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If you needed additional affirmation concerning the importance of digital printing for the industry, the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) has proclaimed 2006 as “The Year of Digital Print.”
The association is planning a full year of activities, events, publications and educational efforts to encourage printers to explore digital printing, expand their current levels of involvement, or embrace the full potential of digital printing for their companies.
For firms that have already begun the trek down the digital path, the need to finish this digitally produced work has become even more important than in the past.
According to “The Market for Print Finishing Technologies,” a report produced by the Print Industries Market Information and Research Organization (PRIMIR), “as digital printing gains broader acceptance in the printing community, use of specialty finishing equipment can be expected to grow. Already, digital printers offer integrated cards and labels to their customers, as well as foil stamping, embossing and ultraviolet coatings.”
This is the case at Brooks Litho & Digital Group, North Amityville, NY, notes David Brooks, president. The company utilizes an HP Indigo UltraStream 3000 and Heidelberg QM-DI to produce jobs such as sell sheets, folders, postcards, displays and business cards.
The typical turnaround time on a digital job at Brooks Litho is between two and three days, the company president reports, but often overnight and same-day turnarounds are necessary. Run lengths typically require 250 to 500 12x18˝ sheets to be produced. A Digicoater Premier from K-2 Systems is counted on to help finish the jobs.
“Prior to the Digicoater and the new 4.0 inks for the UltraStream, scratching, rub-off and scuffing were always a problem,” Brooks reports. “More challenging is when variable data jobs—which are personalized and unique—have to be finished. It’s imperative that strict quality control procedures are adhered to at the finishing stage.”
The finishing route taken often depends upon the end use of the piece—such as if it is going to be mailed or handled repeatedly and if there is heavy ink/toner coverage. Brooks Litho will either varnish, aqueous coat or UV coat those types of projects. Jobs must be printed with control numbers or codes and physically inspected after the finishing stage, Brooks adds.
“Since the variable data jobs are often small runs, this is not so much of a problem as it would be for large runs,” he advises. “We have not yet reached a point where it is cost-effective to invest in sophisticated electronic control devices.”
The association is planning a full year of activities, events, publications and educational efforts to encourage printers to explore digital printing, expand their current levels of involvement, or embrace the full potential of digital printing for their companies.
For firms that have already begun the trek down the digital path, the need to finish this digitally produced work has become even more important than in the past.
According to “The Market for Print Finishing Technologies,” a report produced by the Print Industries Market Information and Research Organization (PRIMIR), “as digital printing gains broader acceptance in the printing community, use of specialty finishing equipment can be expected to grow. Already, digital printers offer integrated cards and labels to their customers, as well as foil stamping, embossing and ultraviolet coatings.”
This is the case at Brooks Litho & Digital Group, North Amityville, NY, notes David Brooks, president. The company utilizes an HP Indigo UltraStream 3000 and Heidelberg QM-DI to produce jobs such as sell sheets, folders, postcards, displays and business cards.
The typical turnaround time on a digital job at Brooks Litho is between two and three days, the company president reports, but often overnight and same-day turnarounds are necessary. Run lengths typically require 250 to 500 12x18˝ sheets to be produced. A Digicoater Premier from K-2 Systems is counted on to help finish the jobs.
“Prior to the Digicoater and the new 4.0 inks for the UltraStream, scratching, rub-off and scuffing were always a problem,” Brooks reports. “More challenging is when variable data jobs—which are personalized and unique—have to be finished. It’s imperative that strict quality control procedures are adhered to at the finishing stage.”
The finishing route taken often depends upon the end use of the piece—such as if it is going to be mailed or handled repeatedly and if there is heavy ink/toner coverage. Brooks Litho will either varnish, aqueous coat or UV coat those types of projects. Jobs must be printed with control numbers or codes and physically inspected after the finishing stage, Brooks adds.
“Since the variable data jobs are often small runs, this is not so much of a problem as it would be for large runs,” he advises. “We have not yet reached a point where it is cost-effective to invest in sophisticated electronic control devices.”
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