A New Generation Of Color

As the first in-plant to install the new NexPress 2100, World Bank has given the digital color device two enthusiastic thumbs up.

by CHERYL ADAMS

The first-run, beta-test results are in on the new NexPress 2100.

World Bank's Printing, Graphics and Map Design unit installed Heidelberg's high-speed digital color printer in February. One of the first jobs to run was a publicity folder with the image of a book cover on it.

"It got rave reviews," says Jane Bloodworth, business manager of the Washington, D.C.-based in-plant. "It turned out beautifully. The client loved it."

The NexPress 2100 digital production color press is the signature product of NexPress Solutions, a joint venture between Eastman Kodak and Heidelberg. The NexPress 2100 is part of World Bank's strategy to step up its digital printing capabilities, and migrate short-run offset work to digital.

"We're saving money for the bank by bringing external work back in-house," testifies Bloodworth, noting that World Bank was spending millions of dollars to have work produced externally. "Much of the outsourced work is four-color newsletters, two-color catalogs, the bank's phone directory. We've already migrated most of the black-and-white work back in-house in the past few years, but now we wanted to bring in all the color work. By using color digital devices, whatever make and model they happen to be, we can open up capacity for longer runs on our offset machines."

Other color digital devices include a Xerox DocuTech 2060 and two Canon CLC 5000s, which were installed last June to replace the in-plant's aging Xerox DocuTech 40 and Canon CLC 2000 color copiers. Unlike its copier counterparts, the NexPress was installed in the company's offset operation, not its digital one.

"We anticipate putting longer runs on the NexPress," explains Bloodworth. "We have both offset and digital facilities, and we do a lot of blended work. We'll do a cover in digital and text in offset, or vice versa. Then we bring them together in our bindery. We're also front-ending the NexPress from our offset prepress system."

Bloodworth describes how a PDF-based workflow was developed to send a single file.

"The fewer times we have to RIP it," she says, "the more it helps us to streamline the workflow. Plus, when we get dual demands, for example, 50 digital copies that go one place and 1,000 offset copies that go another, it's a better guarantee that the digital product will look like offset."

Splitting Runs, Matching Colors

As an international organization, World Bank prints a lot of material that gets shipped overseas, explains Bloodworth. Many jobs are split into two runs: a shorter early run that's produced digitally then immediately shipped to a conference, and a longer offset run that is delivered later.

"The challenge is to get the color to match on the early run and the press run," she says. "But, if the stock is unusual or if the print is mostly solid, it didn't reproduce well digitally."

In the past, Bloodworth says, the in-plant had to experiment with different stocks to see which ran best. For example, after much trial and error, it was discovered that Mohawk produces a better cover than other similar-type stocks.

"What's happened in the market recently," she claims, "is vendors are starting to respond to requirements like these. They're coming out with machines that are capable of running a wider variety of substrates, with improved color lay down."

Such is the case with the DocuTech 2060 and Canon CLC 5000s that replaced the hard-working DocuColor 40s.

"We ran the heck out of them [DocuColor 40s] with all the crazy stock we were using," Bloodworth says, noting at that point (in the fall of 2000), the in-plant started talking to Heidelberg about being a beta site for the NexPress.

"However, recognizing that there was an immediate need, and the NexPress wasn't even in beta yet, we bought the 2060 and CLC 5000s. They helped us meet some of those needs, by accepting a wider variety of substrates and giving us a much better quality of color lay down."

Bloodworth says the in-plant will continue keeping a close watch on new developments in the digital printing market, so it will have an intimate knowledge of all the players when the time comes for World Bank's next digital printing device.

"To keep up with the commercial competition, we have to constantly keep our eyes open for new technologies," Bloodworth continues, noting that the in-plant is looking to do variable data work for some of its clients.

"Industry marketing data claims personalized material gets a higher response rate," she says. "The in-plant wants to explore this to see if it can add value to the work it is already doing, and, ultimately, lower the bank's cost of marketing those materials."

Bloodworth concludes that she's "very excited" about the NexPress, which should open up lots of variable data and digital color opportunities—such as the publicity folder produced during the first run.

If these initial rave reviews are any indication of future success, she believes the new digital press will pass beta testing with flying colors.