Print
Solutions November 2005
New
Skills Necessary to Evolve Print
Operations
IN
BRIEF:Printers selling only ink-on-paper
products face an increasingly
competitive environment, even
as new equipment, software and
services make production easier
and more efficient.
BY
IVARS SARKANS
Print
’05, held in September in
Chicago, was another milestone
in the evolution of the printing
industry, and a window on future
ways of creating, selling and
producing print.
Digital
printing, print-related services
and new systems to simplify and
lower the cost of creating and
ordering printed products were
far more prominent at Print ’05
than Print ’01. While Print
’05 had an abundance of
equipment that ran faster, printed
better, automated finishing tasks
and could be set up in less time,
advances in the pre-production
side of printing were equally
significant.
Many
exhibitors introduced new software
and systems that will change traditional
practices in printed product design,
proofing, pricing and ordering.
Use of the internet for online
communications between originators,
designers, buyers, promotional
program managers and print producers
is a major driver of changes that
simplify and speed up pre-production
tasks. The likely result, evident
at Print ’05, will be that
more print will be sold, created
and ordered as part of pre-planned
programs rather than on a job-by-job
basis.
The
large number of digital printing
demonstrations with forms as the
end product signaled that the
need for forms remains strong.
On the other hand, the show had
only one fully operational web
offset forms press, which also
served as a demonstration platform
for high-speed digital printing.
For manufacturers and sellers
of conventional forms, Print ’05
pointed to a wide range of product
line and service diversification
opportunities. There are opportunities
for forms industry innovators
who can use the internet, electronic
forms and other new technologies
to simplify forms creation, management
and ordering.
New
Skills
Traditional
print producers selling mainly
“ink on paper” will
face an increasingly competitive
environment. All types of printed
products are commodities that
can be produced in similar plants—the
result of excess capacity. It’s
increasingly difficult for printers
to distinguish themselves from
competitors based on quality and
service. Most plants that use
modern equipment can produce good
quality. Buyers can easily find
multiple plants with excess capacity
that can deliver on short notice.
As a further challenge, printers
who update their plants with the
latest presses and finishing machines
shown at Print ’05 are likely
to achieve large increases in
both productivity and capacity.
The
number of exhibits at Print ’05
featuring software innovations
for automating or improving print
processes reveals a differentiation
opportunity through information
technology (IT) capabilities.
This means that IT skills are
becoming an essential new competency
of print producers and sellers
who want to distinguish themselves
from competitors. Printers with
up-to-date IT capabilities can
combine task-specific software
from multiple vendors for e-commerce
to facilitate sales, transactions
and communications with customers.
Printers also need IT skills to
set up web catalogs and design
template programs for specific
customers, automate internal processes
and improve management control
over pricing, costs and productivity.
More importantly, internal IT
resources can be used to customize
software for e-commerce or general
purpose printing functions to
gain competitive advantages or
set up interfaces with major customers
that cannot be easily duplicated
by other suppliers.
Print
’05 had a variety of Application
Service Providers (ASP) who host
e-commerce and other types of
printing industry software for
both manufacturers and sellers
of printed products. This provides
an easy way to take advantage
of software advances and implement
complex computer and communications
systems. The ASP option can be
very effective for upgrading obsolete
internal systems. The problem
in using an ASP for e-commerce
and other customer interface initiatives
is that any number of competitors
can do the same. Printers using
the latest software hosted by
an ASP should have an advantage
at least over the many competitors
who
do
not make adequate systems and
software investments.
On
the other hand, strong internal
IT capabilities allow modifications
to software that can create competitive
advantages in sales, customer
service, communications and productivity.
Print ’05 sent a clear message
that to excel in the printing
industry today and in the future,
IT skills will be as important
as production and sales skills.
Ivars
Sarkans is president of consulting
firm Sarkans & Associates
of Los Angeles, California and
a long-time contributor to DMIA
publications. He can be reached
by telephone at (323) 221-7791
or by email at isarkans@sarkans.com.
SUPPLIER
NEWS
Mitsubishi
Imaging Inc., Rye, N.Y., introduced
its Diamond Jet Recording Film
chemistry-free film replacement.
The ink jet transparency film
has high density and is capable
of high contrast and linear output.
It’s ideal for screenprinting
and digital separations where
film output is required. The film
works in most ink jet printers
that use dye or pigmented inks.
Available in widths from 17 inches
to 42 inches, the film is economical
and offers excellent sharpness.
