May Print Innovation Asia 2022 by Print Innovation Asia

Print INNOVATION

Asia

Magazine

Serving Printing, Packaging and Publishing Industries across Asia Pacific since 1985 Issue 5 2022

2022 ASIAN PRINT AWARDS

2022

Asian Print Awards

CALL FOR ENTRIES

Back with a LIVE Awards dinner in Bangkok - Oct 20th 2022 All the information you need inside this flyer. Start collectiong your best Print Work and see you in Bangkok

SINGAPORE - THAILAND - INDIA - MALAYSIA - JAPAN - HONG KONG - CHINA - KOREA - TAIWAN - VIETNAM - INDONESIA - SRI LANKA - PHILIPPINES - CAMBODIA - MYNAMAR

FREE ENTRY FORM DEADLINE 5PM September 3rd 2020 The annual Asian Print Awards was founded to recognise outstanding achievement in the print and packaging industries across Asia. With more than half the world’s population represented in this fast growing area, communication in the form of printed matter links Asia’s diverse cultures. It is imperative that such print achievements do not go unrecognised, especially among the population base that Asia enjoys. The Awards are judged on a wholly quality-oriented set of criteria to ensure that fair play is enacted at all times. The Independent Judging Panel comprises highly qualified personnel from within Asia and around the world. The independent judging panel has no knowledge of the actual entrants details. ALL ENTRIES ARE NUMBER-CODED. Entries must be commercially produced work. The Asian Print Awards is the only regional print quality competition of its kind in Asia. Supported by leading industry-supply companies, any progressive quality print house should enter and prove that they are the best - by winning the Gold, Silver or Bronze award. Proving pride in quality awareness is what customers love to see. It’s not just empty words, you can prove it.

Categories 1-8 : Offset Printing Only

20. Digital Labels

1. Calendars – any format

21 Digital - Outdoor Billboard

2. Sheetfed Magazines

Categories 22-26 : Specialty Categories

3. Book printing – less than 4 colours

22. Multi–Piece Productions and Campaigns Any substrate or print process: Multi–piece Production must be 3 or more items such as folder, leaflets, ring binders, inserts, envelopes including their contents. Campaigns must be 3 or more items with a consistent theme produced during the year by the same printer for the same client.

4. Book printing – 4 or more colours 5. Limited Editions & Artwork Reproductions (under 1000 print run) 6. Web Offset – Coated stock 70gsm and above 7. Web Offset –LWC (light weight coated) 65gsm or less 8. Offset Packaging products

Categories 9 - 21 : Digital Printing Only 9. Book Printing 10. Calendars 11. Personalised photo books – any format. 12. Posters 13. Showcards & Point-of-Sale material 14. Digital Magazines 15. Gold, Silver and Special colours

23. Embellishment Any substrate – any combination - for example: embossing – diecutting – foil stamping –laminating coating. 24. Innovation / Specialty Printing The entry must exhibit any innovative and/ special application of machinery, process, substrate or finishing. A short description must be provided for the judges, detailing reasons for entry into this category. 25. Company Self Promotion Any item printed to promote a product or company involved in the graphic arts industry. Self promotion cannot be entered into any other Category. 26. Judges Special Award (A job that catches all the Judges’ attention) Send your entries to: 9 Wildwood Place, Mulgrave,3170 Victoria, Australia

16. Restaurant Menus 17. Limited Editions & Artwork reproductions (under 500 print run) 18. Digital Proofing (must supply the digital proof and the prinnted product) 19. Digital Packaging

INNOVATION PRINT AWARDS The Thai Printing Association

FREE ENTRY FORM ASIAN PRINT AWARDS 2020

Deadline for Entries Submission: 3rd September 2022, 5pm Remember to submit 2 copies of each job! Why? - Just in case one is damaged.

2022 ASIAN

PRINT AWARDS

SECTION A (This will not be shown to judges). Please fill the form in capital letters. Entered by (company name): ______________________________________________________________________________________ Contact Person: ________________________________________________ Email______________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Telephone: __________________________________

Country________________________________

Category entered __________________________ Title of entry (ie: " Paul's Ice Cream" ): ____________________________________________________________ Printed by (Printers name): ________________________________________________________________________________________ Client name: ________________________________________________________ Designer Pre Press House: ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Brand of Printing Machine used: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Stock supplied by (Merchant’s name): ______________________________________________________________________________ Ink used to produce the entry

____________________________________________________________________________

By signing here you accept the rules and conditions of the Asian Print Awards

Signature over printed name_____________________________ Name_____________________________________________________

SECTION B Production information to be shown to judges

( tape this securely to the back of your entries)

Category entered (Same as above): __________ Entry number (Administrative use only] ____________

Title of entry (ie: " Paul's Ice Cream" )__________________________________________Print method: _______________________

Number of ink colours (4-6-8 etc) ________

Any Embellishment (foil stamping etc) __________________________________

Quantity produced (Print run copies): ___________ Other technical details (finishing processes etc) ________________________

The Awards Dinner will be held in October on the 20th in Bangkok 7 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

17th Asian Print Awards 2022 Entries MUST arrive by 3rd September 2022 at 5pm Send all entries to APAM Pte Ltd

9 Wildwood Place, Mulgrave, 3170,Victoria, Australia Contact (+61422869728)

email:Paul@printinnovationasia.com Additional entry forms can be downloaded online at www.printinnovationasia.com All entries are non-returnable unless a prepaid self addressed courier pack can be provided

The 2020 Asian Print Awards Checklist! 1. Have you submitted your best work to be judged? 2. Have you checked the work to make sure its 1st class? 3. Check it one more time! 4. Are their 2 copies of each entry ? 5. Is it packed correctly for shipment with 2 copies of each entry ? 6. Have you left enough time for shipment 3rd September 2022 is the Deadline 7. Check the address you have written - it should be Asian Print Awards Pte Ltd 9 Wildwood Place Mulgrave, 3170 Victoria - Australia Contact (+61422869728)

Good luck and may the regions BEST Printing Companies WIN!

