Olivia Cahoon

Graph Expo 2016 Highlights

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By DPS Staff

Produced by the Graphic Arts Show Company, the popular print trade show provides a venue for the latest graphic communications technologies and equipment demonstrations targeting several key market segments.

This year, the event featured more than 70 interactive learning sessions and over 40 co-located events for attendees. Breaking from its typical Chicago, IL-based venue, the trade show took place at the Orange County Convention Center – North from September 25 to 28, 2016.

On the Show Floor
The industry’s evolution is clear from the show floor at Graph Expo in 2016, compared to a decade ago. Digital technologies dominate the market.

Following the drupa show this Spring, Graph Expo 2016 hosted many North America debuts for products shown earlier this year in Germany.
For example, Canon displayed the Océ VarioPrint i300 digital press publically for the first time in North America. The cutsheet inkjet production press is poised to fit the market gap where electrophotographic equipment leaves off and continuous production inkjet picks up.

The company also premiered the imagePRESS C850 digital production press, which is designed for small- to medium-sized print environments.

While not on display in full physical form, HP announced the release of four new 30-inch HP PageWide Web presses powered by its High Definition Nozzle Architecture. The new presses provide high-quality color prints and enable print service providers (PSPs) to address a range of commercial printing applications, such as customized magazines, catalogs, and books.

Xerox and KBA discussed the development of an industrial digital sheetfed inkjet press for the folding carton market, the KBA VariJET 106. The press combines conventional printing and finishing technologies with digital inkjet printing for a hybrid, modular solution.

Konica Minolta showcased its bizhub PRESS C71cf, a continuous-feed, toner-based digital label printer that outputs at speeds of up to 62 feet per minute on 13-inch wide rolls. The company also displayed post-press enhancement solutions from MGI.

Ricoh unveiled its high-speed B&W digital print platform, the Ricoh Pro 8220s Series, which is capable of printing long sheets of up to 27.5 inches. The company also displayed new neon yellow toner as part of the fifth color station offering of the Ricoh Pro C7100X production press.

In addition to spotlights the new gray ink for the ComColor GD series of professional inkjet solutions, RISO, Inc. showcased a technology preview of two concept presses—both continuous and cutsheet—targeting the production inkjet market.

Functional Finishing
The latest in finishing optimized for digital print environments was also shown.

Duplo highlighted a range of products; including the 600i Booklet System, 600i PRO Digital Booklet System, the iSaddle PRO Digital booklet system, and a preview of its Digital Spot UV Coater with CCD camera recognition system.

Muller Martini’s booth was dedicated to “The Future,” offering solutions effective for a fully automated workflow. Live equipment demonstrations illustrated how digital and offset printed signatures are processed concurrently with its products.

Standard Finishing Systems offered bookletmaking, binding, and trimming through live product demonstrations that focused on the entire workflow, from creation to finishing. Among its products displayed, the Standard Horizon RD-4055 Rotary Die Cutter, which produces a variety of unique applications and can achieve up to 6,000 cycles per hour on sheet sizes up to 15.74×21.65 inches.

In addition to equipment demonstrations, software solutions were prevalent on the show floor.

Aleyant launched its PrintJobManager, a cloud-based MIS/ERP solution accessible on all types of mobile and non-mobile devices. The product integrates Aleyant’s Pressero Web to print system so that users have all of their data in one place.

Avanti unveiled the latest version of its Avanti Slingshot cloud-based print MIS solution, which provides integration with HP PrintOS. Additionally, the company’s point of sale module leads to faster order entry, invoice generation, and reporting functionality.

Canon highlighted its PRISMA Suite workflow, which is designed to optimize print production from job submission to completion and drives print operations and new applications. The PRISMAproduction Server acts as a single workflow and output management systems for TransPromo and graphic arts environments with a unified platform.

These are just a few of the products announced, highlighted, or demonstrated at Graph Expo. For a more comprehensive wrap up, visit dpsmagazine.com.

PRINT 17
While Orlando provided a nice change of scenery for Graph Expo, we’re excited to head back to Chicago next year for the PRINT 17 show. The event is scheduled from September 10 to 14, 2017 at McCormick Place. dps

Nov2016, DPS Magazine

thINK 2016

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By DPS Staff

thINK is an independent community of Canon Solutions America production print customers, solution partners, and print industry experts. For the second consecutive year, the organization held its user conference. Taking place in Boca Raton, FL from October 10 to 12, 2016 at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, the event was deemed a success by show organizers.
The community’s mission is to assist businesses in achieving accelerated growth and productivity through a dynamic, collaborative community. thINK provides a forum to network with peers, share best practices, and learn from industry leaders and partners.

Inspiration Focused
The second thINK conference kicked off with a welcome from Mark DeBoer, president, thINK/director of customer experience, Darwill, as well as Dave Johannes, VP and 2016 conference chair, thINK; Victor Bohnert, executive director, thINK; Mal Baboyian, EVP, large format solutions/production print solutions, Canon Solutions America; Francis A. McMahon, SVP, marketing and sales operations, Canon Solutions America, and Eric Hawkinson, senior director, marketing, Canon Solutions America.

In his welcome note, DeBoer pointed out that the event’s theme—the Power of Community—represents the benefits of bringing its members and partners together.
Spanning three days, the conference featured four keynote speakers, including tennis player Chris Evert; inspirational speaker, Scott Burrows; Jonathan Margulies of the Winterberry Group, and David Humphreys, director of custom research for the Americas for The Economist Intelligence Unit PRIMIR.

Additionally, the event featured a Partner Pavilion hosting booths from thINK sponsors including Appvion, Arcis, BCC Software, Canon Solutions America, CMC, Crawford Technologies, Dalim Software, Domtar, EMT International, Finch Paper, Georgia Pacific, GEP, Glatfelter, GMC Software, International Paper, Ironsides Technology, Lindenmeyr Munroe, Mac Papers, MBO America, Midland Paper, Mitsubishi Imaging, Inc., Mondi, Muller Martini, Prinova, Rolland, Sefas, Spiral, Standard Finishing, Tecnau, Tharstern, Trekk, Ultimate Technographics, Verso, and Videk.

The event offered more than 30 education sessions, designed for all levels of inkjet experience. Over 60 speakers presented on topics including the role of inkjet in profitable print, optimizing workflow, and finding the right paper for a job.
As production inkjet technologies mature and adoption continues, thINK plans to help Canon Solutions America users succeed through education and networking. dps

Nov2016, DPS Magazine

Inkjet Evolution

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By Cassandra Balentine

High-speed production inkjet has come a long way in the past several years. One critical factor driving the speed and quality behind these systems are printheads.

There are two forms of printhead technologies available for the high-speed production print market, continuous and drop on demand. Continuous inkjet printheads steadily produce and fire drops of ink, while drop on demand—whether thermal or piezoelectric—produce drops of ink only when required.

Printhead advancements and other improvements enable the opportunity for more applications for inkjet. This article outlines the latest application targets, noteworthy printhead improvements, and a rundown of printhead advancements as they relate to popular presses.

Evolution of Applications
Production inkjet technologies first targeted transactional applications, but with quality improvements, these devices are utilized for everything from books to direct mail.

