INSIDE - PRINTING United Digital Experience · 2020. 11. 2. · 2020 PRINTING United Digital...

COMMERCIALOffset

TUESDAY, NOV. 3, 2020

GUIDE TO DAY SEVEN:

RESEARCH REVEALS ESSENTIAL ACTIONS FOR GROWTH IN UPCOMING INDUSTRY TURNAROUND

THE LIGHT FANTASTIC: LED-UV IN THE OFFSET PRESSROOM

COVID-19 PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE PLAN

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

4 Welcome to Day 7 of the 2020 PRINTING United Digital Experience

6 Day 7 Agenda and Sponsors

8 Research Reveals Essential Actions for Growth in Upcoming Industry Turnaround

10 The Light Fantastic: LED-UV In the Offset Pressroom

14 Process-Free Plates Reap Immediate Benefits for Inserts East

16 COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan

18 Installation Revelations: Where Are Commercial Printers Investing?

20 Product Demo Videos

21 Products

GROUP PRESIDENTChris Curran

EDITORIAL DIRECTORDenise M. Gustavson

EDITORSToni McQuilken Ashley Roberts

CONTRIBUTING EDITORSLisa Cross

Patrick HenryGary A. Jones

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVESJude Baker

Roger Baker Bill Curran

Steve DuccilliJack Noonan

PRODUCTION MANAGERMike Packard

PRODUCTION DIRECTORBob Gibbons

ART DIRECTORSMichelle Appalucci

Julie Lamond

VIDEOJohn P. Gelety

Ryan Hallas

VIDEO ASSISTANCE Andrew Baer

Annie Dimock

CEOFord Bowers

PRESIDENTDave Leskusky

PRESIDENT, EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS

Mark J. Subers

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENTJames Martin

VP, MARKETINGPatty Perkins

VP, TECHNOLOGYThomas Perkins

1500 Spring Garden St., Ste. 1200Philadelphia, PA 19130-4094

Phone: (215) 238-5300 Fax: (215) 238-5484

Copyright © 2020 NAPCO Media, Publisher of Printing Impressions, In-plant Impressions, Packaging Impressions, and

Wide-format Impressions.

8

10 14

4 | PRINTING United Digital Experience November 3, 2020 | digital.printingunited.com

WELCOMEWelcome to this special publication for attendees of the 2020 PRINTING United Digital Experience.In June, PRINTING United announced the decision to transition from an in-person event in Atlanta, to a comprehensive digital platform. The PRINTING United Digital Experience, taking place Oct. 26-Nov. 12, offers attendees three weeks of live, guided programming, educational sessions, and panel discussions with the experts; along with access to a complete online exhib-itor showcase featuring information about the newest industry technology, case studies, white-papers, the chance to speak with exhibitor representatives, and more.

Today is Day Seven of this 14-day event. Focused on the commercial printing market — spe-cifically offset — attendees have a packed schedule of content and product demos (see the detailed agenda on page 6).

There has been a seismic downturn for many commercial printers in 2020. According to the COVID-19 Print Business Indicators Report, October 2020, by NAPCO Research/PRINTING United Alliance, sales fell 14.3% on average during the first half of the year, and nearly 80% of respondents indicated they suffered from lower sales volumes.

However, a small minority (20.7%) are creating growth in the middle of this pandemic. These printers have been able to capture opportunities created by the crisis, by providing and produc-ing PPE, social-distancing signage, and other COVID-19-related printing. Some have also been able to successfully pivot into industries that got a boost from the pandemic as well, including health care, home education, and home entertainment.

Those who were able to boost their sales during this time were able to recognize earlier than other companies the seriousness of the pandemic and identify where the market opportunities would be. Additionally, they were able to execute on that information quickly and effectively.

A few areas for growth they identified:

Targeted print communication, including direct mail, supported by data analytics that deliv-ers high ROI to the client. Everyone’s tired of Zoom, and inboxes are exploding. Print offers a way to break through the noise.

Helping clients rebuild. As businesses reopen, they need advertising and promotional prod-ucts to get the news out to current and potential customers.

Selling advice and expertise. How do you make the client money? Learn their business. Use their website, social media platforms, and the forums they participate in. Bring them ideas. It’s particularly important now: everyone needs more business.

In 2020, many OEMs planned product launches to coincide with drupa 2020. But with the COVID-19 pandemic impacting us worldwide, print providers have not had the opportunity to see the new equipment released earlier this year. As part of the product demos today, you’ll be able to see the 10-color RMGT 970 perfecting press running at the RMGT factory in Japan; the new Eclipse process-free digital plates from Agfa along with other innovations which focus on the ECO3 framework: ecology, economy, and extra convenience; Muller Martini’s Finishing 4.0; and GEW LeoLED.

As a companion to the 2020 PRINTING United Digital Experience, these 14 special daily publications will provide attendees with a reference guide to the day of content, as well as much-needed insights into how print service providers can best position themselves now for the recovery — and growth — to come.

We hope this information will help serve as a valuable resource as you plan the next steps for your business, and determine where — and how — to expand and grow.


DAY 7: NOVEMBER 3, 2020COMMERCIAL: Offset10:00 a.m.RESEARCH: INDUSTRY OUTLOOK FOR COMMERCIAL OFFSETPresenter: Andy Paparozzi, Chief Economist, PRINTING United AllianceThe COVID recession has hit commercial printers hard. Nevertheless, some have grown through the crisis. This session introduces two of the primary reasons why some commercial printers have been successful in growing their businesses in the middle of the pandemic. Also included: How commercial printers rate the growth prospects of major print and wide-format markets, their capital investment objectives, and where they see opportunity post-COVID.

