Keeping up with Trends

As we head into 2015, the road that printers are driving down looks wide and bright. Offset technologies and digital print solutions have found a balanced co-existence, and print communication has solidified its place in the overall marketing and media landscape.

Looking ahead, there are a few key trends emerging whose adoption will be critical in determining the success of individual print providers and the industry as a whole. Like never before, topics such as sustainability, the balance of digital print solutions with traditional offset applications and the adoption of automation tools will continue to exhibit a tremendous influence on the industry as we head into the new year.

Sustainable Printing

Sustainability is one of the hottest and most important topics in the industry, though it has multiple meanings beyond just environmental effects. Sustainable print is not only about paper and ink choices and waste reduction, but also includes the incorporation of strategies and technologies to support corporate health for long term economic prosperity. The growth of sustainable printing will continue to gain momentum as businesses feel the influence from customers purchasing 'green' products and the technology becomes increasingly more common and affordable.

The ultimate goal for both printers and vendors alike is to deliver on both of these aspects of sustainability while maintaining the high quality standards their customers expect. The foundation for this sustainable print effort is in the development and adoption of technologies—process-free plates, online proofing, energy-wise equipment and automated tools and workflow software—that can accomplish these goals.

Specifically, process-free plates and workflow automation software are having a significant impact on reducing waste, water and chemical use, while also streamlining the prepress phase through the elimination of manual processes. Process-free plates, such as Kodak Sonora Process Free Plates, have the advantage of completely eliminating the processing step from the prepress stage, meaning faster time to press at a lower cost to the printer. In conjunction with the environmental benefits of these plates, the decision to move to process-free is gaining a lot of momentum among printers of all kinds for their economic benefits and health gains for employees.

Automation and Integration

The benefits of process-free plates are easy to quantify. Projections on water usage and chemistry savings are measurable and easy to demonstrate to customers. But arguably the most important technology for increasing profitability and efficiency is workflow automation software, which provides substantial accessibility, customization and consistency through prepress integration and the elimination of manual steps and human error.

Workflow automation has been evolving over the past decade, with technology such as Kodak Prinergy Rules Based Automation saving printers up to 30 percent of their prepress costs. Using this solution, jobs can be monitored remotely, completed and approved with the confidence that all design and quality standards are being met.

Automation technology reduces review times, automates manual steps and reduces the cost and waste associated with errors. By enabling job access from anywhere in a collaborative environment, a single in-house operation can adapt to requests from offices and customers around the world in real time. The benefits of this technology and global collaboration capabilities are that they get the job to press faster and through the production process in an integrated, streamlined fashion.

Between 2012 and 2014, the print industry witnessed a 95 percent surge in the implementation of workflow automation systems, yet many are not utilizing all the capabilities they purchased. As word spreads about the economic benefits of automation, printers will increasingly find it to be a safe and rewarding investment and implement the full capabilities.

Automated solutions add confidence across the production process while reducing costs and driving consistency. The integrated nature of these tools allows printers to scale their operations appropriately over time as their operational requirements change and their businesses grow.

Blended Print Environments

With the rise in digital printing, where do the in-plant printer's traditional bread and butter offset technologies fit? In the real world, both technologies have their place, with each having its own unique benefits.

With offset, both the prepress and press sides of the industry continue to evolve: prepress through the elimination of steps via process-free plate technology and automation options, and on the press side with minimal switchover time between jobs.

As shown in the NPES 2013 study, Worldwide Market for Print: Identifying Global Opportunities for the Print Industry, digital print technologies will continue to grow, but not at the pace once thought. By 2017, the market anticipates offset equipment will still dominate the industry. In-plant printers must understand their customer base and its needs, their own production capabilities, and what are the most efficient tools or combination of tools required to satisfy those customer needs.

The print industry has been around for centuries, but technological innovation has and will exponentially increase printer capabilities and efficiency. With new developments constantly emerging, there is no sure way to determine what the future will hold, but there is no doubt that there will continue to be a strong relationship between traditional solutions and digital print technologies. Technology, business direction and market demand may evolve, but with the right strategy and efficient production, in-plant printers will be able to adapt and serve the demands of the companies that rely on their products to fulfill critical business functions.