“With continuous improvements in the print quality, customers are able to increase the range of supported applications. Production inkjet was originally limited to addressing and salutation, but with the current generation of inkjet, customers are producing high-quality direct mail, marketing collateral, and personalized product catalogs,” says Ed Wong, director, product marketing, Ricoh USA, Inc.

Michael Poulin, director of product marketing, Canon Solutions America, agrees, suggesting that its customers are now able to go after higher quality and more complex applications. “Commercial printers and high-end direct mail customers can now use our products for applications that a short time ago would be unheard of,” he admits.

Chris Echevarria, customer applications manager, and Yale Goldis, worldwide director of marketing and business development, HP PageWide Web Press Division, HP Inc., see a definite evolution happening in production inkjet. They explain that improved technology capabilities, such as machines with higher print quality, allow printers to offer more and higher quality products to customers. For example, a print provider producing books is now able to print higher quality color trade books, high-quality journals, and retail catalogs.

Patti Smith, worldwide senior director, strategy and partnerships, enterprise inkjet systems division, Kodak, also sees an evolution in terms of applications that inkjet has targeted over time. “For roll-fed inkjet production, the initial target was transactional printing. Over the past few years, roll-fed inkjet has moved into publishing markets for books and newspapers. The current trend is moving inkjet devices into the mainstream of commercial print. Further movement is into cutsheet markets in commercial printing. Packaging and labels are also a desirable market given the segment growth driven by increasing population and consumption of consumer goods.”

She adds that inkjet generates interest in the décor market with the promise for print on demand and short runs to reduce costly inventory from both excessive printed substrates and gravure cylinders. “These markets bring more challenges around the variety of substrates required, forcing inkjet manufacturers to develop new inks or pretreatments. Paper manufacturers are also focusing on new substrates that are optimized for inkjet in this market.”

Target Developments
Advances in printhead development enable speed and resolution improvements. Additionally, width expansion and scalability help print providers target more applications.

“Outside of the ever-increasing ink options, the next greatest development is speed and resolution,” shares Poulin, describing the developments printheads have undergone in the past three years. “We utilize three different subsets of printhead technology, depending on the speed of the equipment, even up to the latest and fastest-generating 1,200×1,200 dpi at 525 linear feet per minute (fpm).”

He adds that as product features and options progress, printheads advance along with them. “The speed and ink flexibility allow customers go into new markets and applications while remaining cost competitive.”

Richard Schmachtenberg, SVP, consumables development and manufacturing group, Xerox Corporation, says printheads targeting this space have moved towards higher resolution, higher jetting frequency, and small drop volumes. He suggests that most systems using these printheads have implemented automated maintenance and capping features to improve printhead reliability.

Smith notes that inkjet technology has been expanding into the industrial, publishing, and commercial printing markets over the past several years. “Inkjet printhead manufacturers have been focusing on a number of factors to differentiate their technology. More specifically, most manufacturers are targeting higher drop frequencies to enable higher speed or multiple drops per spot for higher image quality, higher resolutions, smaller drop sizes, compact footprints, lower cost, scalability for width and resolution, and improved printhead life.”

Wong feels the most important development is the availability of page-wide arrays. He says these long, linear printheads enable printing in a higher swath, with all nozzles properly aligned. “Historically, if you wanted to print across 12- or 17-inch paper paths, you’d be using smaller printheads with around 1,000 nozzles each, and you would have to have their orifices stitched together. Using the one long printhead avoids that stitching process and the slight misalignments that can arise from it and helps move into higher speed printing. Those rises in quality and speed can drive revenue,” he offers.

Driving Evolution
Printheads play a critical role in the capabilities of specific inkjet solutions. Here, we outline differentiating features and recent advancements to leading production inkjet presses and the printheads within them.

Canon Solutions America
Poulin explains that all of the Canon Solutions America production inkjet equipment for both the continuous—including Océ ColorStream, JetStream, and ImageStream products, and cutsheet—the Océ VarioPrint i300, use the same drop on demand piezoelectric printhead technology.

“Our experience shows that these printheads can last many years even in the very high-speed, high-volume products, running upwards of 165 million impressions per month,” says Poulin. Additionally, the company provides flexible maintenance plans.

For the manufacturing of the printheads, Canon Solutions Americas partners with Kyocera for the base printhead array and adds its own device electronics and proprietary software.
“These are robust and versatile printheads. The core technology allows for a range of printing inks and conditioning fluids including ColorGrip, Chromera inks, dye, pigment, MICR, security inks, and invisible inks that only show under UV light,” says Poulin.

Canon Solutions America produces production inkjet systems engineered to “achieve significantly high uptime targets—no matter the volume range,” says Poulin. “Our customers’ volumes range from one to two million per month to upwards of 100 million per month and all enjoy the full service and support capabilities of Canon Solutions America service and professional services teams, allowing our customers to focus on business and not worry about their printing equipment.”

As printhead technology moves forward, Poulin says that Canon Solutions America continues to strive for faster printheads with higher dpi, develop new inks for more applications, and work with partners to develop new substrates.
HP Inc.

HP offers drop on demand thermal inkjet technology. “As the premiere vertically integrated manufacturer and integrator of high-speed/high-production thermal inkjet printheads, HP is able to control all aspects of research, design, and manufacturing in order to produce high quality, high productivity, and versatile products—a requirement in high-volume print manufacturing sites,” say Echevarria and Goldis.

They suggest that the quality and speed as determined by the architecture of the actual inkjet nozzles is best described by the thousands of drops produced from HP’s latest printhead technology, with dual drop weight jetted from 2,400 nozzles per inch along the printheads. “Launched as High Definition Nozle Architecture (HDNA), this differentiating nozzle technology offers smooth halftones and fine highlight details in Quality mode for presses equipped with HDNA technology. Presses integrated with HP thermal inkjet technology have up to eight times nozzle redundancy, meaning that up to eight nozzles can address one pixel for more reliable production printing. And the recently announced HP PageWide Web Press T200 HD and T400 HD series printers are upgradable to use this latest technology, saving HP’s customers capital costs over buying new printing equipment,” share Echevarria and Goldis.

HDNA technology, along with press capability improvements and HP’s bonding agent and priming agent solutions are designed to enable customers to print a range of applications on a wide variety of media types from uncoated offset to coated offset, and inkjet treated and inkjet coated papers. Echevarria and Goldis say HP has more than 300 papers in its ColorPRO and Media Certification programs. “Customers benefit from the Quality mode capability to expand into higher quality books and journals. They can print direct mail and commercial print for more demanding customers. Alternatively, they can also print at higher speeds in performance mode to offer customers even faster turnaround times or higher volume print runs. HP’s customers print posters, journals, books, catalogs, magazines, direct mail, commercial print, and newspapers.”

They explain that printheads for production inkjet printers have improved in quality and increased productivity over the past few years. “HP’s HDNA technology allows HP PageWide Web Press T490 HD customers the option to run at higher print quality and Quality mode at up to 500 fpm or to increase their speed in Performance mode from 600 to 1,000 fpm. This is over 500,000 letter-sized pages an hour or up to 25,000 duplex B1 sheets per hour.”

Additionally, HP PageWide Web Press T490 HD customers can print in Quality mode at up to 250 fpm or in Performance mode at up to 500 fpm.

