We’ve seen a substantial amount of new kit launched this year but it's worth looking at where there’s still room for improvement. Nessan Cleary reports.
Looking back over 2013 there’s been a good smattering of new printers released so it’s easy to focus here. But perhaps the most striking developments have been in the area of workflow. Up to now the wide-format sector has mostly relied on whatever Rip happens to come with the printer but, clearly, quite a few vendors believe that there’s room for something more sophisticated.
There are two fundamental approaches to workflow: a centralised workflow manager that separates prepress from output, which tends to be used by larger companies; or alternatively, adding workflow capabilities to the Rip, which is more likely to suit smaller companies.
So far only the bigger companies have really invested in such systems, roughly 40 or so UK wide-format printers, or to put it another way, less than one percent of the market here. Contrast this with commercial print, where 99% of offset users have an automated workflow system and they are seen as absolutely essential. This begs the question as to why workflow systems are not more widespread in the wide-format sector? Is it all about technological issues?
Most equipment vendors feel that its harder to sell workflow as an additional program when customers already have a Rip, and for this reason some vendors are trying to arrange bundling deals to supply their workflows with new printers. But they are finding it hard to convince customers that there are genuine savings to be had from investing in such systems.
Paul Bates, Esko’s business manager for the UK and Ireland, explains that workflow packages can be used to increase productivity without having to employ more people, helping to keep the wage bill down. Those companies that have invested in workflow have generally managed to retrain existing staff in other areas.
A centralised workflow can be expensive but, in theory at least, the additional productivity should pay for the system. Moreover these systems are scaleable and will make it easier to integrate the wide-format part of a business with other forms of printing such as litho. Such workflows separate out the prepress operations meaning that all the nesting, step and repeat and preflighting can be done before the file is sent to the Rip so that the printer can be kept running continuously. Another advantage is that the workflows can drive any device so that there’s no need to deal with multiple Rips and jobs can be switched quickly from one device to another as needed.
There are now several centralised workflows to choose from that directly address wide-format printing. Of these, Esko’s Automation Engine appears to have the largest number of customers here in the UK. This is probably because it is just as happy with output via litho and screenprinting as with wide-format, and Esko has a large number of customers working in packaging and a good reputation for 3D work, likely to appeal to anybody producing POP displays.
The Automation Engine is the culmination of several older systems brought together through various corporate acquisitions. As such it has the simplicity and ease of use inherited from Odystar, the scaleability of Nexus and the robustness of Backstage. It’s based on Adobe’s PDF Print Engine and uses PDFs throughout as its native file format.
Then there are the Aurelon programs - PrintFactory from Four Pees, PixelBlaster from SAi and ProductionSuite from GMG - all based on the same core technology from Aurelon, which GMG now owns. These programs have a separate editor so that file management and prepress can be split from the Ripping and printing stage. They have drivers for most wide-format printers and thus can take care of screening and Ripping for output. They can also generate marks for finishing, including cutting paths for tables and grommet holes for banners.
Of these, GMG appears to have had the most success in the UK, partly because it has a large installed base for its ColorServer colour management products. GMG has used its colour management know-how to distinguish ProductionSuite from its direct competitors. Markus Finkbeiner, director of wide-format business unit for GMG, says that both colour management and integration with Web-to-print programs are important factors for many customers. The latest version also has a new Layout feature which supports true shape nesting as well as print-and-cut.
Finkbeiner says that although the program is mainly installed with the bigger players for now the integrated colour management and finishing should also appeal to the smaller companies, though there doesn't seem to be much evidence of this so far.
Agfa has also entered the workflow fray with Asanti, launched at this year's Fespa. Asanti is a cut down version of Agfa's Apogee workflow that has been optimised for wide-format work. Andrew Grant, Agfa’s director of software, says that it has a completely new, simplified interface. It outputs PDFs to whatever Rip is supplied with each printer, which takes care of the screening while Asanti looks after the colour management and preflighting.
Fujifilm has also added the ability to support wide-format devices to its XMF Rip. This is based on Adobe’s APPE and was designed from the start to run all the digital printers on any given site. Again, Fuji has excellent colour management tools and a good history of commercial workflow.
There is an alternative to a workflow system, with some of the advantages. As we have already mentioned, many Rips are now starting to gain production options, including the ability to set up cutting marks and to drive a cutting table, as well as colour management and spot colour handling. Such systems are much cheaper to implement than a full-blown workflow and consequently more of these have been installed in the UK than the workflow programs. Thus Onyx has developed Thrive, which has a number of tools including black generation GCR, spot colour handling and a job editor. It can organise jobs through hot folders and RIP multiple jobs simultaneously. It also includes colour management.
Caldera sells Flow+, which has a number of features including MIS and CRM. It can handle quotations and analyse the cost and profitability of each job. EFI has the Fiery ProServer, which can support two printers and includes colour management as well as the ability to drive a cutting table.
Many of the workflow vendors also have Web-to-print tools, such as Agfa with Storefront, Fujifilm with XMF Print Centre and EFI with Digital Storefront. EFI also has several MIS, including PrintSmith, which is aimed at smaller digital bureaux. It’s an important point because Web-to-print systems tend to lead to short-run jobs that are easily automated, such that anyone who's receiving a large number of jobs via a Web-to-print system will quickly find that they have a production bottleneck, which can be best handled with some form of workflow management.