10:15 a.m.KEYNOTE: THRIVE IN A TRANSFORMATIVE MARKETPLACE WITH THE LATEST SHEETFED OFFSET TECHNOLOGYPresenter: Mike Philie, Principal, The Philie GroupChanges in a transformative marketplace create opportunities for those who are prepared. The latest sheetfed offset tech-nology provides innovators the opportunity to increase revenue, decrease costs, and exceed the expectations of their custom-ers. Hear how leaders are integrating new technology, expanding customer needs, and their qualified staff to position them-selves for continued success.

10:45 a.m.PRODUCT DEMO: RMGT/RYOBI RMGT 970 The product demo will introduce the new-est member of the RMGT 9 Series family with a 10-color RMGT 970 long perfecting press running at the RMGT factory in Japan. The video will document a com-plete 4-over-4 makeready, print 250 color controlled 8-up sheets that are LED cured, ready to move to bindery, with just one press operator, all in under five minutes.

11:00 a.m.PRODUCT DEMO: AGFA ECLIPSE PROCESS-FREE DIGITAL PLATES, SPIRAL SCREENING, APOGEE V12, PRESSTUNE, AND INKTUNEAgfa will explore the latest technologies that help printers improve efficiencies and print quality while saving costs and delivering added value. The Eclipse are the most advanced process-free digital plates. SPIR@L Screening, an innovative screening technology, replaces traditional dots with alternative shapes to increase quality and reduce production costs. Apogee v12 is the latest version of Agfa’s comprehensive automated, integrated workflow solution. PressTune is a smart print process control system that ensures consistent high-quality and fast makeready. InkTune lowers ink consumption by to up 30% while maintaining print quality.

AGENDA

“There has been a seismic downturn for many commercial printers in 2020 ... However, a small minority are creating substantial growth in the middle of this pandemic.” — Andy Paparozzi, Chief Economist, PRINTING United Alliance, in the Commercial Offset Industry Outlook session.

Today’s Sponsor:


11:15 a.m.PANEL DISCUSSION: HOW COMMERCIAL SHEETFED OFFSET PRINTERS ARE SHRINKING TURN TIMES AND STREAMLINING TO MEET SHORT-RUN DEMANDSModerator: Jim Workman, VP, Technology and Research, PRINTING United AlliancePanelists:Jonathan Wallace, President, Wallace GraphicsNiels Winther, Managing Partner, Chairman, and Owner, Think PatentedThe rise of on-demand customer require-ments has transformed printing business-es in many ways, including significant changes to manufacturing workflows and customer expectations for sheetfed offset press output. This moderated panel discussion includes discussion of how two sheetfed offset printers have adapted their businesses, and what they’ve done to address more jobs of shorter runs within shorter timeframes. Gain strategies for ef-ficiency and success, and learn what might stand in your way.

11:45 p.m.PRODUCT DEMO: MULLER MARTINI FINISHING 4.0Andy Fetherman, Muller Martini’s VP of sales and technology, presents Muller Martini’s Finishing 4.0 perspective on how to transform your facility into a smart factory, one that embodies a highly digitized, highly efficient workflow — from file to finished product.

12:00 p.m.PRODUCT DEMO: GEW LEOLEDLeoLED represents the next generation for LED-UV curing and is set to have a significant impact in this highly competitive market. In LeoLED, the technology has been redesigned and refined for simplicity and offers excellent value, while at the same time delivering maximum power and dose of UV energy. The LeoLED cassette is fully compatible with GEW’s ArcLED hybrid system and brings LED-UV within affordable reach for all.

12:15 p.m.PANEL DISCUSSION: PROFITING THROUGH AUTOMATION IN OFFSET COMMERCIAL PRINTINGModerator: Patrick Henry, Senior Editor, Printing ImpressionsPanelists:Charlie Cox, COO, Wallace GraphicsScott Burnett, Production Manager, Cedar GraphicsKevin Heslin, President, Seaway PrintingShawn Sundquist, President, Range PrintingAmid consolidation in the segment, the ongoing rise of digital printing technology, and new approaches for differentiation, successful commercial printing companies are making careful choices to maintain profitability. Patrick Henry discusses the present — and future — of the segment with four commercial printing executives.

“I always coin the phrase, ‘don’t let your inefficiencies trick you into thinking you’re busy.’” — Charlie Cox, COO, Wallace Carlson Printing

Today’s Sponsor:

Good news from the NAPCO Research and PRINTING United Alliance economic teams: printing industry sales are projected to grow in 2021, boosted by a sharp upturn in the U.S. economy.

While there are too many unknowns to fore-cast how much growth will occur, what is clear is the importance of taking the right actions to position for the future. Identifying and mirroring the actions taken by providers across all print segments (e.g., commercial, sign and display graphics, and packaging) is a great starting point for readying an organization to bounce back in the post-COVID-19 recovery.

NAPCO Research continually surveys providers across many printing segments, and monitors trends. A review of recent research identified the actions taken by respondents reporting sales growth. A common practice among those organiza-tions is that they typically make ongoing investments in their operations to improve efficiency, better service customers, and expand product offerings. Here is list of key actions taken by successful providers.

1. Revisit and Retool Business Plans, Investments, and StrategiesOrganizations reporting growth continually reevaluate and adjust plans to align with market conditions to buffer against de-clines. Before acting, they seek advice from customers, sales staff, customer service teams, suppliers, and other parties with solid insights. They rely on these groups of stakeholders to support their organization in testing plans and making decisions.

