Olivia Cahoon

Sweet Treats with Digital

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By Melissa Donovan

Folding carton converters across the country search for ways to stand out from the competition while adapting to current marketing demands like shorter runs and multiple versions. Personalization drilled down by region, store, or buyer is hot and digital is designed to cater to this trend. Print providers adapting digital print solutions are ahead of the curve, offering clients quick turnaround and quality folding carton products.

From Photos to Folding
Cleveland, OH-based Tap Packaging Solutions started in 1906 when August A. Chilcote founded the Chilcote Company to sell photographic products. In 1920, Chilcote built a location on Cleveland’s Superior Avenue and began manufacturing photo mounts. The company still operates on that same block out of an 181,000 square foot space with 128 employees.

Over the last 50 years it acquired other businesses to expand its service offerings, which include paperboard packaging manufacturing, folding cartons, rigid set-up boxes, design and engineering, digital printing, offset printing, lamination, die cutting, embossing, hot foil stamping, assembly, case wrapping, warehousing, and inventory.

The company’s legacy business is photographic presentation packaging. Digital changed the landscape of that market and demand declined as consumers stopped purchasing packaged photos. While Tap Packaging Solutions still sells to over 10,000 photographers a year, it required another segment to remain relevant. The company decided to leverage its core capability—designing and manufacturing premium packaging—and market itself as a manufacturer of folding cartons and rigid setup boxes.

Designed for Digital
In 2010, the company rebranded as Tap Packaging Solutions—completing the consolidation of five market brands and three operating facilities. That same year, the business began looking closely at digital printing technologies—investing in equipment specifically for folding carton production. “Once the quality, sheet size, and substrate variability met the expectations of our capabilities and also the expectations of our folding carton customers, we knew the timing was right,” explains Jordana Revella, VP, sales and marketing, Tap Packaging Solutions.

Tap Packaging Solutions became interested in digital print when its customers continually began requesting small run sizes and more SKUs. What Revella refers to as SKU Proliferation—managing more SKUs at small quantities—was becoming a trend, along with personalization.

“Variable printing with a digital press allows our clients to leverage powerful marketing tools, like segmentation and target marketing, so these companies meet consumer demands. Our clients now speak directly to the specific consumer they are trying to access, and make their way into their hearts,” says Revella.

Fast forward to October 2014, when the packaging manufacturer purchased the floor model of the HP, Inc. HP Indigo 30000 at the Graph Expo trade show. The acquisition made it one of the first folding carton converters to invest in the printer. With the digital press specifically designed for folding cartons, 100 percent of the printing completed on it at Tap Packaging Solutions is folding cartons—from ten to 24 pt. board. All of the company’s short-run projects are run on the printer, including two of its stock lines of packaging products.

The HP Indigo 30000 was chosen because of its speed and efficiency. “We can instantly adapt when our clients are in a bind and need a quick turnaround. We have their backs when they need a short run. For example, if one of our clients launches a new product and they are still in the test marketing phase, and they don’t want to waste time, money, and materials on printing huge quantities of packaging on the traditional offset press, we can print a short run for them on the digital press,” shares Revella.

Now that it’s up and running on the shop floor, specific features are cited as game changing for the company. According to Revella the fast make ready requires zero printing plates and minimal waste compared to traditional lithographic printing. Any off-the-shelf substrates are used because of an inline priming unit. The Tresu coating unit allows for cartons to be UV or aqueous coated inline.

Thanks to its digital acquisitions, more than half of the consumer goods packaging converted at Tap Packaging Solutions is folding cartons. This work is done for premium brands representing health and beauty, specialty food, confectionery, luxury, and household consumer products.

Craft Chocolate
A recent project was for Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company, a family-owned candy business based in St. Louis, MO. The confectioner launched a new chocolate bar line with a hand-crafted theme. Ten versions make up the collection and the company requested 5,000 folding cartons per SKU.

“We take pride in making a premium product, but packaging is what the customer will interpret first. So we need to make that hook and get the customer to pick our bars up. If they pick up the product, there’s a greater chance of them taking it with them than putting it back down. The first pillar of our packaging is the structure and quality, photography is the second pillar, and design is the third. We really focus on those three aspects as a combined effort,” explains Dan Abel Jr., Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate.

In December 2015, Abel Jr. began brainstorming ideas for the craft chocolate bar line. He reached out to Tap Packaging Solutions and received a sample of what the final packaging would look like. When the budget and quality met Abel Jr.’s expectations, production began.

Design-wise, the confectionary company wanted to maintain the feel of a craft branding strategy. The boxes are numbered and feature a matte finish. Abstract photography and color are a prominent theme. “We believe that people associate their favorite flavors with color. Their favorite becomes the peanut butter banana flavor, for example, but as they come back to buy more, they go directly for the yellow box—because they just know it by yellow,” says Abel Jr. Once artwork was approved, the job took two weeks to complete.

WestRock Company’s SBS C1S Tango 92 Bright media was used. It is a bright white paperboard sheet. 50,000 total pieces were printed on the HP Indigo 30000 using Esko prepress software.

Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate was impressed with the quick turnaround and the HP Indigo 30000’s ability to color match to critical Pantone colors. The project made them a “believer in the quality of digital,” according to Revella.

A Successful Transition
Tap Packaging Solutions is poised to benefit from its early implementation of digital technologies. Recognizing at the onset the need to reposition itself in a shrinking market, the company adapted by transitioning its skills as a packaging designer and manufacturer into a folding carton converter. The change allowed it to work with clients like Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate, creating unique packaging in short runs and multiple SKUs.

May2017, DPS Magazine

Digital Color Envelope Printing

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By Elizabeth Quirk

Marketers face fierce competition in getting a recipient’s attention for a direct mail piece. For some, utilizing the space outside of the envelope provides that necessary edge. A variety of envelope printing solutions exist to serve this purpose.

Beyond address printing, the availability of fast turnaround, high-quality color printing systems offer advanced envelope printing for mid- and high-volume production environments, bringing new opportunities to direct mail.

Envelope Opportunity
Production environments that regularly produce mailing applications benefit from digital envelope printing solutions. In addition to addressing, these devices print color messages, logos, and art on the outside of the envelope. The adoption of digital envelope printing solutions offer print service providers (PSPs) the same advantages inherent to digital, including cost-effective short runs, fast turnarounds, personalization, and quality that rivals offset.

These devices improve TransPromo capabilities and reduce overhead, as it eliminates the need to print or store pre-printed shells, comments Jesse Heindl, marketing and communications specialist, RISO.

Kim Beswick, GM, office and desktop division, Memjet, points out that inkjet-based digital envelope printers enable high-margin services, including full-color bleeds—even on windowed envelopes, personalization, and other design elements that enhance envelopes and improve direct mail response rates.

Additionally, Lou Stricklin, director of product marketing, OKI Data Americas, argues that mid- to high-volume production environments have the ability to address new and wider customer applications and requirements, which can lead to revenue and profit growth for print shops, as well as allowing new elements of differentiation that create greater competitiveness.

“Benefits include the ability to keep in-plant work in house, which can lead to shorter turnaround times and lower cost as well as higher open rates and more effective messaging for users of the print shop or in-plant department’s customers,” adds Stricklin.