Higher productivity
Another major trend of this year has been a move toward bigger, more productive flatbeds. There's nothing new about big UV printers but in previous years the market has split between high production machines with adequate image quality and smaller models with high image quality but much lower productivity. The market is clearly coalescing now, with the faster machines now offering better image quality and a number of mid-range devices available, which surely indicates a greater industrialisation of this sector.
Thus at Fespa, HP launched its latest flatbed, the FB10000, which is capable of printing up to 625m2/hr. It produces quite good image quality considering the high speed, easily good enough for point of sale work that can be viewed from close up. This is largely down to a new HDR printhead, with its minimum 15 picolitre drop size.
Inca Digital developed a version of its Onset series that offers higher image quality. The Q40i is based on the existing S40i, but with Dimatix QS10 printheads that deliver a 10 picolitre drop size resulting in 1200dpi apparent resolution. The image quality is much improved, but at the cost of productivity, down to 310m2/hr. It’s available in four and six colour versions.
This year has also seen the launch of EFI’s HS 100 Pro, a 3.2m wide UV hybrid printer which can produce up to 100 boards per hour. It uses LEDs, with a two-stage curing process known as pin and cure that enables it to handle a wider range of materials.
Durst launched two new Rho models, the 1012 and 1030. The Rho 1012 prints a 12 picolitre dot size, has 1000dpi resolution and runs at up to 490m2/hr. The Rho 1030 can produce up to 1,000m2/hr. It can be fully automated with autoloading and unloading tables and there are also roll-to-roll and roll-to-sheet options.
In addition, less expensive models, which have typically been sold on their higher image quality, are now becoming faster. For example, Océ unveiled new versions of its Arizona flatbeds with the 600 series. There’s a choice of two sizes, with four or six colours, which can be configured to have white ink or varnish, or with extra cyan and magenta inks to increase the throughput. The maximum throughput is 64.7m2/hr.
HP has a number of latex printers but this year launched a mid- production model, the Latex 3000. This is capable of 180m2/hr in billboard mode with up to 1200dpi resolution. It has six colours plus an ink optimiser to improve image quality at higher speeds.
Inevitably, faster machines come with a higher price tag, so that the ability to push more jobs through the production system to keep the printer running will become more important. Which, of course, may also help to explain why the workflow vendors are so confident that wide-format is ready for a centralised production system.
Textiles
Another, very obvious trend this year, has been the increased interest in textile print. A great many vendors have now developed textile printers, largely attracted by the potential market for digitally-printed garments. But many of these machines are suitable for soft signage and applications such as fabric backlit displays are becoming more common, not least because textiles are cost-effective and environmentally-friendly.
Thus Agfa has developed its first fabric printer, the Ardeco, a 3.2m wide dye-sublimation machine with four colours, capable of producing up to 137m2/hr. It uses the Ricoh Gen4 printhead and there’s a choice of eight or 12 heads. It is aimed at the high volume market and boasts a built-in calendering unit.
Epson has also expanded into textiles, with the launch of two dye-sub printers this year. The F6000 is a 44in-wide entry-level machine, while the F7000 is a more heavy-duty beast with a 64in print width. Both can print up to 1440dpi resolution and use Epson’s water-based Ultrachrome DS inks.
Mimaki also has a new textile printer this year, the TS500, which has a maximum print width of 1890mm and a maximum throughput of 150m2/hr. It’s a large machine, clearly designed for production environments.
Durst upgraded its Rhotex 320 with the launch of the R322. This is a 3.2m-wide printer capable of producing 140m2/hr at a resolution of 1200dpi.
Solvent life
Despite the trend towards bigger printers, it’s worth noting that there have been several new solvent models launched this year that prove that solvent technology is far from finished.
Thus, Roland launched the Soljet Pro4 XF-640, which can produce 102m2/hr in billboard mode, though this speed drops to 63m2/hr in its high quality mode. Resolution is 1440dpi.
Seiko launched the latest addition to its ColorPainter solvent printers, the M64S. It can produce 33m2/hr, with the prints being touch dry as they exit the printer.
At the same time, Bordeaux has developed a range of latex inks that are designed specifically for converting older eco- solvent printers equipped with Epson heads into latex printers, neatly overcoming any health or environmental issues with solvent inks.
Finishing
Inkjet printers will inevitably get faster, and more and more users will have to automate their workflows to keep those printers busy. But, finishing equipment is much more mechanical and harder to speed up and will inevitably become more of a bottleneck. Workflow tools can help to some extent by generating cutting marks in prepress and notifying operators of upcoming production tasks.
That said, Esko has just launched the new C-series of its Kongsberg cutting tables, designed to be both wider and faster. Bates explains: “The printers are getting quicker and we have had to address that.” He adds: “We couldn’t do it before because we couldn’t get the accuracy with the beam dipping in the middle.” The solution has been to use a carbon fibre beam, which is both lighter and stronger. Bates says that the lighter beam means it can run quicker, adding: “There’s less wear and tear on the bearings and the gear box.” It will also have a new controller and Bates notes: “The speed is all about how you get the job on and off the table.”
{jathumbnail off}