Print
Solutions February 2006
Manufacturing
IN
BRIEF: Printers realize opportunities
in digital printing, in-line finishing,
document processing and mailing
services.
Print
in 2006: Where Are We Headed?
By
Ivars Sarkans
A
major industry trend is the growing
overlap between specialty print
segments. This is often referred
to as “convergence,”
and is driven partly by equipment
suppliers seeking to extend the
capabilities of their products
from static or declining specialty
markets to industry segments where
demand is growing.
For
years, forms production equipment
suppliers have modified their
machines to serve commercial printers,
direct mail producers and even
the package printing market. Conventional
sheetfed offset and digital printing
are converging as complementary
production technologies for short
runs, on-demand production and
small-lot customization of offset
printed base stock. The increased
capabilities of digital printers
and presses demonstrated at equipment
trade shows point to a diminishing
distinction between digital transaction
printing and production printing.
More digital printing devices
can do both, and operators have
the option to select the appropriate
image quality.
Convergence
creates opportunities for traditional
forms industry participants as
equipment becomes more versatile
and declining barriers between
printing specialties give sales
organizations easier access to
new markets.
Sheetfed
press suppliers no longer perceive
commercial printing as a growth
market. They say that for commercial
printing applications, current
equipment sales are mostly replacements.
The dramatic productivity improvements
in the latest sheetfed press models
allow commercial printers to replace
two or three older presses with
one of the new highly automated
machines, without loss of capacity.
Last
September at Print 05, most of
the sheetfed press suppliers promoted
their machines’ ability
to run packaging products, including
thick folding carton board. This
suggests that convergence of the
commercial printing and package
printing specialties has started.
Growing
use of sheetfed presses for package
printing is driven by shrinking
run sizes in packaging due to
the proliferation of niche products,
private brands and products targeted
at narrow market segments. The
large number of forms industry
participants who now produce or
sell commercial printing should
view this as another product opportunity.
Commercial
Printing Presses Point to Packaging
Press
exhibits at Print 05 and other
recent trade events have been
dominated by sheetfed machines,
the result of shrinking run sizes
in the printing industry and the
high cost of exhibiting fully
operational commercial web presses.
Commercial web press suppliers
today often exhibit only static
components, such as print towers
and delivery modules.
At
Print 05, Muller Martini was the
sole exhibitor with a 5-color
fully operational commercial printing
press. The Muller Martini Alprinta,
available in 20-1Ú2 inch and 29-1Ú8
inch web widths, has a 4-form
roller inker for commercial printing,
and can be configured with up
to 12 print units. The forms industry
heritage of this press is evident
in variable-size
3-cylinder print inserts, single
blanket (rather than perfecting)
print towers, UV dryers, an optional
flexo print unit and availability
of a rewind and sheeter, which
makes this press more versatile
than many typical blanket-to-blanket
fixed repeat commercial web presses.
The Alprinta features a single
servomotor drive for each print
tower and a unique individually-changeable
plate and blanket cylinder option
to vary print repeat at moderate
cost for packaging and label printing
applications that require many
different print repeats. The Alprinta
is an example of the new multi-purpose
web offset presses that can provide
flexibility and special advantages
to forms producers looking for
familiar web press configurations
to support new product initiatives.
Most
commercial sheetfed press manufacturers
are rushing to modify some of
their 4-, 6- and 8-page presses
to extend the range of applications
to folding cartons and other packaging
products. It was evident at 2005
trade shows that commercial sheetfed
press suppliers see packaging
as their main future growth opportunity,
which is consistent with many
projections for the future of
the printing industry. Even Ryobi,
traditionally a supplier of small-format
(2-page) sheetfed presses, demonstrated
a new 23.6 x 31 inch maximum sheet
size model in a 5-color version
capable of running up to 31 pt.
board, and an 8-color perfector
version for one-pass 4-over-4
color commercial printing. Both
presses featured a high level
of automation, control of most
press functions from a console,
quick plate changing and a maximum
speed of 15,000 sheets per hour.
These presses exemplify the move
by traditional small offset machine
suppliers towards more complex,
larger, faster, more versatile,
automated and productive models,
partly in response to increased
competition from digital color
presses in the short run, 2-page
commercial printing segment. This
repositioning by small press suppliers
suggests that forms producers
who are considering diversification
into commercial printing with
only small-format entry-level
offset presses should proceed
with caution.
More
sheetfed commercial press suppliers
are starting to add finishing
capabilities to some of their
models to expand the range of
applications and products that
can be completed in a single pass.
In the past, several 2-page,
sheetfed presses had optional
numbering stations. The trend
now is to add punching, perforating
and die cutting stations to 2-
and 4-page presses. Some suppliers
have demonstrated on-line ink
jet units for imprints or variable
images. These on-press finishing
stations can make the machines
more productive for folding cartons,
CD sleeves and other package printing
applications. Commercial printers
with these types of sheetfed presses
can also compete more effectively
for conventional cut sheet forms.
