Higher Performance and Shorter Runs in Postpress

(NPES International E-commerce Website, August 13, 2008) Technical developments in postpress since Drupa 2004 should primarily be viewed against a background of rising production performance in the printing field and the trend towards shorter runs. One consequence of this is a demand for enhanced performance in postpress.

It is not just overcapacity that increases the demand on postpress but also the higher degree of automation and the rising net output of the latest presses. Technical developments in the press sector also have the general result of allowing falling print runs to be produced more economically, and it is with short runs, as in digital printing, that rapid finishing and converting is a key component of the added value chain, since fast delivery of the finished product is often a condition when the order is placed.

Overall workflow
One step towards further automation and the integration of converting into the overall workflow was taken with the development of CIP3 and CIP4, as well as the possibility of JDF integration. This allows production data to be used for the pre-setting of cutters or folders or entire book lines. Change-over times have been further shortened as a result and possible sources of error minimized.

The integration of press and postpress within one company makes ever more sense. Whilst the level of automation of cutters has long been relatively high and the development of automatic jogging has further shortened production cycles and preparatory tasks, this trend is also apparent in other areas of postpress machinery.

Computer control has allowed change-over times on folders to be cut by more than 50 % and reduce wastage. Whereas at Drupa 2004 this development really only involved small format folders, now it has extended to large format too. The range of uses of folders has also been increased through add-on equipment.
Implications of large format
One development in the field of offset presses has had consequences for high speed cutters and folders. The new large format presses require cutters and folders that can handle these formats. Since these large format presses have been adopted to a greater than expected extent by book publishers, the corresponding demand in postpress has developed very rapidly.

Softcover production
Softcovers are perfect bound or wire-stitched and in both segments a distinction needs to be drawn between systems feeding folded or flat sheets. Mid performance saddle-stitching lines are in demand.

Hardcover systems
With concern to hardcover, the market is highly dynamic and fresh activity is noticeable amongst all the suppliers. Systems capable of 3o cycles per minute dominate. Despite improved perfect binding technology and stable thread sealing solutions, thread stitching is enjoying a renaissance. Besides factors such as the strength of the bound book, emotional factors are also driving demand forward.

Digitally printed products
There is also a rising demand for both the inline and offline finishing of digitally printed products, and binding machinery manufacturers as a whole are increasingly co-operating with digital press suppliers.
Little investment has been made in recent years in mailroom systems but the situation amongst publishers has eased and there is a renewed readiness to invest. New products that bring stitching and cutting, for example, into the mailing process promote sales opportunities. Increasing levels of finishing for newspaper products offer mailroom manufactures new areas for sales.