, large format marketing manager, the Americas, sign and decor, HP Inc. “This drives the printer technology you will need, along with the options that come with the printer.” For example, if you want to sell double-sided banners, he suggests you want a printer that runs flexible media with inks that perform well outdoors, and also has the capacity to automatically register the back to the front side when printing double sided.

Above: Rolan offers the TrueVIS VG Series of wide format printers and cutters. The Fujifilm Acuity LED 3200R accommodates a ten-foot roll and features LED UV curing.

Ink for the Outdoors
Several types of inks may be used in the digital wide format space for outdoor graphics, including aqueous, eco-solvent and solvent, latex, and UV inks. Daniel Valade, product manager, color products, Roland DGA Corporation, believes the primary consideration for PSPs looking to invest in a digital wide format printer for outdoor applications is versatility. While each ink technology has its own strengths and weaknesses, some are better suited than others for outdoor graphics.

Ken Hanulec,VP of marketing, EFI Inkjet, explains that solvent is a good choice for outdoor graphics, as is UV/LED UV, adding that latex and water-based inks may benefit from a UV overlaminate/coating.

Wittenberg suggests that print providers ensure signage can withstand weather conditions for the length of time a graphic is expected to be outdoors. “For the period of time the signage will be outdoors, it’s best to set expectations with customers up front rather than after the signage has fades or is torn apart,” he comments.

Aqueous
Aqueous inks are offered as dye or pigment. Dyes are bright and cost effective, but may also be prone to fading, unlike pigments that are more fade- and water-resistant. Aqueous inks are often used for corrugated, indoor banners, fine art, food packaging, liner papers, photography, posters, and signage.

“Aqueous ink technology provides an excellent color gamut but is by itself not outdoor durable without protective lamination, which adds extra costs in addition to the high cost of the coated media,” says Randy Paar, display graphics marketing manager, Canon Solutions America. He admits that the fade resistance of aqueous inks is generally worse than solvent, latex, or UV.

Transfer dye-sublimation (dye-sub) requires more processing and specially coated papers for printing, a heat press for post print processing, and only works with polyester substrates. Michael Maxwell, senior manager, sales promotion, Mimaki USA, says it doesn’t last in exterior environments for very long but it does make the widest and most vibrant color space.

Eco-Solvent/Solvent
Solvent is often used for applications like vehicle wraps and decals because it sometimes offers a warranty against fading for long-term outdoor use. Maxwell believes that eco-solvent and solvent inks are the most durable and versatile ink selection in wide format. “Solvent printers account for the largest adoption of wide format printing worldwide due to its exterior durability without lamination,” he comments. It is easy to obtain, which makes it widely supported and a good starting point for potential buyers.

Print providers that intend to offer vehicle wraps should consider eco-solvent and solvent-based inks. Fabrizio Soto, GM, industrial business unit, OKI Data Americas, says that solvent-based inks have a proven reputation for excellent outdoor durability and scratch resistance.

While eco-solvent and solvent inks penetrate the media for a durable application, they also require adequate ventilation due to the fumes produced during printing. Paar warns that as environmental rules are tightened in various jurisdictions, solvent printing is under pressure to be replaced by “greener” alternatives. “Prints produced with solvent inks need to outgas for up to 24 hours before lamination can be applied,” he adds.

Latex
Latex inks are often used to create decals, stickers, and vehicle graphics. They allow for immediate finishing due to a fast curing process.

Dan Johansen, marketing manager, wide format and finishing solutions, Ricoh USA, Inc., says that while solvent inks are historically associated with high-quality color, in recent years latex has made great strides. “Latex is starting to overtake solvent in some places due to its greater parity for quality, low cure times, and lack of unpleasant OSHA-regulated vapors,” he explains.

However, latex inks are sometimes considered more suited for indoor applications because without lamination they may fade faster than UV or solvent inks.

UV
UV inks are cured instantly for quick turnaround times with less need for ventilation. It offers more functionality for direct-to-substrate printing on materials like PVC and corrugated plastic. UV inks are usually offered for flatbed presses due to the ink’s rigid nature.

“This technology has become increasingly popular,” admits Maxwell. Some manufacturers have improved UV ink flexibility, which has opened the technology to roll-based media for applications like backlit or flex-face awnings.