The biggest benefit and purchase motivator however, is cost savings. Digital color inkjet envelope printers are extremely cost efficient and can pay for themselves very quickly, according to William Longua, senior director, digital print group, Neopost USA. He explains that by reducing total operating costs and printing faster, the profitability/cost savings are improved by 200 to 300 percent over toner-based solutions.

“The productivity boost from higher print speeds also gets more work done in a shorter period of time, resulting in lower production environments that can increase overall revenue by bringing in more jobs. Simplicity is efficiency—with fewer materials to tie up money in supplies,” explains Longua.

There are challenges as well. These fall in line with common issues PSPs and in plants face when introducing digital. Adopting a digital solution requires the marketer to learn a new way of producing envelopes. Fortunately, these digital solutions are easy to operate and do not require much training.

The technology is limited in some respects to the degree of creativity the user can apply to the customer’s unique application. Stricklin argues that the ability to manage data effectively, apply proper color matching techniques, and produce an aesthetically pleasing end product are important. Incorporating envelopes designed for a digital printing process, with attention given to display windows, folds, flaps, and seals, tend to deliver the best results.

“Designing an effective envelope exterior through careful planning and a strong attention to detail will mitigate any significant challenges that arise along the way,” adds Stricklin.

Standalone Versus MFP
Many multifunction products (MFPs) suited for production environments offer the ability to print onto envelopes. However, devices dedicated to printing envelopes offer their own perks when compared to MFP options.

Standalone digital envelope printers allow businesses to increase mailpiece effectiveness by printing high-quality, variable, full-color texts and images on standard envelopes inline within a mail inserter. According to Grant Miller, COO, Pitney Bowes Document Messaging Technologies, this eliminates inventory of pre-printed remittance envelopes and inserts, while also increasing the versatility and personalization of each mail piece.

“At Pitney Bowes, our Print+Messenger color inkjet system and Print+Response inkjet module help clients streamline print and mail operations and achieve the significant benefits of a complete end-to-end White Paper Factory,” explains Miller.

By taking a difficult job for MFPs, which are meant to primarily run flat sheets, and putting that burden on a machine that is specifically designed to handle them is a win/win. Longua points out that it increases overall capacity so bigger units can keep running large run jobs where they are more profitable and better suited to run.

“Since many of those units use click charges, it can be expensive to print envelopes or postcards because they don’t care if the piece is 3×5 or 10×13 inches—a click is a click. Our solutions, especially inkjet, are efficient in that you only pay for what you print,” argues Longua.

Beswick agrees, suggesting that MFPs are not set up to handle envelopes from a paper handling perspective. This is due to paper path assemblies that can cause jams and/or poor print quality. Having a dedicated printer capable of printing envelopes allows for proper handling of the envelopes, which not only eliminates jams, but also makes room for consistent print quality, unattended operation, and increased productivity.

On the Market
A variety of envelope printing solutions are currently available. Finding the right solution depends on the size and objects of the operation.

Document Data Solutions (DDS)
DDS provides its iDataPrint H500 Monochrome and iDataPrint H500 ColorSpeed CMYK envelope printers. Both feature a 4.25-inch print module that incorporates proven HP Scalable Print Module technology. The DDS iDataPrint controller and iDataPrint Layout Designer software provide high-quality production for variable data envelope printing up to 500 feet per minute.

Formax
Formax offers the ColorMax line of digital color printers, including the ColorMaxT5 Digital Color Multimedia Printer. This device is designed to produce professional-quality output, up to 50 pages per minute (ppm), and has the ability to print CMYK plus white toner in a single pass. The device is dry toner based.

Memjet
Advances in inkjet technology, combined with the innovation of today’s solutions providers, bring an expanded range of capabilities that help printers create a greater level of engagement. Memjet-powered digital inkjet solutions let printers and marketers offer a wider, more creative range of envelope options to their customers, including variable data, color, full bleeds, and even printing on unique materials such as cardboard, duplex, and windowed envelopes.

“Some examples of these solutions on the market today are the Trojan3 Over-Printer, this system brings a brand new range of functionality to envelope printing. It can be mounted in any host system that runs at speeds of up to 18 meters per minute,” says Beswick.

“Another is the Halm-JetPress D415MJ, this inkjet press brings fast speed, impressive quality, and remarkable affordability to the envelope market. The versatile four-color press combines seamless envelope imprinting with the ability to produce long- or short-run jobs with variable data. The Halm press can print 32,000 full variable color envelopes per hour at 1,600×1,375 dpi, making it a valued resource in today’s evolving print and direct mail businesses,” explains Beswick.

Neopost USA
Neopost offers the AS-970C Mach5 Printer, which allows mail centers, print shops, and marketers to take advantage of color printing fidelity and printing speed across a wider variety of paper and label stocks.

It is well suited for applications such as envelopes and stationery, wedding, birthday, holiday cards, and special event invitations printing, mail addressing, barcoding, and postage printing.

OKI Data
OKI’s C900DP series is ideal for print shops seeking to broaden their services by offering short-run and variable data printing with high-definition colors with production runs of 5,000 or less. The C900DP series uses toner with true 1,200×1,200 dpi resolution, and offers a monthly duty cycle of 300,000 pages.

Pitney Bowes
For transactional mailers, Miller suggests the Print+Messenger solution for envelope printing.

“We leverage our data about each mail piece to dynamically adjust the distance between the printheads and envelope to consistently print high quality, vibrant images. Our custom formulated, fast drying ink doesn’t require a dryer, and the system’s self-servicing features mean that minimal printer expertise is required within the inserter workcell,” suggests Miller.

Print+Response from Pitney Bowes allows high-volume mailers to print personalized remittance envelopes and insert them in-line. It delivers high quality 600 dpi image resolution in full color or monochrome at speeds up to 26,000 mail pieces per hour.

Miller suggests adding creative elements to envelope gives the print or marketing service provider a way to expand their business by providing an extra level of value to their clients.

RISO
RISO’s ComColor FW Series and the ComColor GD Series of full color, cutsheet inkjet printers handle envelope printing. The FW is a compact, reliable office model that produces up to 120 ppm and prints on plain envelopes. The GD delivers up to 160 ppm. The GD also has an optional Wrapping Envelope Finisher that prints variable data in full color on both envelope and inset, fold and seal all in one pass, according to Heindl.

Spiral
Spiral offers the Memjet powered iJetColor Press Performance Bundle, which includes everything needed to print four-color personalized envelopes and direct mail.

Xanté
Xanté offers its Impressia Digital Multi-Media Print Systems for full-color letterhead, cards, envelopes, forms, brochures, mailers, labels, and banners. The system is driven by the included iQueue Prepress Workflow. It offers print speeds of up to 78 full color #10 envelopes per minute and a resolution of up to 2,400 dpi. The company says that output is waterproof.

The Case for Envelopes
Getting a recipient’s attention for direct mail is challenging and marketers often face immense competition to stand out. Utilizing the space outside of the envelope allows for fun personalization and the edge needed to stand out.

Envelope printing equipment serves this purpose. A range of solutions are available today. These products enable print providers and marketers to add value to mail. This opportunity is especially present for mid- to high-volume production environments looking to make a statement.

