News

Improvement of productivity and cost reductions play an increasingly important role in the printing industry – automation is one way to impact significantly on achieving these targets.

Automation is a big step forward also in terms of standardisation as it enables trade shops and printers to minimise process tolerances. Automation offers the possibility to improve plate and print quality as well as reduces mistakes and in consequence, cut down costs and claim rates significantly.

Rhiem Druck GmbH, based in Voerde, is installing Germany's first fully featured Syrius high-speed laminating system of the latest generation from Steinemann Technology. From high-end folding boxes and displays, all the way to conventional commercial printing jobs, such as office supplies - print products finished with laminating films are becoming increasingly popular among the customers of the print and media house. Most of these customers are manufacturers of branded goods, who want their products to stand out more clearly from the competition at the point of sale with the help of high-class finishing effects. Against this backdrop, one of the important aspects for Rhiem was that the Syrius achieves results of very high quality, particularly also when laminating folding boxes, advertising materials and other print products with metal films. The machine is scheduled to be installed in February 2011. Steinemann Technology just recently presented the latest-generation Syrius to the public.

Océ announced the launch of the Océ CS2436MF ReproKiosk. It is a professional repro system that includes shelves and an integrated tabletop that enclose the fast and easy to operate Océ CS2436 printer for large format documents. This unique system helps offices organize all of their document-related supplies and media and handle documents at an ergonomic workspot.

Since the beginning of this year the whole printing industry has been facing extremely challenging raw material markets, which resulted in the urgent need of a price increase for printing inks. In the last few weeks the industry was additionally constrained, in the raw material market, when the prices of the pigment violet PV 23 were again significantly increased. "During the past 12 months we have been fighting dramatic cost increases for this product of up to 70%. Further increases are expected." explains Jens Zimmermann Director Global Marketing & Business Development at Flint Group Packaging and Narrow Web.

At the end of July Mondadori Printing, a huge print operation owned by Italian market leader Gruppo Pozzoni, pushed the button on a ten-colour B1 (41in) KBA Rapida 106 for five-backing-five at its plant in the operatic city of Verona. The highly automated press is the first perfector in Via Montelungo and represents a major milestone in the company's longstanding association with KBA.

Atlantic Zeiser's comprehensive, powerful and highly secure software suite PMP enables instant issuance, enrollment and card lifecycle management. The suite's modular concept allows users to add different PMP products according to their specific requirements. In addition, PMP products can be used in conjunction with different manufacturers' production systems.

Fespa Fabric (24-26 May 2011, Messe Hamburg, Germany) is shaping up as 2011's leading European product showcase and educational event for garment printers and decorators.
Co-located with Fespa Digital 2011, Fespa Fabric 2011 has drawn leading industry names such as Brother, Chemica /Sefar, Karl Groener, Kornit, Marcodie, Melco, Polyprint and Stahl, with Kornit Digital confirmed as Fespa Fabric sponsor. Covering approximately 3000m2, Fespa Fabric 2011 will fill Hall B1 of the Messe Hamburg exhibition centre, linked by a short walkway to the halls of the FESPA Digital 2011 wide-format print event.
The launch Fespa Fabric event in 2010 - which ran within the flagship Fespa exhibition in Munich - attracted over 10 000 visitors from 113 countries over five days. FESPA Sales & Marketing Director Marcus Timson comments, "The success of FESPA Fabric 2010 in Munich showed that the European garment printing community valued a different style of event, one that reflects the energy and visual creativity of the garment printing world."

DNS and Nautilus ReFresh Triorec — new products from Mondi’s digital printing and environmental paper portfolios — will be showcased along with Mondi’s entire uncoated fine paper portfolio.

Printing Partners Brussels will complete 2010 by equipping all 12 towers on its manroland Colorman coldset press with Vulcan 202 blankets, following successful trails of the Trelleborg product. The search for a blanket that provides consistent high print quality, combined with the ability to operate the Colorman at its full 42 000 copies per hour capacity, has taken more than a year.

Variable data printing on the Kodak Nexpress 2500 Digital Production Color Press ensures highly targeted, customized communications.
Bek Grafische Products Crossmedia Solutions is helping its customers create more effective communications after investing in Kodak Technology. The 'total communications provider' became one of the first print companies in the Netherlands to install the Kodak Nexpress 2500 Digital Production Color Press with the Fifth Imaging Unit and Glossing Unit. Bek is using the cutting-edge Kodak System to push its variable data printing services, which enable its customers to create high-impact campaigns that deliver a higher Return of Marketing Investment (ROMI).