While UV inks are now easier to obtain and operate, there are still some adhesion issues on certain substrates, many of which can be addressed by using a primer. Buyers should thoroughly test and verify UV ink compatibility to the material prior to printing.

Press Compatibility
Print providers must also determine which configuration—flatbed, roll, or hybrid—works best for them. However, these options may depend on the ink type selected.

Flatbed Presses
According to Paar, in the past ten years, flatbed printers have taken a large share of printing away from roll-fed printers due to the ability to print directly onto rigid substrates. However, this capability comes with a price. “Flatbed printers typically cost significantly more than roll-to-roll printers, but you can do so much more with them,” he says.

Flatbed printers tend to be UV-curable, enabling direct printing to various flat sheet goods for quick turnarounds. “It skips several of the labor processes print providers must adopt when using a roll-based printer,” explains Maxwell.

This functionality comes at a slight cost increase for jobs that exceed the physical printing dimensions. While stationary flatbed presses support printing onto more media than roll-fed for greater application versatility, flatbed printers are typically no larger than 5×10 feet.

Roll-Fed Presses
Roll-fed presses offer fewer print area constraints for longer width and length jobs. Roll-fed presses tend to be faster, have smaller working footprints, and print long output banners and graphics.

“Roll-fed devices are more versatile than flatbed printers, allowing shops to handle a more diverse range of jobs,” suggests Jay Roberts, product manager, UV printers, Roland DGA.

Johansen agrees and says that roll-fed printers are an excellent option to produce jobs on flexible materials like papers, banner stocks, and backlit substrates.

Dedicated roll-to-roll or flatbed presses achieve productivity with higher volumes of specific applications, says Hanulec.

Despite versatility, roll-fed presses are labor intensive. Instead of printing directly to rigid substrates, the provider prints the graphic with a roll-fed printer and mounts the output to a rigid substrate.

Hybrid Presses
Traditional graphics providers, especially those new to the wide format space, seek presses that produce flexible banners and signs as well as rigid output. Considered the best of both worlds, hybrid presses allow owners and operators to deliver a variety of applications.

Print providers looking to offer a mix of rigid and flexible applications might want to consider a hybrid printer. “Hybrid printers offer the ability to print high-quality graphics direct to rigid and specialty items as well as roll-to-roll applications,” says Hanulec, adding that they are a good choice for screenprinters looking to make the move to digital.

According to Wittenberg, the signage business is great for a hybrid as it provides the flexibility to run both rigid and flexible materials required in the market.

In terms of workspace, hybrid presses offer solutions for compact work environments during roll-fed operation but can transform into flatbed mode and utilize more space. “Most hybrid devices have adjustable or moveable flatbed attachments that extend from the back and then the front to minimize the amount of operational space needed,” says Roberts.

“A hybrid printer is ideal for a print shop that is looking to offer both rigid and roll-fed applications,” comments Michelle Johnson, marketing manager, Mutoh. She believes shops that don’t have the footprint to grow their equipment will benefit from hybrid printers and allow them to complete various applications on one press.

However, Maxwell warns that job calibration on flat sheet goods versus roll goods is completely different. He says hybrid devices tend to fall short for being suited for both printing methods, leading to costly waste.

Industries that should consider hybrid presses include those that offer a variety of short-run applications, the interior décor market, small demand environments, and start ups.

Considerations and Tips
With many ink and press selections available, it’s easy for a print provider new to the wide format space to feel overwhelmed. They must consider potential buyers, application offerings, finishing times, print methods, and ink and media choices.

Potential buyers must first understand their application needs as well as the strengths and limitations of each technology and how it relates to the expected output. Maxwell advises buyers to speak with experienced manufacturers in multiple technology spaces to navigate the choices. “With the advances and maturity of solvent and UV-curable technologies, these are safe to start with, however, based on needs, other technologies such as dye-sub or latex may be more suitable,” he says.

Johnson agrees and thinks print providers should focus on application offerings and what the main source of revenue will be for the company—then buy accordingly. For outdoor graphics, print providers should consider ink durability and longevity.

The versatility possible today—particularly with the range of substrates that are compatible with LED inkjet—means users should use their creativity to think of new and different applications. To drum up business, those new to wide format should reach out to their existing base to let them know about their newest capabilities. “You might be surprised how much more business you will get from current clients,” says Hanulec.