HP offers the same printhead in the HP PageWide Web Press T200 and T400 series presses, which target high-volume and ultra-high-volume segments. “Customers with either or both devices have access to the same printhead and solution capabilities, including nozzle redundancy for reliability, bonding agent and priming agent solutions for media breadth, and color management tools for flexibility and color consistency,” add Echevarria and Goldis.

Kodak
The Prosper Press 6000 from Kodak incorporates the company’s Stream Continuous Inkjet Technology. Smith says printhead life is approaching 2,000 hours on average. “The replacement cost is dependent on the service agreement. In some cases it is based on hours of print, and in other service models the charge is included with the service agreement.”

Kodak manufactures its Stream inkjet printheads.
Smith believes Kodak’s Stream Continuous Inkjet Printhead offers advantages over drop on demand technology, including drop placement accuracy, ink formulation, drop generation frequency, speed, and quality. “It should be recognized that resolution is not an accurate measure of image quality. Image quality is also determined by drop placement accuracy, the ink formulation, and the chemistries between the ink and the substrate. Kodak is unique in manufacturing the entire system solution, including both the hardware and the ink to optimize image quality. Stream printheads are differentiated in the ability to print quality images at full speed/productivity,” she explains.

Stream technology and Prosper printheads are developed to target graphic communications where image quality and productivity are key market requirements. “Target applications include both publishing and commercial print, specifically books, direct mail, advertising, catalogs, newspapers, and the higher end of transaction/TransPromo,” says Smith. She suggests that Prosper printheads also experience increased penetration into packaging and labels. “Most recently, Stream technology has been qualified into the décor market for laminated flooring, countertops, cabinets, and RTA furniture.”

She adds that Stream technology targets the high end of the market in terms of productivity and print volume where the lifetime value of the writing system is most attractive. “It’s not about the number of units placed in the market—it’s about the amount of ink burned that makes financial sense for inkjet across the value chain.”

Smith points out that production printhead providers focus on improving image quality, increasing speed, expanding substrate range, and providing better economics in order to accelerate the adoption of inkjet and encourage migration from analog across a broader range of applications.

Pitney Bowes
Pitney Bowes partners with HP for its IntelliJet line of drop on demand, thermal inkjet presses. “HP is the only manufacturing printing vendor in this category who designs and produces its own press, paper transport, vision system, dryers, software, ProLiant services, inks, and printheads, ensuring a long-term commitment to future innovation. The Scalable Printing Technology around HP’s thermal inkjet printhead development has benefited from $1.5 billion of investment,” says Kevin Marks, VP, global product management, print, Pitney Bowes.

The company also offers the AcceleJet. The press features drop on demand piezoelectric printhead technology, which are Kyocera KJ4 sourced and OEM integrated by Domino Printing Sciences. The printheads offer a life expectancy of approximately 7,000 hours. The cost of the printheads and the other parts within the device are covered under a service maintenance contract.

According to Marks, the printheads are high-speed, durable, and reliable. “Adopted by several digital printing vendors, these printheads are considered an in-demand technology. Each vendor adapts the core printhead and builds out digital printer/presses. Options on aqueous and UV inks, electronics and software, media transport systems, and media types result in unique capabilities—making versatility a key strength,” he shares.

Running at up to 100 meters per minute, the Kyocera KJ4 printheads address the high-volume sweet spot for transactional print and mail applications.

As a high-volume, roll-to-sheet press, the AcceleJet is aimed at transactional and direct mail segments. “It uses market assumptions that a blend of price/performance and print quality options will ease the path to full-color printing from multiple, high-speed electrophotographic (EP) cutsheet toner printers, which are often dependent on pre-printed forms,” explains Marks.

“By deploying AcceleJet printing and finishing systems, the EP cutsheet toner printer device consolidation requires a printhead, ink, and writing system technology capable of offering the tradeoff between economics and print quality. For certain transactional documents, business color is adequate, but for more demanding use of color in both transactional and direct mail segments, the print quality has to be considered high enough to transition from preprinted forms. It must also include variable data objects—including graphics and images to increase the value of the document. Often, the application set for ultra-high volume presses drives the need for ultra-high performance printheads. Applications for books—mono and color, in addition to near offset quality applications in publishing, require a printhead technology that is scalable for the performance requirement,” he concludes.

Ricoh USA, Inc.
Ricoh’s production inkjet equipment utilizes piezoelectric drop on demand technology. Wong says its printheads are manufactured by Epson and Ricoh and tout a life expectancy of more than 18 months. Replacement costs are dependent on the specific program.

Wong suggests one of its printhead’s greatest advantages is variable drop size, which helps produce better image quality because it offers sharper edge definition and smoother gradiations/vignettes. “The drop size technology also dynamically minimizes waste by only dropping the exact amount of ink needed for each part of a job and thus helps to minimize ink usage,” he explains. “In addition, lower water inks reduce the amount of energy required for drying.”
He says Ricoh printheads excel at producing high-quality printing for general commercial print applications. “They are also designed to have high reliability and exceptionally long life as they are stainless-steel based.”

Wong sees things building on recent advancements, moving toward more nozzles and larger printheads and the ability to handle a wider variety of inks. “We are constantly pushing for higher resolution and larger drop sizes, which are admittedly, two different directions.”

Xerox Corporation
Xerox offers a variety of inkjet production presses.
The Xerox CiPress waterless inkjet production press utilizes Xerox manufactured M-Series drop on demand piezoelectric inkjet printheads. Schmachtenberg says the printheads have a 300 dpi native resolution that is staggered to achieve 600 dpi in the CiPress. “Its key differentiating feature is its ability to jet at higher temperatures, which enables jetting of higher viscosity fluids.” He explains that this makes the press suitable for industrial printing and other digital manufacturing applications. The M-Series rugged stainless steel construction allows for printing and other digital manufacturing applications. It allows the jetting of water, UV, wax, solvent, and acid-based inks at 17 to 30pl drop volume at frequencies up to 43 hKz. It has been tested through one trillion actuation cycles, enabling an average printhead life of approximately four years in the CiPress platform.
Xerox also offers the Xerox Continuous Feed aqueous inkjet production presses, Evolution, Compact, Reference, and Trivor. These presses utilize the Panasonic series 420 piezoelectric drop on demand printheads. Schmachtenberg says that these printheads have a native 600 dpi resolution with variable drop size capability. He explains that the compact design of these printheads make them suitable for combining into large arrays. They are used for transaction, packaging, and label applications.

For Xerox cutsheet and roll to cutsheet aqueous inkjet printers, Brenva and Rialto utilize 600 dpi Kyocera KJ4 drop on demand piezoelectric inkjet printheads. The printheads are 4.25 inches long, which enables the print width to be covered with fewer printheads, reducing printhead alignment and tubing/cabling requirements. They also support variable drop size capability and are designed to enhance print quality and stability. The average printhead life is greater than two years and they are suitable for transaction, direct marketing, and book applications.

Printhead Perspective
Xaar is an OEM manufacturer of drop on demand piezoelectric inkjet printheads. “The lifecycle of any printhead is typically based on the applications, ink, and the platform,” suggests Jason Remnat, product line manager, Xaar plc. He says its printheads can last for one to six years depending on usage.