Additionally, the company introduced
its Diamond Jet 100% Cotton Paper
that is ideal for art reproductions
and high-end photographic printing.
The paper is free of optical brightening
agents and maintains its original
color over time. The paper is
available as 50-feet rolls with
widths of 17, 24 or 36 inches.
It has a thickness of 15 mil and
is suitable for use with all major
ink jet printing devices. Call
(914) 925-3200.
RISO
Inc., Danvers, Mass., launched
its MZ790 Printer-Duplicator. Capable
of printing at speeds up to 150
ppm, the MZ790 eliminates the
need to prepare separate originals
in either hard copy or electronic
format for each color. Users can
easily print in two colors with
just one original. The MZ790
offers master-making in seconds
for either 1- or 2-color jobs.
It also eliminates the need to
remove the second ink cylinder
for printing 1-color jobs, making
it simple to switch between single
and 2-color printing. Call
(800) 876-RISO.
X-Rite
Inc., Grandville, Mich., signed
an agreement with Epson, Long
Beach, Calif., to provide ICC
profiles for its entire Stylus
Pro line of printers. ICC profiles
are standard for specifying color
attributes of imaging devices
such as digital cameras, scanners,
displays and printers so that
the color of an image remains
true from source to destination.
Epson tested ICC profiles against
many competing profiles for its
Stylus Pro 4800, 7800 and 9800
professional series of printers.
The profiles provide superior
color fidelity, better graybalance,
and superior shadow to highlight
detail and smoothness, the company
said. Call (800) 248-9748. Visit
www.xrite.com.
Schober
USA, Cincinnati, Ohio, produced
a 16-page, full-color corporate
capabilities brochure to mark
its 10th year in the United States.
The brochure contains a historical
look at product development in
rotary die cutting, punching and
other converting technologies.
It also discusses the company’s
worldwide business perspective
and customer focus. Converting
facilities use Schober technology
to produce various technical materials,
non-wovens, paper, film, foils
and more. Products include RFID
labels, cleaning pads, airline
and public transportation tickets,
wallpapers, filters, surgical
masks, gowns, air filtration masks
and more. Call (513) 489-7393.
MAN
Roland Inc., Westmont, Ill.,
introduced printnet commercial
digital networking and workflow
automation system. Developed by
the company’s software group
ppi Media, the system consists
of several interconnecting modules
that carry a print job from scheduling
to completion and analysis. The
system, which is compatible with
all digitally controlled web presses,
minimizes the need for operator
intervention throughout the print
production stream to save printers
time and maximize their resources.
Call (800) 700-2344. Visit www.manroland.com.
KBA
North America,
Williston, Vt., named Prisco,
Newark, N.J., as its primary supplier
of pressroom supplies. The KBA
Performa 74 fully automated, 29-inch
press will use Prisco 3451U fountain
concentrate, Alkaless 6000 Alcohol
Replacement, Q1514 Aqueous High-Gloss
Coating Autowash 6000 Wash, Prisco
Velocity Plate Cleaner and Priscolith
Conti-Air Crystal printing blankets.
Other KBA presses will use an
assortment of various Prisco high-performance
pressroom products, including
Priscolith Conti-Air printing
blankets, Prisco Aqueous coatings,
Autowash 6000 Wash, Prisco MRC,
Prisco plate cleaners. Call (973)
589-7800. Visit www.prisco.com.
Creo,
a subsidiary of Kodak, Burnaby,
Canada, developed a solution that
enables HP Indigo presses to be
integrated into unified workflows
serving both conventional and
digital printing equipment. Powered
by Creo, the HP Indigo Production
Stream Server enables the seamless
integration of offset equipment
and digital printing operations
for KODAK PRINERGY, BRISQUE and
SYNAPSE workflows together with
HP Indigo solutions. The server
offers support for 7-color Indichrome
imaging with JDF- and PDF-enabled
graphic arts workflows. It also
offers high-speed RIP, open standards,
imposition, color management,
trapping and fast end-to-end variable
data printing solutions. Call
(604) 451-2700.
S-Marc,
Santa Clara, Calif., launched
its CSR Virtual integrated software
that allows customer service representatives
and customers to collaborate online
in real time through a web interface
to manage print jobs from conception
to delivery. The software continuously
monitors and tracks changes in
file content and color, and approval
status and usage. It also generates
automatic notifications, reducing
cycle time, costs and resources
required to produce and deliver
high-quality print. Call (800)
632-7401.