In
standard 8-page (40 inches wide)
sheetfed presses, the new norm
achieved by the major suppliers
is a rated speed of 18,000 sheets
per hour. Combined with automation
that reduces setup time and the
increasing popularity of 8-, 10-
and even 12-color versions that
can print both sides of a sheet
in one pass, these new 8-page
presses give printers an overwhelming
advantage over competitors with
older equipment. The industry
has witnessed parallel improvements
in UV drying, including “cool”
dryers for heat-sensitive materials,
new hybrid UV/conventional inks,
improved coating units and other
press options that will challenge
the economic viability of the
older existing machines in many
printing plants.
At
Print 05, only Muller Martini
operated a fully functional 4-color
forms press, the Concepta model,
but it was exhibited in the Kodak
booth as a platform for on-line
high-speed black and highlight
color digital (ink jet) imprinting
of variable data and images. Six
other forms press suppliers had
static displays: Didde Web Press
Systems, Rotatek SA, Sanden USA,
Stevens Technology LLC, Super
Web Inc. and the merged RDP Marathon-Drent
Goebel group. The focus of their
exhibits appeared to be on parts
and machines for commercial printing,
direct mail and special applications.
Specialty
Presses
Today
a separate class of sheetfed press
is developing with unique capabilities
that should be of particular interest
to forms industry participants
looking for diversification. These
machines, mostly 2- and 4-page
models, provide access to market
niches such as printing on plastic
sheets, heavy papers and on-demand
short-run color production, where
competition may not be as severe
as in general commercial printing.
Five suppliers (Heidelberg, Ryobi,
Presstek, Kodak and Screen USA)
showed direct imaging (DI) presses
that combine commercial prepress
and printing in one “package.”
These 2-page presses incorporate
imaging of polyester plates, automatic
plate changing, color control
and many other features that contribute
to high productivity. The DI presses
can be very competitive for short-run
color printing from approximately
500 to 10,000 pages. For forms
suppliers who want to enter the
quick-service short-run color
market, but do not have an established
commercial color prepress department,
these machines alone or in combination
with digital color printers can
provide a quick and effective
start.
Also,
KBA introduced the “Genius,”
a compact 14 x 20.5 inch waterless
offset press available with 4-
or 5-color stations and a UV dryer.
Maximum rated speed of the Genius
52-UV is 8,000 sheets per hour.
This model has a large central
impression cylinder surrounded
by unique print stations, each
with a plate, blanket, ink transfer
and anilox ink metering cylinder.
Plates can be imaged conventionally
or by a computer-to-plate system.
The press has semi-automatic plate
mounting and ejection capability.
The Genius consistently printed
normal and heavy ink coverage
in demonstration of commercial
printing, folding carton board,
plastic sheet and lenticular image
applications. A new 4-color wet
offset 14 x 20.5-inch press, with
a similar central impression cylinder
layout but conventional ink trains,
was shown by Shinohara as the
Model 52 Uno. This compact machine
also has a UV dryer option and
can run up to 31 pt. folding carton
board.
In
the larger 4-page 20 x 29-inch
format, KBA showed the unique
Karat 74 4-color press that combines
direct on-press imaging of metal
plates, waterless printing, compact
ink train with an anilox metering
roller and automatic changing
of plates from pre-loaded cassettes.
Options include an integrated
aqueous coating unit and infra-red
hot air dryer. The Karat 74 can
run papers from 40# text to 12
pt. board, and the larger sheet
sizes make this press a good choice
for presentation folders. It’s
also suitable for printing synthetic
materials and production of specialties
such as CD sleeves, plastic cards,
tags, labels and short run packaging.
This press has already been installed
by one forms supplier and is being
considered by others in their
diversification plans.
For
simple applications, Print 05
had low cost, on-demand production
devices such as the Riso RZ 997V
and 990V single color stencil
duplicators. These models have
been upgraded to 600 x 600 dpi
image resolution and can print
180 pages per minute at a low
cost per page. At Print 05, Riso
introduced the new MZ 790 2-color
stencil duplicator with a rated
speed of 150 pages per minute.
Riso also demonstrated the HC-5000
process color digital ink jet
printer, rated at 600 dpi resolution,
105 pages per minute run speed,
and $.03 ink cost per color page
with 20 percent coverage. These
machines are popular for internal
printing operations to produce
forms, newsletters, flyers and
other utilitarian short-run work.
Riso stencil duplicators are also
used by some forms distributors
with short-run production facilities.
The advantages of these machines
include low cost, modest operator
skills, preparation of the stencil
masters on the machine directly
from computer files and automatic
changing of stencils. The HC-5000
surpasses the print quality of
stencil duplicators and eliminates
the need for stencils.
Digital
Continues to Grow
From
the number of exhibits at 2005
trade shows and the crowds that
they attracted, digital printing
appeared to be one of the major
growth segments in the printing
industry and an area of opportunity
for forms industry participants.
The migration of forms production
from conventional presses to digital
machines will continue. Whether
these devices present a threat
or an opportunity to traditional
forms suppliers will depend on
the industry’s willingness
to look at new business models,
production methods and services
required by customers.