May2017, DPS Magazine

Publishing Redesigned

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By Olivia Cahoon

Digital print technologies help book publishers transition to cost-effective production. Publishing sectors include small to large publishing houses, self-publishers, libraries, and educational services. Each publisher’s needs are different, from fast turnaround times to small book production batches.

Digital presses grant book manufacturers value-added features to produce attractive displays and combat competition. Here, we explore the need for efficient and cost-effective digital book manufacturing driven by the latest publishing demands.

Bridgeport National Bindery
Presenting an example of a mid-sized book manufacturer servicing the on demand space, Bridgeport National Bindery is a privately owned and operated book manufacturing facility in Agawam, MA. With 100 employees, the bindery celebrates 85 years in business and focuses on printing and binding hardcover and softcover books. The shop relies on both electrophotographic (EP) and inkjet technologies for color and monochrome output.

The print provider serves Canada, the U.K., and the U.S. Its manufacturing facility is 135,000 square feet. The company strives to integrate today’s electronic ordering and on demand digital printing with a traditional standard of quality.

It works with publisher sales channels to fulfill orders as business to business and business to consumer. The company serves literary markets including children’s books, independent and self-publishers, online publishers, photobooks, small- to medium-sized publishers, and trade.

“We designed Bridgeport Bindery to be a digital and inkjet printer only, no offset capabilities,” says Michele Brennan, VP, Bridgeport National Bindery.

With 13 digital presses in color and monochrome, Bridgeport Bindery offers a 72 hour turnaround for most orders. Brennan says the company’s business model and workflow is agile and flexible to support service level agreements of two to three days for ship dates.

Its services include print on demand, short-run and edition binding, pre-binding services, digitalization and prepress, textbook rebinding, conservation services, and general binding—all produced digitally.

“The distribution model was king when there was only one type of printing method,” admits Brennan. But with advancements in digital print technology, the model is fading and for some publishers, it cannot be financially supported.

Most publishers want books available for immediate shipping. Digital print technologies allow publishers to print the exact number of requested books without managing overstock.

Bridgeport Bindery uses HP and Xeikon EP presses as well as the HP T230 for color output. For monochrome work, it uses Canon Océ printers, a Xerox Nuvera, and the HP T230 color inkjet press.

The HP PageWide Web Press T230 prints up to 20.5 inches wide at 200 feet per minute (fpm) in color and 400 fpm in monochrome. It includes four-color production printing at 1,200×600 dpi addressable resolution. The press is compatible with uncoated offset stock, ground wood, and newsprint.

“Our publishers are looking to take advantage of selling all of their titles. Backlists are an important revenue stream and in the past, it was impossible to print a short run of 250 books using offset. Most CFOs like to have this opportunity to sell what buyers want, any quantity,” explains Brennan.

The company specializes in short-run edition binding for runs of 25 to 1,000 books. For short-run edition binding applications, it offers head banding, rounding and backing, shrink-wrapping, four styles of cloth covers, printed laminated covers, and various colored paper. Before digital print capabilities, these applications would take more time and employees to finish the job.

For self-publishers and small presses, the company creates and stores clients’ digital files following the current national standards. It also provides metadata so files are ready to be uploaded directly to webpages.

Alongside digital presses, finishing and binding equipment remains productive as it advances to integrate with digital technology. “Most digital presses and book manufacturers easily print and bind a book in minutes,” says Brennan.

Bridgeport Bindery offers pre-binding to create durable library books. This includes nylon reinforced, cold glue, or polyurethane reactive (PUR) binding guaranteed for two years of regular use. The company also offers textbook rebinding, which offers schools an alternative to buying new.

The print provider implements finishing equipment from C.P Bourg, Muller Martini, Standard Horizon, and Tecnau.

The company uses Muller Martini’s Sigma Binder and Trimmer for book production. The binder includes cover matching, book block feeding, barcode reading, and cover rejection. It features a milling and notching station and runs up to 1,000 covers per hour.

The Sigma Trimmer is designed for finishing in a one-off, short- or large-run workflow. It is fully automated with infinite trim variability and accommodates non-standard trim sizes. The trimmer delivers 1,000 fully variable books per hour.

Aside from faster and efficient production speeds, digital technology changes how books are viewed. “People are looking for more of what I call, ‘jewelry’ on the book,” says Brennan. Digital presses allow book covers and pages to include value-added features like deckle edge paper, metallic, open spines exposing the bound edge, scented inks, three color stamping, and textured lamination.

“These designers want something special but produced in an automated way,” explains Brennan. With digital technology, Bridgeport Bindery serves its customers efficiently.

Bookmasters
From self-publishing to large-scale publishers, Bookmasters has grown its digital book manufacturing operation. Founded in 1972 as a small book manufacturing company, it serves over 1,200 customers with an employee base of 165. The company is in Ashland, OH, and its customers span Canada, Europe, and the U.S. from a 240,000-square foot work area.

The company offers book manufacturing using offset and short-run digital, print on demand, full-service distribution, warehousing, fulfillment, eBook sales and distribution, and editorial and design. It assists publishers from manuscript to book production, distribution, and fulfillment for education, mid- and large-sized publishers, religion, self-publishers, and trade.

Its customized design and editorial services include art creation, assessment, copyediting, cover design, eBook conversion, indexing, interior design, proofreading, and typesetting.

The book manufacturer provides the flexibility to choose one service or bundle several to save time and money. It ships over 5,000 orders per week and has over 15,000 titles available for sale. The manufacturing company works with publishers like Arcturus, Christian Focus Publications, Flame Tree, Lexham Press, and Purdue University Press.

One of its most popular book printing services, short-run digital printing, is intended for print runs from 100 to 1,000 copies—allowing the shop to produce books in one- to five-color in a variety of bindings.

Ken Fultz, GM, Bookmasters, says that digital print technology plays a huge role in the company’s book production. It accounts for 30 percent of the company’s total revenue and 50 percent of its print revenue. “Ten years ago, digital was five percent of our total revenue and ten percent of our print revenue, it has grown significantly,” adds Fultz.

The company implements digital technology to meet customer demands for short runs and inventory management. Fultz believes digital allows a more efficient inventory replenishment for the company’s distribution clients, including better management and zero freight. “With an aging offset equipment base, it was more prudent to invest in digital,” says Fultz.

Bookmasters owns several digital printers for its book production, including the Canon Océ VarioPrint i300 inkjet press, the Canon Océ ColorStream 3900, multiple Canon PIXMA MG6320’s, Canon imagePRESS C7011VPs, and several Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS C8000s.

The company installed the Océ VarioPrint i300 inkjet in late 2016. It runs monochrome and color print jobs on one engine and prints up to 294 letter images per minute. Targeting heavy production volumes of one to ten million pages per month, Océ iQuarius technology enables sheet entry control, precision sheet control, an instant drying unit, and an inline quality control system.

Bookmasters installed the Océ ColorStream 3900 monochrome with Hunkeler unwind and cut stack in early 2017. It prints up to 417 fpm with a maximum print width of 21 inches. The ColorStream 3900 is configured to match production requirements. It includes up to six colors, simplex and duplex productivity, and print speed enhancements.