Asian PrintAwards 2022 th

PACKAGING EXCELLENCE AWARDS: 2022

2022

_018 022 Contents Page Asian Print Awards Entry Form 6 Delivering Support to Ukraine 8 Print beyond full color with Xeikon’s metallic toners 10 QR CODES: 10 AWESOME THINGS you can do right now! 12 Equipment estimated to increase uptime by 10 percent 14 Sustainable Packaging: - Cartons Can Be Recycled Over 25 Times! 16 Sales Leaders Q & A: Collecting outstanding 20 Prinect Direct – next milestone for autonomous production in print shops 24 A beautiful spine can be delightful 28 Heidelberg leads in the packaging market in ANZ 32 Korea's top web-to-print company growing rapidly with IT-based management: 36 Cost & supply chain Conditions Continue to Disrupt Ink Industry 38 Fully automatic workflow for print production logistics 40 "Mega Screen" combines stability and easy processing 44 Miraclon expands PureFlexo Printing with support for spot color inks 46 Embrace the wow factor of metallics & embellishments with Color-Logic & MPS 48 Japanese flexo printer Kindai Bijyutsu Co., Ltd, upgrades flexo platemaking 50 Sachets for Innovative Single-Dose Packaging 52 Indusrty news from the region & around the world

Issue 5 - 22

Print INNOVATION

Asia Magazine

Published by Asian Print Awards Management Pte Ltd 65 Chulia Street #46-23 OCBC Centre 049513 Singapore Print Innovation Asia Labels and Packaging Innovation Asia Asian Print Awards Packageing Excellence Awards Label and Packaging Conferences Publisher Paul Callaghan paul@printinnovationasia.com Editorial Elizabeth Liew elizabeth@printinnovationasia.com Editor Sha Jumari sha@printinnovationasia.com Packaging Sales Elizabeth Liew elizabeth@printinnovationasia.com

2022 ASIAN PRINT AWARDS

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Delivering Support to U The Russian invasion of Ukraine has triggered a catastrophic humanitarian crisis with lives being lost and thrown into turmoil, properties and infrastructures destroyed, and millions of livelihoods being threatened every day. It is our duty as humans to provide support and assistance as best we can to the citizens of Ukraine in their deepest time of need. This new initiative, Print Against War, is calling upon printers and converters, publishers, influencers, and suppliers to the printing and packaging industry to join forces to support their colleagues during this incredibly difficult time. Beyond the war in Ukraine, the organization’s goals extend to an ongoing ability to help restore the socioeconomic fabric of printing in any region affected by war.

pandemics, and other damaging and disruptive occurrences. In addition, the Meaningful Print Foundation will work on long-term projects empowering the printing industry to make a positive impact on the planet by addressing gender equality, carbon neutralization, sustainable manufacturing, education for students in need, and inclusion of people with disabilities in the workforce.

around the world to contribute. In addition, you can make direct donations or offer other forms of material help (e.g., provide consumables, paper, etc., for free or at special prices). Finally, Print Against War is working to create alliances between printers in the European Union and those in Ukraine so that the former can share jobs with the latter, making their survival possible.

What is Print Against War? Print Against War, a nonprofit initiative of the Meaningful Print Foundation, will help Ukrainian printing and packaging companies continue to operate, or provide support when they can again start up their productions. Together, Print Against War and the Meaningful Print Foundation are designed to mobilize the global printing and packaging industry to help stakeholders cope with wars, natural disasters, epidemics/

How will Print Against War raise resources? The program is open to offers of help from vendors, printers, and any other printing community members. To encourage the collection of donations from a broad base of users, Print Against War proposes that online printing and packaging businesses add a voluntary checkout donation option to their e-shops. This will allow a broad base of designers, agencies, print-service providers and individuals

How will Print Against War allocate resources? The Meaningful Print Foundation is setting up an application system to make resource allocation transparent. Through its supervisory board, it will evaluate case by case the eligibility of the applicant and the goodness of the projects to be supported. All funded projects will be made visible.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Ukraine Print Against War testimonials Within the initiative and on the website, Print Against War intends to make visible reports from the field, give voice to Ukrainian printers through written and video interviews, and collect messages of solidarity from personalities, print champions, and print enthusiasts. Among them: WhatTheyThink, a leading independent US-based printing industry media organization— “We stand in solidarity with those who are trying to fight this kind of war and oppression, and we stand for democratic values. Free speech, communication, and print have always been a huge part of that.” Marcus Timson, co-founder of Future Print — “We encourage anyone in the printing sector, anywhere in the world, to help our brothers and sisters in Ukraine rebuild their businesses and get behind this fantastic initiative.” Alon Bar-Shany, chairman of Highcon and former general manager of HP Indigo — “Because in the end, the war ends. And life comes back. As a print industry, I think we want to help our colleagues.”

The organization has also asked duomedia, a leading PR agency, to help increase its visibility and gain additional support. “Beyond the humanitarian efforts that individuals, families, and businesses are making to support the Ukrainian population and refugees, we believe that an industry-wide response is essential,” says Lorenzo Villa, co-founder of the Meaningful Print Foundation. “Print Against War is the first global outreach and support project to a regional printing and packaging market in need.

We count it as just the first that the Meaningful Print Foundation will be able to coordinate in the future.” The platform has already engaged in conversations with several Ukrainian operations. We invite you to read more about their stories here.

https://printagainstwar.org To lend your support, please join the Print Against War global community here.

https://printagainstwar.org/join-print-against-war

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Print beyond full color with Xeikon’s metallic toners Xeikon has announced the introduction of gold and silver metallic toners for its Xeikon Cheetah 2.0 Series, the most advanced line of digital label presses on the market, in line with the company’s strategy to focus on the label industry and develop application-tuned solutions. The production of labels for wine, health and cosmetics typically requires specific embellishing steps. This has been traditionally achieved by either printing on a metallic substrate, using metallic inks or using a cold or hot foiling process. However, these traditional techniques involve high setup costs due to expensive materials and tools and to the high amount of waste generated to reach the expected quality. Adding the metallic color digitally eliminates these costs, avoids secondary processes and unlocks new value-added label design options such as personalization. A few years ago, Xeikon launched its ‘Creative Toner’ series, a portfolio designed to enhance packaging with specific colors. Palladium Silver and Matt Silver were the first creative colors to be introduced. Today, Xeikon expands this family with Metallic Gold and Metallic Silver to provide a digital alternative to flexo printed gold or silver measuring 6-8 on the Flop Index, an index that measures the reflectance of a metallic color.

