The key to speed testing and finishing

Faster, better, and lower prices have now become the requirements of printing customers, especially magazine printing and commercial printing. Customers want to complete high-speed, high-quality bookbinding without increasing costs or lower costs. This trend is determined by the customer's speed and personalization requirements. Nowadays, for printers, speed has become the basis of competition and the key to ensuring the continued development of postpress processing.

First, the intelligentization of post-press processing equipment

The existing post-press processing processes are too numerous and cumbersome. Intelligent printing equipment is used in intelligent systems. To make the process flow smooth, we must eliminate the gap between the processes. To shorten the cycle time, the integration of process questions is a must.

Second, the automation of postpress processing

Paying attention to the technical transformation of the post-press processing part and the application of automation technology can fully reflect the increase in productivity.

First, the application of postpress automation technology can reduce costs. Most devices now have automatic adjustments instead of manual adjustments. The operator can control the parameters of trimming, sewing, and folding by simply adjusting a few buttons on the console. Although older devices can also perform these functions, new devices are easier to adjust and have higher quality and accuracy. Especially the application of numerical control technology in the console saves a lot of adjustment time. These technologies are embodied in the equipments of brands such as Heidelberg and MBO.

CIP3 is the integration of prepress printing and postpress, which means the integration between prepress, printing, and postpress. It was initiated by Heidelberg and now 33 manufacturers and one printer support this agreement. This agreement links the prepress, printing, and postpress sections, shortens job preparation time, and improves automation. Currently, the COm P u C ut of PO La r, the CompuFold of St a hlf Older, and the Navigator of MBO all support this protocol.

CIP4 contains all the features of CIP3, plus ADOBE's standard file format JDF (Job Definition Format). Currently used electronic files contain only print information, and CIP 4 also contains the entire workflow and feature descriptions on different platforms. Doing so can control process variables and improve quality.

At present, more equipment manufacturers are developing some ergonomic processing equipment, which enables employees to perform proficiency, increase productivity, and shorten work hours without having to perform excessive training. For example: cutting system operation time is reduced, the overall efficiency is 200% of the individual cutting machine, the overall cost is reduced, the operation is stable; equipment for adjusting paper, such as stacker, collision machine, waste collection system can also reduce the operating time, And improve the control accuracy. Currently in Europe, removable feeders are also popular: The feeder can be moved from the printer to other processes, such as folding machines, so that it is not necessary to reload the sheets onto the folder.

three. The diversification of postpress processing

Printers strive to provide consumers with more efficient processes and equipment, as do post-press processors. Over the past few years, many post-press processors have added processes such as UV coating, laminating, folding/gluing, etc., which have enhanced the competitiveness of post-press processing. Rotary stamping and gravure printing open up new markets.

There are two main ways of rotating hot stamping: narrow-width roll paper hot stamping and sheet-fed hot stamping. The market for narrow-web roll bronzing is very broad, and large-scale trademark and cartoon printing can be integrated into the decorative process in narrow printing, such as bronzing and embossing, which almost does not require additional costs. Narrow web roll bronzing brings certain threats to sheetfed printing (such as trademark printing of wine). Sheet-fed hot stamping does not print and bronze online as a narrow roll of hot stamping, but it is still faster than printing. This is advantageous for mass production of cartoons, greeting cards, book covers and other similar products.

four. On-demand processing

Print on Demand (POD) for flexible, personalized short-run printing. Nowadays, POD printers usually complete the processing of products within 24 hours, which results in many new requirements for binding and processing equipment, mainly reflected in the increasing proportion of personalized direct mailing and variable printing. Heidelberg's post-press processing equipment provides personalized inkjet output: each printed sheet to be mailed is printed at a different address or even a different pattern. Heidelberg's NexPress for personalized printing is a new type of digital printing machine that can print from a single sheet. Both Poler and Heidelberg's folding machines provide solutions for personalized printing to suit NexPress's products.

Many suppliers offer highly automated on-line or off-line solutions for bookbinding in small-batch paperbacks. This new device is equipped with a book sealer and a new generation of highly automated three-sided cutters; it can also be adjusted for different spine thicknesses and adapted to print on demand.

In short, post-press processing technology is different from the past, and it has necessarily undergone many changes. At present, the increasingly fierce competition and the maturity of technology, the market and scale expansion are inevitable results. However, enterprises should pay attention to gradual and orderly progress in the process of introduction and transformation to promote the leap-forward development of enterprises.