The budget for wide format technology must also include finishing solutions. Johansen warns that many printers entering wide format don’t factor finishing into the budget, including sewing or welding for outdoor banners or grommeting options for boulevard signage and the hardware associated with providing the customer a finished product. “Let’s not forget the great revenue opportunity that exists in installation services,” he adds.

Laminators are popular finishing solutions included in the budget. Outdoor graphics printed on vinyl are laminated for protection against weather and abrasion. “If the application is very short term, then the need to laminate decreases significantly,” admits Valade.

Consulting the brand’s application guide helps print providers select the best offering of media as well as the correct film for the application surface. “Always make sure you start off with the correct film, trying to make a film work on a surface that won’t cooperate can result in a lot of wasted time and effort,” recommends Valade.

Lily Hunter, product manager, textiles and consumables, Roland DGA, agrees, and says when laminating a vinyl, it’s important to match like-with-like—meaning printing on a cast vinyl should also be used with a cast overlaminate. Mixing and matching films and overlaminate may result in failures in the field when films are exposed to the environment.

Media and ink compatibility is also a top concern for print providers taking on wide format. Matt McCausland, product manager, professional imaging, Epson America Inc., recommends printers review and confirm ink and media durability before purchasing. For example, 3M MCS warranty-backed products are tested and allow customers the maximum protection and performance for outdoor printed vinyl.

Regarding costs McCausland sees most entry-level customers considering eco-solvent printers for ink usage and energy savings to prepare the business for success on a platform that lasts more than a year. “It’s often difficult to justify installing a 220v hookup and continued high-energy costs when operating cash flow is so important,” he adds.

Soto agrees and points out that it’s important to compare monthly ink costs between models. “If you could save $.08 to $.10 per square foot on ink with one model over another, and you ran as little as three rolls per week, you could realize a savings of $700 to $800 per month in ink alone,” he explains.

If a printer has an excellent color gamut, consider the printer’s speed. Some machines sacrifice ink coverage at higher speeds. Although entry-level wide format printers may not be concerned with speed due to a low customer base, ink coverage sacrifices can affect the company’s future. “As your print operation grows, it will become increasingly important for your printer to maintain print quality as speed increases,” explains Soto.

Print providers interested in wide format technology for outdoor markets must fully evaluate all factors in cost of ownership. “A low capital investment usually points to an overall high consumable cost,” warns Heather Roden, Acuity marketing manager, graphic systems division, FUJIFILM North America Corporation.

Large Offerings
Many players serve the wide format digital print space. Here are highlights from those offering entry-level options.

Canon Solutions America’s new Océ Colorado 1640 is a 64-inch wide roll-to-roll printer with CMYK UVgel inks. According to Paar, UVgel inks take the best of solvent, latex, and conventional UV inks for productivity improvements and a 50 percent cost savings. UVgel behaves like a gel when deposited onto media and the media is laid down without any dot gain prior to being cured with a cold-curing LED lamp system. “The Océ Colorado instantly provides a competitive edge to print providers competing against other providers still using solvent, latex, or UV systems,” explains Paar.

The EFI Pro 16h was released this Spring. The LED hybrid flatbed/roll-fed printer offers CMYK printing, plus 2W. It features an embedded EFI Fiery proServer Core, multi-layer printing, and resolutions up to 1,200×1,200 dpi with four-level grayscale.

The Epson SureColor S80600 is a 64-inch production roll-fed inkjet printer. It produces red and optional white or metallic silver ink for solvent printing. Its Dual-Array PrecisionCore TFP printhead and precision media feeding system allow sellable output at 340 square feet per hour (sf/h). The SureColor S80600 features UltraChrome GS3 nine-color solvent ink for photographic print quality, durability, and media compatibility. “The SureColor S80600, Epson’s flagship signage printer, delivers on all the features customers consider important when seeking a quality, production-grade solvent printing machine,” comments McCausland.

The Fujifilm Acuity LED 3200R is a ten-foot roll printer with LED UV curing for outdoor graphics. The Fujifilm Uvijet LED cured inks have options for six-color and white printing. The inks require no extraction methods or additional drying equipment. “Because this device offers prints that are instantly dry off the device, it makes fulfillment time a breeze,” says Roden. The 3200R offers dual roll capability.