These metallic colors fit in the 5th color station of the Xeikon Cheetah press. Dry toner technology allows for hassle-free color swapping by just replacing the toner dosing unit and the developer unit. There is no extensive cleaning process required as the toner is dry, and a quick brushing with a vacuum cleaner is sufficient to be up and running between jobs. As digitalization evolves and is increasingly adopted by the printing industry, digital technology becomes more integrated into all processes, including the converting and embellishing print manufacturing processes. Xeikon currently offers offline digital embellishing for 2D, 3D, haptic varnishing and foiling on its Xeikon Fusion Embellishment Unit

(FEU). Inline embellishing with fullcolor digital print is available as haptic white on the Xeikon Panther UV-IJ Series. The use of metallic toners on Xeikon Cheetah 2.0 presses make it much easier to produce labels that are less complex while dramatically reducing turnaround times and simplifying the overall production process. Filip Weymans, Xeikon’s Vice President Marketing, confirms: “The development of application-tuned toners empowers printers to create their own digital solution, allowing them to stand out from other print providers and remain competitive. With the Xeikon Metallic Gold and Silver toners, we continue our commitment to innovate in leading-edge technology and provide new opportunities for the label printing industry.” Xeikon metallic toners will be available as of May 2022 for all Xeikon Cheetah 2.0 users. At the Xeikon Café Europe 2022, April 26-28, visitors will see live demonstrations at the Global Innovation Center. Label printers and converters will also learn how the latest Xeikon solutions bring more value to their business. In addition, visitors can reserve individual sessions with Xeikon experts to get in-depth insight and discuss opportunities and needs.

https://www.xeikon.com

Your capabilities never looked better The EFI™ VUTEk® Q3r and Q5r superwide roll-to-roll inkjet printers make you look your best. Because they provide the highest image quality at the highest rated speed. You get a complete print to finished graphic workflow – from RIP to final product – on the same platform. Your new capabilities can encompass automatic in-line quality inspection, inline slitting and cutting, Roll & Tape, and more. Let’s build your brilliant future. Together. Scan to learn how to add colourful capabilities.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

QR CODES: 10

AWES you can do right no

QR codes are used to connect people with online information and are easily scann using the camera of smartphones without needing to initiate any apps. It is this ea and the mass adoption by the general public that separates them from regular bar and other technology. QR codes (which stands for Quick Response) are a type of matrix barcode known as a 2D barcode that is created using an online QR code generator. When scanned they provide details about the object/place to which they are associated, similar to traditional UPC barcodes, but with an ability to provide significantly more information and interactions due to the way in which information is stored and read.

10 awesome things you can do with a QR code QR codes use customer interactions to boost sales and increase customer loyalty. There are many options for what a QR code can instigate. You need to think about what interaction you want from customers or the journey you are going to take people on. It can be as simple as a website or re-order form, or some other innovative and entertaining way of engaging with your business (like social media or chat). Barcodes are one-dimensional and the data stored in them is read horizontally, whereas QR codes are two-dimensional and the data stored in them is read horizontally and vertically. Both

Traditional barcodes still remain the most common way for businesses to register and identify goods and manage product inventory.

barcodes and QR codes can be scanned using a laser or a smartphone as long as the tool being used has the capability of reading vertical and horizontal data. While a smartphone will automatically scan a QR code you will usually need a special app to scan traditional barcodes.

Barcodes are typically rectangular and require a scanning device to read the barcode’s data horizontally, whereas QR codes are usually square-ish shaped and display data both vertically and horizontally. While barcodes hold key product information at the point of sale, such as the price and name of the manufacturer. Because of their structure, QR codes can offer more information and do more things, such as location data, URLs to promotions and product landing pages. Due to a QR code’s square shape, it can hold much more data compared to a barcode. QR codes can hold hundreds of times more encrypted characters than a barcode can.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

ESOME THINGS ow!

ned ase rcodes

By Lindsay Nutley Director of Marketing QLM Label Makers

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Equipment estimated to increase uptime by 10 percent Contiweb, a specialist in state-of-the-art technologies for advanced drying, webhandling and web-processing, announces today that Clays, a market-leading book production specialist, has installed a Contiweb CD-N non-stop unwinder. The system is expected to save more than 800 hours of uptime annually on the HP PageWide Web Press T260 Mono pressline at Clay’s Bungay, Suffolk site in the UK. “We have a CD-N unwinder on one of our bigger HP presses already, so we’ve seen the benefits the system can bring, particularly to uptime,” explains Andrew Lawrence, Continuous Improvement, Technical and Project Manager at Clays. “The press runs 24/7 and approximately 10 percent of that time is spent changing paper reels. With the zero-speed splicing we don’t have to stop the printer to change the paper, so we can reclaim the majority of that time back. We’ll be saving somewhere in the region of 840 hours a year.”

Clays prints 150 million books every year, mainly for trade publishers, but also serving independent publishers and small start-up businesses. With the book market continuing to thrive, this number is only set to increase. Production capacity, speed, and reliability are consequently crucial to Clay’s business. Clays purchased its first CD-N unwinder for a new HP PageWide T490HD web press in 2018. Seeing the productivity gains and waste reduction achieved, the decision was made to also retrofit an existing 26-inch HP PageWide Web Press T260 Mono pressline with the Contiweb CD-N unwinder, which was integrated in October this year.

“Although the T260 is a smaller press, productivity is still critical,” Lawrence adds. The Contiweb CD-N unwinder can splice a fresh reel of paper to an expiring reel without having to stop printing. Able to splice to papers of different web widths, coatings and weights, the system is very useful for short, fastchanging jobs. The unwinder can also send a signal to the press when a splice is coming – even if it recognizes a splice made by the paper mill – so that the press can lift the print heads, reducing waste and eradicating the complication of reprinting signatures made unusable by printing over a splice. “We’re delighted to announce this milestone installation with Clays,” says Robert Bosman, Sales Director at Contiweb. “It affirms Contiweb’s position as not just a supplier for web offset printing equipment, but also for digital inkjet, an important move for the company. I’m also pleased to see Clays, such a huge player in book production, reaping the benefits of Contiweb technology.” Contiweb has also launched a calculator for printers wishing to assess the time savings they could make with the Contiweb CD-N non-stop unwinder on their Canon, HP, Kodak, Ricoh, Screen and Xerox presses, which can be found on the Contiweb website.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

www.cgs-oris.com

Quality improvement Environmental resistance Faster drying Eco friendly

Ink Saving is so much more than just reducing costs: It helps optimizing the entire production process. How?

Learn more

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Sustainable Packaging:

Cartons Can Be Recycled Over 25 Times! The lifespan of a recycled carton is expected to be much shorter than it is. In fact, the latest study conducted by Graz University of Technology disproves the widely believed mythos.

