Graph Expo: A Show For All Printers

GRAPH EXPO returned to Chicago last month, bringing printers together from all over the globe. Despite its earlier than usual start the weekend after Labor Day, the four-day graphic arts trade show packed a decent crowd. Granted, opening day attendance thinned noticeably around NFL kickoff time (it was the season opener, after all), but by day two McCormick Place was jammed solid.

An impressive 640 exhibitors (including 120+ new ones) spread out across 460,984 net square feet of exhibit space. In-plants interested in wide-format printing or in mailing/fulfillment could go to special sections of the show floor where such equipment was clustered.

Transpromo (combining direct marketing with transactional statements)was a big topic at the show, discussed in several press conferences by digital press manufacturers. A company called GMC had a good-sized booth showing its software application for that segment.

In a large booth called “XPS Land” several vendors (Konica Minolta, Xerox, Screen, Quark, Xitron, Global Graphics, to name a few) got together to show how their products handle XPS files, which they feel are becoming increasingly important to in-plants, as their parent organizations adopt XPS (which some view as a potential competitor to Adobe’s PDF format).

Pantone’s introduction of its new Goe System was fairly significant. It is the first completely new color specification system since the introduction of the Pantone Matching System 45 years ago. Goe includes 2,058 new Pantone colors.

Several reseller agreements were announced at the show: Ricoh, which unveiled its new Production Printing Business Group, announced a U.S. reseller agreement with Kodak under which Ricoh will offer four NexPress presses to its customers: the 2100, 2100 Plus, 2500 and the new S3000. In a similar arrangement, Pitman Co. will also now sell Kodak NexPress and Digimaster products. Screen (U.S.A.) announced it will begin marketing its Truepress 344 through the dealer network of Hamada Printing Press Co.

Across the show floor, attendees scurried to see the new products chosen as “Must See ’ems” and “Worth-a-look” by the PrintCom Consulting Group, in a program sponsored by the Graphic Arts Show Co. Here are some of those products along with other observations from the Graph Expo show floor.

Offset Still Strong

The Heidelberg display, once again, dominated the show. Packed with products ranging from software and prepress to press and bindery, the 31,300-square-foot exhibit was a destination in itself. Many a printer spent hours roaming through it.

Front and center in the Commercial Print Solutions section of the exhibit was the Speedmaster SM 102-8-P+LX with a CutStar roll sheeter installed right in front of the feeder. CutStar can process paper rolls with stock weights between 40 and 300 grams per square meter. Users can buy inexpensive paper rolls rather than more costly presheeted material. The technology was deemed “Worth-a-look” by the show company.

Introduced last year, the Anicolor inking unit was also a main focus of the Heidelberg display. By eliminating ink zone settings, it cuts makeready times by up to 40 percent, increases press capacity by up to 25 percent and reduces startup waste by up to 90 percent. It was demonstrated on a Speedmaster SM 52-4+LX, which also featured Prinect Color Management.

Prinect Inpress Control, shown on both the Speedmaster CD 74-6+LX and the Speedmaster XL 105-6+LX presses, provides inline spectrophotometry to measure color and control registration on the fly, even when the press is running at XL 105 speeds of up to 18,000 sheets per hour.

In the Small Business Solutions section of the booth, a Printmaster QM 46 demonstrated its very short makeready times on two and four-color jobs. The AutoPlate feature ensures that metal or polyester plates are fed in automatically and with complete register accuracy.

MAN Roland launched three new presses at Graph Expo: the mid-size sheetfed Roland 700 HiPrint and Roland 700 DirectDrive (both of which won “Must See ’ems” awards) , and a new commercial web press called Euroman. The 41? Roland 700 features a double-size impression cylinder and touchless sheet transfer for print quality and application versatility. It can print five colors on two sides in a single pass and features the CIP3-compliant PECOM console. The system allows storage and retrieval of job information. Features include automatic format setting, automatic ink/roller blanket washers, and remote control inking. PPL is standard and APL (automatic plate loading) is available. It runs at 15,000 sph in straight production or 12,000 sph in perfecting mode.

HiPrint provides inline options like InlineFoiler Prindor for special effects; InlineInspector, InlineSorter and InlineObserver for improved quality control; InlineSheeter for substrate versatility and savings; and InlineCoater Smart for surface enhancement.

The DirectDrive version powers the plate cylinder with its own high torque motor, controlled by MAN Roland’s printnet digital press operating system. Isolating the plate cylinder from the press’ main drive allows time-consuming makeready chores to be completed simultaneously; all plates can be changed at the same time, while washup takes place.