2. Reimagine Product and Service OfferingsA highly visible example of new products organizations are adding include social distancing graphics, face masks, personal protective equipment (PPE), safety shields,

and printed cardboard cutouts of people to place in the stands of sporting events. Some printing companies have even added a COVID-19 product tab to their websites.

Beyond products, providers are continu-ing to diversify into new market segments to buffer against future sales disruptions. The current economic shutdown has demon-strated the benefit of having a more diversi-fied customer base, as many key industries that use print, including events, retail, and

restaurants, needed to put their businesses on hold and reduced print spending. At the same time, other key industries — such as healthcare and financial services — kept volumes steady, or even increased them.

3. Rethink Ways to Improve Print Effectiveness and Value NAPCO Research’s study “Adding Value to Digital Printing” finds that print providers are leveraging digital embellishment options to

Research Reveals Essential Actions for Growth in Upcoming Industry TurnaroundBy Lisa Cross, Principal Analyst, NAPCO Media


FIGURE 1:

CUSTOMERS WANT PROVIDERS THAT OFFER PRINT ENHANCEMENTS

Highly Important

55%

Moderately/Slightly

Important39%

Not Important

at All6%

Q. How important is the following when selecting a print provider: Provides unique ideas to enhance the print we purchase.n=657 Brand Owners/Marketers that purchase or influence printingSource: Adding Value to Digital Printing, NAPCO Research 2019

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improve profitability. Making print memorable and interesting enhances customer engagement, thereby increasing print’s value.

Many types of embellishments, such as extended-gamut colors, specialty colors, embossing, foiling, textures, and specialty coatings, aren’t new. But the ability to pro-duce them on digital devices is making them more affordable to marketers and brand owners, while also offering new products previously not possible.

Enhanced printing techniques offer print providers new opportunities for creating direct mail pieces, signage, packaging, publi-cations, and other materials that get noticed. The ability to more affordably produce 3D textures, high gloss, foils, embossing, water-marks, and decorative protective coatings is a way to add value to print, and drive incre-mental increases in revenue and profits.

According to the study, marketers value providers that offer ways to enhance print. Of the 600 brand owners/marketer respondents that influence commercial printing taking the survey, 52% said it is highly important that their print providers offer unique ideas to enhance the print they purchase (Figure 1).

4. Reevaluate Operational Efficiency and Its Influence on ProfitabilityWorkflow is at the heart of productivity and profitability, and an increasing number of tools are available to increase automation, reduce costs, and improve productivity. Workflow automation is critical to optimizing equipment investments and enabling more profitable revenue streams. Increasing customer demands for shorter run lengths, just-in-time ordering, and online ordering are all focusing printers’

attention on improving operational efficiency, automating workflows, and reducing human touchpoints.

While some printers have embraced auto-mation more extensively than others, every printing business recognizes the benefits and value that automation brings. Accord-ing to recent NAPCO Research survey of commercial printers reporting sales growth, automating production workflow yields the following benefits:

• Increases profitability per job (87%)• Increases job throughput (83%) • Reduces errors and the need

for reruns because it reduces touchpoints (82%)

• Enables our company to go after new markets faster, and better manage the diversification of our business (79%).

Act Now to Ready for Future Success NAPCO Research/PRINTING United Alliance’s research shows print providers are seeing promising signs and ready-ing for success ahead. While operating capacities may not be at their highest levels, as a result of COVID-19, printing companies are taking a closer look at how to best to position their organizations for when the recovery arrives.


LED-UV curing isn’t a wholesale replacement for conventional, lamp-based UV. However, its distinct technical advantages could make it the UV solution of choice for several commercial printing and packaging applications.

For a long time, offset lithographic pressrooms have been reaping the benefits of curing inks and coatings with ultraviolet (UV) radiation instead of drying them with spray powder and/or heat.

The end result: a fully set, ready-to-finish sheet, is the same with both methods. But, instant UV curing sends the sheet to the bindery much faster than waiting for it to dry in a stack on a pallet — a major gain in productivity over standard drying, and only one of the advantages that UV technology brings to printing.

Conventional UV lamps emit UV radiation by passing electricity through mercury vapor and other chemical compounds inside a tubular glass bulb. It’s a proven technology, but during the past 10 years, UV systems developers have learned how to accomplish the same thing with mercury-free light emitting diodes (LEDs) as the UV source.

The newer process, LED-UV, isn’t intended to be a wholesale replacement for its well-established predecessor. However, it has a number of distinct technical advantages over lamp-based UV, and these, manufacturers and other experts agree, could make it the UV

solution of choice for many printing and packaging applications. Bill Bonallo, president and CEO of IST America, sees LED-UV

catching on in the long-perfector segment, as well as among “general conventional, oil-based commercial printers” with limited or no previous UV experience. He says “the oil-based guys are most captivated” by the prospect of getting fully dry sheets to work with, having cured them either with in-line LED-UV units or a combination of LED-UV units and conventional lamps.

Rapid Pace of Sheetfed Press RetrofitsRetrofitting sheetfed presses with LED-UV curing systems remains the “fastest moving” market opportunity for the technology, according to Hans Ulland, VP of sales – Americas, at AMS Spectral UV (formerly Air Motion Systems).

In addition, he says, “web offset is coming up incredibly fast,” as these printers realize that they can have LED-UV units in lieu of hot-air ovens on this type of equipment. Ulland reckons that in packaging, four out of five of his company’s UV sales in Europe and North America are for LED-UV, which he also identifies as the

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“standard” UV method on the commercial side. Jeffrey Woloshyn, sales director of Eltosch

Grafix America, similarly notes that his company’s UV quotations “are highly skewed to LED” and are likely to stay that way. Commercial and packaging are the main applications and, in the latter, he says, “the only thing they’re not doing is food” because of regulatory restrictions on UV inks for food packaging.