The negative effects of hornification were compensated by the production of fines which increased the grinding degree as well as the water retention capacity of fiber. Furthermore, the higher the percentage of fines in the recycling process, the denser and stronger the sheets become in spite of the ash content losses. This phenomenon reflects the tensile strength of the sheet as well as its increasing binding capacity. In the light of the above, Dr. Eckhart summarizes the research:

The recyclability of fiber-based packaging materials, such as paper, cardboard, cartons and folding boxes does not amount to only 4 to 7 recycling cycles. On the contrary, cartons can be recycled at least 25 times without losing their material integrity. This mind-blowing finding opens new eco-friendly opportunities for the packaging industry. The Objectives of The Carton Study The scientist Dr. Rene Eckhart from Graz university examined the recyclability of fibers for the production of white-lined folding boxes. The researcher conducted over 25 cycles to experiment to what extent the mechanical properties of the fiber material would be impacted by repeated recycling procedures. For the production of unfinished and uncoated cartonboard, a mixture of fibers, consisting mostly of secondary fibers (only under 18% of primary fibers are used), was put under closer scrutiny whereby, for instance, grinding degree, water retention, fiber

morphology and ash content being tested during each recycling cycle. With the help of the Rapid Koethen sheet machine, the sheets were formed. The Results: All Expectations Are Exceeded! Before carrying out the research, some predictions were made regarding the inevitable losses of the fiber material during recycling. Firstly, the high ash content (21%) was expected to be reduced during each sheet formation process which would affect the development of the fiber material properties. Secondly, due to repeated drying of fibers also known as hornification, a decrease in the water retention capacity was expected. However, the turning point came in the production of fines during recycling. In other words, as the sheets were disintegrated in the laboratory beater during each cycle, they produced fines that were separated from the fiber wall. As a result, two overlapping phenomena which are able to create a domino effect later could be observed in this case.

“[I]t can be clearly stated on the basis of this study that fiber itself allows recycling over 25 cycles without further difficulty and that no limiting trend can be foreseen in this study.” The Staircase to Sustainable Packaging Carton is considered to be biodegradable which is why the European paper industry is targeting raising the recycling rate of paper and carton packaging in Europe from 84.2% to 90% by 2030. Taking this aspect into consideration, the learnings of the Graz university research shed light on finding new solutions for sustainable packaging which contribute to a circular economy, as stated in the press release of ProCarton, the European Association of Carton and Cartonboard Manufacturers. The general manager of ProCarton Windfried Muehling is convinced: “For our industry, it is crucial to collect, sort and recycle all fiber materials in the market. Virgin and recovered fiber are equally important for the circular economy, which is something many brands and retailers are looking to support.”

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Connect to Grow Unleash your printing potential Connect to Grow. That is your key to stay ahead in a demanding market. By connecting with MPSConnect, you ensure the best in reliability and productivity from your printing press. You will increase competitive advantages and maximize proﬁts.

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Sales Leaders Q & A: Collecting outstanding Question: We are discussing the role of the sales person in collecting bad paying accounts. We don’t want to turn the sales people into collection agents, but we do see a role for them. What are your thoughts?

Answer: This is one of those questions that come up regularly. It’s easy to see why. On one hand, you don’t want the sales people to be collection agents. Their time is better spent selling the product. Every collection call they make is one less sales call that could have been made.

On the other hand, if the bill isn’t paid, the sale isn’t really made. And you shouldn’t be paying commissions on invoices that aren’t paid within a reasonable period of time. So, the sales person has a vested interest in seeing to it that the customer pays the bill. Otherwise, the commission is forfeited. So, what is a reasonable position that accounts for these conflicting pressures? Let’s begin with a little economic analysis. Although many sales people don’t know this, you know the longer it takes an account to pay a bill, the less you make on it. The cost of money is a very real cost. Depending on the prime rate and the interest that you pay on your operating loans, in today’s economy, it could cost you as much as 1/2% per month of the balance. So,

let’s imagine a $10,000 receivable, sold at 20% margin, which yields $2000 in gross margin. Now, let’s assume that the bill is paid 60 days late. So, you had to carry that $10,000 for two months. At 1/2% per month interest charges, it has cost you $100 in interest charges alone. Plus, you’ve probably had to create and send that invoice or an accompanying statement a couple of times, which costs you anywhere from $35 to $100 per invoice. Using a cost of $75 per invoice, that 60 day late payment has reduced your margin from $2000 to $1750. If your bottom line net profit before taxes is 3% of sales, you’ve made next to nothing on this transaction. If you paid a sales commission based on the 20% margin, you have grossly overpaid.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Now let’s look at the economics from the sales person’s perspective. What does it cost you to have that sales person make a collection call instead of a sales call? We can calculate that. Let’s start out with an assumption of the sales person’s W-2, and assume that he/she will make $50,000 this year. Based on our studies of the actual cost of a sales person, we can say that it is likely that the sales person really costs you about 40% more than his/her gross wages.

So, in our example, it costs you $58.00 to have a sales person make a live collection call on that account.

The 40 percent is composed of the cost to you for fringe benefits, taxes, expense reimbursements, cell phones, car allowances, etc. So that $50,000 sales person really cost you $70,000. Now, let’s assume that he makes an average of five sales calls a day, five days a week for 48 weeks.

2. Often, the sales person is the best person to encourage the account to pay up.

We are subtracting four weeks from the total to account for holidays, sick days, vacation, meetings, etc. Twentyfive calls times 48 weeks equals 1,200 total calls per year. Now divided into $70,000 equals a cost per call of $58.00. By the way, this is an extremely low cost per call. National surveys indicate average costs per sales call to be more like $180.

Out of that, we can draw some principles:

That certainly helps put things in perspective, and makes the conversation less subjective. Let’s draw some observations from this exercise; 1. It costs the company to allow an account to slow pay its bills.

3. In our example, it costs the company $58 to have the sales person make a live collection. (Your number may be significantly more.)