Komori America demonstrated the newest product in its Lithrone S series, the LSX29, which won a “Must See ’ems” award. As the largest half-size press Komori offers, it accepts a 24x291?2? sheet. Features include: a suction tape feeder; skeleton transfers; automatic console driven makeready; and automatic plate changes in less than 40 seconds. The high-speed start function and reduced job cycle time dramatically reduce paper waste.

Sakurai USA introduced the 25x38? SD Series Model 96 press in a 16-page format size to complement Sakurai’s existing sizes of 20x26? and 235?8x31?. The 96 Series is available in four- to six-color configurations plus coating and perfecting.

Presstek, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, was emphasizing its Presstek 52 DI four-color digital offset press. The automated, 52-cm landscape press is engineered to deliver up to 20,000 letter-size pages per hour (pph) and supports a sheet size up to 20.147x14.76?. Nearby was the Presstek 34DI, a 34-cm digital offset press that delivers up to 14,000 letter-size color pages per hour, with a maximum sheet size of 13.39x18.11?.

xpedx and Ryobi, exhibiting together, debuted the 24x36? Ryobi 924 offset press, as well as Ryobi’s half- and quarter-size presses. xpedx also demonstrated its newly developed 3D/special effects printing system for color copiers, new bindery/finishing equipment, new proofing technologies, as well as a new program to help printers enter the variable data, short-run markets.

Adast demonstrated its new AdaRegister automated registration system on a four-color Adast 707 series press. The Ada-Register system can cut makeready times by 20 percent and reduce paper waste by about 50 press sheets per job.

Digital Presses in Profusion

Xerox won a “Must See ’ems” award for its DocuColor 8000AP digital press. It runs at 80 ppm, regardless of the paper weight or media type running through the system, boasts 2,400-dpi image quality and can print duplex at rated speeds. Finishing options include thermal binding, punching, stacking and booklet making. Other features: Toner Load While Run (a toner reservoir produces up to 5,000 prints while you load new toner cartridges); automated output decurler, with programmable settings to define parameters for specific stocks; New Corotron cleaning assembly improves image quality by keeping the corotron wires clean.

Designated “Worth-a-Look” was the Xerox Nuvera 100/120/144 EA digital production system, which delivers offset-quality images. With the highest resolution of any digital monochrome system on the market (1,200 dpi and 156 lpi) the Xerox Nuvera EA uses cyclone cleaning to remove excess dust, producing sharper detail and more realistic pictures. The Nuvera EA platform uses Xerox’s patented, chemically grown EA Toner. Extremely small particles provide a smooth, consistent offset matte finish, finer lines, sharper text and halftones, and deeper solid blacks than traditional toner. EA Toner enables longer production runs, requires less energy to manufacture and generates less waste. The Nuvera EA system also offers broad substrate flexibility, including coated stock and a sheet enhancement module to automatically ensure the sheets of paper stack perfectly flat. The platform is also designed to meet the EPA’s Energy Star requirements.

Eastman Kodak introduced a new high-end production color press, the NexPress S3000, which won a “Must See ’ems” award. It runs 3,000 sph (A3) or 100 ppm (A4), for a range of substrate types and weights (60-350 gsm). Maximum sheet capacity totals 11,000 with monthly print volumes of up to 2.2 million pages. It uses the operator replaceable component service model along with an online operator support system.

Kodak also showed its Versamark VX5000e color printing system, which builds on the Versamark VX5000 for transactional, direct mail and other high-volume applications. It adds enhanced resolution of 300x1,200 dpi for improved color quality, clearer images and text, plus sharper barcodes. It has a web speed of 328 feet per minute.

Hewlett Packard highlighted its Print 2.0 strategy, debuted in New York back in August. It focuses on three areas: delivering a digital printing platform that increases print speeds and lowers high-volume print costs; making it easier to print from the Web; and extending HP’s digital content creation and publishing platforms across all customer segments.

HP also showed its HP Indigo press 5500, which offers increased utilization and reduced operating cost. The “Must See ’ems” award winner features near-zero downtime on spot color ink replacement; support for standard uncoated papers and other economical off-the-shelf media; and imaging resolutions up to 1,200 dpi.

Océ announced the next generation of its award-winning Océ VarioPrint 6000 family of single-pass digital duplex printers. With expanded workflow automation and interoperability capabilities, workflow can be structured for maximum productivity. Customers can direct existing applications to an Océ VarioPrint 6000 system without workflow interruption or reprogramming, enabling Océ systems to easily co-exist with or replace other systems in mixed environments. A new PDL and job ticket architecture offers a wider range of PDL/ticket combinations. Users can define up to 10 customized print queues, and multiple jobs can be bundled and printed as one set. The VarioPrint 6250 consumes 45 percent less energy to print than competitive cut-sheet systems. With Océ Gemini Instant Duplex technology, VarioPrint systems emit only a fraction of the ozone of comparable high-volume cut-sheet devices.