The company’s Xaar 5601 printhead was announced at drupa and focuses on three things—cost, productivity, and quality. “We tend to talk about total cost of ownership, which does not solely reflect the cost to the OEM but also printhead integration features that allow the developer to produce less expensive machines and enable a more cost effective use of the printhead by the print provider.”

He says that for example, the Xaar TF Technology recirculates the ink in the Xaar 5601. This technology ensures excellent print quality. Ink is recirculated directly past the back of the nozzle at all times, even during drop ejection. “This means that the temperature is controlled evenly across the printhead for uniform ink viscosity and droplet production and ultimately, high image quality.”

Additionally, the printhead’s Z shape means that multiple printheads can fit closely together for a compact print zone, accurate drop placement between colors, and reduced costs associated with accurate media control and positioning.

The printhead is built for low viscosity inks, indented for, but not limited to, water-based applications. “For example, it is ideal for digital textile printing, commercial printing, transactional printing, and graphics and laminates,” he offers

Remnat says printhead manufacturers realize that there are opportunities outside of wide format graphics printing, so they are putting more focus on optimizing their printheads for these other markets. For industrial markets, the focus is on new technologies. “There is more opportunity for new machines and inkjet press manufacturers in new markets,” he shares, adding that packaging and commercial print are two areas that are seeing increasing interest in inkjet printing.

Continuous Improvements
The role of inkjet in the overall production print landscape continues to broaden into expanded applications. As new demands are placed on print providers, equipment and printhead manufacturers respond, offering faster speeds, higher quality, and improved versatility, leading to expanded application potential. dps

Oct2016, DPS Magazine

Secure Document Printing

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By Cassandra Balentine
Security measures are invoked in many forms to protect brands and consumers against fraud and counterfeiting. Print is no exception, and new tools continue to emerge to combat theft.

According to the Global Impacts Study by the International Chamber of Commerce, the upper bound of the global value of counterfeit and pirated goods was estimated to be as high as $1.77 trillion in 2015.

Both overt and covert options are available for a layered approach to document security. Many digital press manufacturers offer features that fall under the security umbrella and are visible to the naked eye, including specialty inks, magnetic ink character recognition (MICR), and micro printing. Additionally, covert features found in digital inks and toners offer invisible characters that are only recognized with a special device or application (app).

Security Needs
The need for secure printing is essential to few, and an occasional concern for many. However, those that need these features rely on the latest technologies to ensure secure applications.

Ed Jansen, VP, professional services, Canon Solutions America, suggests that an increased need for security around the world as well as the ability to certify and protect personal identities, intellectual property, and monetary value items are all factors that help drive the need for secure document printing.

Jim Reiman, director of brand protection, Sun Chemical, says counterfeiting and diversion are at the heart of what is driving interest in security printing products—and with good reason. He explains that counterfeiting threatens public health through the production of inferior medicines, foods, and beverages; causes taxes to increase by sidestepping official channels; increases public spending by boosting enforcement to counter illicit trade; and raises the price of legitimate products and brands that seek to recoup their losses.

“The problem of counterfeit products cuts across all industries and can be found in a range of diverse product types,” suggests Reiman. He says that in fact, some of the industries that are most vulnerable to counterfeiting include automotive parts, alcohol, computer hardware, mobile phones, packaged foods, pharmaceuticals, and tobacco products. “With profits, corporate liability, and brand reputations at stake, more companies are fighting back to protect themselves. Brands are increasingly expanding their budgets for confronting both counterfeiting and diversion issues by being more proactive in applying technologies to ensure the supply chain is safe and legitimate,” he shares.

Packaging applications represent one area where brands can protect themselves with anti-counterfeiting technology. “We definitely see a growing request for brand protection features from printers in our label and packaging segment. It is clear that more brand owners are confronted with counterfeit goods, resulting in profit/image damage,” comments Jeroen Van Bauwel, director product management, Xeikon. He says the package is the “perfect container” to implement anti-counterfeit tools, especially for those already created digitally. This is because digital print technology is already in use and therefore the cost to implement security features can be low.

This trend is also acknowledged by HP, based on a recent memorandum of understanding (MOU) that debuted at dscoop 2016. “Packaging across many industries, particularly for pharmaceutical products, is an area of demand for security and anti-counterfeiting applications. Pharmaceutical companies can increase product safety and brand protection by investing in packaging and printing, which assures the supply chain and consumers that their drug or product is authentic,” explains Thomas A. Nicolette, president/CEO, VerifyMe, in a press release announcing the MOU.

Features and Functions
Print engines and consumable manufacturers offer options for clients that require secure document printing. In addition to print engine offerings, like super fine resolution for micro-text applications and variability for unique codes, other providers offer toner and ink solutions featuring taggants that are detectable by special devices for authentication. Many hardware manufacturers partner with targeted companies to offer unique secure print features.

Canon Solutions America currently offers security printing solutions for its Océ-branded JetStream, ColorStream, and VarioPrint 6000 digital printing series. Jansen says the company plans to add security features for the VarioPrint i300 and Canon imagePRESS C10000VP this Summer. “Specifically, we partner with Arcis Digital Security, a provider of void pantograph technologies as well as covert authentication document security features to the print industry. In addition, we offer security inks that include MICR ink, Fugitive Ink, and invisible ink.”

Jansen explains that its Fugitive Ink offering—also known as solvent sensitive ink—reacts when it comes in contact with certain solvents. Invisible ink is undetectable to the eye under normal lighting conditions, but is revealed when the print is placed under a UV light source.

Canon’s secure printing options are embedded into the workflow on compatible machines specific to each customer’s workflow. “We work with our customers to understand the exact type of security features their operations require and then we build the requirements into the workflow specific to the printing device they are operating. We leverage the technology the printer is using to incorporate the security features through the Arcis solution, which is typically a custom add on. For our security inks, MICR ink is generally available. Fugitive and invisible inks are provided on a project basis and customized for each customer’s security application,” says Jansen.

Security inks are OEM or contracted with a third-party to be made to each machine’s specifications.

In partnership with Arcis, Canon offers a number of security features over select printing devices, including multiple solutions—like Halo Covert, Micro signature, Digital Void Pantograph and Digital Verification Grid, and 7 Prismatic Print—that prevent duplication on other devices, resulting in distorted recreations of these secure documents.

Document Security Systems, Inc. (DSS) offers its AuthentiGuard solution, which is compatible with digital production platforms. “We’ve used AuthentiGuard with a variety of print engine manufacturers including Xerox and Xeikon, but our solutions can be utilized with many other platforms,” offers Mike Tobin, VP of marketing, DSS.

He explains that his team creates and customizes marks for placement on a product’s packaging, which are embedded during the prepress stage and printed. The embedded mark can be covert or overt and when scanned with a smartphone application, it validates product authenticity and can provide users with various information including product name, origin, intended destination, expiration, and serial number. Investigators in the field, or even consumers, can read a product’s mark with their authorized smartphone and quickly determine a product’s authenticity,” says Tobin.

Sun Chemical offers a taggant solution, known as Vericode technology. This solution offers a lock and key approach to securing and authenticating brand packaging and documents of value for inkjet printers. “Using machine readable taggants and readers available only from Sun Chemical is a highly effective system of covert marking and verification for both visible and hidden ink applications,” suggests Jim Reiman, director of brand protection sales, Sun Chemical.