The appeal of LED-UV lies in its high efficiency. Jennifer Heathcote, founder of the Eminence UV consultancy and secretary of RadTech — a trade group for UV and EB (electron beam) curing technologies — cites instant drying, minimal heat transfer to substrates, elimination of ozone and solvents, and long diode life as LED-UV’s principal advantages.

There’s also the fact that unlike conventional UV lamps, LED-UV units switch on instantly without a delay for a ramp-up to full power. “They don’t care” how many on/off cycles they’re put through, says Heathcote, since it doesn’t affect performance.

Watch the ‘Clock’Bonallo points out another efficiency-boosting, energy-saving difference between the two methods: the ability to “clock” LED-UV exposure so that it is formatted strictly to the area to be printed,

Shown is an AMS Spectral UV X-series LED-UV curing unit mounted on a Goss M600 web offset press.


instead of illuminating the entire sheet as a conventional lamp does. The low-heat operation of LED-UV units makes them suitable for “hyper-temperature-sensitive substrates” like plastic, he adds.

Woloshyn’s litany of praise for LED-UV curing includes the low cost of maintaining the exposure units, in which diode life can be as long as 20,000 hours. Ease of operation is another powerful selling point. Press crews, he claims, are the biggest advocates of LED-UV because of the way it simplifies their production routines.

Don’t forget, advises Ulland, that retrofitting a press for UV curing can be done with fewer LED-UV units than conventional lamps. A single LED-UV source, he says, matches the curing capacity of multiple mercury lamps at a fraction of the energy consumption.

Ulland notes that besides saving costs, the technology is kinder to “human values” with its low-temperature, odor-free operation. This makes printers “much more accepting” of LED-UV than they are of the heat and the smell sometimes associated with conventional UV systems.

Consultant Allen Jenkins, who is also executive director of the International LED UV Association, points out that the people in the pressroom aren’t the technology’s only beneficiaries.

Designers, he says, “love the feel of uncoated stock, but they don’t want the images to look like they’re on an uncoated stock.” By minimizing ink absorption into uncoated papers with its instant cure, LED-UV gives designers the color pop they want without obliging them to print on coated grades.

Bean Counters’ BonanzaBut, it’s not just about good-looking sheets — with LED-UV, production economy and stability enter the picture as well.

According to Jenkins, “My customers who are real bean counters love it,” when they calculate the time and money they’ve saved by avoiding spray-powder cleanouts and other issues associated with non-UV drying. The process is so production-friendly, he says, that he has even seen digital presses at work in the same pressrooms as LED-UV equipment.

Despite its many attractions and increasing adoption, however, LED-UV curing isn’t likely to become a disruptive technology that pushes conventional UV curing to the margins. The original process, Bonallo declares, “is rock-solid, and isn’t slowing down:” evidence of which can be seen in the fact that most of IST America’s UV placements this year have been conventional systems.

As in all other forms of printing, the application dictates the choice of technology. This explains why conventional UV’s bulwark continues to be packaging, where the process gets to play to all of its recognized strengths.

Bonallo says “packaging and high-end packaging are staying firmly with traditional UV” because packaging printers want to avoid the “risk factor” inherent in switching to LED-UV inks and coatings, which are formulated differently. Packagers, according to Bonallo, “are not experimentation guys. They know what works.”

Jenkins, likewise, calls this the reason for what he describes as a “resurgence” of conventional UV installations by packaging printers in 2019.

Are Brands Change-Averse?Brand owners tend to be conservative as well. Heathcote observes that if the bulk of what a printer produces is for brands, changing from conventional to LED-UV curing might involve requalifying

color matches under the new process. That could be challenging for cosmetics, spirits, and other categories with tight color specifications, she points out.

Coating is another consideration. Ulland advises printers who coat “virtually everything” that they may get a better ROI by sticking with conventional UV, which offers them a broader range of less expensive coatings than LED-UV currently does. He says, nevertheless, that AMS Spectral UV is seeing considerable movement toward the newer process by packaging printers that are prolific coaters.

Printers ready to embrace LED-UV curing can choose from among three ways to do it: by buying a new offset press with factory-installed units; by retrofitting an existing, non-UV press with them; or by replacing conventional lamps on an existing press with LED-UV modules.

The choice will be case-by-case. Ulland says that built-in and added-on LED-UV units “operate identically” and that the cost of retrofitting for LED-UV will be less than that for conventional UV because there will be fewer sources to install.

Bonallo agrees that the performance of original and retrofit LED-UV systems should be equal “in theory.” But, he notes that every integration is unique and that variations — for instance, in the positioning of the UV emission source and the amount of space between it and the substrate — can yield different results.

It’s Still Legacy Iron But, iSomething else to bear in mind, counsels Jenkins, is that retrofitting LED-UV onto a legacy press won’t do anything to increase its running speed or shorten its makereadies. The curing will be there, but without the productivity-enhancing automation features that a new, LED-UV-equipped press would bring.

As for replacing conventional lamps with LED-UV sources, Bonallo says it can be done with the help of an electronic power system from IST America that supports both processes. This, he claims, provides a “no-risk, future-proof UV solution” for customers who then can “hot swap” one set of modules for another.

