The print world certainly has gone digital, and On Demand was the place to see the latest—from digital printing to Internet-based job management.
If you haven't left your in-plant in a while, the recent On Demand Digital Printing & Publishing Strategy Conference and Exposition would have made your head spin. Judging by the abundance of digital technology packed into New York's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, it was clear that the printing industry's move into the digital world is accelerating rapidly.
"The world is now moving at Internet time, so fast that the landscape is just a blur," noted Charles Pesko, managing director of CAP Ventures and founder of the On Demand conference.
In just the past few months since Graph Expo, the Internet has made major inroads into the printing industry. Print auction sites like 58K.com and PrintBid.com are bringing printers business they never could have gotten previously, and saving print buyers money and time. Other providers, like Noosh and Impresse, are automating print production, reducing administrative tasks and shortening turnaround time with their Internet-based services.
These vendors and more were on hand at On Demand, vying for the attention of the 21,000 attendees. More than 250 exhibitors had products on display—including some major introductions in the digital color arena. Additionally, more than 30 educational sessions covered the latest industry issues.
In-Plant Graphics moderated one session on insourcing, which featured Mike Loyd, director of Graphic Services at Louisiana State University, and Jeff Goalen, production manager at Campbell Scientific. Each offered his insights on how to increase the in-plant's workload by accepting work from outside the organization.
In his keynote, Pesko heralded the next generation of production color devices, which he said will exceed 100 pages per minute. Analog high-speed copiers are becoming obsolete, he said, and in the future we'll see more hybrid devices that output both black-and-white and color pages.
The products unveiled at On Demand seemed to bear out Pesko's predictions; Indigo, Xeikon and Xerox all announced new color devices, and Nexpress, a Heidelberg/Kodak joint venture, hinted at a Drupa release of a digital color printer. To tell the world about their innovations, the Big Four of the digital printing world got together on stage for a discussion: Alfons Buts, of Xeikon; Anshoo Gupta, of Xerox; Benny Landa, of Indigo; and Wolfgang Pfizenmaier, of Nexpress.
Buts noted that Xeikon's CSP 320 D sheetfed digital color press is aimed at the major untapped market of people who need 100,000 sheets per
month. Gupta discussed Xerox' new DocuColor 2045 and 2060 products, saying that customers want to transfer jobs from offset to digital to take advantage of 1:1 marketing and deliver just-in-time turnaround. Landa talked mostly about Indigo's new Series 2 devices, which utilize binary ink development and 12-beam laser imaging. And Pfizenmaier said that personalization and customization are the key drivers in the opportunity Heidelberg sees in digital printing.
Beyond Amazon.com
Much of the talk at On Demand was about E-commerce, with presentations pointing toward a future where most corporations use the Internet to buy and manage printing (see story on page 10). With so many E-commerce providers, however, it was a bit tough to tell one from another. For instance Collabria, Noosh and Impresse all provide workflow management systems that use the Internet to strengthen the relationship between print buyers and their existing printers. But what makes one better than another?
• Impresse says its service enables product management and automates the whole workflow, not just the communication between printers and customers. It also notes that it is flexible and scalable
• Noosh says it started as an Internet-based collaborative tool, not as a software, like others. Customers, it adds, helped Noosh refine its service, and it was the first to bring it to market.
• Collabria notes that its founders hail from the print industry. It signs up only printers, not buyers, and then works with them to strengthen their relationships with customers. Collabria points out that through eTracker, all members of a team can work together via a secure Internet site.
Of course, newly formed printCafe was also on hand, touting its numerous new partnerships with the likes of Programmed Solutions and AHP Systems. Its Web-based services link directly with internal production and shop floor systems.
The On Demand products we are presenting in this article are but a fraction of those being displayed at Drupa, which is taking place right at this moment in Düsseldorf, Germany. In-Plant Graphics is there, gathering information, and next month we'll bring Drupa to you by giving you a look at some of the innovative technologies on display. IPG
The Latest In Digital Printing
Indigo N.V. unveiled its first black-and-white product to the U.S. market at On Demand. The Ebony has a production speed of 136 two-up letter-size pages per minute. Like other Indigo devices, its engine transfers images from a photo imaging plate to a blanket and then to the paper. The Ebony offers 800x800-dpi resolution. It will utilize a new ink, and optional in-line bookletmaking and finishing will be available in 2001.
