Checking in With Heidelberg on Digital Printing
Summary: Digital printing is meant for short turnaround jobs with more accurate counts and less wastage for not having to balance ink and water during the press run. While the unit cost of each piece may be higher than offset printing, when setup costs are included, digital printing provides lower per unit cost for very small print runs.
Doc, along with many others, has been watching the joint agreement unfold between German offset-printing giant Heidelberg and digital printing equipment supplier Ricoh, who are, to some extent, serving as Heidelberg’s digital arm. But there hasn’t been that much written on the relationship to date.
But I recently came across an interesting read at PrintWeek that contains an interview with Heidleberg’s managing director for the company in India. He shares quite a bit of insight into the relationship between offset and digital printing and how they work together.
PWI: What are the advantages (of digital printing)?
KN: Basically, digital is meant for short turnaround jobs with more accurate counts and less wastage for not having to balance ink and water during the press run. While the unit cost of each piece may be higher than offset printing, when setup costs are included, digital printing provides lower per unit cost for very small print runs. In every case you should look for the absolute cost. Another advantage of digital printing is that variable data printing (VDP), used primarily for direct marketing, customer relationship development, advertising and transactional print production, is not possible with the offset process. Digital printing allows customised unique units by using information from a database; and text and graphics can be changed on each piece. Personalised letters can be printed with a different name and address on each letter and images can be personalised so that printed material relates more specifically and directly to the recipient.PWI: But offset has its advantages too. How does it balance out?
KN: Yes. It does in terms of consistency for high quality prints and images. In offset printing, irrespective of the texture of the paper or medium you are printing on – the offset plate and ink conform and adapt to it. Because of this, offset printing tends to be much cleaner and sharper once the final print is made. Today’s plate making technology is capable of producing printing plates in an easy, fast and cost-effective manner and at the same time. You can produce as many plates as you want to, depending on the applications in the most cost-effective way. In terms of usability, offset printing is capable of printing on any kind of substrate/surface. It can be a paper that has a smooth or rough surface or plastic - it really does not matter. You can still achieve the desired result with variety of special applications and value additions. The many new innovations in recent years have paved the way for offset printing to be more affordable once a certain breakeven point is hit. Offset technology has proved to be one among the most suitable and preferred technology for mass production of applications like printed electronics, RFID, conductive inks, electroluminescence, printed push button switches, printed batteries and the like. In short, when you print using offset technology, the advantages are: high image quality, use of wide range of substrates, low unit cost as the quantity goes up and quality and cost-effectiveness in high volume jobs.
It’s a lengthy interview and worth a read if this union (between two companies and two technologies), interests you.
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ZDNet introduces Doc (The DocuMentor), sponsored by RICOH. Through his blog, Doc will educate you about Document Management. So who is Doc? Doc is something of an enigma. He was born to a Russian ballerina and a German electrical engineer who some believe was running covert operations for shadowy corporate interests. Doc grew up in various locations in the United States, although no one seems to know precisely where, least of all Doc. His early schooling was unremarkable except for the time he was caught trying to replace all the mimeograph machines with high-tech color copiers that had mysteriously disappeared from a shipment to Albania. At MIT, he made a name for himself by transforming a large printer into a robot that hunts and eats Roombas. Professionally, he reportedly has seen the insides of more brands, versions, and generations of printer and printer-related hardware than almost anyone. Some say his obsession with paper, printing, and mechanical movement was either started by, or evidenced by, a traumatic childhood episode when he crawled inside an old Xerox 2400 and tried to print himself.
Anyway, Doc has hands on experience with stuff like printer maintenance and fleet management, but his mastery of document management leaves no stone unturned. Important issues like sustainability, security, and regulatory compliance are top of mind for Doc, as are other business technology needs like networking and IT services, making him a true blue IT renaissance man.
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