HP presents the HP Latex 110, 300 Series Printers, 500 Series Printers, and the HP Scitex FB550 printer for entry-level wide format printers targeting the outdoor market. The Latex printers are roll-to-roll while the Scitex FB550 is a hybrid printer.

Mimaki offers several wide format presses including the CJV150 Series. It is an entry-level, eco-solvent printer from 32- to 64-inch widths. The CJV150 has print speeds up to 605 sf/h with ten ink colors including silver for metallic effects. “Eco-solvent technology prints to the widest range of media produced for outdoor use,” says Maxwell. The price varies depending on width with the widest model under $21,000.

At $27,995, the Mutoh ValueJet 1638X is a dual printhead eco-solvent printer with a maximum width of 64 inches. Its dual printheads allow print speeds up to 1,168 sf/h. “It’s ideal for entry-level type printing but allows for size, speed, and ink capability for a higher production shop,” says Johnson. The ValueJet 1638X features Mutoh Smart Printing technology, eight ink channels, and heavy-duty take up.

OKI Data’s ColorPainter E-64s retails for $14,999. It has a print width of 64 inches and uses OKI’s eco-solvent SX inks for color vibrancy and durability in outdoor applications like vehicle wraps. “In many ways, the E-64s is ideal for new or low-volume wide format print operations, offering the top-of-the-line outdoor durability found in high-powered production printers, but with speeds and a price tag better suited for growing shops,” says Soto. The E-64s carries the 3M MCS warranty and Avery ICS warranty.

The RICOH Pro L4130/L4160 prints up to 63 inches wide with seven-color printing including orange, green, and white. It uses aqueous latex inks and is intended for banners, point of sale displays, signs, and wraps. Johansen says its environmentally friendly and outdoor-hardy latex inks can weather any storm, on almost any substrate including backlit materials, clear film, plastic, textile, and vinyl. Its user friendly interface allows operators to check settings, set favorites, and reuse past settings.

The Roland TrueVIS VG Series of wide format printers and cutters are available in 54- and 64-inch width models with four- seven-, and eight-color configurations. The series has a maximum speed width of 375 sf/h. Valade says it’s suitable for print providers new to wide format because its affordable, durable, easy to use, and features cost-efficient TrueVIS INK in 500 ml pouches. The TrueVIS VG-540 is $20,995 and the VG-640 is $24,995.

The Outdoor Market
Once a print provider considers what specific applications they intend to offer with wide format capabilities, it’s time to consider which ink and press configurations are most beneficial. For providers looking to enter the outdoor market, it’s integral they choose a durable ink with scratch and fade resistance. While both roll-fed and flatbed presses offer exceptional advantages, some providers may consider a hybrid printer for the best of both worlds.

October 2017, DPS Magazine

Precise Color

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By Olivia Cahoon

Many print providers now support multiple print technologies, including digital inkjet and toner devices, wide format, and traditional offset. Efficient color management is critical for consistently reproducing color across all platforms. “Print providers need color management software that renders color with precision to match industry references and produce consistent color over time,” explains John Henze, VP, marketing, EFI Fiery. Clients expect color precision, exact brand colors, and reprints that match the original print run. Color management software also helps print providers divide long or quick-turn runs across multiple digital print systems to meet deadlines.

Today’s print providers must split multi-part jobs into hybrid workflows across digital and conventional presses while maintaining proper color management.

Above: Ricoh partners with CGS, Oris, EFI, and Panton to provide suitable color management solutions based on customer needs.

Color Management
In digital print environments, color management software creates a baseline calibration for a specific paper stock, provides color tables that allow presses to match references for process color and spot colors, and verifies accurate color. “Print companies also need tools to re-calibrate a print system regularly to maintain consistency and to verify that color precision today still matches the precision of the original match to the reference,” says Henze.

John Scott Thorburn, senior analyst, BISG Production Solutions, Canon U.S.A. Inc., believes that color management software for digital print must create an accurate map of the full range of colors that each printer and paper combination are capable of producing under repeatable setup conditions.

According to Bob Raus, North American category manager, HP Inc., many digital print providers use spectrophotometers to capture data, identify variation, and adjust while the press is running. He believes it helps ensure color consistency from the first to last image within a press run.

