FIPP 2001New Technologies Helping

to Print Magazines

DRUPAWorld’s Largest Print Exposition

Druck und Papier

DR U PA

DRUPA 2000

The Promise: Millennium Blow-Out Event

The Reality:Technological Disappointment

The Digitization of Print

• Global information transfer makes print truly global.

• Technology is shrink-wrapped and universal, expensive and competitive.

• The printing press is just another office machine.

• Distinction between processes are blurring.• Distribution cost is determining factor.

10 Years Into the Program

The Digitization of Print

The Digitization of PrepressComputer-to-Plate Disadvantages

• For smaller printers, there’s no true labor savings

• Startup cost: Minimum $600,000 to $1.2 million– Cost doesn’t reflect required redundancy

• Ongoing maintenance: Minimum $72,000/year

The Digitization of PrepressComputer-to-Plate Advantages

• Improved registration, consistency– No dirt

• Enhanced flexibility and speed– Clients can submit files later

• Reduced press down time/waste

Digital Plate Production vs.Press Down Time

Shown in Percentages

2,000/day = 700,000/year80 bad plates/day = $$$$

The Digitization of PrepressComputer-to-Plate Advantages

20 – 20 – 20• 20 percent reduction of cycle time

per year, per year, per year

• “Every monthly produced like a weekly; every weekly produced like a daily.”

Prepress Advancements Stochastic Screening

• Screenless – No film– No rosetta pattern

• Improved resolution– 360 line screen vs. 133– Better quality and appearance

• Barrier to introduction: Press chemistry

Half Tone vs. StochasticMore/Less Dots vs. Bigger/Smaller Dots

Stochastic Conventional

Closed-Loop Color Control

The Revolution

“God makes no two trees alike.”

Even though solid ink densities may be in tolerance, shifts in the CMY color balance of images can significantly affect their appearance.

Critical Balance

Color Control System• Automatically identifies and corrects color

• Delivers higher color consistency and predictability

• Reduces makeready time, paper waste

• Statistical data reporting capabilities

• Color info is fed back to Imaging for improving subsequent jobs

Manual Operator Moves - CyanAll Keys / Single Unit

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Automatic Moves – Cyan

Test Conditions: MAN Roland Lithoman 4-unit, single web; cold start-up; no presetting; automatic convergence.

Observations: CCS Automatically brought all keys to 1.4 target (SWOP) in under 5 minutes.

All Keys / Single Unit

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So What Does It All Mean?

• Color is predictable, repeatable, less variable• The color you approve on proof is the color you see on press• Digital measurement of optical characteristics means

accurate color can be replicated in publisher’s office (vs. press side)

• One color okay does it all!– Color can be replicated across multiple presses anywhere

throughout the world

DBLs Online(Digital Bluelines)

• Real-time content proofing• Approaches:

– QG.com (secure Web site)– Electronic Data Interchange– File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site – E-mail

DBL Benefits

• Electronic client signoff– Immediately alerts QG production crews– No delays

• 20-20-20– Instantaneous vs. 48 hours

Digital File Transfer

• Seamlessly connects all printing plants and remote imaging sites to each other throughout U.S. and world

• Seamlessly connects all publishers to printing plants and remote imaging sites FREE and INSTANTANEOUSLY using FTP via the Internet

Digital Connectivity

Pressroom Advancements

• Trend is toward wider presses– More pages per revolution = higher output– Reduces costs

2 x 2 Presses

• 17 x 22 Sheetfed– 4 pages/plate– One-sided printing

• Mini/Custom Web Press– 4 pages/plate– Perfecting

4 Pages Total

8 Pages Total

2 x 4 Presses

• 8 unit M-1000 Press– 8 pages/plate– Perfecting

• 4 unit M-1000 Press– 8 pages/plate– Perfecting

• 24 x 40 Sheetfed– 8 pages/plate– One-sided printing

8 Pages Total

16 Pages Total

32 Pages Total

2 x 6 Presses

• 8 unit M-3000 Press– 12 pages/plate– Perfecting

• 4 unit M-3000 Press– 12 pages/plate– Perfecting

24 Pages Total

48 Pages Total

4 x 6 Presses

• 4 unit M-4000 Press– 24 pages/plate– Perfecting

48 Pages Total

6 x 8 Presses

• 8 unit 96” Gravure Press– 48 pages/cylinder– 1 web– Perfecting

96 Pages Total

32 Pages

• Sheetfed 2 x 4 x 1 to 25M

• M-1000 (1 web) 2 x 4 x 1 25M - 100M

• M-1000 (2 web) 2 x 4 x 2 100M - 2 million

• Gravure (96 pp) 6 x 8 x 1 2 million +

48 Pages

• Sheetfed 2 x 4 x 1 to 20M

• M-4000 (1 web) 4 x 6 x 1 20M – 250M

• M-3000 (2 webs) 2 x 6 x 2 250M – 1.4 million

• Gravure (96 pp) 6 x 8 x 1 1.4 million +

96 Pages

• Sheetfed 2 x 4 x 1 to 15M

• M-4000 (1 web) 4 x 6 x 1 15M – 250M

• M-3000 (2 webs) 2 x 6 x 2 250M – 1 million

• Gravure (96 pp) 6 x 8 x 1 1 million +

MagnabindA Revolution in Binding

• Operates on perfect binding principle of gathering as few as two pages, which simplifies book layouts

• Rated at 40,000 books/hour• Can bind less than 1/8" up to a 1/2"

Magnabind

Magnabind

Magnabind

Forecast for the Future

• Less run waste• Quicker makereadies and less

makeready waste• Improved consistency and color quality

Think Out of the Box

• 15-minute plate changes• 1,000-sheet makereadies!• Less insert makeup and bindery slow-down• Move versioning back to the pressroom