PONTE VEDRA, FL—April 28, 2014—The Inkjet Summit, now in its second year, caters exclusively to digital inkjet users and is sponsored by manufacturers to this market segment. The conference promotes the growth of digital inkjet printing in North America and is funded entirely by event sponsors. Attendees were vetted and qualified to attend this closed event. Seventy-nine companies from four market segments (book, direct marketing, transaction/transpromo and general commercial printing) participated.
Although digital printing is currently the hottest topic in print industry circles, the finishing end of these systems, whether online or offline, has not always kept pace with the printing end. This especially holds true for rollfed production systems. In this area the gains on the print side have often been lost to inefficiency in finishing.
Finishing: The Next Wave of Digital Printing Evolution
As the industry evolves, it is fitting that digital finishing receives more attention today as the North American market moves further towards industrial inkjet production. Now more than ever before, there is a need for highly efficient finishing systems that can keep pace with the increasing speed of inkjet printing systems, and which in turn cater to rising print production demands.
manroland web systems’ Foldline and Formerline product lines are the answer to those seeking flexible, industrial-strength solutions for digital finishing. Without sacrificing speed or flexibility, manroland web systems utilizes traditional offset engineering expertise to create highly productive finishing systems for digital printers. Offering variable cut-offs, efficient book-block building and a wide range of production possibilities; Foldline and Formerline finishing solutions, introduced at drupa 2012, are now center stage because of their robust 24/7 work-horse design, much needed product flexibility and the workflow and integration software, efficiently tying them into companies’ MIS and workflow systems.
Case Study: Utilizing Off-Peak Production Times
During the Inkjet Summit, the manroland web systems’ Team presented a Case Study based on a company called Rotolito Lombarda in Milan, Italy. It was presented to printers in the book industry, and focused on the need for a finishing system to be efficient yet flexible.
Book printers buy equipment to cope with peak capacity demands, and their equipment may often be underutilized in off-peak business periods. Printing engines are flexible within their given web width and color capability, but purpose-built [book] finishing systems are usually not designed with flexibility in mind. Finishing systems need to be able to deliver a variety of different products efficiently and cost effectively to make the best use of an entire production system.
Rotolito solved its peak capacity demands and off-peak production line underutilization by including manroland web system’s FoldLine solution in its newest inkjet production system. The FoldLine integrated with an HP T410 delivers high speed book-block capacity when needed for their customers and also a variety of products needed to satisfy other market demands. It was the only solution available that answered the need for product flexibility for Rotolito.
Keeping Up with Industry Demands
manroland web systems Vice President of Sales Roland Ortbach addressed the need for production-efficient finishing for all industry segments in the Inkjet Printing arena. “Finishing can no longer be an after-thought when purchasing a new production inkjet printer,” stated Ortbach. “The cost of a new high-performing inkjet printer is a significant investment and has an insatiable appetite for work. These systems become more productive with every generation that comes to the market.”
“At a minimum, finishing systems need to be able to convert the printed web into product at the same speed as the inkjet systems," remarked Ortbach. "Better still, they should be capable of running faster than current inkjet print engines so as to keep up with performance enhancements and future generations of print engines that will outperform those of today."
At the Inkjet Summit, it became evident that technological advances of the inkjet industry are moving quickly, and equipment must be able to keep up with the accelerated pace. According to Ortbach, “As inkjet printers evolve, the smartest investment is in finishing equipment that stays ahead of the printer performance curve and has the product flexibility to keep up with changing market needs.”