But, Bonallo also notes that retrofitting and replacement grow harder to justify as new presses with integrated LED-UV become increasingly productive from end to end. The question, he says, is whether the cost of the add-on will be worth achieving “a little bit

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more throughput” on a legacy press that, except for the curing, isn’t competitive with newer models.

Another question touching the adoption of the technology concerns the availability and cost of LED-UV-compatible inks and coatings. When the first LED-UV systems began to appear, choices were limited, and the price spread between LED-UV and conven-tional UV consumables was large. Since then, there has been some improvement on both counts.

Supply and Prices of Inks and CoatingsIn terms of supply, says Heathcote, “the inks are there,” and coat-ings are “getting better” as the consumables manufacturers bring more formulations to market. She thinks that although LED-UV ink pricing continues to be “a little bit more expensive” than conven-tional, it is trending in the right direction thanks to growth in de-mand. Heathcote acknowledges, however, that the higher ink price could be hard to support in low-margin production environments.

“Essentially equivalent” is Ulland’s assessment of ink pricing. “Pretty close” is Woloshyn’s, with both agreeing that coating prices remain higher on the LED-UV side. The price gap in coating “is still a big, big, difference,” according to Bonallo, who cites tariffs on raw materials imported from China as one reason for the disparity.

None of this appears to represent an obstacle to the continued growth of LED-UV curing for offset presswork. Particularly optimistic is Ulland, who reports that 75% of AMS Spectral UV’s current sales volume in North America consists of LED-UV systems and equip-ment. He says strong interest in the technology is also coming from non-print-based, industrial customers such as makers of automotive

products and OLED television sets.This is happening in part, according to Ulland, because LED- UV

“is an easier-to-capitalize way to add radiation curing than conven-tional UV.” As a result, he foresees having “an endless supply of printers who want to convert” to the technology.

Keeping PerspectivePrinters moving in this direction should heed Heathcote’s advice that an LED-UV curing system, however potentially valuable it may be, is ultimately just “a piece of kit” that won’t solve 100% of their production challenges. Each system, moreover, is different, leading to mismatches between LED-UV units and presses that aren’t correctly paired.

“With all new technology, it’s difficult to understand what’s important,” she says, urging printers to make sure that all elements of their intended LED-UV production workflows, including applications, are compatible with one another.

For making this happen, there may be no better guidance than the wisdom that comes straight from the pressroom floor.

Jenkins says that when he speaks with owners about implementing LED-UV, “I always tell them, get your operators involved in the due diligence.” Companies that “shelter” their press personnel from technical advancements have a harder time adopting them than companies that can draw upon the knowledge of a well-informed production team, he explains.

This article originally appeared in the November 2019 issue of Printing Impressions.


Inserts East, located in New Jersey, is a family-owned and operated commercial printing company specializing in printing newspapers and direct mail advertising inserts. The company works with some of the largest retail corporations in the nation — both regionally and nationally — that serve the grocery and food industry, furniture and bedding markets, sporting goods, drug stores, arts and crafts, auto, consumer electronics, and more. One of its largest customers, a regional grocery store chain out of the Northeast, requires high volumes that can run up to six million impressions for its weekly flyers, with multiple versions on tight deadlines.

Besides accommodating the need for both short and long run lengths, Inserts East provides customers with a range of paper stocks, from the lightest newsprint, to heavy coated sheets, while providing around-the-clock production coverage powered by nine heatset press lines, which print copy ranging from 9" to 50" web sizes.

For many years, Inserts East was using traditional, processed, and post-baked plates that were extremely reliable. These “bulletproof plates” were ideal for the company’s large volumes of print, providing Inserts East with the dependability and assurance they needed to deliver on their customers’ deadlines. However, over time,

the company became frustrated with the time it took to get plates ready for the press, which was seven to eight minutes in some cases.

“Time is huge around here. We have nine presses sitting out on our floor, waiting for plates. The sooner we can get plates out to the presses, the better it is for our whole operation,” says Cathy Hamilton, pre-production manager.

The need to solve this issue led Inserts East to a conversation with Kodak about the capabilities of SONORA X Process Free Plates. A key consideration in this discussion focused on the plate’s ability to perform in the company’s demanding print environment. Inserts East was aware of the cost-saving benefits that come from the elimination of chemistry and processing equipment, but were less familiar with the SONORA X Plate’s track record in a print operation like its own.

“Kodak achieved a significant breakthrough when we introduced SONORA X Plates in 2018. The new plates build on all the advantages of Kodak’s process free technology,

by removing the barriers that previously existed for printers. With SONORA X Plates, up to 80% of printers can switch to process free

Process-Free Plates Reap Immediate Benefits for Inserts East

Inserts East has moved all of its platemaking to SONORA X Plates, which now deliver several benefits that have dropped to its bottom line.

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These pumps are particularly well-suited for bulk ink

recirculation, ink transfer to the upper reservoirs or directly

to the printheads, and recirculation of ink in fl ow-through

printhead systems.

Learn more at knf.com/en/us/smooth-fl ow

B GG

plates, including large printers and those printing challenging applications that need a high-performance plate,” says Jeff Zellmer, VP, worldwide sales, Eastman Kodak Co.

For Inserts East, the decision to move away from traditional plate processing followed a short period of testing to evaluate the plate’s performance within its demanding environment. Testing the plates provided the company time to kick the tires on SONORA X Plates and compare them to its proven, long-standing post-baked plates. The results impressed the Inserts East team, as they recognized the immediate cost savings, speed to press, and quality of the imaging. The decision was then made to move all of its platemaking to SONORA X Plates, which now deliver several benefits that have dropped to its bottom line.