1. The sales people should not be the primary collector. That function is more appropriately done by the credit/ collections department. 2. When an account goes beyond terms in paying its bill, the sales person’s commission should be forfeited in some fair and parallel fashion. This

aligns the sales person’s interests with the company’s interests. 3. When the amount of past due is sufficient – so that the cost of carrying it is roughly equivalent to one sales call, the sales person should be expected to make the collection call. Hope this sheds some light on the subject.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Prinect Direct – next milestone for autonomous production in print shops • Prinect workflow revamped for the cloud • Enhanced efficiency thanks tnewSmart Product App for job creation and prepress • Added value for existing Prinect customers

Heidelberg is completely revamping its Prinect print shop workflow, which will now be available in the cloud. The new workflow suite is called “Prinect Direct” and marks a further milestone on the way to autonomous production in print shops. All the new workflow’s functions will gradually be made available to customers in the form of cloud-based apps. “With the new Prinect Direct cloudbased workflow, HEIDELBERG is moving a big step closer to autonomous production in print shops in line with our Smart Print Shop concept,” says Christopher Berti, Head of Software Solutions at HEIDELBERG. “The new Prinect apps eliminate most manual steps throughout a print shop’s production process – from job creation all the way through to delivery of the

finished print product,” he adds. New Smart Product App boosts prepress efficiency Following the launch last fall of Print Shop Analytics, which customers can use to monitor their print shop’s KPIs in real time, HEIDELBERG is now unveiling its Smart Product App – the second Prinect app in the new Prinect Direct workflow. This app reliably automates job creation at the prepress stage without restricting design creativity or the possibilities of print production. For example, it includes a user-friendly cloud-based job creation function with automatic quality control of the PDF files produced. The true innovation here is that besides the PDFs, all additional types of job data – referred to as the “product intent” – are also compared

By automating virtually the entire job creation and prepress process, the new Smart Product App minimizes manual interventions.

with each other. App users require no previous special know-how. The straightforward user interface guides everyone from print buyers to print shop staff intuitively through the job creation process to the PDF stage and, if appropriate, all the way to the approval of proofs. The aim is to ensure an error-free, clearly defined job (the “smart product”) – consisting of the print-ready PDF and the desired print product properties for automatic production – that is produced autonomously via the impositioned printing plates right through to the press.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

The new H+ customer portal enables integrated print shop management based on state-of-the-art cloud technologies. Prinect Direct uses the data stored during job creation to independently decide on the most cost-effective production process, so there is no need for print shop staff to actively make this decision. The existing Prinect Production Manager software, which is compatible with Prinect Direct, still supports actual print production.

Added value and investment security for existing Prinect customers All existing Prinect customers can continue using their workflow system, including Prinect Production Manager. Both system environments are being enhanced, with the focus on new functions in Prinect Direct. All the other upcoming Prinect apps are

compatible and use existing functions for applications such as printing plate output based on the Adobe PDF Print Engine. “The Prinect Direct innovations will add further value to the investments of our existing Prinect customers and give them investment security,” emphasizes Berti.

At the time of the market launch, which is scheduled for the fourth quarter, the Smart Product App will be available for a large number of commercial products. It is envisaged that labels and packaging will be covered by subsequent versions. Market launch of further Prinect apps to follow gradually Further Prinect apps will be introduced gradually over an extended period. The ultimate goal is to create a fully digitized and automated print shop – a true smart factory. Moving forward, the new Prinect Direct workflow will also put an end to the current separation between commercial and production processes, providing appropriate functions in a single workflow. This will make print shops more cost-effective and fully utilize their automation potential. Users can access the Prinect apps via the H+ customer portal, which was launched last year. Software updates take place over the air without interrupting print shop operations.

https://www.heidelberg.com

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

WELCOME THE NEW

REVORIA PRESS ™ PC1120

Discover a new world of colour print without limits, driven by AI-powered possibilities. Find out more: https://bit.ly/revoria

Revoria Press™ PC1120 FUJIFILM and FUJIFILM logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of FUJFILM Corporation. Revoria is registered trademark of FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

A beautiful spine can be delightful "We always want to offer our customers the highest level of quality," says Gerhard Wittemann, Managing Partner of Grossbuchbinderei Schiffmann GmbH & Co. KG in Rösrath near Cologne. This is why the company is using a new VFN 700 spine nipping press from Muller Martini to avoid the spine build-up of the book block that occurs during thread sewing. "We now have an angularity in the spine that is really crazy." Gerhard Wittemann, managing partner of Grossbuchbinderei Schiffmann GmbH & Co. KG, is full of praise for his new spine nipping press. However, the fact that the quality of the thread-sewn products has been "dramatically" (quote Gerhard Wittemann) increased as a result is only one major advantage of the VFN 700, which presses every book block in the spine area and thus significantly

reduces spine build up. On the one hand, the inline solution accelerates the speed and also the production flow, and on the other hand, it increases work safety. "We previously had a standalone press from the 1960s that was operated by hand. But this was a work-related risk, which is why we disposed of it immediately after commissioning the VFN 700." "This machine is here to stay" Quite the opposite is true about the new spine nipping press, for which the Schiffmann bindery was on board at an early stage. For the first time in its company history, it was a field test customer for a newly developed machine. According to Gerhard Wittemann, this was with a clear

intention: "If I participate in such a pilot test, then it's with the clear idea of taking over the machine as well." He has only good memories about the field test period, the cooperation with the Muller Martini technicians and the production of samples with and without the press. "The exchange between the experts from the two partner companies was very valuable, and the quality of the end products rose quickly. For me, therefore, it quickly became clear: this machine is here to stay." Specializing in premium products Thread sewing of textbooks, health guides and pocket calendars with print runs of between 500 and 250,000 copies

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

has become increasingly important at the Schiffmann bookbindery in recent years. Around 20 percent of the brochures produced in Rösrath are thread-sewn. "Because ordinary print products are having an increasingly tough time," says Gerhard Wittemann. "That's also the reason why we have specialized in premium products. Highquality, eye-catching products to touch that offer a haptic experience and excite and generate reader curiosity are in demand - such as colorful threads in open thread sewing. It's not unusual for a customer to tell me, 'I've never seen that before.'" Ventura MC 200 and Alegro For thread-sewn brochures, the Schiffmann bookbindery has been using a Ventura MC 200 from Muller Martini for three years. "The fact that thread sewing has awakened from the slumber of earlier years also has a lot to do with modern machines. And thanks in particular to its format variability, this also includes the Ventura MC 200, with which we have improved our value chain," says Gerhard Wittemann. Majority of the sheets thread sewn by the Ventura MC 200 and pressed

by the VFN 700 are subsequently backglued on the Alegro, which was commissioned five years ago and also comes from Muller Martini. In March 2018, Schiffmann presented its perfect binding line, which saves one to two shifts a week and 500 kilograms of glue a year compared to its predecessor, to the public together with Muller Martini during a well-attended open house.