Print
05 exhibits highlighted the competition
between ink jet and toner-based
digital printing technologies.
At this time, ink jet dominates
several high quality, specialized
applications such as digital color
proofing and large-format display
printing with roll-fed or flatbed
machines. At modest production
rates, ink jet systems can achieve
excellent quality on a wide variety
of materials. New low VOC solvent
inks and UV inks, combined with
reduced drop sizes and improved
color consistency controls, have
led to more applications in outdoor
signs, decorating industrial materials
and printing wallpaper. Another
segment where ink jet dominates
due to attainable speed at lower
but adequate print quality is
addressing and imprinting. These
developments signal the probable
launching of more digital color
web presses for forms and direct
mail that could eventually displace
some conventional offset machines
and create opportunities for forms
industry participants willing
to invest in new digital printing
technologies.
Opportunities
Three
areas of opportunity stood out
as 2005 came to a close:
•
Digital printing and in-line finishing
•
Document processing, fulfillment
and mailing services
•
Printing and finishing of packaging
products
The
first two opportunities are readily
accessible to forms industry participants.
Digital printing is typically
small-lot, on-demand production,
even if total order quantities
are large. It’s unlikely
that this type of production will
shift from the U.S. to overseas
producers. Digital printing and
in-line finishing represent the
greatest potential for full process
automation, from creation to delivery
of a printed item. Providers of
digital printing services will
have to rely on automation in
establishing and maintaining the
types of facilities that can compete
with the alternatives available
to end users – convenient,
but higher cost, desktop and departmental
printing.
Many
forms distributors understand
business processes that can be
used to provide print-related
services based on analysis of
customer needs. Selling document
processing, fulfillment, mailing
and print management services
has many similarities to selling
forms management programs.
Commercial
printing and forms may be mature
markets, but demand is still measured
in billions of dollars. Printing
and document processing technologies
will continue to evolve, but these
changes will create new market
niches or product specialties.
Suppliers who follow market trends,
adopt some of the new technologies
shown at OnDemand and Print 05,
and focus on products and services
that fit evolving customer needs
should find ample growth and profitability.
See
it in Action
Manufacturers
can witness these technologies
and opportunities for themselves
by attending OnDemand and DMIA’s
Manufacturer/Supplier Print Conference,
May 17-19, 2006 in Philadelphia.
Go to www.DMIA.org for more information.
Any manufacturer who is considering
evolving into new products and
services would be wise to attend
this event and network with other
manufacturers that have “been
there.”
Ivars
Sarkans is president of consulting
firm Sarkans & Associates
of Los Angeles, Calif. and a long
time contributor to DMIA publications.
He can be reached by telephone
at (323) 221-7791 or by email
at isarkans@sarkans.com.
Convergence
creates opportunities for traditional
forms industry participants as
equipment becomes more versatile
and declining barriers between
printing specialties give sales
organizations easier access to
new markets.
Supplier
News
MAN
Roland Inc., Westmont, Ill., launched
the new ROLAND 500 press with
Inline Perfector to accommodate
two-sided printing in a single
pass. The equipment handles a
full range of new applications
in commercial printing, packaging
and book manufacturing, while
providing a more cost efficient
way to complete front-and-back
jobs. Plus, the company said,
the system’s single-drum
sheet turning system combined
with double-diameter cylinders
enables it to handle thicker substrates
than presses with traditionally
sized sheet-reversing gear. The
overall design of the Inline Perfector
also features the lowest number
of cylinders and the lowest number
of sheet transfer points. The
result is minimal mechanical disturbance
of the substrate and the highest
register accuracy, virtually eliminating
the possibility of doubling, scratching
and smearing. Changeover to and
from perfecting is fully automatic
and takes less than two minutes.
The ROLAND 500 with Inline Perfector
is available in nine basic configurations,
ranging from a 1/1 two-color model
to a 5/5 ten-color perfector.
Single and double coating units,
extended deliveries and a host
of fully integrated IR and UV
drying systems are also available.
The new press line is the only
29-inch perfector available with
MAN Roland’s printnet press
operating, networking and automation
system. Call the company’s
Illinois headquarters at (630)
920-2000. Visit www.manroland.com.
Printable
Technologies Inc., Solana Beach,
Calif., announced the availability
of its JobExpress™ software,
a driver-based PDF creation and
job submission module that creates
and submits jobs from any application
such as Microsoft Word, Excel,
Publisher and Powerpoint. With
JobExpress, print service providers
can offer an integrated Adobe
PDF workflow for ad hoc print
projects. Once the user has reviewed
and approved the PDF proof, the
file is encrypted and a job submission
form is presented to the end user
for completion. Developed by the
print service provider, the job
submission form contains all the
necessary pricing, production
and finishing parameters. The
job is then automatically priced
and the user can approve the job
and proceed to check out where
shipping and billing information
is completed. Call (800) 220-1727.
Visit www.printable.com.