Also new was the Océ ColorStream 10000 continuous feed, full-color digital press, which uses the same print engine as the VS9000, but has enhancements for “graphic arts” quality, including algorithms in the software for smooth gradations and crisp images. A “Must See ’ems” award winner, it extends the Océ Job Appropriate Color strategy to provide high-quality process color. The digital press prints 172 color images per minute (ipm) and can support more than five million color, letter-size images a month. Additionally, the Océ ColorStream 10000 system can print 3?3 at 231 ipm and 2/2 at 353 ipm. At the show, the ColorStream 10000 was printing 15 different four-color images and a variety of bi- and multi-level black-and-white images. It will ship in the first quarter of 2008.

On display in the Canon booth was the imagePRESS C7000VP digital press, which began shipping in July. Representing the largest R&D investment in Canon’s history, the imagePRESS C7000VP, with finishing equipment from several partners, was running print samples in the booth. This winner of a coveted “Must See ’ems” award prints images up to 1,200x1,200 dpi, producing sharp text, smooth gradations and detailed images using new toner and advanced calibration. The press maintains engine speed regardless of media weight.

Also running were the imageRUNNER Pro 7100VP series devices and the imagePRESS C1.

Having announced its newly formed Production Printing Business Group, along with a reseller agreement with Kodak, Ricoh Americas then dropped hints to journalists about a new digital “mid production” press called Ricoh Future Color, which was shown to only a few people in private viewings. Other Ricoh digital products were more accessible, like the EMP 156, which can produce 4.5 million images per month at 156 ipm in either simplex or duplex mode. The vacuum-fed input trays of the EMP 156 support a variety of media up to 14x18?. A Multiple Original Printing feature enables multiple set printing at full speed.

Also shown by Ricoh, the DDP 184 dual-engine cut-sheet MICR printer can add highlight color and is designed with customer replaceable consumables. Toner, developer, drum and the fusing web can be replaced by the customer.

InfoPrint Solutions, a joint venture between Ricoh and IBM, highlighted the growing trend of transpromo, as well as direct marketing and books-on-demand. IPS showcased its IP5000 production color printer, which won a “Must See ’ems” award. It also showed the new 6700 M40 upgradable RFID thermal printer and the IP2190 and IP2210 workgroup printers. The company announced the InfoPrint Color Solution, an open standards-based, end-to-end AFP color solution for the transpromo market, to enable accurate, consistent color across multiple printer technologies.

The Xeikon 6000 digital color press was showcased by Xeikon–A Punch Graphix Brand. It offers a speed of more than 160 letter-size ppm and guarantees increased uptime.

Screen (U.S.A.), celebrating its 40th anniversary at the show, demonstrated its Truepress 344, which features a Multi Array Laser Diode (MALD) imaging head that simultaneously images all four processless plates at 2,400 dpi. Job changeover times are less than six minutes. Screen announced it will begin marketing the Truepress 344 through the dealer network of Hamada Printing Press Co.

Screen also proudly showed off its Truepress Jet520, a variable data printing system using a piezo-electric, drop-on-demand ink-jet engine. This engine uses water-based pigment inks to print a 20.4? maximum web width at a 720x360-dpi resolution. It runs at 50,000 impressions per hour. At the show it was configured as a single-engine duplex.

Nipson introduced new high-speed spot color capabilities for its VaryPress product line. The new VaryPress Spot Color System (SCS) lets users add from one to four spot colors to their print production while still maintaining print speed, productivity and quality. The SCS consists of a high-speed drop-on-demand ink-jet head array mounted on a web transport mechanism to deliver spot color printing of fixed or variable data anywhere on an 18.45? wide print area on a web up to 20.5? wide. A second array can be mounted on the unit to add an additional color. Up to two SCS units can be installed in line with the VaryPress 200 or 400, enabling the addition of up to four spot colors to a job. Both simplex (one-sided) and duplex (two-sided) printing can be accommodated.

The Muller Martini Alprinta-V series variable web offset press utilizes an infinitely size-variable insert system. The insert remains in the press during a size change, since only the actual size parts (the blanket cylinder and the plate cylinder) are exchanged. The change is completed without tools, and breaking the web is not necessary. The size parts are light and easy to handle, yet extremely stable. In a matter of minutes, the press can be changed over to a new size. Thus, the Alprinta-V makes size changeovers less costly, resulting in a size variability that is comparable with flexo and gravure printing. The Alprinta-V web offset press achieves speeds up to 1,200 feet per minute, while also delivering quality printing results that rival sheetfed. Alprinta-V’s new “artificial intelligence” handles setups for both new and repeat jobs automatically, presetting such essentials as register and ink fountain profiles without prompting.