Gerhard Wittemann (left), Managing Partner of Grossbuchbinderei Schiffmann: "High-quality, eye-catching products to touch are in demand." On the right, Volker Keppler, area sales manager for Muller Martini Germany

Print INNOVATION

Asia

Magazine

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Heidelberg leads in t market in ANZ COVID- 19 Created a lot of uncertainty in the commercial printing sector, but not in packaging. The last 24 months has seen a phenomenal increase in sales of new presses primarily add on equipment to companies across Australia and New Zealand. Market Dynamics A combination of factors has seen a massive increase in packaging printing throughout not only Australia and New Zealand but also throughout the World. With Covid and severe lockdowns an increase in food packaging has seen packaging print volumes increase dramatically, added to this has been the pressure to shift away from plastic packaging to cardboard which has also led to further increases in print volumes. In addition to the success in the commercial market Heidelberg Australia and New Zealand has or will also install 6 hi tech packaging presses 3 of which are for the IML market and 3 for board packaging. The 3 packaging presses are raised and feature the latest technology. • XL106-6LYYLX – 6 colour with double coaters and Logistics • XL106-7LYYLX – 7 colour with double coaters and Logistics • XL106-7LYYLX – 7 colour with double coaters and Logistics • XL106-7+L with CutStar at a highquality label printer • CX102-6+L with CutStar at a highquality label printer • XL106-D rotary die cutter Plan ahead Australia and New Zealand are not the only markets with increased demand, North America, Japan, Korea, and many countries in Europe have also stepped up their sales dramatically. It used to take up to 6 months to make and ship a press to most countries but with capacity in Germany at

recent record levels manufacturing times are out to 6-8 months and with international shipping now delayed you could wait for up to a year to become operational. Switching to Heidelberg One of the largest packaging printing companies globally who have for a number of years been using Heidelberg Speedmaster VLF presses in the USA and Europe have for the first time purchased a Heidelberg press in New Zealand. The press is a Speedmaster XL106-6+LYYLX with smart technology including Fully Automatic Logistics, Push to Stop autonomous features and with double coating capability. Technology makes the difference Heidelberg customers are enjoying record breaking performance thanks to the addition of the latest Speedmaster XL 106 technology 2020 generation. With the continuous development and improvement of the Heidelberg peak performance models, productivity and output KPIs are being exceeded globally. Speedmaster XL 2020 generation Key innovations and features: Push to Stop fully automated production processes For the first time, navigated printing with Push to Stop is possible on all Speedmaster machines. The patented Intellistart 3 defines all the steps required for the job change without any operator intervention and provides maximum transparency across all active

and queued processes. Intelliguide simulates the time-optimized sequence live and, if necessary, also includes the steps to be executed manually. Plate loading systems • Auto plate XL a complete plate change in less than one minute. • Auto plate pro plate changing in approximately two minutes. • Auto plate allows for plate changing in 40 seconds per printing unit. Drying system Heidelberg DryStar© Fully flexible drying solutions are available for individual application requirements. • DryStar • DryStar LED UV • DryStar UV • DryStar LE low energy Logistics For continuous high volume packaging printing, Heidelberg logistics systems are tailored for maximum output and material movement. Prinect Inpress Control 3 The latest generation of colour measurement system enables fully automated colour and register control for make ready on the job change over. Prinect Inpress Control 3 has a new algorithm for waste sheet reduction during make ready. Operating system Prinect Press Center UX Heidelberg UX is the holistic and intuitive operation of all Heidelberg touch points.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

the packaging Speedmaster XL106 – Higher Performance Intelligent assistants and a uniform user interface reduce complexity and simplify production processes. Customized solutions for the packaging sector A global trend also evident in Australia is the number of installed customized presses is growing. As many as 20 printing and coating units with interdeck and end-of-press dryers as well as multiple cold foil modules can be installed in one sheetfed offset printing press from Heidelberg. Here a Speedmaster XL 106-2+LYY-P8+LYY-1+L with 2 FoilStar cold transfer modules for efficient inline finishing of the inside and outside of folding cartons. In a trend that has been emerging for a long time now, a growing number of print shop customers are demanding printed products with sophisticated coatings and special effects. This development is particularly striking in folding carton and label printing, with branded goods manufacturers aiming to generate a steady stream of new purchasing incentives through the use of particularly effective, stand-out packaging designs. However, print shop customers in the commercial segment also want to run their marketing

campaigns with custom-designed print products that stand out from the crowd thanks to striking and sophisticated coatings and special effects. At Heidelberg these market requirements are being met by presses with increasingly long custom configurations and a wide variety of equipment. The general market recovery is also being clearly reflected in the demand for customized machines. The trend toward print products with increasingly sophisticated surface finishing is still growing and is boosting the profitability of branded goods manufacturers and print shops in equal measure. Impression counts Increased volumes = High output – It has now become common place for high volume packaging printers to produce 70 million impressions per year this volume is unbelievable when you consider most companies will run their machines for between 10 and 15 years. Total volumes when machines are being traded out can easily have between 700 and 1.2 billion impressions and that is before the machine is resold and starts it life again in a secondary market.

Records Tumble Fort Dearborn, a custom label and packaging company with twenty locations nationwide, reached nearly 82 million impressions on its Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106-8+L in 2020. This high level of productivity was especially critical to Fort Dearborn’s success as demand at grocery stores due to COVID-19 surged. To produce so many impressions annually require a well-built machine that is reliable and is supported by the largest technical network in the World. Uptime is critical to continuous printing as is the ability to monitor the equipment remotely Predictive monitoring Heidelberg’s predictive monitoring and remote service diagnostics makes it possible to deliver high uptime availability of the press. This is achieved through continuous data collection. With predictive monitoring, the system records and monitors up to 500 million data records per year. The System algorithms detect irregularities and propose predictive measurements to prevent failures.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Heidelberg expert creates an intelligent task list and plans execution: • Remotely • Next planned visit • Immediate on-site call (exception) Full reporting is possible via regular monthly data reviews, service reports or with regular phone conferences. Masterworks Die Cutters continue their growth 8 Years after the partnership was formed Heidelberg and Masterworks in 2014 have enjoyed great success selling the Diecutters and folding box gluers with over 500 machines being sold. Since 2013 Masterworks has sold over 3,000 diecutters internationally. Both packaging and commercial printers have benefited from the competitively priced machines.

Models to suit all applications From the simple diecutter right through to the fully equipped machine with stripping and blanking Masterworks offers a comprehensive range of machines to suit the market demands. Masterworks even offers a machine (Duo Press) that can foil as well as Diecut, strip and blank all in the one pass. Folding Box Gluers To complete the box manufacturing process the Internationally renowned folding box gluers formally known as Jagenberg. The product series “Diana”

is existing since 1958 and high-speed Diana folder gluers (with 600m/min. belt speed) were already introduced in the late 1980s by Jagenberg. The new generation Diana X 115 model, Heidelberg integration of first folder gluer with single servo drives was launched on Drupa 2008. Heidelberg through its partnership with Masterworks has sold and installed over 142 folding box gluers worldwide and continues to build on its reputation as a total solution provider.