“SONORA X Plates have brought a number of game-changing benefits to our print production process while improving our overall sustainability. The time savings are tremendous. Because we no longer need to post-bake plates, we are saving energy, and we are now completely free of any chemicals, which is awesome. Most importantly, we’re realizing all these benefits, while enjoying print quality from SONORA X Plates that is equal to, if not better than, our previous post-baked plates,” says Hamilton.

The ability to get plates to press faster at Inserts East is also enhanced by the company’s decision to invest in Kodak’s CTP technology, which includes two KODAK TRENDSETTER NEWS Platesetters, and two KODAK MAGNUS VLF Platesetters. Because Inserts East was able to remove all of its plate processors by using SONORA X Plates, it was easy to fit all of the CTP equipment in its prepress department. The combination of these CTPs with SONORA X Plates has created a prepress environment that has increased the company’s productivity, sustainability, and service to its customers.


As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grip the country, printing operations need to take all available steps to prevent the spread of the virus in the workplace. There are two specific reasons why companies need to have a formal process for documenting their actions: First, they are working to protect themselves from a lawsuit in case an employee becomes infected; and second, proper preparation can help prevent a citation from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

While there is no specific regulation that has been adopted by OSHA, there is a set of existing regulations that can be used to issue citations for noncompliance. These include OSHA’s General Duty Clause, which requires employers to provide a safe and healthy workplace; and specific regulations governing the use of personal protective equipment — the hazard communication standard for working with chemicals safely, the respirator standard, and recordkeeping and reporting requirements. OSHA is inspecting workplaces during the pandemic, and continues to issue citations to companies for noncompliance.

Due to the inaction by OSHA to implement a national standard, individual states’ safety agencies have undertaken the development of their own workplace safety rules in response to potential hazards from COVID-19. For example, Virginia recently published a temporary emergency COVID-19 rule in July, and Oregon will be issuing its own similar emergency standard. Washington, meanwhile, created a trigger for direct enforceability of state-issued restrictions and prohibitions on employer operations by its workplace safety agency,

and the District of Columbia passed a law codifying the orders issued by the mayor addressing workplace safety. Each of the state rules require that printing operations document the steps they have taken to comply with state-specific requirements.

However, even if you are operating in a state that has not adopted a specific rule, you still need to take proactive measures. It is essential to familiarize yourself with federal, state, and local requirements and guidance with respect to preventive measures. For example, while at the time of this writing, Michigan has not adopted a formal rule, facilities in the state are being cited for not having a COVID-19 response plan in place, as per state recommendation.

To assist the members of PRINTING United Alliance with the evolving requirements, the Government Affairs and Human Resources team prepared a toolkit, called the COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan. The toolkit includes guidelines for employers to follow regarding implementing best practices to help prevent the transmission of the virus for businesses that are currently operating, or are just reopening. It also contains information on how to manage the workplace during the pandemic. It contains templates for policies, sanitation, and employee communication that are based on CDC and OSHA guidance.

The Plan includes the following information and templates:• Management and supervisory responsibilities for managing a

pandemic/post pandemic workplace• Employee responsibilities, with a look at PPE requirements

and usage

COVID-19 Preparedness

and Response PlanBy Gary A. Jones, Director of EHS Affairs, PRINTING United Alliance

digital.printingunited.com | November 3, 2020

Achieve unimagined savingsSwitch from a traditional, processed plate to the

plate that pays.

KODAK SONORA Process Free Plates can save you

money in ways that may surprise you. Lots of money.

Up to $1.000.000 a year for very large printers who

switch from wet processed plates to SONORA Plates.

Learn how you can start saving now at

kodak.com/go/processfree

©Kodak, 2020. Kodak, Sonora and the Kodak Logo are trademarks of Kodak.

By Gary A. Jones, Director of EHS Affairs, PRINTING United Alliance

• Facility protective measures, including the sanitation guide and checklist

• Personnel requirements and policies• Travel and meeting policies• Visitor questionnaire and privacy notice• Timeline for responding to an employee’s positive

COVID-19 diagnosis Questions to ask employees who have tested

positive for COVID-19• Customizable communication templates for: Notification to workforce of an employee’s

positive COVID-19 diagnosis Notification to coworkers that they have had

close contact with a positive COVID-19 case Notification to customers and third parties of

possible exposureThe toolkit will save countless hours of researching and

creating policies and procedures. This easily executed and comprehensive “COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan” can be downloaded and used to safely get back to business, and it is FREE for all PRINTING United Alliance Members.

By implementing proactive preventive measures and taking swift and appropriate action where there is a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 in the workplace, employers can mitigate their potential liability for secondhand exposure.


JUNE 16-262020

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Printing Impressions regularly publishes announcements of major equipment installations, most of them concerning offset lithographic and digital presses. We wanted to see what reviewing recent news of analog press installations in commercial plants would reveal about capital investment trends in that segment of the market. So, we pulled press releases of that type for the first eight months of this year, alongside the same period for 2019, looking for whatever clues the backward glance might yield.

This was hardly a scientific analysis of the market for offset presses. Not every installation is heralded in a press release, and because the dates of the announcements don’t coincide with the actual delivery and setup of the equipment, the timelines implied aren’t 100% accurate. But other patterns seem consistent with what is generally taking place in the commercial print market right now.

We didn’t count press releases about installations at packaging

printers, in-plants, or sites outside the United States. All told, in the periods chosen for review, Printing Impressions published 42 press releases about offset press installations: 15 from January through August of 2020, and 27 in the same eight months of 2019. If the frequency of announcements is a reliable guide, 2019 clearly was a stronger year for offset investment than 2020 has been thus far.