Duplo showed the 300-dpi DP-C115 digital printing system. It boasts a user-friendly operation panel and interactive digital display. It can print up to 130 pages a minute and comes standard with a computer interface and built-in ADF.

Riso introduced its new ComColor Express RIP for the HC5500 full color printer, which uses color ink-jet technology to print 120 ppm (letter size). In addition to its faster RIPing speed, the new RIP powers a series of added-value features including: Advanced Archive Editing, enabling users to merge multiple jobs and file types and print them together as one job, merge and print pages from different jobs, change the order of pages and insert or delete pages; Color Profile Upload capability, allowing users to create custom color profiles; Hot Folder feature through which files can be dragged and dropped directly into a “hot folder” for immediate printing; New scanning features including “scan to e-mail,” “scan to shared folder” or “scan to FTP.” Riso’s HC5500 no-heat, non-impact printer features automatic duplexing, secure printing, job comments, custom print queues, machine clustering and job splitting.

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. introduced the bizhub PRO C5500 digital color production printing system. Based on the bizhub PRO C6500, the C5500 delivers up to 55 ppm in both color and black and white. It fills the gap between high-volume office-oriented color-capable printer/copiers and high-volume production color models. It offers flexible substrate handling capabilities, consistently outstanding image quality and inline finishing options in a compact footprint.

Xitron showed off its PRISM short-run color digital press, great for producing jobs such as business cards, postcards and envelopes. In-plants can cost effectively produce four-color jobs such as envelopes in quantities as low as 50 pieces. One hundred four-color business cards can be produced in minutes with a cost of under $.01 per card. Powered by the Navigator GPS Select RIP and RIP Manager workflow, PRISM provides an affordable upgrade path as RIP technology changes. The production quality RIP assures predictable color output and the ability to integrate PRISM into an existing prepress workflow.

Wide-format Wonders

Agfa demonstrated its :Anapurna M entry-level wide-format industrial ink-jet printer, which boasts a resolution of 720x1,440 dpi and produces 63? prints on a variety of roll or rigid media. With its 14-picolitre printheads and dedicated UV curable inks, :Anapurna M reportedly delivers photorealistic quality, sharp text and fine detail.

Canon showed its new imagePROGRAF wide-format printers, the imagePROGRAF iPF710 and imagePROGRAF iPF610. They feature a five-color dye/pigment reactive ink system, enabling them to produce black lines and texts that have a resistance against rubbing, moisture and bleeding of intersecting lines. The new S-Series imagePROGRAF iFP9000S and iPF8000S boast a 40 percent increase in speed over the imagePROGRAF iPF9000 and iPF8000 models.

EFI demonstrated a number of its VUTEk super-wide digital ink-jet printers, including the VUTEk QS3200 (a “Worth-a-look” winner) and VUTEk PV200SC UV-curing printers, and EFI VUTEk 3360EC solvent printers. Also on display were EFI Jetrion industrial ink-jet printing systems for label converters, package printers and mail houses.

Epson America announced three new wide-format printers at Graph Expo: the Epson Stylus Pro 4880, 7880 and 9880. These new models are designed to achieve even higher levels of quality by using Epson’s new MicroPiezo AMC print head, an enhanced version of Epson UltraChrome K3 Ink Technology, a radical new Epson AccuPhoto HD screening technology and several other advancements. Epson UltraChrome K3 ink technology has been enhanced with Epson’s Vivid Magenta pigments. Only eight colors are required to significantly raise the quality levels for professional color and black-and-white prints. An ink repelling coating technology is used to reduce nozzle clogging. The Epson Stylus Pro 4880 replaces the Epson Stylus Pro 4800 for printing images as wide as 17?, while the Epson Stylus Pro 7880 and Epson Stylus Pro 9880 replace the Epson Stylus Pro 7800 and 9800 for printing up to 24? and 44? in width, respectively.

Though at show time HP was still four days away from announcing its plans to acquire wide-format ink-jet company MacDermid ColorSpan, it had a pretty good arsenal of wide printers at its booth. It introduced HP Scitex X2 printhead technology, its first piezoelectric printhead. It was shown on the HP Scitex XL2200 industrial wide-format printer.

Also highlighted by HP was its Designjet Z6100, geared toward photo and fine art applications, as well as outdoor short-term signage. Deemed “Worth-a-look,” it is available in 42? and 60? models and delivers prints at speed of 1,000 square feet per hour, using HP Double Swath technology and an Optical Media Advance Sensor.

