PRINT 05 New Products from: Mitsubishi, Komori, Enovation Graphic Systems, Prepress Training Solution, PIA/GATF, Mitsubishi Imaging, Goss Intl., Agfa, Heidelberg, Presstek, Kodak, Fujifilm, RIPit, Xanté, Spiel Associates, Standard Finishing Systems, Prism USA Holdings, Xerox, EFI and RISO.
PRINT 05 Technology in Review
Special offers
Enovation Graphic Systems is offering a Seal/Mutoh rebate of up to $2,000 directly from the manufacturer when a printer and laminator are purchased together. The new bundles feature Mutohs line of Falcon outdoor printers, ranging from 38 to 62 inches, and Seals 44 Ultra, 62 Ultra C and 62 Ultra S laminators. The rebate programs ends December 16, 2005.
See www.enovationgraphics.com.
Prepress Training Solution announced four new online training courses: Adobe Bridge CS2, Adobe Illustrator CS2, Adobe InDesign CS2 and Adobe Photoshop CS2.
See www.staffingtools.com.
PIA/GATFs Digital Printing Council (DPC) Marketing for Digital (M4D) reports and seminars will help printers understand 24 vertical segments that reportedly account for 80 percent of all print buying in the United States. Adobe, Canon, HP, Kodak and Xerox are among the supporting vendors. Survey methodology and data collection are managed by graduate graphic arts student researchers from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), CalPoly and Clemson University under the supervision of RIT professor emeritus Frank Romano.
Reports will cover advertising agencies, health care, retail trade, gambling and wagering, the automotive industry, utilities, hospitality and tourism, financial services, real estate, insurance, professional services, food services, manufacturing, education, publishing, pharmaceutical and other miscellaneous categories.
See www.gain.org.
Plate news
Processless/chemistry-free highlights included the following:
Heidelberg announced a chemistry-free plate: Saphira Chemfree Thermal Plate. The negative working, aluminum plate can be used for offset runs of 100,000+.
Presstek debuted Aurora chemistry-free plates for Screen and Kodak (formerly Creo) thermal CTP systems. (Presstek also offers the processless Applause plate, as well as the chemistry-free Anthem and Freedom plates for its respective Dimension Excel and Vector TX52 platesetters.)
Introduced at Drupa 2004, Agfas :Azura chemistry-free, negative-working thermal plate can be used for run lengths of up to 100,000 impressions. :Azura can be used for a range of commercial printing applications on both sheetfed and web presses.
Kodaks Thermal Direct processless plate can produce run lengths up to 75,000 impressions, is said to hold one percent to 98 percent dots at 200 lpi, and can be used with 20-micron FM screening.
Fujifilms processless thermal plate, Brillia HD PRO-T, is rated at 100,000 impressions and slated to launch in Q1 2006. Fuji also has a chemistry-free violet photopolymer CTP plate slated for a 2007 launch.
RIPit announced that Citiplate will manufacture a violet photopolymer plate for use with RIPits 405nm SpeedSetter VM platesetter. Although the first plates offered will use standard chemical imaging, no-process violet plates sold under the RIPit brand are expected to make a 2006 debut.
Xanté began shipping its Impressia chemistry-free metal platesetter in March. The vendor reports positive feedback from users in plants and print shops with two-up presses running envelopes, letterhead and direct-mail jobs.
Digital printing developments
Xerox beefed up its entry-level color offerings by equipping its 50-ppm DocuColor 250 digital printer/copier with a choice of three color servers from Xerox, Creo and EFI. Xerox is extending the EFI and Creo server options to the 40-ppm DocuColor 240.
HP Indigos new web-fed w3250 offers print speeds up to 136 ppm when printing four colors and up to 272 ppm when printing two colors. An enhanced version of the HP Indigo 5000 features accelerated monochrome printing (up to 16,000 A4 pages per hour), gang stackers for unloading while printing, an HP RIP Expansion Rack for expanded processing capacity, improved print quality and a simplified user interface. Customized Pantone Look Up Tables allow the 5000 to accurately produce Pantone colors using only CMYK.