Usability is also a key design criterion. “Color management tools are fast and can automate the color measurement process while increasing predictability and color accuracy,” explains Thorburn.

Industry-Specific
While color accuracy is important to most—if not all industries—branding, fashion, and corporate highly rely on it. Print providers must be sure that a specific color will be the same on a customer’s business card, corporate brochure, and trade show signage—requiring sophisticated color consistency across substrates and devices.

“Brands are especially sensitive to color accuracy, so labels and packaging printers and converters have the highest requirement for color accuracy followed by photo and commercial print,” says Raus. For example, the packaging market depends on accurate and consistent branding on different materials.

Jerry Sturnick, finishing and IntegratedPLUS Solutions strategy manager, Xerox Graphic Communication Business Group, says that commercial printers, in plants, and print for pays often provide a service to customers that require color accuracy and consistency across production sites, print engines, and time. “Whether it is the corporate logo, skin tone of a photo advertorial, or simply having a series of books on a shelf with matching spine colors, a good color management strategy with tools to support implementation is critical.”

Utilizing Mixed Technology
Color management software allows mixed technology print environments to achieve the color consistency throughout a print run and reproduce the same color at any time. It also provides a cost-effective solution for all print devices to have the same industry standard for achieving predictable color consistency and accuracy.

Toby Saalfeld, U.S. director, color management, Ricoh USA, Inc., believes that consistent color can end up being the difference between positive brand recognition and looking disorganized. “Picture a Coca-Cola billboard. If the background were a very dark or a very light red, you’d think there had been a printer error or it was a fake advertisement,” he explains.

According to Bill Papp, product manager, Document Data Solutions, LLC. (DDS), mixed technologies, or hybrid printing, combine the best of low-cost traditional offset printing with the benefits of high-speed, high-resolution digital inkjet. “Why buy a multi-million-dollar digital inkjet press when you can attach hybrid inkjet modules onto your existing equipment for 100 percent variable customization,” he asks.

Existing offset presses lay down the majority of the print while the inkjet modules add variable information in full process color only where needed. “Additionally, the customer’s existing post-processing equipment is reused, thus the savings are multiplied,” adds Papp.

Considerations for Mixed Technology
Printing environments that utilize mixed technologies may have trouble controlling color produced across multiple presses and over time. Raus believes that if an operator adjusts the press, the resulting color profile for that specific substrate can be captured using features that reproduce extracting color across multiple presses in multiple locations.

If a print provider’s device has its own color management software that doesn’t easily communicate with another device’s software, the provider will quickly discover it doesn’t have much of a color management system in place. “You can run into this with certain offset plate devices that don’t support ICC technology or hexachrome color that doesn’t fall within industry specifications for four-color printing,” explains Saalfeld. Device-agnostic solutions keep colors inline across the provider’s operation.

Jeffrey Collins, national manager color solutions, Konica Minolta, identifies other color solution challenges for mixed technology as lack of automation, software that’s too complex, difficult user interfaces, too many touch points, and no analytical dashboards for production and management decision making.

However, while standards and control technologies exist for color management, Raus says the ultimate decision of where to adjust is in the eye of the press operator or local approval agency.

Customer Expectations
To better serve clients, print providers must efficiently manage color expectations. Sturnick suggests doing this by providing proofs or reference sample prints of what a printer can cost effectively produce to establish a baseline. Prepress can also review the customer’s jobs. Providers should specify what file format they expect in order to obtain full control of meeting the customer’s expectations.

Juergen Roesch, product marketing manager, CGS Publishing Technologies, agrees and says that if there are difficulties in understanding the color communication language, a local proof of the customer’s data matched to the production standard settings can be created as a baseline before actual print production occurs.

Raus believes that managing customer color expectations comes down to showcasing the ability to hit the color in current and future situations. “Demonstrating technical expertise and internal process control are critical to earning business, building trust, and managing expectations,” he says.

Other methods for managing customer’s color expectations include understanding the customer’s quality criteria and tolerances for product acceptance. “Know your color reproduction and manufacturing capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses,” suggests Collins. Print providers can implement continual improvement and LEAN programs for better efficiency.

Workflow Improvements
To ensure accuracy in digital print environments, color management software solutions are added to the print provider’s workflow.