“There’s a rapidly growing interest in shorter runs where buyers embrace the total cost cycle of a book versus just the unit purchase cost,” explains Fultz. He believes the advantage of printing short-run digital and print on demand for inventory replenishment strategy is taking hold of the business.

Finishing is essential to the book manufacturing process. The company employs a range of binding options that include adhesive case, double wire-o, lay-flat, perfect bind, plastic coil, plastic comb, printed case wrap, PUR, saddle stitch, Smyth sewn case, and stamped cloth and jacketed case.

The book manufacturer’s finishing solutions include the Muller Martini Sigma Binder, Standard Horizon BQ-470 Perfect Binder, and On Demand Machinery (ODM) and GP2 Technologies case makers and binding solutions.

The Standard Horizon BQ-470 is a fully automated four-clamp binder with fully-automated setup. It produces up to 1,350 bound books per hour and features a 10.4-inch LCD touch screen. The BQ-470 binds books up to 2.5 inches thick and its interchangeable glue tanks support ethylene-vinyl acetate and PUR adhesives. Its PUR glue tank allows the bindery to service digital color books.

Bookmasters upholds a comprehensive recycling program and uses biodegradable inks. Its environmental responsibilities include ten, 30, and 100 percent post-consumer waste papers for manufacturing.

Edwards Brothers Malloy
A global print solutions provider, Edwards Brothers Malloy transitioned to digital after recognizing a market shift in inventory management. Established in 1893, the company serves publishers of all sizes including self-published authors in Ann Arbor, MI. It specializes in short-run manufacturing and offers distribution services for smaller publishers while bringing in 90 million dollars in annual sales.

The book manufacturer began as a mimeographing and typewriting business. With the evolution of print technology, it soon made its way to offset in 1930 and digital in 2013 with the Ricoh InfoPrint 5000. Today, digital print is 30 percent of the company’s business.

With 600 employees and multiple locations, the company serves global print solutions from North America to Asia. Edwards Brothers Malloy owns and operates seven digital printing facilities and provides manufacturing and shipping services from IL, MI, NC, and PA within the U.S. and the U.K. Its offset manufacturing facility in MI has 186,000 square feet of space and its digital and printing facility 100,000 square feet.

“We’re a book and journal manufacturer—most of what we do ends up in a bookstore, classroom, library, or home,” says John Edwards, president/CEO, Edwards Brothers Malloy, Inc. Its markets include kindergarten through 12th grade, higher education markets, trade publishers, associations, self-publishing, and scientific, technical, and medical publishers.

“We like to be diversified in the markets we serve as a hedge against market fluctuations—if one segment is down, another is usually up. The common denominator is that we specialize in short runs of fewer than 10,000 copies,” adds Edwards.

The company recognizes the advantages of digital print for book publishers as no minimum page count or bulk requirements for soft covers, the ability to produce ultra-thin bound books, no compromise for trim size, and “green” digital printing.

Edwards Brothers Malloy moved into digital after recognizing the market shift and as inventory became a major concern for controlling costs. “Publishers could no longer afford to focus solely on the unit cost of a book—they needed to start looking at the total landed costs of each title, including the cost of unsold inventory,” explains Edwards.

As run lengths became shorter, the company realized that offset operation was not cost effective at runs under 200 copies. After the installation of its first digital print center in 1997, the company reinvented its purpose to provide publishers with an alternative to offset. Digital print allows the company to produce books in 24 hours or less.

According to Edwards, “the market is always looking for faster schedules. Digital printing has helped us get there without sacrificing quality.” He believes digital manufacturing should be a part of every book’s life plan from initial print run to print on demand digital services. “We call this life of title management. Through better forecasting and planning, publishers can manage printing and inventory more closely to actual demand, thus reducing inventory and associated costs.”

The company’s digital centers include a mix of presses from Canon Océ, Kodak, Xerox, a Ricoh Pro C9110 toner press, and the recently installed Ricoh Pro VC60000 inkjet press.

The Ricoh Pro VC60000 produces 1,200×1,220 dpi at 164 fpm. It handles a maximum paper size of 20.5 inches and includes climate controls for added dry heat with an optional extended dryer. The Ricoh Pro C9110 stores up to 18,150 sheets of paper and produces two-sided specialty and oversized projects up to 27.5 inches long. It prints on specialty media including coated, metallic, super gloss, and transparent.

“They offer the speed and quality we’re looking for in our digital operation—things that can give us a direct competitive advantage,” shares Edwards.

The company’s finishing solutions include a variety of equipment from C.P. Bourg, Muller Martini, and Standard Horizon binders, GP2 and ODM case makers, Foliant and GBC laminators, and Challenge and Standard Horizon cutters and trimmers. “We’re constantly looking for the most cost-effective way to produce a quality digital book,” says Edwards.

Edwards Brothers Malloy offers journal service printing from design assistance to production support. The company is a short- to medium-run journal manufacturer that serves scientific, technical, mathematical, professional, and library markets. Its client base includes the University of Chicago Press, American Bar Association, American Accounting Association, Sage Publications, and Springer Science Publishing. Its journal services division produces more than 600 scholarly publications.

According to Edwards, not all publishers utilize digital manufacturing to its fullest potential yet, he says, but the trend is moving quickly as the quality of digital manufacturing becomes indistinguishable. “We’re seeing more of a mix over the life of each title, with smaller printings done more often to keep inventory alignment with current demand,” he adds.

Digital Book Publishing
Digital print technology allows traditional manufacturers, including publishers, to update book production to meet consumer demands. Digital presses and finishing solutions bring a variety of value-added impressions and offer print on demand, small batches of book production, and innovative cover design. Self-publishers, publishing houses of all sizes, and educational institutions benefit from the advancements of digital print and finishing technology.

May2017, DPS Magazine

Making Moves

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By Cassandra Balentine

Production inkjet diversifies with cutsheet systems that offer continuous improvements in color and media compatibility to broaden its appeal. First targeted at direct mail environments, these solutions generate attention from the commercial space with the latest advancements.

Despite the benefits to inkjet, high acquisition costs as well as quality and media restrictions challenge the adoption of continuous feed inkjet. Cutsheet devices offer a lower cost of acquisition, smaller footprint, and quality that make them suitable for new markets.

According to research firm, InfoTrends, these devices fall in the “zone of disruption,” and target the production gap between cutsheet toner and continuous-feed inkjet, which is a monthly volume between one and ten million. Cutsheet inkjet devices feature a smaller sheet size, typically B3 and B4 sheets, allowing two and four up, respectively.

Here we discuss the benefits, limitations, and opportunity for cutsheet inkjet as it expands its role in digital production print.

New Opportunity
The combination of the reduced costs of inkjet and the media and application flexibility of sheet-fed production allow print providers to produce record-high volumes while experiencing high uptimes, says Erik van Deurzen, senior director of product marketing, Canon Solutions America.

“They can do this with increased quality that rivals the look and feel of toner, but at price points that rival offset printing. With recent advances in technology, sheet-fed inkjet is truly the optimal crossover point of quality and affordability,” he adds.