Nipsons VaryPress 200 was shown running a book-on-demand application at 290 fpm, reportedly a 25 percent increase. MAR Graphics (Valmeyer, IL) installed a Nipson VaryPress 400 digital production press integrated inline with a Hunkeler Variweb finishing system. MAR has increased, by up to five times, print volumes and productivity.
Kodak Graphic Communications Group introduced the NexPress 2100 for entry-level users and the NexPress 2500 for high-volume operations. NexPress 2500 prints 2,500 A3 sph and will be available Q1 2006. Both presses are available with inline or offline Watkiss bookletmakers.
IBM debuted Infoprint 4100, a continuous-feed, 1,440-ppm printer said to target book and transactional markets.
Konica Minolta introduced the monochrome bizhub PRO 920. Highlights include 92-ppm input/output; User Box functionality with three levels of security; 6,650-sheet maximum paper capacity; Konica Minolta Simitri Polymerized Toner and advanced network scanning capabilities. The company also showcased bizhub PRO 1050 (105 ppm, monochrome) and bizhub PRO C500 (50 ppm, color) as well as the MicroPress ProSeries 7.
Digital color & black-and-white installations
Xerox showed how printers are using digital color and black-and-white technology for a broad range of applications. Recent customer installations include the following:
Advantage Mailing (Orange, CA) added a Xerox iGen3 and DocuTech 155 Highlight Color System to an existing fleet of Xerox color and black-and-white digital printers and its offset equipment. The company produces 8 million to 12 million pieces a month on its digital equipment and plans to add a second Xerox iGen3 press.
Offset Paperback Manufacturing has added three Xerox DocuPrint 1050 continuous-feed digital printers to its line of two Xerox iGen3 presses, one Xerox DocuTech Production Publisher with an inline saddlestitcher, and one Xerox Nuvera 120 Digital Production System in its Laflin, PA, facility. The company is using Xerox digital products to produce 100 million to 150 million digital black-and-white pages every month and millions of short-run books a year.
Blaze Digital Printing Services (Lumberton, NJ), recently purchased three Xerox Nuvera 120 Digital Production Systems, a Xerox iGen3 and a DocuPrint 1050 Continuous Feed system, doubling its digital printing capacity and replacing four pieces of competitive equipment. A Xerox FreeFlow DocuSP print controller is used to create a common workflow.
Masthof Press (Morgantown, PA) digital book publishing business relies on a recently installed Xerox Nuvera 120 Digital Production System.
Perfectors & variable cutoff web presses
Mitsubishi Lithographic Press?Diamond 3000TP Tandem Perfector is available with up to six front-side and six reverse-side printing units. It prints both sides of the sheet in one productive pass without tumbling the sheet, for cost-effective production of special editions, posters and other smaller runs. Medium and high page counts can be printed competitively with commercial half-web presses while delivering sheetfed quality. Boutwell, Owens & Co., Inc., a 118-year-old manufacturer of custom-printed paperboard packaging, installed the first Mitsubishi Diamond 3000TP in the United States, a 10-color, 40-inch dedicated perfector. Other installations include Hogue Printing Solutions (Mesa, AZ), which has a seven-color Tandem Perfector configured for 2/5 printing with coating at the end of the press. Directory specialist Stevens Graphics (Atlanta) has a four-over-four Tandem Perfector with coater―the same press Mitsubishi showed at last years Graph Expo.
Mitsubishis Diamond MAX (Multiple Advantages and Expertise) web presses feature shaftless drives, high-speed, semiautomatic plate changers, fully automatic folder changeover and MAX-Saver waste-reduction software. The variable-cutoff press handles a cutoff range from 21.5 inches to 24.6 inches, enabling users to print A-size magazines, B-size inserts or textbooks and U.S. letter-size jobs on a single press with a simple changeover. Since its Drupa debut, the press has been expanded to four printing units. A beta model will be delivered to a printing site in Japan by the end of 2005.
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Polyester plates & platesetters
Mitsubishi Imaging celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Silver DigiPlate polyester plates, which reportedly offer improved registration and tone reproduction, and enhanced on-press performance. New software upgrades include the RipMate RIP with a timesaving font emulation feature. SDP Smart Tools automate virtually all aspects of file preparation.