Indigo's move into black-and-white was as much of a departure as Xeikon's move into sheetfed printing. With its new entry-level CSP 320 D, Xeikon has moved out of the web world. The digital color press is built to handle monthly volumes of up to 100,000 sheets. It outputs 960 duplex 81⁄2x11˝ color impressions per hour, using One-Pass Duplex printing to minimize paper jams. Xeikon says it has developed a new toner for the CSP 320 D that provides a tonal range and color fastness equal to typical offset ink specifications.
T/R Solutions announced that its MicroPress Cluster Printing System now supports connectivity to Ricoh's Aficio 650 and 550 digital black-and-white printers. The printers offer document finishing, including three-hole punching and multi-position stapling. T/R Systems also inked a deal with Toshiba America Business Solutions to develop connectivity between the MicroPress and Toshiba printing devices. Also at On Demand, T/R Solutions introduced its new MicroPress WG server line for organizations seeking an entry-level, workgroup-oriented print-on-demand solution.
Utilizing T/R Systems' MicroPress technology, Hitachi Koki Imaging Solutions launched its own cluster solution, the DDP MicroPress. It features powerful job management utilities and finishing capabilities for high-volume digital document production. Multiple print engines can process jobs independently or as a unit, with speeds of up to 840 ppm. Hitachi's DDP 62 and DDP 70 printers are used. Also new at Hitachi was the DDC 35n networkable digital copier/printer, offering 35 ppm speed and a 600x600-dpi resolution.
In addition to its expanded relationship with T/R Systems, Ricoh showed two of its printers with new controller platforms from Electronics For Imaging. The 85-ppm Aficio 850 black-and-white digital imaging system and the Aficio Color 6110 digital imaging system will feature the EFI Fiery controllers, which feature RIP-While-Print technology to let the controller simultaneously process and print pages. Continuous Print reduces the number of times the engine cycles down.
Ricoh wasn't the only one partnering with EFI. Sharp Document & Network Systems of America showed its Sharp AR-C150 Digital Color IMAGER with the EFI Fiery X4 color server. This 600-dpi color copier/printer runs color at 15 ppm and black and white at 25 ppm. The X4 is Sharp's first EFI color server. It is three times faster than its predecessor, the X2 and boasts an intuitive interface, seamless networkability and color management. Fiery FreeForm integrates variable data, and ColorWise 2.0 simplifies color printing for beginners.
Xerox debuted its new DocuColor 2000 Series, comprising the DocuColor 2060 and 2045 digital color presses. As we noted in our IPG preview of these products last month, they will output 60 and 45 ppm respectively, while offering operating costs of 10¢ per page. They use the Xerox digital blanket technology, which transfers images from the units' four photoreceptors to the printed page, similar to an offset printing blanket.
Electronics for Imaging and Splash Technology released new digital front ends for the DocuColor 2000 Series. The EFI Fiery EX2000 RIP uses ColorWise 2.0 to simplify color printing for beginners. Fiery FreeForm integrates variable data.
The Splash ColorPort for the DocuColor 2000 features a new Splash-Linux architecture that combines Splash's compression and color technologies with the Linux operating system and standard Intel processors.
Océ-USA showed an integrated production system geared for production of up to 1 million images a month. The open-architecture system consists of an Océ 3165 digital printer/copier with scan-to-file capabilities to integrate hard copy and digital files into the PRISMAflow server. The server accepts data input from multiple IT sources including a network, floppy drive or CD-ROM. The server integrates the hard copy and digital files into a single document, which is sent to the output device.
Agfa announced its Chromapress CSi, a compact, digital sheetfed color printing system capable of printing 960 duplex color impressions per hour. It uses a client/server-based IntelliStream workflow manager, including Job Ticket Editor, a RIP and Personalizer-X software for variable data printing. It has 600x600-dpi resolution.
Kanematsu USA demonstrated a new document delivery system called the ViviCO Document Depot. It converts a conventional color or black-and-white copier to a scanner, fax, e-mail and document center. The system was connected to a Minolta CF910 color copier. Document Depot scans paper-based documents from a high-speed Minolta copier and converts them into compact PDF or JPEG image files. Busy offices can scan, save and deliver all paper documents in electronic form.
Danka Business Systems showed a new Toshiba digital color copier/printer/scanner, the FC22. It offers networked color printing at 25 ppm and copying at 22 cpm, with a resolution of 9,600x600 dpi. With the unit's Four-Drum Tandem Design, a color original can be scanned in a single pass instead of with four separate scans.