According to Roesch, two types of color management products help the workflow and ensure quality protection—color management profiling software and quality control (QC) software. Color management profiling software brings various print engines into a targeted color space while QC software maintains print quality standards while in production.

Print providers select solutions that deliver high-quality color across production press portfolios and with consideration to the operator’s skill level. “Automation, operational simplicity, ongoing support, and fleet level capability of the color management software are key differentiators in making a selection,” says Sturnick.

Darrian Young, tFLOW product manager, Aleyant, believes the best solutions are embedded in the RIP. He says that setup is much quicker, it can be automated with an onboard spectrophotometer in the print device, and the calibration and maintenance is easier.

Michael J. Vrhel, color scientist, Artifex Software, suggests that at a minimum, print providers need a solution for creating ICC profiles from measured data and software for rendering incoming PDF and Postscript content in a color managed manner. ICC solutions should be able to print a measurement chart, measure the chart, and create the ICC profile.

Other color management solutions that can be added to the workflow include inline and desktop spectrophotometers, lighting tables, as well as color management databases.

The Future of Color
As color management becomes more important to customers and print providers, there is an increasing need for closed-loop color automation in pressrooms. Shorter press runs, a higher amount of jobs per day, and pressure for competitive pricing drives the need for more efficient color management solutions.

Better color management in the pressroom means shorter makeready times and higher profitability. Printers and press manufacturers across analog and digital print technologies seek a closed-loop color automation. Stephen Rankin, director, product development, Techkon USA, says, “we’re also seeing a desire to capture print color quality data throughout the press run for customer reports, traceability, and continued process improvements.”

Raus notes that unlike conventional presses, digital presses self-monitor and adjust to maintain color accuracy. Print providers take advantage of this capability by capturing and utilizing the information in cloud-based solutions to reproduce the same color on multiple presses.

In fact, Sturnick believes one of the latest trends in color management is to enable environments with mixed print technologies to monitor the results daily via a cloud-based web interface. “With the growth of inkjet technology, color management software adds simple methods for optimizing the balance between color quality and ink usage for best run cost,” he says.

While color management software has greatly improved with additions like cloud-based interfaces, there are still needs that haven’t been met in digital environments. Sturnick points out, to achieve automation of the entire process with error avoidance, color management solutions need greater access to digital front end (DFE) controls for profile selections and advanced press features like inline spectrophotometers and calibration.

Other problem areas include the more obscure effects of spectrally different observer configurations like different light sources, optical brighteners, and filter settings for measurements devices. “While the math embedded in the majority of tools can compensate for any of the mentioned effects, dealing with such settings can be challenging even to the most knowledgeable user,” explains Roesch.

Color Management Solutions
Aleyant offers ColorProSeries products RapidCheck, QualityControl, and PrintControlPro. PrintControlPro is suitable for conventional and digital printers, equipment and consumable manufacturers, and vendors. It features colorimetric determination of print density for the widest gamut and best color match. The PrintControlPro includes a substrate database to organize and assure the quality of all paper stocks. According to Young, Aleyant’s color management solution prices are included in its workflow solution.

Artifex Software’s Ghostscript is a page description language interpreter for leading page description languages like PDF, PostScript, and XPS. Ghostscript features a patented color management system, Graphic Object Dependent Color Management (GODCM), that provides flexibility for controlling color based on the graphic object type on the same page. “GODCM makes it possible to specify different destination ICC profiles and rendering intents for images, text, and vector graphics,” says Vrhel. It enables text to be readily printed with only K while grayscale images are printed with composite CMYK.

Canon U.S.A.’s PRISMAsync Color Print Server System 5.1 features a scheduler, remote manager, remote control, high-quality color, and media-based workflow. “PRISMAsync provides standard color profiles that have a very high-quality level straight out of the box,” says Thorburn. It allows the user to create tailor-made spot color libraries, custom trapping settings, and ICC-based color workflows. PRISMAsync 5.2 is expected to include PRISMAsync integration to the Canon imagePRESS C10000VP Series Inline Spectrophotometer. According to Thorburn, it includes easy and error-free color calibration and profile creation without additional tools required.