Scott Robertz, digital printing systems product manager, Komori, points out that the biggest opportunities for cutsheet inkjet printers align with many of the same benefits offered by digital printing in general, including growth in high-value, variable data/image applications that enable marketers to better target customers, and the trend for shorter print runs produced on demand without the need for warehousing and waste. “Current technologies now offer printers the ability to print with a quality that is indistinguishable from offset and use the same paper stocks and substrates found in their pressroom. This gives them a great deal of freedom and flexibility when determining the appropriate output device while being transparent to their customers.”

John Santoli, global product manager, Xerox Brenva HD Production Inkjet Press and Chris Irick, worldwide product marketing manager, entry production inkjet, Xerox, comment that historically, the largest print shops have had the high volumes, deep pockets, and available floor space required to justify seven-figure inkjet acquisitions, but times are changing.

“Print operations need new, better options to not only compete, but give them an edge to transform their shops and triumph over industry challenges,” they share. “There are several use cases where a cutsheet inkjet press makes sense, print shops that produce color applications that lend themselves to lower area coverage—like transactional statements, direct mail, booklets, and manuals, and want to lower their overall cost of print associated with this work; or an existing inkjet that uses a roll-to-roll press and want a cost-effective way to produce their short-run work, such as reprints.”

Santoli and Irick point out that the value proposition of a cutsheet inkjet press is a lower total cost of ownership. “Printers no longer need to invest $1 million plus in an inkjet press to achieve a lower run cost. Cutsheet systems are less expensive to acquire, making the benefit of lower inkjet run costs accessible to more printers,” they add.

Additionally, the cost and footprint offer the potential for redundancy, giving customers the flexibility to manage print volume peaks and maintain critical production should a press be down for maintenance or repair.

Early to Adopt
Early adopters of cutsheet inkjet were primarily in the direct mail space, however, the latest advancements are attractive to commercial and book printers. Overall, applications regularly produced with cutsheet inkjet include direct mail, brochures, pocket folders, marketing collateral, posters, books, transactional, point of purchase, folding cartons, educational materials, and cards.

“Early adopters shifted their business models to compete based on value, instead of price per piece. They’ve shifted applications from mass production to mass customization at a lower price point while still maintaining toner-like quality,” says van Deurzen. He says other early adopters come from companies that recognize that inkjet is the wave of the future, but cannot invest in larger continuous feed inkjet since sheet-fed devices tend to have a lower acquisition price that enables smaller and mid-sized printers to take advantage of inkjet technology.

“There is definitely pent-up demand for cutsheet inkjet systems,” share Santoli and Irick. They suggest a group of printers have been patiently waiting for inkjet technology to find its way into a smaller cutsheet footprint. “These early adopters are not limited to a particular segment of the production print market. We’re seeing printers in the in plant and service bureau markets showing a great interest in our cutsheet inkjet product.”

Grant Robinson, business development manager, Delphax, says early adopters for Delphax include companies with a number of low-volume electrophotographic devices, which have been replaced with a single inkjet device for a higher level of productivity, faster turnaround times, and more cost-effective production. “Typically, these are producing personalized direct mail documents and billing statements,” he offers.

On the Horizon
As the technology continues to develop, the possibilities have just begun.

Advancements in cutsheet inkjet come in the form of productivity as printers learn the technology and adapt their businesses and applications for optimal results and from technology as manufacturers continue to improve upon current solutions, predicts van Deurzen.

Robertz says the industry can expect the introduction of 40-inch cutsheet inkjet devices that continue to expand the range and capabilities of digital, commercial, and package printers. For example, Komori debuted its Impremia NS40 nanographic printing system, producing 6,500 full-size, four-color, 40-inch sheets per hour (sph).

Robinson believes we can expect to see the gap between cutsheet and roll fed productivity decrease, allowing print providers to leverage the flexibility of cutsheet at a much more attractive return on investment. “We also foresee continued improvements to image quality on a number of fronts across all inkjet printhead technologies,” he adds.

Santoli and Irick say new technology advancements help shape the future of devices in the cutsheet inkjet segment of production print. “This could include improved speeds and feeds, image quality, and productivity enhancements. These technology advancements will drive tremendous growth opportunities for print providers to capture high-value pages and profit in new ways across a broader landscape of high-value applications.”

In the short term, expect to see offerings that increase the value of the existing platforms—expanded tested substrate list, additional inline finishing options, and workflow options that make the press more productive. “Although less expensive than a roll-to-roll inkjet press, printers still want to squeeze out as much value from their investment as possible. By offering a full range of options that reduce the printer’s overall touch points is one way to deliver on that promise,” say Santoli and Irick.

Current Limitations
Media compatibility is the primary challenge facing the cutsheet inkjet market, but working with paper manufacturers and their own development teams, manufacturers are resolving this issue.

Santoli and Irick sum up the challenges to cutsheet inkjet in a word—paper. They say many inkjet papers are available for roll-fed presses, but the options for a cutsheet system are limited in comparison. “Paper plays a critical role in the resulting image quality for any inkjet press and the paper mills are just now reacting to this emerging opportunity. There is a growing need for inkjet treated coated papers—papers that provide the look and feel of an offset coated sheet, but work on a pigmented water-based inkjet press. Over time, we fully expect that there will be plenty of cost-effective papers that provide customers with the number of options they are accustomed to.”

Xerox continues to work with its paper suppliers to provide specifications and requirements and expand its tested substrate list for Brenva. In parallel, Santoli and Irick say their engineering team is working on expanding the value proposition for the Brenva platform in the future, which includes higher print resolution and support for a full range of offset stocks.

van Deurzen agrees with the media challenge, but points out that this is changing. “The media options currently available for sheetfed inkjet are still not as diverse as what is available for toner devices, but that margin narrows with each passing month as more papers are tested and certified.”

Specifically, van Deurzen says Canon Solutions America works with every major paper vendor in the industry to co-develop and rigorously test high-quality papers for its inkjet devices. “We are testing gloss stocks, textured stocks, and heavier weighted stocks for the Océ VarioPrint. Canon Solutions America has three labs dedicated to inkjet that test, qualify, and fine tune technology, media, and ink, ensuring its production printer customers benefit from optimum output quality, productivity, and uptime. Extensive test-print media catalogs demonstrate the quality obtainable from both pigment and dye inks,” he attests.

Robinson also says media represents a primary limitation of cutsheet inkjet. “In typical variable data applications, cutsheet media combined with inkjet appears to be a very good fit for the market. The largest issue facing any inkjet vendor—both in and outside of North America—is securing the appropriate medias that are a match for the end customer’s applications and expectations,” he offers.

“We are already very engaged with a number of paper manufacturers to find cost-effective inkjet treated papers,” he adds. “The industry is certainly waking up to the potential revenue opportunities of inkjet, following a slow start after drupa 2012. We believe in North America this is nearing the tipping point, but for markets—such as those in the far East—this continues to be a struggle and we are continuing our work with our media partners to address this.”

Besides paper, Robertz notes that similar to all digital printing devices, “there is always the desire for higher throughput at lower cost per page.”

To address this, Komori offers the Impresmia IS20, which is designed to adapt to advancements in inkjet technology. “While the IS29 currently operates at a throughput rate of 300 letter impressions per minute, the press has the capability of handling sheets at many times that rate. Higher throughput translates to lower cost per impression, which in turn lowers the total cost of ownership for our customers and expands the scope of applications that can be profitably produced,” he offers.