More On Demand Products
PagePath released version 2.0 of its MyOrderDesk e-commerce service. MyOrderDesk increases the efficiency of the procurement process by enhancing the graphic arts service provider's Web site with sophisticated workflow capabilities. It uses a special order entry and file attachment Web page linked to the graphic arts service provider's site. MyOrderDesk includes the LAUNCH! Web file transfer engine enabling multiple files to be easily attached to the order.
As usual at trade shows, Roll Systems' paper handling equipment was on display at multiple booths, working with other vendors' equipment. At its own booth it showed the BookMaster CS, which makes the DocuTech more cost effective for two-up book work. It is a combination of Roll's DocuSheeter roll-feed system and an inline slitter/stacker. This system was shown feeding paper into a DocuTech 6180 and slitting two-up 6x9˝ book blocks inline. Output was ready for binding.
With its Digimaster 9110 quickly making its mark, Heidelberg got plenty of attention at On Demand. On the prepress side, the company introduced the Linoscan 1200, a single-pass flatbed scanner with a scan area of 216x355 mm. Billed as a low-cost scanner for the entry into professional scanning, this A4 scanner boasts an optical resolution of 1,200x2,400 dpi and a color depth of 36 bit.
Minolta demonstrated the Minolta/Imation Matchprint Color Laser System. This digital color proofing system comprises Minolta's CF910 digital color printer/copier and a Fiery color server or a CF911P network color laser printer, Imation's Matchprint Color Laser software and 12x18˝ Matchprint Color Laser paper. The finished proofs simulate Imation matchprint proofs.
C.P. Bourg showed its Bourg bb1000 tabletop perfect binder. Incorporating scoring, the binder can handle thicknesses from two pages up to 11⁄2˝ and lengths from 2x4˝ up to 12x14˝. The system has four preset positions and finger touch clamp closure to ensure operator safety. It is designed to produce 200 books per hour for 81⁄2x11˝ book sizes.
The GBC Pro-Tech Titan 100 series of wide-format laminators can laminate and mount ink-jet prints up to 61˝ wide with the Titan 165 and up to 43˝ wide with the Titan 110. It has a digital touch pad with variable temperature and speed controls, plus nine electronic memory settings to reduce setup time. A plexiglass shield keeps fingers away from rollers.
Aside from offering printers a chance to win free paper at its booth, Mohawk Paper Mills was touting its selection of three paper grades for the Heidelberg Quickmaster DI. In addition, Mohawk Opaque is now available in cut sizes for smaller presses and copiers. The smooth-finish papers are acid free and recycled.
Georgia-Pacific is expanding the distribution of its Microprint InkJet Paper by making it available through its national merchant network. The papers feature a 94 brightness, a Sheffield smoothness rating of 100 and a 24-lb. weight. Georgia-Pacific now offers Microprint Color Copy paper in 80 lb. cover weight. It is available in 12x18˝ size, in addition to 81⁄2x11˝ and 11x17˝.
Online Answers
Touting the fact that nearly 11,000 transactions were completed during January, Collabria gave demos of PrintCommerce, its E-commerce solution. Collabria extended the functionality of its eCatalog with inventory ordering, tracking and management. Its system lets users coordinate print projects with multiple team members, agencies and suppliers. It automates the procurement of cataloged items while customizing documents for 1:1 marketing.
Impresse was trying to live up to its name by announcing several partnerships. The provider of creation and procurement services made a deal with eLance.com to give Impresse customers access to eLance's global providers. A deal with Eletter gives customers direct mail services. Impresse supports the new Job Definition Format, an electronic job ticket specification to improve process automation.
Noosh says its mission is to improve the process of buying, selling and managing print. By using noosh.com, many of the costs resulting from the delays and miscommunications of traditional job management are eliminated. Using Live Jobs technology, buyers and printers can create, store and manage all documentation for print jobs, including specifications, estimates, files and change requests.
Launched at On Demand, Planetprint.com offers customizable, digital print-on-demand services. Using cosourcing—the notion that in-plants and service providers and stronger together than apart—planetprint.com will develop and host individualized sites for customers, letting them specify, order, track, fulfill, distribute and store their print projects. In-plants can use planetprint.com to transparently handle overflow work or
PaperExchange.com discussed its proprietary exchange technology, security infrastructure and strong membership. The site helps buyers and sellers of pulp and paper products do business online. It is searchable by product, type or grade. Printers can request or bid on products. A recent partnership with C.H. Robinson Worldwide will let users obtain real-time logistics quotes and track shipments.
Georgia-Pacific is now making its Microprint InkJet Paper available through its national merchant network.