Safety and technology The Geprüfte Sicherheit ("Tested Safety") or GS mark indicates that the equipment meets German and, if available, European safety requirements for such devices, including operating procedures. The GS mark confirms that the compliance with the European safety requirements has been tested and certified by a state-approved independent body. The GS mark is based on the German Product Safety Act ("Produktsicherheitsgesetz"). GS certification is voluntary.

Mastermatrix 106 CSB

Heidelberg is well positioned to supply and support turn key solutions to the packaging and label sectors. From sales consultancy to software solutions, machinery, after sales service support as well as a full consumables product range. This strong portfolio places Heidelberg firmly in the leading position as the partner of choice in Australia and New Zealand.

https://www.heidelberg.com

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Korea's top web-to-print company growing rapidly with IT-based management:

Sung Won Adpia, the first web-to-print printing company in Korea, will celebrate its 18th anniversary in 2022. The company prints sales promotion materials, catalogs, pamphlets, booklets, flyers, and direct mail. Through management development that integrates advanced IT and printing, the company has tripled its sales in the last 12 years, reaching annual sales of 80 million USD in FY2021, and has established a firm position in Korea. Furthermore, in July 2021, the company introduced a new strategic machine, the 8-color Lithrone GX40RP advance H-UV L (LED) 40inch double-sided sheetfed offset press with parallel control, PDC-SX, and PQA-S. We interviewed Jung Chang-Hee, the company's Managing Director, and Ha Si-Dong, the General Manager in charge of the production department,

Jung Chang-Hee, Director

to learn more about the background and achievements of the company. Ensuring both productivity and a worker-friendly environment to meet strict labor policies in Korea with the latest double-sided, onepass press With its headquarters in Seoul, Sung Won Adpia has continuously expanded its core printing and publishing business since its founding in 2004. The company's activities have attracted attention in the Korean market beyond the printing industry. Under the South Korean government's policy, work reform and job creation policies were enacted in 2018. Working hours were reduced from 68 to 52 hours per week, and the minimum wage was

raised 42 percent over a period of five years. Violations are firmly enforced with sanctions, so companies must urgently improve their cost structure and efficiency in order to make a profit. Now that weekends off in the manufacturing industry have become the norm, the printing industry is facing serious business issues due to working hour restrictions and labor shortages. Sung Won Adpia has succeeded in raising its performance while ensuring a worker-friendly environment for its employees. Their strength lies in an innovative, in-house designed, ITbased management system, which automates almost all processes from order placement to the final delivery of products to customers.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

34 advance press was the best choice because it allows us to achieve high production in a limited amount of time. As a company that grows together with our customers, we chose Komori machines as our partner for sustainable development."

Face-to-face sales, order acceptance, paper and telephone production instructions, and product delivery tasks have been taken over by the core IT system. Furthermore, the company has been able to change their internal business model which now includes no salesmen, no managers, and no factory manager. The system has paid for itself through significant labor savings. Additionally, they have invested in production equipment to provide high quality products with short delivery times, further increasing their competitiveness.

UV drying system in Korea, which is still a novelty in the country. The purpose was to enable quick drying and immediate postpress processing to meet our customers' short delivery time requirements.

"We decided to invest in a doublesided one-pass press that can improve production efficiency -- the Lithrone GX40RP advance with LED-UV dryer, our second RP press. This will greatly improve productivity and costeffectiveness, and we hope to take a step ahead as a leading full-service printing company in the Korean printing market," says Director Jung. In the past few years, the introduction of such double-sided one-pass machines has been rapidly increasing in Korea. Our relationship with Komori began with the introduction of two Lithrone S40SPs in 2006. The first Lithrone GX40RP press was delivered in 2018, enabling the company to offer products that combine high quality with short delivery times. These two factors have allowed the company's sales to grow more than threefold in 12 years, reaching 80 million USD in fiscal 2021.

Jung says, "The value we want to provide to our customers is caring for their time. For this, we are committed to improving our production efficiency. We decided that the Lithrone GX40RP

In July of 2021, while other companies were reluctant to invest in equipment due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sung Won Adpia introduced the first Lithrone advance press with an LED-

When selecting the press, the company compared machines from various makers, but quality and ease of maintenance were highly evaluated, and Komori's press, with double-sided printing due to single-edge gripping and a high level of automation, was selected.

The results of productivity improvement and generating profits through automation Sung Won Adpia, which is working with IT to automate its operations, is taking full advantage of the automation capabilities of its state-of-the-art Lithrone GX40RP advance press. Jung says, "The benefits in terms of cost and profitability were immediately apparent. The short makeready time and efficient production have significantly increased the number of jobs we can run each day. Printing starts up quickly, which has reduced paper waste and materials costs. The presetting technology and the advanced Komorimatic dampening system have also been highly effective." KHS-AI's pre-inking function and automation of color measurement and register adjustment by PDCSX are also very effective. General Manager Ha says, "The same kind of performance can be obtained even from new operators. KHS-AI's preinking function has reduced startup waste paper by about 10 percent. PDC-

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

SX automatically provides feedback on color and register, saving adjustment time and paper." In terms of quality control, the PQA-S is a new strength. "Because printed materials are inspected automatically, the risk of defective sheets being mixed in with products has been reduced," he adds. In job changeover, which is the key to web-to-print productivity, "The new parallel control system enables simultaneous plate changing and cleaning, which significantly reduces changeover time. We feel this has a tremendous effect in high-mix, smalllot production" says Ha. As for the change in productivity with the new advance press, "The productivity of the new Lithrone GX40RP advance press is high. It can run at an average of 14,000 to 15,000 sph, showing stable performance. We feel that the stability at high printing speeds is superior to that of our previous Lithrone GX40RP press. In particular, feeding and delivery

"PDC-SX automatically measures color density and registration and provides feedback to the press for color matching. This reduces adjustment time and allows for faster makeready for the next job. Efficient production has increased the number of jobs produced per day dramatically."

performance and sheet alignment have improved dramatically with the Lithrone GX40RP advance press," he says. In terms of operation with PQC-S (V6), "The number of touch points has been reduced, making it intuitive and easy to understand. It is clear that PQC-S (V6) was designed with the operator's convenience in mind." As he says, operators experienced easy operation. Regarding the advantages of the Lithrone GX40RP advance in particular, he says, "Register accuracy is particularly good due to the singleedge gripping. The printing plates do not need to be oriented differently on the front and back sides, so there is no confusion in platemaking or onsite." Lithrone GX40RP advance production performance accelerated plans for ordering a second unit and relocating to a new plant The productivity of the Lithrone GX40RP advance has been well received by management, so much so that another Lithrone GX40RP advance press was ordered and will be delivered in April 2022. Company growth is robust and they now plan to build a new 4,500 square meter factory in the suburb of Hanam city and to relocate the production facilities from the current factory in Seoul next year.