Cutsheet Products
In a short amount of time, several vendors launched cutsheet inkjet solutions. Many were introduced at the last drupa in 2016.

Last year, more than 70 placements of the Océ VarioPrint i300 sheetfed inkjet presses were reported in the market. “Those machines quickly ramped up in productivity, printing over one billion impressions, with one customer even printing 8.5 million impressions in a single month. All of this was done with an average uptime of 97 percent. On the technology side, the beauty of the iQuarris platform, which powers the VarioPrint i300, is that you can expect advancements each and every year as it relates to ink, paper section, and general equipment upgrades,” says van Deurzen.

iQuarius Technologies include iQuarius CMYK Inks, Sheet Entry Control, Precision Sheet Control, In-Line Quality Inspection, and the iQuarius Drying System.

The Canon Océ VarioPrint i300 targets heavy production volumes of one to ten million pages per month. It handles paper sizes up to 13.9×19.7 inches and produces 600×600 dpi output with drop size modulation to deliver 1,200 dpi perceived image quality.

The VarioPrint i300 optional ColorGrip feature enables printing on a wider range of media, expanding the application range. ColorGrip enhances the image quality on papers not designed for inkjet, giving these papers a print quality rivaling inkjet treated stocks. ColorGrip also expands the media range to include some coated offset stocks, enabling print jobs to include a variety of coated, uncoated, and treated stocks. The printer automatically adjusts the print parameters for each media type on a sheet-by-sheet basis.

The company also announced the Océ VarioPrint i-Series Release 2, an expansion into a family of ground breaking products that include the introduction of the Océ VarioPrint i200 press, a MICR version for sensitive financial documents and the previously launched Océ VarioPrint i300 device. Powered by Océ iQuarius technologies the expansion is set to provide inkjet productivity combined with sheet-fed versatility while offering cost-effective premium inkjet quality prints on an expansive range of media.

At 194 letter-sized ppm, the Canon Océ VarioPrint i200 is designed to bridge the gap between the Canon imagePRESS C10000 device at up to 100 pages per minute (ppm) and the Océ VarioPrint i300 device at 294 ppm and the Océ ColorStream and Océ ProStream series’ with its sheet-fed versatility and consolidation of monochrome and color printing.

Delphax presents the elan 500, which offers an average monthly duty cycle of two million letter-sized images and a maximum of five million letter-sized images. The maximum sheet size is 18×26 inches and it features a maximum thickness of 350 gsm simplex, 240 gsm duplex. The maximum print resolution is 1,600×1,600 dpi and it utilizes Memjet Waterfall MEMS-based semi-conductor inkjet printheads.

The elan offers print speeds of up to 500 letter images per minute, a small footprint, low power consumption, a streamlined PDF workflow, and a broad range of compatible substrates.

The device had a soft launch in 2014 with a full launch at drupa 2016.

The Fujifilm J Press 720S runs at 2,700 B2 sph. The maximum print width is 20.24 to 28.86 inches. The thickest stock the press is specified to run is 14 pt. Maximum print resolution is 1,200×1,200 dpi.

The J Press 720S utilizes Fujifilm Dimatix Samba inkjet printheads, incorporating Fujifilm’s VersaDrop wavelength jetting technology along with Fujifilm Vividia aqueous pigment inks.

Differentiating factors of the device include a high image quality, which is achieved through its advanced printheads and jetting technology. The press provides color consistency and the ability to achieve approximately 80 percent of Pantone colors with a four-color process. Additionally, Fujifilm provides its cloud-based ColorPath Synch color management solution. The J Press 720S has the ability to run both coated and uncoated standard offset stocks due to the use of a rapid coagulation primer, which is applied in real time to each sheet that acts as an ink receptor. It is colorless and has no smell.

Konica Minolta’s AccurioJet KM-1 Inkjet Press combines the speed and flexibility of offset presses with the digital benefits of variable data printing and zero make-ready. It prints on 23×29.5-inch sheets, allowing for six-up letter-size printing.

The device produces up to 3,000 sph and 1,200×1,200 dpi. According to the company, it features automatic duplex printing from .06 to.45mm sheet thickness; simplex printing from .06 to .6mm sheet thickness; superior stability with absolute consistency in paper-feeding, registration, image quality, and repeatability; and image quality, color gamut, and glossiness that rivals offset presses.

The Komori Impremia IS29 is a UV inkjet perfecting printing system that can print six-up signatures at 1,200×1,200 dpi on a range of substrates. The machine’s maximum monthly duty cycle is 10,000,000 four-color letter impressions and an average monthly duty cycle of 2,000,000 four-color letter impressions. It also features a print width of 22.6 inches, a maximum sheet size of 23×29.5 inches, maximum media thickness of single-sided 24 pt. and maximum media thickness, double-sided at 18 pt. It features 1,200×1,200 dpi with multi-level drop sizes. The system prints at full speed at this resolution. It uses a drop-on-demand, piezoelectric UV inkjet with LED curing and a Komori sheet-fed press paper transport and construction.

The print quality of the Impremia IS29 is visually indistinguishable from Komori sheetfed offset presses and the IS29 prints on the same substrates without the need for treatment of any type,” points out Robertz. He also notes that the UV inkjet technology is designed to provide substrate freedom to its customers compared to aqueous inkjet. “It can print offset-grade gloss coated, matte coated, uncoated, textured, and embossed paper along with many synthetic substrates.”

Pricing based on system configuration. The IS29 was launched at drupa in 2016.

In addition to its ComColor line of business-focused cutsheet inkjet products, RISO Inc. recently showcased a concept press intended for the high-volume production market. The RISO T2 high-speed cutsheet system offers a significant improvement in efficiency for duplex printing, reaching speeds of 300 duplexed prints per minute.

Xerox offers inkjet solutions, including the Xerox Brenva HD Production Inkjet Press, a cutsheet inkjet product. The device offers speeds of up to 182 letter/A4 images per minute and a print width of 14.3×20.5 inches.

The Xerox Brenva HD Production Inkjet Press combines the cost effectiveness of inkjet with the flexibility of cutsheet, enabling print providers to capture growth opportunities in key application areas.

Emerging Trends
Cutsheet inkjet solutions enable a more affordable point of entry compared to continuous feed systems for print environments looking to invest in inkjet. As quality and media capabilities continually improve, the potential for placement of these solutions expands. With a few years of experience behind them, many cutsheet inkjet production presses are ready for prime time.

May2017, DPS Magazine

W2P by Industry

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By Olivia Cahoon

Web-to-print (W2P) solutions include industry-specific features for smooth integration into vertical print environments. Industries that utilize W2P solutions include financial services, manufacturing, retail and franchise, education, non-profits, in plants, and packaging and labels.

“Printers of all types are looking for partners to provide them state-of-the-art platforms and tools that keep pace with ever-changing technology needs,” says Charlotte Tueckmantel, GM/VP, W2P and value added products, EFI Productivity Software.