Mitsubishis DPX Lite platesetter offers automatic polyester plate production for printers with portrait or duplicator presses. The internal drum machine is manufactured by Esko-Graphics. Plates are imaged in punch position for precise registration.
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Komoris presses were shown wired into a JDF network. Komoris 40-inch Lithrone S40 was shown in a 10-color configuration printing on 24-pt. board; the Lithrone 40SP Super Perfector with a Magnum roll sheeter. The double-decker press was part of a Screen (TrueFlow), EFI (Hagen OA) and Horizon Standard (CABS4000) JDF workflow demonstration.
The NL28 half-size perfector was shown in a six-color (4/2) configuration; the entry-level Spica 29P convertible perfector also was shown.
omori's System 38S 16-page web press made its U.S. debut, with cutoffs of 23 9/16 inches and 22 3/4 inches.
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Workflow & platesetters
Agfas :ApogeeX Integration Pack leverages the benefits of the :ApogeeX workflow in HP Indigo digital printing environments. Available immediately, this new workflow component enables the management of hybrid analog and digital workflows from a single system.
Agfas Digital Solutions Suites combine elements of hardware, software and services to make it easier for print providers to update, unify and link customer, business and prepress departments. Each level in The Digital Solutions Suites includes the latest version of Agfa software including the JDF- and PDF-powered :ApogeeX workflow and :Delano project management software. It also includes Agfas Expert Services, Agfas enterprise computing hardware solution, :Salient and Agfas dynamic publishing and digital asset management system, :Arcadia.
Agfas :Avalon thermal platesetters VLF and LF 45-inch models come with a range of automation options. :Avalon will replace the :Xcalibur line of platesetters, though Agfa will continue to support those :Xcalibur systems currently in the field. :Avalon CtP units combine an external drum architecture with the Avalon HD Imaging Head, which has up to 512 imaging beams delivering an exceptionally fast writing speed at a relatively low drum rotational speed-simplifying operation and ensuring long-term reliability. The HD Imaging Head has been optimized for Agfas chemistry-free plate, :Azura, and the advanced cross-modulated screening technology, :Sublima.
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Automation drives commercial web growth
Goss International projects it will exceed $1 billion in sales for 2005. Demand for Goss commercial web systems has been driven by the introduction of the worlds first 2 x 8 Goss Sunday 3000/32 presses, new 16-page M-600 D press, the combination of Goss Automatic Transfer and Goss Autoplate features for Sunday presses, and servodrive technology for finishing systems. Goss will deliver close to 400 new commercial web printing units in 2005.
Creel Printing (Las Vegas) will install its second Goss Sunday 2000 16-page press, while Continental Web will add its third gapless Sunday press in early 2006. The six-unit, 16-page press will be installed at Continental Webs facility in Itasca, IL, in early 2006 and will include Goss Automatic Transfer and Autoplate systems. Inserts East (Pennsauken, NJ) has ordered a 50-inch web width Goss C550i insert web press with a Goss C700 folder.
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Automatic coil binding
Spiel Associates showcased the Sterling Coilmaster III automatic plastic coil binding system and the Sterling Coilmaster Junior, the worlds first automatic plastic-coil binding tabletop unit slated to make its international debut at Ipex 06. Coilmaster III creates plastic coil from plastic filament and automatically inserts it into a book from the first hole onwards. It then cuts and crimps automatically. A spreading device allows for any size margin-users can bind books with any pitch having round or oval holes. Spiel Associates reports cost savings of over 50 percent when producing 12-inch lengths of coil. The Coilmaster III can bind books 38 mm in diameter at speeds up to 700 books per hour.
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Folding & EVA/PUR perfect binding
Standard Finishing Systems (Boston) has introduced the Standard Horizon AFC-544FKT folder with fully automated setup, including gap settings. The folder reportedly performs quick changeovers and can handle sensitive digitally imaged sheets without marking, enabled by specially formulated combination roller and scoring systems.
The company also has introduced the Standard Horizon BQ-470 perfect binder with a 10.4-inch LCD touch screen designed to provide servomotor-controlled automation. It can bind books up to 2.5 inches thick, and optional interchangeable glue tanks support both EVA and PUR adhesives.