Reiman says that since digital printing allows the embedding of a variable mark that is invisible to the naked eye, Sun Chemical can supply a taggant for inkjet printers or DSS can provide a mark for digital/electrophotographic printers to print a mark and supply a reader/smartphone to authenticate the product.

As previously mentioned, VerifyMe, Inc. recently announced an MOU with HP where the companies will incorporate VerifyMe’s pigment products with HP Indigo’s ElectroInk to create a new product, Security-ElectroInk, to be used for authentication and anti-counterfeiting.

The new product is marketed and sold globally by VerifyMe to HP Indigo customers, along with VerifyMe’s readers and authentication tools that can be used in conjunction with Security-ElectroInk. As part of the understanding, both companies will provide support to HP indigo customers that use the product on HP Indigo digital printing presses.

VerifyMe’s patented, anti-counterfeiting pigment technology integrates into the printing process to produce visible and invisible marks, enabling two levels of authentication. First, consumers see the patented ink without any specialized equipment. Second, manufacturers use customized devices to view characteristics of non-visible pigments to support their supply and distribution chain security.

Xeikon’s print technology allows for printing on standard substrates without the need for pre-treatment, this lends the technology well to security papers. Additionally, elements such as variable data, numbering, barcodes, or even variable hidden images can be considered security functions. The technology’s high-resolution imaging technology enables micro text and fine sharp lines for guilloches of complex patterns.

Most of the described features are implemented by Xeikon customers using the standard functions of the front end and prepress technology. Some of the features work in collaboration with partners. For example, track and tracing functionalities are referred to Xeikon partners to generate the codes. With Xeikon’s front end, these codes can be integrated into the design.

Secure Supply Chain for Secure Applications
The need for security spans more than the printing industry and affects nearly every vertical.

Jansen suggests government and licensing agencies need to prevent documents from being duplicated—such as birth certificates, voting ballots, licenses, permits, insurance cards, titles, and deeds. Healthcare, financial, and pharmaceutical companies need to prevent personal information like names, addresses, social security numbers, and credit card information from falling into the wrong hands. Educational and creative companies need to protect their intellectual and creative property like event tickets, diplomas, and admission letters. “The need for secure printing runs the gamut in terms of companies and industries, thereby driving constant demand,” says Jansen.

He offers the example of a customers in the financial industry currently using Fugitive Inks when printing checkbooks.
Tobin says brands often don’t know their products have been compromised and it can be very difficult to determine authenticity. “Counterfeits are being introduced in almost all of the steps in a supply chain. So the need to verity authenticity quickly and easily is becoming critical to protect consumers and revenue.”

He points to warranty fraud as an area where anti-counterfeiting tools can make a difference. In one popular scam scenario, a thief can purchase a genuine product, replace it with a counterfeit product, and return it to the store that refunds the purchase, the thief then sells the genuine product online, and the brand compensates the store for the returned product. “This costs the brand real dollars. By using security features like AuthenticGuard, these stores can equip their personnel and train them to effectively authenticate a product when it is returned,” says Tobin.

Future of Secure Printing
The need for secure printing is apparent, and new technologies enable brand owners and print providers to offer anti-counterfeit and fraud solutions that are simple and affordable.

“The current state of the world points to a growing need for secure documents across multiple applications and uses,” says Jansen. “Fraud has become more prevalent around the world and we see no indications of this decreasing in the future. We expect that there will be more advancements in document security features as manufacturers develop technologies to evolve with changing security needs.”

Reiman suggests unique marking and digital smartphone authentication are the fastest growing and most intriguing solutions to brand owners trying to combat counterfeiting and diversion. “The reality is that they are losing control of the production process. The exploding of good counterfeit products is making it look credible enough for customers to buy it. Consumers have a difficult time determining what is real and what is fake,” he warns. Anti-counterfeiting tools help brand owners better support their supply chain.

Tobin adds that solutions featuring a smartphone app are piquing interest because of the additional marketing benefits that it provides. “Brands like to know what consumers are buying and want to tailor promotions based on their buying tendencies. It also provides an aspect of service to the individual that wasn’t available before,” he offers.

Added Security
The manufacturing world is in a constant state of evolution. Unfortunately, criminals are also evolving. To stay ahead of their product’s reputation and reduce theft, brand owners must consider secure document printing to help authenticate goods at various stages of the supply chain. Both overt and covert printing features are available to serve these needs. dps

Oct2016, DPS Magazine

Hot Products in Florida

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By DPS Staff

Graph Expo takes place from September 25 to 28, 2016 in the North Hall at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.

Graph Expo 2016 presents the latest graphic communications technologies in live equipment demonstrations across the exhibition floor, plus education on the most in-demand products as well as the newest profit-making opportunities.

Exhibitor Preview
An assortment of companies and fresh products are available at this year’s Graph Expo as print experts dominate Orlando. Here are some of the vendors exhibiting at Graph Expo 2016. Check out the September issue for more exhibitor highlights.

Appvion, booth 2610, showcases Triumph, its treated and coated high-speed inkjet papers designed for the new generation of high-speed inkjet presses. Available for both dye- and pigment-based inks, the papers give customers more choices from one supplier. Triumph high-speed inkjet papers offer excellent runnability and post processing for trouble-free operations and are qualified on major OEM presses. All Triumph products are manufactured in the U.S. and are backed by Appvion’s 100 percent satisfaction guarantee.

Barbieri Electronic, booth 2267, showcases its color measuring devices for professional digital printing. For digital textile printing, the company highlights Spectro LFP as well as SpectroPad DigiPress. Both solutions, as well as Digital Output Control software, are displayed. For applications requiring smaller charts, SpectroPad is an option. It is a manual, portable, strip reading spectrophotometer.

BDT Print Media GmBH, booth 2763, demonstrates the function of its revolutionary TPA alignment system for the first time in North America. In addition, the company features its full product line of automated media-handling solutions.

The Challenge Machinery Company, booth 1025, introduces its new CMT 330TC Three-Knife Book Trimmer, which is capable of trimming landscape formatted, perfect bound books such as photo albums. The 330TC’s large color touch screen interface, integrated barcode reader, and integrated inline and offline book feeding components makes it the ideal fully automatic book trimmer.

CHILI publish, booth 2266, showcases its latest technical innovations, including CHILI publisher 5.0 and the new PDF rendering solution, CHILI rendro. At the CHILI publish stand, attendees can learn about the work of the “Spicy Stars”—CHILI publisher customers who have used the company’s online editing solution to improve their businesses. Don’t miss the opportunity to see the new PDF rendering experience called CHILI rendro. This new technology is designed to improve how PDFs are rendered, giving users the most meticulous rendering, streaming, and 3D viewing of PDFs onto any platform that supports the HTML5 canvas. A major update to the company’s flagship product, CHILI publisher 5.0 is also displayed. This update is fully HTML 5 functional, and features a completely new user interface for creating and managing documents online.

CMYK Distributors, Inc., booth 2279, invites attendees to check out live demonstrations of its products and meet the foremost experts in the field of presswork automation. CMYK Distributors, Inc. is the exclusive North American distributor of Digital Information’s InkZone ink-presetting and closed-loop technology. The company demonstrates the latest in waste reduction technology and pressroom automation in its booth.