While every market has different requirements, there are even narrower individual needs for sectors within the same market. These markets share the need for integrated technology. “Technology requirements are never going to shrink, in fact, they are only going to increase. The biggest change is that these technologies have to become more integrated,” explains Ellen Faith Hurwitch, VP, director of operations, RedTie.

Here, we identify features, challenges, and advantages of W2P solutions in vertical markets.

Packaging and Labels Industry
The expansion of the digital label and packaging industry creates the need for businesses to streamline workflow and customer service into efficient W2P solutions. This market requires an easy-to-use shopping experience, instant price quotes, shipping and payment integration options, and a seamless job submission integration.

Modern shopping experiences include print buyer convenience and support for phones, tablets, laptops, and desktop devices. Consumers in this industry demand previews of packaging and labels to ensure functionality, accurate colors, brand representation, and sizes.

To meet these demands, W2P solutions include templates to deliver a mock up preview of the final object in context. Therese McGady, marketing associate, Aleyant, says that Aleyant eDocBuilder features the Surface Wrap add-on for labels and packaging.

“Instead of your customers simply viewing a finished wine bottle label, you can choose to have the label viewed as it would appear on the bottle,” explains McGady.

The packaging and labels market requests flexibility, customization, quicker turnarounds, and lower prices. Automated digital workflow solutions meet these demands to automatically connect online print stores to print production. “Removing touches through automation of the order entry, production, shipping, and the billing process is part of that cost reduction goal,” says McGady.

Aleyant’s Automated Workflow Integrator connects cloud-based stores with prepress departments for streamlined online operations.

W2P offers consumers simplified order processes, increased responsiveness, and design creativity in the packaging and labels industry. With the proper W2P solution, print shops receive profitable short runs, brand consistency, improved time to shelf, and improved responsiveness.

Within this market, there is a vital need to accurately represent packaging and labels. To offer consumers a better representation of packaging, some solutions collaborate W2P with three-dimensional (3D) platforms.

The Highcon Axis two-dimensional (2D) and 3D platform serves the complex paper and carton board production supply chain. “While W2P solutions handle only straightforward 2D products, like brochures or business cards, Highcon Axis handles the intricacies of 3D folding applications, including the ability to implement variable data cutting, etching, or scoring,” says Ido Tsalka, managing director, workflow solutions, Highcon.

According to Tsalka, shorter run packaging, growing emphasis on versioning, unpacking experience for online and trial, and seasonal, geographical, and event-driven campaigns are current trends impacting the packaging industry.

However, some consumers are uncomfortable using visualization and 3D software. W2P solutions must address the challenge of enabling consumers with the intricacies of package creation and production. This includes material strength, die-line options, and package and graphic sizes.

Bob Raus, North American category manager, workflow and partner programs, HP Indigo, says within the packaging and label segment, food and beverage packaging is vastly different from the manufacturing sector and requires full support for mobile.

As technology evolves, it’s important for W2P to fully support mobile access and have an intricate knowledge of the industry. HP utilizes several partner products including Aleyant for commercial print, Taopix for photo, Infigo for folding cartons, Pageflex for marketing automation, and XMPie for custom labels. “These partner products and more are pre-integrated to HP PrintOS Box and Site Flow to streamline production management from order to shipment,” says Raus.

Retail and Franchise Markets
Franchise markets and multi-location retail agencies seek brand cohesiveness. “The key is to allow the local retailers to create their own marketing material, using pre-approved templates and content,” says Glenn Bailey, advisor, Mediawide. This method allows the brand to look and feel identical in any location with the capabilities to change specific areas like product and pricing.

Bailey believes that HTML5 technology is an integral requirement for franchises and retailers. “This is so the editing of the marketing material can be fast, efficient, live, and on any platform,” adds Bailey. HTML5 is compatible with Apple iPads and Android tablets. It provides real-time visual update changes directly on the screen.

Mediawide’s Brandmark Workflow Manager is a project management tool for print and digital promotions. The Brandmark Ad Builder is a set of interactive HTML5-based tools for localized brand promotion, advertisement creation, and digital signage. “The Brandmark Dynamic Resizing module allows print advertisements and in-store signage to fit perfectly in the areas they are destined for,” says Bailey.

As retail and franchise markets make the move to digital, it’s important that W2P solutions handle the industry’s requirements. “I am seeing a big shift from on premises-based technologies to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) hosting or cloud-based offerings. My estimate is that the demand keeps growing at 20 percent every year,” says Slava Apel, CEO, Amazing Print.

Franchise and retail markets require multi-department approving, budget management, in store kiosks, retail and corporate storefronts, and online designing, proofing, and estimation. According to Apel, with these features clients are spread between internal efficiencies that improve budgets and workforce collaboration between departments, redundancy and accessibility, cost reporting per department, and automated workflows to remove manual touches.

Slava adds that Amazing Print includes a large variety of templates and images available for online design and a list of third party integration toolsets between MIS, data, mailing, and inventory.

Specific W2P solutions exist in the financial industry’s mortgage sector. Cendix offers a mortgage marketing portal for mortgage brokers. “We also do a lot of work with banks and independent insurance agents,” says Wilson Zehr, CEO, Cendix. The W2P solutions post corporate approved items and personalize on demand print.

Consumers today make more purchases online. Adam Witek, manager, PagePath Technologies, believes W2P technology evolves to remove human error from print ordering. “The easier it is to explain print ordering to your customer, the more apt they are to purchase. Give them a great online ordering experience and they are sure to come back,” he comments.

Job modifications are critical for retail W2P storefronts. Shop employees must be able to access and modify changes on behalf of the print buyer. PagePath Technologies offers MyOrderDesk to combat time and save each employee three to five hours a week. “When the shop can take the average time to process simple jobs from 15 to two minutes, then the game changes,” adds Witek.

Businesses within the financial industry demand integration features for process management. Tim Cox, managing director, Vpress Ltd., says Vpress provides cloud-based brand management and procurement platforms. Vpress Coreprint includes application program interfaces (APIs) for integration into web interfaces, payment gateways, MIS, production workflow, warehousing, campaign management tools, and third party systems.

Restaurants also have access to personalized W2P solutions. Print Science features Unified Menus, a franchise restaurant menu management system that gives franchises the flexibility to create custom versions of menus and promotional items to cater to local markets.

“Unified Menus guarantees that the menus created by the franchises comply with the corporate branding requirements,” says John Weissberg, president, Print Science.

In-Plant Operations
Print businesses and in plants rely on W2P’s ability to effectively manage a broader end-to-end workflow. EFI’s Productivity Suite MIS/ERP workflow offers this capability and features an integrated digital production workflow where Digital StoreFront is connected to a Fiery-driven workflow.

“The features give printing companies customer service advantages for offering easier job submission, including automatic order status visibility and a much faster production process where in many cases, jobs go from the online submission stage almost directly to the output queue on a platesetter or digital press,” says Tueckmantel.

Some W2P solutions include tools to create customized sites so printing companies may quickly create online ordering for client brand promotions. Other important features for print shops and in-plant W2P solutions include job quoting capabilities, uploading finished artwork, and complete online transactions.

“Commercial printers and in plants alike rely on these tools to offer clients a range of self-serve printed and non-printed products,” adds Tueckmantel.