See www.sdmc.com.
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Reducing unplanned press downtime
At PRINT ?5, Heidelberg unveiled an extended service package said to be the first of its kind in the U.S. market: systemservice 36plus. Heidelbergs systemservice 36plus extends service coverage for a period of 36 months with the purchase of a new press. With systemservice 36plus, Heidelberg customers can take advantage of full coverage of all repair services and parts for 36 months, intelligent support services and a periodical Heidelberg inspection. Unlike a warranty extension, systemservice 36plus is designed to help reduce unplanned press downtime while improving overall efficiency.
Benefits include:
Innovative support services that can resolve up to 70 percent of troubleshooting issues without on-site service.
Extended service coverage for 36 months.
Periodical 10-month inspections, which serve as a fitness check for the press.
Package exceeds the industry standard and enables customers to run new presses under optimized service conditions with minimized costs.
Service package participants can identify and address potential issues before they occur, ensuring that the business is running at maximum capacity.
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MIS for smaller users
Prism USA Holdings released Prism-WIN Small Business Edition (SBE) for small to midsize printers. Prism-WIN SBE supports the JDF standard and features all the capabilities needed to manage printing businesses.
It is a software suite with up to 14 templated modules that are tailored to the requirements of smaller commercial, digital or label printers. Users can maximize the performance of new and existing presses through the integration of Prism-QTMS iQ, a print management system with machine-monitoring modules and sensors that record and collate shop-floor information and statistics.
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Digital color press
Xanté showed its Ilumina digital color press running print jobs on paper weights from 20 lb. (64g/m2) bond to 24 pt. (427g/m2) cover. It can produce 2,000 letter (A4) sph at 4/0 and 1,000 letter (A4) sph at 4/4. Multi-bit color creates 32 shades (levels) for every process color.
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MIS command center
EFIs Executive Information System (EIS) is an interactive data analysis command center that instantly recaps the state of the business and links to other key data. The Web-based EIS will be integrated with the foundation suite of EFI Hagen, Logic and PSI.
The EIS technology uses On-line Analytical Processing (OLAP) analysis service as well as new data analysis and query tools built by EFI so that printers can quickly master EIS to take advantage of its intelligence. The user is presented with an EIS workspace of visuals pre-selected from a library that provides snapshots of the state of the business from many angles.
Unlike a typical dashboard,?the user can drill down to more detail or ask questions creating a new view, using historical data and real-time information.
EIS is delivered with a library of foundation visuals developed with input from printing executives and managers. The user can modify these visuals to address unique business needs. Modifications can be made to the foundation visual (stored for future review) or be made on-the-fly, instantly providing results based on the new query conditions. The user can build custom visuals expanding the scope and value of the EIS library.
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Stitching, perfect binding, books on demand & direct-mail customization
Muller Martins Bolero Model 3028 perfect binder made its U.S. debut. The binder was shown as part of an entire bookbinding line, running an 8 1/2 x 11-inch journal, and then, to showcase its versatility, changed over in minutes to a 6 x 9-inch product with gatefold cover. The 3028 can handle sizes for one-up and two-up production. The new Tempo 22 saddlestitcher was shown in live demos at 22,000 cph, while the Presto model was shown with the Palamides automatic 502 banding machine. The BravoPlus stitcher could be seen at the FASTechnology Group booth producing stitched products complete with inside and outside inkjetting.
Various SigmaLine components for on-demand book production were demonstrated inline with continuous-feed digital print engines at two different Muller Martini partner booths: Xerox and Nipson.
Mullers Alprinta variable size web offset press also made its U.S. debut. Its proprietary makeready system was highlighted when two different jobs were printed with a rapid changeover in between. Mullers Concepta variable-size web offset press was shown at the Kodak Graphic Communications Group booth. Concepta was set up in a hybrid offset/digital press configuration, emphasizing new capabilities for inline direct mail customization.
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Finisher works with color printer
RISO (Danvers, MA) introduced a finisher for its HC5000 Full Color ComColor printer. The new unit works inline with the printer to offset stack, staple, hole punch and make booklets. HC5000 printers print at 105 ppm at sizes up to 11 x 17 inches.
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