It wasn’t surprising that more than 75% of the press releases reported the installation of either 40" offset equipment or eight-up machines with slightly smaller sheet dimensions. The full-size format has long been standard for commercial work — these days, an offset shop that manages to stay competitive without one would be hard to find. With the increasing automation of offset equipment, full-size presses are much more cost-efficient than they used to be for the kinds short-run, quick-turnaround jobs offset volumes increasingly consist of.

By Patrick Henry, Senior Editor, Impressions Group, NAPCO Media

Installation Revelations: Where Are Commercial

Printers Investing?


JUNE 16-262020

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We counted just five releases about half-size, six-up, or smaller presses — again, no surprise, given the migration of so much work in this category to correspondingly sized digital toner and inkjet presses. But, interestingly, in one of these stories, the printer decided that a six-up offset press would be more productive and better suited to his business model than a half-size digital press. Media flexibility, LED-UV curing, and no worries about click charges clinched the decision in favor of offset at this shop — as they undoubtedly have at others.

VLF (very large format) offset printing is still a factor in commercial production, as four releases about the installations of 57" presses attest. Web offset, on the other hand, is long past its heyday as a printing process in this market: only one release in either year reports an installation of a commercial web press.

The things that press releases typically don’t report about installations are also key to understanding analog equipment trends in the commercial printing segment.

For example, installing a highly automated offset press now often means taking two or even three older machines offline: the new press, with its faster makereadies and more consistent print quality, is more productive than the legacy hardware combined. Once, the only way for an offset plant to increase capacity was to add press cylinders. Today, the relationship between the industry’s installed base of press equipment and the total volume of pages it produces is entirely different.

Press releases rarely mention the amount of time and effort it takes to reach the point where the installation of an offset press can finally be announced. Rightly so, given the amount of money involved, the due diligence for a capital investment on this scale will span months, if not years. The legwork may include visits to vendors’ showrooms;

to customer sites where the equipment in question can be seen running; and, sometimes, to overseas manufacturing plants where the press will be built to order.

Needless to say, a lot of this activity has been curtailed because of travel restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The restraining effect on offset press sales this year seems clear, given the smaller number of installation announcements made in the first eight months of 2020 versus the same period in 2019.

By depriving the press manufacturers of one of their most important marketing opportunities, the postponement of the drupa 2020 event speed-bumped the momentum of offset sales in its own way. The resulting slowdowns affect everyone, including printers who otherwise would now be closing deals for new equipment. Because the lead time for press acquisition is so lengthy, we would not rule out seeing their deferred or cancelled plans having an effect on the pace of announcements in 2021 as well.

But printers are still shopping for offset presses, and there is still ample wind to fill the sails of that demand. Some of it blew last year out of Dallas, Texas, where the highly successful PRINTING United Expo — 2019’s principal trade event for North America — spurred investments by users of digital and conventional press equipment alike. This year’s PRINTING United Digital Experience (Oct. 26-Nov. 12) offers commercial printers an even richer set of learning opportunities and equipment acquisition guidance.

That progress, part of a post-pandemic return to normalcy for the industry, eventually will be reflected in the installation stories Printing Impressions and its sister publications print and post online next year. We’ll be watching out for them.


RMGT Demos Newest 9-Series PressJoining the PRINTING United Digital Experience from Tokyo, Japan, RMGT/Ryobi executives will take this opportunity to show viewers the latest addition to the RMGT 9 Series family: the 10-color RMGT 970 long perfecting press.

In the demo, viewers will be able to witness a complete four-over-four makeready and printing 250 color-controlled eight-up sheets, all LED-cured and ready to move to bindery with just one press operator in under five minutes. The new press features one-touch ASAP (Automated Smart Assist Printing) technology that streamlines makeready, and it can accommodate a 25x38" press sheet for a full eight-up configuration, or four 12x18" sheets.

Within the ASAP system, once CCD scanners verify that all print quality control parameters have been met, the RMGT 970 flags the first OK’d sheet, and begins the production run at up to 16,000 sph. ASAP will then assist the RMGT pressman to ensure flawless print quality from start to finish by monitoring every sheet and flagging any non-compliant sheets without stopping production. The result is a much higher press operating rate, lowered makeready time, and confirmed print quality control enabling profitable production of con-tinuous short-run printing that requires frequent job changeovers.

Agfa Highlights Economy, Ecology, Extra Convenience in VideoDuring its video presentation, Agfa executives will highlight a range of the company’s products, including Eclipse process-free digital plates, SPIR@L Screening, Apogee v12, PressTune, and InkTune — market innovations which focus on the “ECO3” framework: ecology, economy, and extra convenience. Agfa’s ECO3 approach of sustain-able innovation makes prepress and printing operations cleaner

(ECOlogy), more cost-efficient (ECOnomy), and easier to operate (extra Convenient). ECO3 extends from the prepress environment into the pressroom with ink savings and press standardization soft-ware packages that reduce makeready time and paper waste.

On the product side, Eclipse are the most advanced, innovative technology in process-free digital plates, while SPIR@L Screening replaces traditional dots with alternative shapes to increase quality and reduce production costs. Apogee v12 is the latest version of Agfa’s comprehensive automated, integrated workflow solution, and PressTune is a smart print process control system that ensures consistent high-quality and fast makeready. Finally, InkTune lowers ink consumption by to up 30% while maintaining print quality.

Finishing 4.0 With Muller MartiniAndy Fetherman, VP of sales and technology at Muller Martini, will walk viewers through the company’s perspective on how to transform a facility into a smart factory, one that embodies a highly digitized, highly efficient workflow from file to finished product, which perfectly aligns with the company’s Finishing 4.0 ideology. The core of the philosophy is taking intelligent devices, connecting them together, and creating a more efficient and productive system.