Rochester Software Associates offers W2P solutions for in-plant operations in education, insurance, manufacturing, retail, and non-profit. Vincent Tutino, WebCRD senior, product manager, Rochester Software Associates, believes in-plant markets are heavily concerned with security.

“Technology is always moving. All of our customers are sensitive to security concerns,” says Tutino. To overcome this challenge, W2P solutions should evolve security management to match technology advancements. Improvements in technology allow workflow touch point reductions for efficient production.

W2P security functions include dedicated URLs to host secure storefronts and secure end user single sign on or password entry capabilities. Tim Rodman, VP of sales, W2Psoftware, says W2Psoftware markets these features and credit card and general account code transactions, automatic delivery protocol and inventory tracking.

Steve Enstad, co-founder/CEO, PageDNA, believes in-plant concerns include responding to pressure to outsource or using facility management services versus owned manufacturing. PageDNA supports mail merge, online dynamic job pricing, and e-commerce functions.

Financial and Healthcare Sectors
Regulations in financial services and healthcare often change and include exceptions. “For example, customers are frequently given the choice of going paperless. However, by regulation some highly personalized documents must still be delivered via some media,” says Judy Berlin, marketing VP, XMPie, A Xerox Company. To create and deliver relevant content, W2P platforms must fully integrate all channels through a common core.

The financial and healthcare industries benefit from open systems that integrate with a variety of third party systems. XMPie features APIs that integrate third party systems like PunchOut2Go, a gateway to eProcurement systems. The API allows consumers to offer W2P services to enterprises that mandate working with specific systems like Ariba, Oracle, and SAP.

APIs allow for back-end management system integrations as well. These two-way integrations enable print providers to monitor stock, inventory, and pricing management. Bi-directional communication between two systems creates a full alignment between W2P online quoting and ordering to the back office. “It cannot be stated emphatically enough—a key feature for any W2P system is that it integrate to other systems through a comprehensive set of APIs,” adds Berlin.

Multiple language support and affordable rates are exceptional W2P features that the financial and heathcare sectors demand. Rafael Royz, CEO, B2Cprint, comments that B2Cprint offers this as well as online design and SaaS-based storefronts to support selling any type of print product.

Marketing Agencies
Marketing agencies implement flexible W2P solutions to work with customers from previously mentioned markets and industries. W2P solutions that cater to marketing agencies and printers should be flexible enough to meet end user needs.

These solutions should also provide an answer to customer challenges. Hurwitch suggests identifying the end user’s issue and using the W2P solution to demonstrate how the solution solves it.

“Used in the right way, W2P solutions solve a number of customer problems, be that approval procedures, credit control or band control, and many others. Solving a customer’s problems creates a dependency, a significant reason to stay as customers,” adds Hurwitch.

She suggests consumers explore W2P suppliers that offer a great support system that extends beyond technical questions. “One that offers you services for building procedures and offering custom development,” Hurwitch adds. RedTie offers a pay-as-you-go solution that includes online template driven products for users with different experience levels.

Jordan Melick, business development manager, Accura MIS, stresses the importance of fast, easy to use, end-to-end, and scalable solutions. “With Accura you only purchase the components you need for your business model,” says Melick. Therefore, companies efficiently utilize W2P systems based on the individual’s needs.

W2P for All
Print buyers with limited knowledge or expectations of digital technology may run into W2P challenges. Tueckmantel says implementing W2P software requires internal change to fully leverage the software’s capabilities. It’s important for print buyers to invest in training and purchase W2P solutions that cater to designated markets to ensure the company’s success.

May2017, DPS Magazine

Next Generation IT Management

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By DPS Staff

Konica Minolta Inc. invited press and analysts to Berlin, Germany for the launch of Workplace Hub. The IT solution is designed to unify all aspects of an organization’s technology in one centralized platform to future-proof workplaces of every size as they undergo digital transformations.

At the Konica Minolta Spotlight event, attendees glimpsed version one of the solution, which is scheduled for availability this Fall. Workplace Hub eases IT complexity by providing more efficient and effective management of tools, services, and devices used by modern businesses.

“The workplace is evolving at an unparalleled rate and digital transformation is becoming increasingly important to both survival and future prosperity,” says Shoei Yamana, CEO/president, Konica Minolta, Inc. “Workplace Hub not only allows businesses of all sizes to achieve effective transformation, but future-proof themselves against the next wave of technology innovations already infiltrating the business environment.”

The platform represents the next phase of Konica Minolta’s history of innovation. It provides real-time, data-driven insights to improve business processes though an ecosystem that manages and coordinates entire IT infrastructures and services across existing and future IT systems, devices, and services.

“Workplace Hub will evolve to become the most comprehensive platform for the services and capabilities demanded by the workplace of the future,” comments Dennis Curry, VP/director of business innovation and R&D, Konica Minolta. “It means businesses can grow and manage their IT in tandem with changing business needs.”

The Workplace Hub enables Konica Minolta to deliver a comprehensive digital transformation solution, backed by its products and services for the overall business market.

May2017, DPS Magazine

One Canon 2017

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By DPS Staff

Canon U.S.A., Inc. recently held its One Canon event from March 7 to 9, 2017 in Boca Raton, FL for industry analysts and journalists. The affair outlined the company’s Business Imaging Solutions Group’s (BISG) progress since the Océ Canon Business Strategy announced last August.

Throughout the event, key executives were on hand to discuss the initiative’s effect on Canon as a whole, and provide a deeper look into its business units, including Production Print, Large Format, and Enterprise Solutions.

Yoroku (Joe) Adachi, chairman and CEO, Canon U.S.A., Inc. and EVP, Canon Inc. spoke about the company’s positioning. He pointed out that Canon continuously ranks highly for patent holdings, reporting 4,000 patents granted in 2016.

Mal Baboyian, SVP, BISG Océ products marketing and support, Canon U.S.A., discussed milestones of Canon’s continuous and cutsheet inkjet product lines and its large format portfolio.

Hiro Imamura, SVP/GM, marketing, BISG, Canon U.S.A., shared 2016 highlights and 2017 projections for the company’s enterprise solutions products.

Solutions Showcase
The event featured a Solutions Showcase, which provided interactive demonstrations across the company’s production, wide format, and enterprise product lines.

The company also announced the third generation of its varioPRINT DP product line with the release of the varioPrint 140 Series. Positioned for small to mid-sized commercial printers and in plants, the varioPRINT 140 Series is well suited for environments with average monthly print volumes up to 800,000 letter-size images.

Canon also demonstrated enterprise workflow features as a result of its relationship with Box, Inc. and MxHero, Inc.

The event also featured the launch of the Océ Colorado 1640, a wide format device built on the company’s new UVgel technology. It combines a new UV-curable ink from Canon that instantly gels on contact with media. It features piezoelectric printhead technology, an LED-based UV system that cures without adding any damaging heat to the media, as well as continuous printhead nozzle monitoring and performance compensation.

The Océ Colorado 1640 boasts top speeds of 1,710 square feet per hour (sf/h) and delivers high-quality, point of purchase prints at 430 sf/h.

One Canon
With its One Canon strategy underway, Canon is able to leverage different divisions of its business for mutual benefits.

May2017, DPS Magazine