CGS Publishing Technologies offers the ORIS Color Tuner/Web, a web-based soft and hardcopy proofing software in one package. The web-based client architecture allows the software to be integrated within existing workflows. Also, the ORIS Flex Pack/Web is available as a custom-made, cost-effective solution for flexible package proofs and samples. Special printer drivers and software features for the LEC and VS Roland DGA printers cover the requirements for packaging design and production, allowing ORIS Color Turner/Web to produce color-accurate screens or halftone proofs.

DDS offers iDataPrint, a software system that provides a range of print engine technology. iDataPrint prints individually specific variable data in monochrome or color. The iDataPrint Color Profile Wizard allows users to color match and use image refinement. “DDS color inkjet print systems help ease the pain of color management by seamlessly accepting device link profiles created by standard commercially available profiling tools,” says Papp.
It integrates into network environments with real-time monitoring of jobs across multiple DDS equipped machines.

Version 5 of the EFI Fiery Color Profiler Suite allows users to create ICC printer profiles for CMYK or multichannel print systems up to eight colors. It is fully integrated with Fiery DFEs for toner and inkjet digital printers. According to Henze, its Printer Match module adds G7 calibration as part of the printer matching process, which provides a common reproducible color gamut across multiple Fiery driven print systems. “Print shops are now able to match multiple print systems with G7 calibration included,” he says.

The Fiery Color Profiler Suite also optimizes spot colors, performs color quality assurance, and matches colors across multiple presses in a digital production environment.

Konica Minolta offers the Accurio Pro Cloud Eye. It is a cloud-based color management and quality control software with G7 NPDC grey balance control, ICC profile, and device link profile creation. Collins says the Pro Cloud Eye is fully automated with the Konica Minolta Accurio Press using IQ-501 technology. The software’s dashboard monitors multiple presses and locations and includes a spot color library. The Pro Cloud Eye is designed for toner and ink savings with centralized quality control for hub-spoke operations.

HP’s PrintOS Substrate Manager captures, stores, retrieves, and manages custom color profiles to reproduce accurate color across multiple presses in one or more locations. The software uses cloud-based central management of substrate definitions and color profiles and is fully integrated to the HP PrintOS platform of cloud-based solutions. Stored on the PrintOS Substrate Manager application, HP Indigo Media Fingerprint definition files can be retrieved from PrintOS the next day or year to reproduce exact colors. Raus says that PrintOS Substrate Manager is included at no additional charge with an active HP Indigo press maintenance contract.

Ricoh partners with CGS Oris, EFI, Pantone, and X-Rite to provide suitable solutions based on the customer’s entire operational needs—whether it includes Ricoh printing equipment or not. According to Saalfeld, the cost ranges from $2,500 to $50,000. Functionality ranges from simple four-color ICC profiling to custom spot color management with CxF support and cloud-based quality control.

The Techkon ChromaQA 3.0 is a print color quality solution providing packaging and commercial printers with a set of tools designed to monitor the color quality of jobs on press. It’s designed to reduce re-makes and recognize ink and paper savings by detecting color problems early in the print production process. “The solution consists of a desktop client application that communicates with a cloud database to connect the ink kitchen, prepress, pressroom, and QA manager into a single unified workflow,” explains Rankin. It features built-in scorecards, Techkon InkCheck, ColorEnsure, G7 metrics, and Schawk! ColorDrive. The ChromaQA 3.0 is $2,500 per computer.

The Xerox IntegratedPLUS Automated Color Management software includes calibration, creation of ICC profiles, and spot color tables including cloud data analysis and monitoring. It provides a fleet-based approach that supports Xerox and non-Xerox print devices. “The Xerox IntegratedPLUS Automated Color Management Solution leverages our technology partnerships with CGS, CMI, and X-Rite combined with Xerox Professional Services to deliver a complete end-to-end solution from installation through ongoing production,” says Sturnick. The IntegratedPLUS software starts at $1,995 per year depending on printer count, site numbers, and required professional services.

Managing Color
Color management software allows print providers to ensure color accuracy on jobs printed on multiple devices. “Color management tools will continue to evolve in digital environments along with the diverse print technologies they must support,” says Sturnick.

The importance of color calibration and management is integral for many industries including commercial spaces that depend on accurate colors for precise branding. Proper color management allows efficient color calibration despite the equipment or the substrate used.

October 2017, DPS Magazine