Océ debuted the Océ CS9060 high-quality eco-solvent ink-jet printer for creating indoor and outdoor display graphics prints. Designed for light production environments, the Océ CS9060 printer accepts roll media up to 64? and can print on a variety of paper, vinyl, textile and film media. Coated and uncoated media can be used for indoor and short- to mid-term outdoor applications. Resolutions range from 720x720 dpi to 1,440x1,440 dpi. In Production Plus print mode speeds of up to 166 square feet per hour can be achieved at 720x720 dpi.

Mail Imaging

Domino Printing Sciences launched its L-Series ink-jet solution for the mailing market. The first product, the L400, is suitable for virtually all sheetfed mail base applications. The new L-Series can print to all USPS postal standards including the USPS Intelligent Mail Barcode. The system delivers high resolution (600x300 dpi) print, at 375 feet per minute and offers an extremely competitive price-to-performance ratio. A range of versatile inks and support programs will also be available with the L-Series.

The Videojet BX6000 Series digital imaging system can handle everything from basic addressing of mail pieces to more complex printing of graphics and logos. Fast-drying inks enable printing on broad range of materials at speeds up to 967 feet per minute. Dual 2? printheads from one cabinet provide maximum flexibility. An auto-phasing function ensures optimum print quality during continuous operation.

Paper and Substrates

Magnum Magnetics debuted its MessageMag thin magnet, a flexible magnetic sheeting that can run on multiple printing presses including offset, flexo and digital presses. MessageMag is available with several laminate options, including semi-gloss paper, gloss paper, vinyl for UV and oil-based inks, and polypropylene. Also shown was the LabelMag gap magnet, which will run on most automatic labeling machinery; the DigiMag Vinyl magnet, for wide-format solvent ink-jet printers; and DigiMag Paper, for aqueous ink-jet wide-format and desktop printers.

Mohawk Fine Papers recently announcement that Strathmore Writing and Script are now made carbon neutral and with electricity offset by windpower. Mohawk also now offers new reference guides to answer environmental questions. Sense and Sustainability explains sustainability in paper making and provides steps for making wise paper decisions. A new Eco Guide sums up the company’s sustainable initiatives. Mohawk’s Web site now has a section dedicated to environmental news, tools and information. At Graph Expo, Mohawk launched a Digital Guide showing its full range of 300+ papers and recommending the right paper for the most popular digital presses.

xpedx launched Vector Performance DI, a coated paper extensively tested on toner and ink-based digital presses and color copiers. It is precision mill sheeted and meets 7 and 9 point postal regulations. It comes in gloss and matte finishes and in 80# and 100# text and cover weights.

Ink Innovations

Van Son Holland Ink introduced its SonaCure UV-Curable ink line at Graph Expo. SonaCure adds a quality look to any UV-cured printing job. It takes seconds to dry and boasts high gloss and rub resistance. SonaCure can be used with paper or foil, on coated and uncoated paper and board, and on lacquered or corona-treated substrates. It has excellent adhesion, is suitable for lamination and can be applied for a variety of commercial print jobs, as well as printing self-adhesive labels, continuous forms, credit cards and packaging.

INX International Ink featured Fusion UV Hybrid process inks. They deliver sharpness, along with UV ease and instant cure speed. Printers can run Fusion right after conventional inks, without reconfiguring presses or conditioning rollers.

Collins Ink showed industrial ink-jet inks for HP and Kodak addressing and mailing systems, as well as UV-curable, solvent and oil-based inks for a variety of industrial applications.

The GTP-1 Green Trac Performance Pumping system, a remote-controlled automated ink dispensing system that fits in tight areas, was demonstrated by Pamarco Global Graphics. Using ultrasonic sensors, GTP-1 monitors ink in the fountain and adds the required amount when needed.

Sun Chemical showed its new Synergy products, which combine new UV ink, coating, press conditioner, wash and fountain solution chemistries formulated to simplify UV printing. Synergy has specially formulated products that speed makeready, simplify ink and water balance settings and reduce startup waste. Synergy plastic inks allow printers to set up jobs using paper, which simplifies makeready and helps reduce the high start-up costs associated with plastic printing.

HighWater introduced InkMonitor Connect, its latest ink key setting solution, to the U.S. market at Graph Expo. InkMonitor Connect is a universal press interface that provides ink key presetting information for almost all modern press consoles. It sets ink keys directly from RIPed job data, reducing press makeready time, paper waste and the amount of ink used. IPG

For those who just can’t wait until Graph Expo 2008, the dates will be October 26-29. See you there.