Duplo USA Corporation, booth 2025, exhibits the latest in automation and precision finishing. The 600i Booklet System, 600i PRO Digital Booklet System, and the iSaddle PRO Digital Booklet System are on the floor showcasing high-speed automatic bookletmaking. Also displayed are the new 350R In-Line Booklet System, which integrates the Ricoh Pro C9100/8100/7100 Series Printer with the DBM-350 Bookletmaker. Other products on exhibit are the DC-646 Slitter/Cutter/Creaser with JDF, DC-746, and DC-616 PRO as well as the UD-300 Die Cutter. Visitors have the opportunity to experience a range of on demand solutions for their finishing needs.

Eagle Systems, booth 2625, features VLFM 145 for large format 56-inch offset sheet-fed presses. This gives the ability to foil inline on point of purchase, posters, large panels, or just extra-large sheets for packaging. The machine is placed on the second printing tower, allowing for overprinting in inks to create the colors of the rainbow while only using silver foil. Since all of its machines are custom made to fit the press, it accommodates presses from 29 to 80 inches.

Estimator Corp, booth 1885, showcases and introduces the cloud version of its estimating software with access anywhere any time from any PC, Mac, tablet, or smartphone. Reduce estimating time and costs and learn to use the intuitive, intelligent, one-screen point and click estimating solution for sheet fed, web, digital, flexographic, wide format, forms, and t-shirts in minutes. Automation allows almost any employee the ability to complete accurate, sophisticated estimates in a minute. Used with any existing MIS software, Estimator-Cloud helps print providers turn a profit with every click. The company says it will install the solution with your pricing to use for several months, and it only takes about 15 minutes to gather all the information needed to match your current pricing.

Lytrod Software, booth 1240, announces the new VisionDirect multi-up document formatting software with variable data print technology. This product utilizes template-driven efficiency to ensure that your documents are laid out perfectly for specific print and finishing system requirements. The software also makes it easy to import a data file for address merging, barcode creation, and direct marketing capabilities to create direct mail documents lay out to retain data ordering for finishing equipment’s cut and stack specifications. Visit the booth for a software demonstration.

MGI, booth 2149, demonstrates a range of products, including the JETvarnish 3D Evolution, the Meteor Unlimited Colors Press Series, and the AIS SmartScanner intelligent registration system. The celebrated family of JETvarnish 3D enhancement presses, including the new label roll-fed JETvarnish 3D W, is also exhibited at Konica Minolta’s booth, 1801. All of the MGI JETvarnish products produce personalized embossed foil and customized decorative special effects with no dies or screens required. Each sheet, box, and label can be uniquely decorated with vibrant, sensory data and images. The new MGI Meteor Unlimited Colors Press series is a powerful new synthesis of digital press and postpress technology that produces a virtually unlimited number of colors via the blending of CMYK toner and the reflective qualities of foil—including a rainbow spectrum of metallic, glitter, and holographic effects.

PressWise by SmartSoft, booth 2384, highlights the latest enhancements to its all-in-one, Web-to-Print, MIS, and Workflow Automation platform. These include all-new Kitting functionality, new purchasing capabilities, including the creation of purchase orders, single sign-on capabilities for in plant print shops, and a number of other new features revealed at its booth.

Spiral, booth 2201, showcases the Docupunch MINI, the first automatic punch to bridge the cost gap between manual and automatic machines currently available in the market. The DocuPunch MINI cuts labor costs and production time with its 10,800 sheet per hour punching capability. Other automated punching and binding equipment, such as the DocuPunch PLUS and the JBUSA CB30QS Coil Inserter/Crimper, are also available to view. Join the company for a preview and to see the innovative Pinchbook, a beautiful way to present photos while requiring no equipment; and MagnetPouch, a fun and fast way to create custom professional laminated magnets in moments.

RISO Inc., booth 1248, showcases all new product lines. In addition to an updated portfolio of business inkjet printers and a freshly launched digital duplicator line, the company also showcases a number of concept printers intended for the high-volume production market.

RocketPrint Software, booth 2274, showcases its Web to print and e-commerce solutions. The company has a proven track record of helping the printing industry start and maintain prosperous online businesses. With a combination of 12 major features, the company says it will help users with training and technical support. Built for print providers, RocketPrint touts robust integration. These features have all the functionality to help service customers and grow their online businesses. No contracts, no limits on orders, and no set-up fees. Features include Retail Storefront-B2C, Branded Customer Portals-B2B, Four Quoting Engines, Three Design Tools-VDP, WordPress Website Integration, Order Entry—Point of Sale, QuickQuotes Generator, Order Processing, RocketWorkFlow/Job Tracking, JobSourcing to Vendors, QuickBooks Integration, and RocketCXM-Marketing Tools.

Solimar, booth 1885, showcases Chemistry, the company’s Customer Communications Management Platform. Chemistry provides a customizable Web dashboard and enterprise workflow tools that blend Solimar technologies with third-party applications enabling organizations to achieve visibility, accessibility, and mobility into their all-document production operations. Do you need to know exactly what is happening on the production floor? Are you ready for a real-time view of all your jobs and operations? The Chemistry Enterprise production Web dashboard is customizable, modular, and integrates all Solimar solutions and many industry leading technologies to provide workflow visibility and a centralized view that increases productivity while lowering IT costs.

Standard Finishing Systems, booth 1548, presents a comprehensive showcase of feeding and finishing solutions, including live demonstrations in die cutting, perfect binding and trimming, creasing and folding, saddlestitching, inspection systems, and roll-fed print solutions. Among the highlights is the Standard Horizon SmartSlitter, an all-in-one smart sheet processing system, and the Standard Horizon RD-4055 Die Cutter, now featuring the new Dual Magnetic Cylinder, which allows the system to handle a wider variety of packaging applications. In addition, Standard Hunkeler presents an enhanced WI6 inspection and tracking system, ensuring error-free print quality through continuous monitoring of the printed web. At the show, the WI6 system runs on Standard’s continuous-feed saddlestitching solution, a roll-to-booklet configuration that produces up to 6,000 booklets per hour.

Tharstern, booth 601, launches two exciting new add-ons to its modular-based MIS software solution. The MIS solution was launched in the U.S. last year, and the company is looking to repeat the success by showcasing its latest version release, including new modules. The Business Intelligence module provides a new way for decision makers to consume MIS information and create actionable analytics. The Advanced Imposition module gives even inexperienced users the power to quickly plan and impose most types of jobs—books, booklets, calendars, business cards, cartons, and labels—with a single click. For a live demonstration of the Tharstern MIS, along with new functionality for label and packaging workflows, visit the company’s booth. Known for its integration expertise, the Tharstern team is also on hand to offer advice on workflow integration.

WEKO, booth 2631, provides paper conditioning solutions by remoistening in digital inkjet web printing. Optimize your paper conditioning with the precise non-contact application system of WEKO and alleviate problems such as paper curl, paper break during folding, waviness, and poor stacking from electrostatic charges. WEKO keeps up with your web speed and helps keep your post processing smoother with less waste and better quality.