As part of that vision, the company has several product announce-ments, including introducing viewers to the new portfolio of saddle stitching equipment. The entry level Prinova is a 9,000 piece per hour saddle stitcher designed for PSPs that work with conventional printing methods, alongside digital equipment.

The new Primera Pro saddle stitcher is a more advanced, efficient system that can produce up to 14,000 copies per hour, and is designed for more of a mid-volume operation. Some of the features include a streamfeeder to folder feeder, a flat pile feeder, a vertical pile feeder, a merchandise tipper, and a new three-knife trimmer with automatic thickness adjustment for quicker makereadies.

Fetherman will also take viewers through the company’s digital book manufacturing technologies, which provide more automated workflows and advanced innovations with its Vareo equipment. Having an integrated line, he notes, has a few advantages:

• Endsheet tipping in-line or near-line• A transport and merge conveyor system• Scan & print barcodes with product IDs and job information• InfiniTrim variable three-knife trimming system• Smart sorting and stacking technologies

PRODUCT DEMO VIDEOS

RMGT 970 Long Perfecting Press

Agfa Eclipse Process-Free Digital Plates

Muller Martini Prinova Saddle Stitcher


PRODUCTS

Komori GLX40RP Double-Sided Press — Intertech Award WinnerIntertech judges were impressed not only with the idea of a “reverse printer,” but how Komori made it a sophisticated reality. The 29x41" GLX-40RP prints the bottom and the top of a sheet in a single pass without turning the sheet over. It handles thicker substrates better than a long perfector and saves paper since only one gripper margin is required. It can be configured in different ways, including with coaters in the middle.

Muller Martini Primera ProThe all-new 14,000 cph Primera Pro is an advanced and highly efficient saddle stitcher that can be used for small, medium, or large print runs. It features a revised operating concept as well as a fully automated three-knife trimmer. Engineered to be digital ready for future opportunities.

KODAK SONORA Xtra Process Free PlatesSONORA XTRA Process Free Plates are the next stage of the process free revolution. By enabling higher speed imaging, they support the high productivity of the newest KODAK platesetters, and provide better plate contrast. Our new plates are ideal for most printers, including large-scale “industrial” printing operations. Save money in prepress by eliminating the chemistry, water, and energy of process-ing, and get even bigger savings in the pressroom from the elimina-tion of processing variability.

GEW Helps Commercial Printers Stay CompetitiveGEW highlighted its LeoLED solution, designed to help commercial sheetfed offset printers stay more competitive when customers want shorter print runs, quicker deliveries, and lower prices, while still demanding high-quality work.

LeoLED LED-UV curing been redesigned and refined for simplic-ity, and offers excellent value while delivering maximum power and UV energy. The LeoLED cassette is fully compatible with GEW’s ArcLED hybrid system and brings LED-UV within affordable reach for all. LeoLED brings several benefits:

• The 50mm width window gives a long dwell time, and is wa-terproof-sealed for easy cleaning. It is also resilient to dust and ink ingress. • The LED array delivers electrical power at 88W/cm, and an

intensity of 25W/cm2, with minimal light loss due to the direct UV path. • The water-cooling system increases operating capabili-ty and reliability.• The new lamphead is built to exacting standards, using state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques, for robust performance and reliability. It is also offered in an alternative, more compact configuration for very small spaces. • All formats can be easily retrofitted to almost any press, and are available with a 5-year GEW system warranty.

GEW LeoLED LED-UV Curing Solution


Graphco Foliant Vega SF Series Distributed by GraphcoFoliant’s new Vega SF Series,Vega 400SF and Vega 530SF, feed more sheets per lift and run 20% faster with the same consistency that Foliant’s stream feeder is known for in the industry. These machines are equipped with an integrated deep pile suction feeder, pneumatic hi-speed bump separator, adjustable dual decurl bar, and overlap system. The Vega SF Series laminators are suitable for both digital and offset printed sheets.

Muller Martini PrinovaIdeal for short runs, the all-new 9,000 cycle Prinova saddle stitcher has a highly innovative feeding station that can accommodate up to 14 individual, tiltable feeders, each equipped with servo drives. The result is incredibly quick changeovers as feeders can be operated by a single operator thanks to their loading height.

Tamerica TCC-1400F+ 14" Foil Fuser and 2-Sided LaminatorDon’t be fooled by its size –Tamerica’s TCC-1400F+ 14" laminator is a highly capable and trustworthy hybrid of a machine, combining its ability to Foil Fuse media in colorful foil finishes and laminate it afterwards. With variable speed and temperature settings and very efficient heating elements, laminating jobs up to 10mil in thickness are a walk in the park. Small, mobile, compact, reliable and inexpensive, Tamerica’s TCC-1400F+, truly ... big things come in small packages.

W+D 410i 1:1 Envelope Finishing Solution The W+D 410 is already the world’s easiest envelope finishing machine for the direct mail market with its ability to convert litho preprint or print high quality flexo and also emboss in-line high value direct mail envelopes and flat sheet mail folds with very little waste at speeds up to 30,000 EPH. Now, added to the 410, the world’s FIRST capability to convert and piece track your high quality person-alized digital print and turn them into POWERFUL 1:1 DIRECT MAIL ENVELOPE packages.

PRODUCTS


®


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INSIDE - PRINTING United Digital Experience · 2020. 11. 2. · 2020 PRINTING United Digital...

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