Xerox, booth 1625, says the road leading to cutting-edge digital printing technologies, revenue generating applications, and next-generation workflow and personalization solutions starts with them. Under the theme Let the Work Flow, Xerox showcases how print providers can solve their biggest challenges, propel business forward, and work better by becoming more automated, integrated, and productive in their operations. An array of digital color production print devices, including the Xerox iGen 5 Press, the Xerox Rialto 900 Inkjet Press, the Xerox Versant 2100 Press, and the all new Xerox Brenva HD Production Inkjet Press, are displayed. Brenva HD makes its U.S. trade show debut at Graph Expo. The new press targets the space—dubbed by InfoTrends as the Zone of Disruption—that sits below the gap between high-end toner and low-end inkjet presses. Brenva HD is the first in a series of cutsheet inkjet offerings that combines the cost effectiveness of inkjet with the flexibilities of cutsheet to address the needs of print providers in the light direct mail, transactional, and book markets. Additionally, Xerox features a variety of business development and workflow solutions, including a cloud-based version of Xerox FreeFlow Core. FreeFlow Core Cloud makes automation simple—Xerox sets up, manages, and hosts the solution enabling customers to log in and start building workflows to automate print processes.

XMPie, A Xerox Company, booth 1625, highlights solutions that deliver highly effective, personalized cross-media communications and Web-to-print portals. XMPie’s new Campaigns-on-Demand feature makes multichannel campaigns easily accessible for customization, personalization, and use and reuse through self-service, ecommerce storefronts.

See You There!
Graph Expo 2016 promises the latest and emerging technology. Stop by booth 2967 for your free copy of the magazine. dps

Oct2016, DPS Magazine

Making Mock Ups

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By Cassandra Balentine

Presentation is critical when it comes to packaging applications. In addition to appealing shapes and colors, packaging stands out on the shelves through versioning and special effects.

For the creation of packaging applications, digital print comes into the picture in several ways. For one, startups can afford to go to market with custom packaging in small runs. Seasoned brand owners can test new markets and designs with smaller volumes and custom effects.

Phase 1 Prototypes, LLC is a mock-up and prototype packaging company that sets out to combine innovative technology, proprietary substrate development, and printing solutions to offer its clients unique packaging options. These solutions serve a variety of uses, including proof of concept, retail line review, sales samples, design review, color proofing, and trade show and event displays.

Packaging Power
Established in 2006, Phase 1 Prototypes currently operates an office in Dallas, TX, near Las Colinas in an office space that spans about 15,000 square feet. The business works with an efficient staff of approximately 15.

The company offers prototypes including flexible and corrugated samples/displays that range from one to 1,000 in quantity. It can produce all shapes and sizes of custom product packaging prototypes. Solutions include stand-up pouches, shrink sleeves, point of purchase displays and shippers, labels, wrappers, boxes, and bags. In addition to the ability to offer all of these options in runs as low as one, Phase 1 Prototypes offers white and metallic ink as well as effects like embossed text, spot varnishing, and raised edges on packaging products.

“Anything you would see in a grocery store in terms of packaging falls within our capabilities. Foils, embosses, and varnishes are all included in our wheelhouse,” says Kristin Lanoue-Benna, co-owner, Phase 1 Prototypes.

The company treats each job as a custom order, with a goal of utilizing its array of printing and finishing tools, as well as substrates and finishing capabilities to create a unique mock up that comes as close to a final production run as possible.

It also emphasizes its fast service, and says the average turnaround time is about three days, without longer wait times on custom products and unique features.

A Digital Foundation
As a producer of short-run packaging and prototypes, Phase 1 Prototypes has created its output digitally since opening its doors ten years ago. “There isn’t a specific print process we use across the board,” notes Lanoue-Benna. “We have a variety of digital printers ranging from wide format solvent and aqueous printers, flatbed UV printers, digital presses, and even digital foil and cutting equipment that when used in conjunction with one another, allows us to create special print recipes that fit the client’s need for that particular project,” she shares.

Lanoue-Benna suggests that it isn’t just one thing—but rather a number of factors—that set Phase 1 Prototypes apart from the competition. She says that her business partner, Bill Ramirez, is “truly a wizard behind the curtain when it comes to our print processes. He has a huge passion for this industry and never allows us to get complacent with processes and new technologies.”

She says the company is always able to remain one step ahead of the competition by researching and experimenting with various printers, materials, and systems. “By doing so, it allows our clients to stay ahead of the game with new package design and have early exposure to cutting-edge print techniques.”

In addition to this commitment to new technologies and openness to experimentation, the company also offers flexibility when it comes to timing. “We understand time is money and we know that getting our clients their products to market as quickly as possible is key. We do everything in our power to help make that happen.”

Packaging and More
The capabilities that enable Phase 1 Prototypes to produce packaging mock ups and prototypes also enables them to provide a unique spin on other applications.

Lanoue-Benna recalls a recent job for a new client. The customer wanted 100 sales kits produced. The client asked the packaging provider to take a concept sketched by them to produce a structural design. The dielines were taken by the customer who then laid out the artwork and sent the design back to them to create a proof.

The proof kit allowed the client to check color accuracy, product placement, and the overall look of the project. Once approved, the team set out to produce over 800 pieces to make up the 100 kits. This took approximately three to five days including assembly and shipping. “It was a lot of work but they had a tight timeline,” says Lanoue-Benna.

“Collectively, both teams worked together to make it work from a scheduling standpoint. The client had to add product before shipping to the final locations, so we fed them partial shipments daily to keep things moving along,” she explains about the process.

In the end, it was a “beautiful sales kit,” says Lanoue-Benna. “Something both teams were proud to unveil.”

Phase 1 Prototypes happily services its clients with unique, short-run printing and packaging prototypes. “We are always keeping our eyes open for new printing equipment, materials, and systems. Whatever we need to do to continue to bring value to our clients and help their growth is always our primary focus,” she concludes. dps

Oct2016, DPS Magazine

Finishing Necessity

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By Melissa Donovan

Cutting, slitting, and trimming are necessary functions for any printing environment. While single-function devices are offered, multi-function devices are popular. Features on both configurations evolve to address the current needs of digital print providers, which include efficiency and the ability to work cleanly with different types of substrates. Additional functions sometimes found on these devices further enhance efficiency, providing more options in addition to traditional cutting, slitting, and/or trimming capabilities.

Advanced Finishing
Technology continues to advance on cutters, slitters, and trimmers. Mainly, this occurs thanks to demand from digital print service providers (PSPs) that generate varied applications in short runs. They look for cost-effective solutions that can deliver on print buyers’ versatile requests.

“New introductions in the area of post-print sheet processing are robust enough to handle higher volumes while being uniquely designed to meet the requirements of today’s short-run digital space. Versatility, ease of operation, and quick set up with minimal makeready are essential in today’s market and separate these new products from traditional finishing offerings,” shares Bob Flinn, director, business development, Standard.

Looking at single-function cutters, Dan Charwath, associate product manager, GBC, part of Acco Brands, believes these solutions are evolving to make a print provider’s operation more productive without sacrificing safety. “Many higher end cutters have a push out feature and optical safety shield to ensure that the operator does not need to come anywhere near the blade. We are seeing a movement toward full programmability to ensure operators can quickly and easily make whatever cut they need for large or frequent jobs with limited set up and operator intervention,” he adds.

According to Kevin Chen, product manager, Duplo USA, the newest multi-function cutting devices are designed to optimize workflows, reduce downtime, and utilize labor effectively. “These all-in-one solutions slit the margins, cut the gutters, and perform creases on documents such as invitations, greeting cards, and brochures—in a single pass. With only one device, users can trim the white borders and crease the fold lines to prevent toner cracking,” he offers.

There is a need to reduce labor and more importantly limit the handling of the product being finished. “This has made it necessary to design products that can perform multiple functions and be adaptable to run inline with other equipment from various vendors,” explains Janice Benanzer, president/CEO, Baumfolder Corporation.

Chris Van Pelt, president, Therm-O-Type Corp., believes that multi-function devices were designed specifically to start and finish digitally printed output. “The real drivers to improving this technology are to upgrade these machines to increase productivity, reliability, reduce cost of ownership, expand product size flexibility, improve accuracy, and increase the number of finishing operations that can be added in one pass.”

“The technology has evolved by consolidating numerous finishing processes into one machine equipped to handle multiple functions, saving print shops outsourcing, time, and money. These solutions offer pre-set templates for the most common jobs run in the industry,” say Max Allen, dealer manager, U.S. Midwest; Steve Allen, president; and Jeff Jarrett, sales and technical support, Graphic Whizard.

Beyond the Cut
Besides cutting, slitting, or trimming, many devices include additional functions. Digital PSPs can operate one solution with multiple features instead of using a separate machine for each. Learning how to run each piece of hardware and having that same hardware take up room in the shop is a challenge of the past.

The newest solutions incorporate functions like perforating, creasing, scoring, hole punch, and blind emboss. This means even more applications are possible with one finishing device. “With more automated setup, these all-in-one solutions make short work of business cards, greeting cards, invitations, brochures, pamphlets, catalogs, posters, book/CD covers, photographs, and tent cards,” explain Allen, Allen, and Jarrett.

For example, Graphic Whizard’s PT 335SCC Multi features interchangeable creasing/perforating dies, allowing operators to quickly switchover from perforating to creasing while preventing digital toner cracking. With strike perf capabilities, the device can achieve partial perforations in both directions.

MBM Corporation’s Aerocut Velocity offers creasing and perforating in addition to slitting and cutting. Channel creasing allows the machine to crease on digitally printed stocks. Creasing pressure can be adjusted in five levels instantly. An optional perforating unit is inside the machine as well.

Guillo-Crease from Polar-Mohr can transform a hydraulic cutter from the company into a creasing machine. According Bob Conboy, product manager, Polar-Mohr, the operator attaches a creasing rule onto the guillotine clamp and replaces the cutting stick with a creasing stick. “Thanks to the force of the clamping bar, almost any material can be perfectly creased,” he adds.
Standard’s Horizon SmartSlitter SMSL-100 incorporates perforating and creasing in addition to cutting, slitting, and trimming. Interchangeable cassettes allow for the creation of business cards, invitations, raffle tickets, coupons, greeting cards, table tents, postcards, direct mail pieces, labels, as well as photobooks.

Therm-O-Type’s Zip-TS2L Mark IV not only cuts and slits, but also offers unique capabilities like hole punching, bindery hole punching, and blind embossing.

Newest Products
Whether announced at drupa 2016 this past Spring, or in the last year, several finishing manufacturers offer new cutting, slitting, and trimming solutions. We’ve noted whether these are single- or multi-function devices.

The Baum 20 VFM Versatile Finishing Modules from Baumfolder is a multi-function product that offers slitting, perforating, scoring, micro-perforating, knock out perforation, timed perforating, edge trimming, center trimming, gutter trimming, and timed slitting. It targets mid- to high-volume segments. It’s unique in that it can be used inline with multiple products and perforates, scores, and slits in multiple directions.

Colter & Peterson offers single-function Prism, PrismPC, and Saber cutters. All are equipped with Microcut computer controls—like Microcut Plus WS, which is designed to automate back gauge movement on any paper cutter. “Microcut memorizes cutting sequences so that it can recall prior jobs and save time while allowing the operator freedom to do other work,” explains Richard Peereboom, sales manager, Colter & Peterson.

Duplo’s DC-746, DC-646, and DC-616 Slitter/Cutter/Creasers are multi-function devices that are also available with the option of adding start/stop perforations across the length of a sheet. The product line is designed for mid-range volume environments. Differentiating features include the Duplo PC Controller, which helps with layout and setting up jobs for simplicity and ease of use.

GBC offers its single-function ProCut Series cutters, which include the 17-inch 17P and 20-inch 20P models. The solutions target the mid-volume market with a price point starting at $3,865. Features include fully electric operation, full programmability, LED optical cut lines, and a light curtain safety shield.

Graphic Whizard’s newest product is the PT 335SCC Multi, a multi-function slitter, cutter, and creaser. Aimed for mid- to high-volume segments, the solution is priced at $28,850 MSRP with optional accessories available at an additional cost. The finishing device has the ability to compensate for image shrink and stretch.

MBM recently announced the new Aerocut Velocity, a multi-function device that slits, cuts, creases, and is equipped with a perforating unit. Positioned for the mid-volume market, a standout feature is Flex Mode—which allows operators to cut multiple size cards from a page and add the desired number of creases.

The Polar D 115 hydraulic cutter debuted at drupa 2016. A single-function device, it is designed for mid- to high-cutting volumes. It features high cutting accuracy due to the Polar Positioning System DPS and electronic hand wheel. Polar-Mohr’s Digicut ECO is a multi-function device that including cutting, perforating, grooving, engraving, and kiss cutting. It is ideal for runs of one to several hundreds and sample making.

Rollem International offers a variety of multi-function slit/score/perf solutions for digital print environments. For example, its 2D Advantage Finishing System features scoring heads designed to eliminate toner cracking on most digital stocks, as well as slitting and cutting blades to deliver accuracy. The device also comes standard with perforating heads.

Standard Horizon’s SmartSlitter SMSL-100 was introduced in Chicago, IL at the Graph Expo 2015 trade show, but made its international debut at drupa this Spring. The multi-function device offers slitting, cross cutting, gutter cutting, creasing, scoring, perforation, skip perforation, kiss slitting, business card stacking, T perforation, and L perforation. It is ideal for mid-range applications, but thanks to heavy-duty construction, performs well on longer runs too. The SmartSlitter SMSL-100 is available fully featured, as opposed to being built from the ground up to meet users’ needs with individual options.

From Therm-O-Type, the RAS-mc right angle slitter offers slitting, scoring, and perforating as a multi-function device. With a base price of $67,000, it targets mid- and high-volume environments. Using quick change tooling cassettes, product size changes can be completed in less than two minutes. The Zip-TS2L Mark IV digital finishing machine offers multiple functions as well, including cross cut, perforation, scoring, inline slitting, semi slit, hole punch, blind emboss, die cut, bindery hole punch, and T and L perimeter perforation. Designed for low- to mid-volume environments it is offered at a base price of $84,900.

Cut, Slit, and Trim
Digital PSPs look for efficient devices to move jobs through the shop. Many finishing devices targeting digital production environments offer multiple functions to improve productivity and versatility. dps

Oct2016, DPS Magazine