Jung comments on the company's future prospects: "We have achieved high productivity and differentiation by combining printing and IT technologies. We have a high opinion of the track record of Komori presses. We have ordered another press with the same specifications. This will be the third RP press we have ordered." He adds, "Through our constantly evolving relationship with Komori, we hope to mutually enhance each other. As the leading web-to-print company in Korea, we will continue our efforts to create value and grow together with our customers, and further solidify our position in the industry."

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Cost & supply chain Conditions Continue to Disrupt Ink Industry The last two years have proved to be an extremely challenging period of time for the print industry. Raw Material shortages and multiple price increases, combined with staff shortages caused by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, created arduous circumstances for all businesses involved in our industry. From printers themselves, to freight companies and suppliers of key raw materials, all were adversely affected. After over two years experiencing the challenges that the global pandemic presented, the more optimistic amongst us had hoped that 2022 would present some stabilization in the print supply chain, however, as we move in to the second quarter of the year, this stabilization is yet to materialize, and is unlikely in the near future whilst the tragic events in Ukraine continue to develop. Not only are the trials of the Covid-19 pandemic still with us, but rising inflation, increasing fuels costs, huge demand for packaging of all types and a global energy crisis have further increased the burdens faced by suppliers to the print industry. These increases, in some cases, have been so astronomic that it is not possible for any supplier to absorb, and ultimately, the increased costs have been passed down the supply chain.

Tony Lord President of Flint’s Offset Packaging Solutions division, said “the strain of the long-standing supply chain challenges, brought about by the global pandemic and exacerbated by current rates of inflation, fuel and energy increases can be felt industry wide. Raw materials continue to suffer from increased demand and an exponential increase in pricing.

The last two years have created a perfect storm for supply chain disruption and rapid price increases. In a time when the industry expected to enter in to recovery mode, it is near impossible to predict when we might begin to see some relief to the pressure placed on our industry.” As a result of the continued rising costs, Flint OPS has no choice but to announce further price increases. Lord stated that, “it is with the utmost regret that we are forced to announce further price increases, as we fully understand the difficult climate our customers are operating in. We are as hopeful, as all other print related businesses are, that we will soon experience more stable supply chain conditions, however in the meantime, increases imposed on our business have created a situation where continuing to sell our products at our current price level is simply not sustainable”. Flint OPS will be contacting customers imminently to discuss how they will be affected by the price increases.

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Fully automatic workfl production logistics Patras – the modular materials logistics system from Koenig & Bauer – is one of the world’s most comprehensive press hall workflow systems, whether for offset, flexo or digital printing, or for the processing of corrugated board Koenig & Bauer has a suitable logistics system for every customer’s need – and that has already been the case for more than 40 years.

newspaper and commercial printers, materials logistics systems from Koenig & Bauer are permanent features of their press installations.

Substrate reels with a diameter up to 1,800 mm, in widths up to 2,800 mm and with a maximum reel weight of 6 tonnes are transported reliably and fully automatically. The modular concept permits flexible adaptation to specific production conditions and layout requirements. Koenig & Bauer executive board member Christoph Müller:

At the same time, Koenig & Bauer systems are also being used ever more frequently in the packaging sector. This is a market segment characterised by high substrate variability and very specific production requirements. In this case too, Koenig & Bauer is able to offer variable and tailored solutions for a broad spectrum of packaging printers – whether for its CI flexo presses, the high-performance RotaJET digital web press, the CorruCUT or the HP PageWide T1190 and T1195 presses.

“Our logistics solution enables considerable cost, time and waste savings. The particular press model chosen by the customer is not important. We have both, manual and fully automated solutions in our product portfolio.” For almost 2,000

Integrated materials logistics from Koenig & Bauer The integrated materials logistics solutions from Koenig & Bauer

Proven and reliable: Patras reel handling for newspaper web presses

provide for full automation of the entire materials flow, from automatic unloading of the delivery vehicles to demand-driven preparation and staging at the reelstand, and through to reelstand loading, removal of the reel stubs and subsequent disposal. The operating personnel are able to concentrate on monitoring the process. One decisive aspect is the automated linking of individual production stations using defined interfaces. Everything is networked by way of a sophisticated materials management system. Reel handling by automated guided vehicles (AGVs) The use of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) for reel handling at the unwinder and re-winder is an ideal solution for highly automated printing presses. Once the substrate reels have been unloaded from the delivery vehicle, the automated systems take care of targeted transport to the reel store. The materials management system is used for fully automatic control of the reel-clamp AGVs and ensures that the reels are brought to the correct store location. It is also the materials management system that later commands retrieval from the store and delivery to the reel preparation zone. A tipping station tilts the reels into a horizontal position for loading onto the Patras trolley. The next stop is the stripping station. There, the operator removes the wrapping and prepares the reel for splicing to the press web, conveniently and with a minimum of waste.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

flow for print

The use of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) for reel transport and handling at the unwinder and re-winder is an ideal solution for highly automated printing presses The stripped and splice-ready reel is loaded onto a trolley and a forklift AGV transports it automatically to a defined storage position or – if production requirements dictate – directly to the reelstand, where it is automatically

positioned and loaded onto the chucks. In similar manner, partially used reels are automatically released from the chucks and transported back to the daily store by the forklift AGVs.

Fully automated materials logistics for web-fed print production

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

"Mega Screen" combines stability and easy processing Mega Screen now makes it possible to reliably achieve exceptional design effects in rotary screen printing, in up-to-medium printing widths. The screen material developed by Gallus Screen Printing features a simple processing procedure and a stable screen structure. The company is thus adding formats that cover flexible packaging as well as labels. What makes screen printing features so attractive is their direct effect on human sensory perception. Textured varnishes, tactile coatings and innovative finishing effects immediately appeal to consumers' senses. This explains the general growth of screen printing, which also extends to new applications. "The market is constantly on the lookout for graphic innovations and many of them can be implemented in a particularly impressive way using screen printing," says Oliver Vetter, Head of Screen Printing Business at Gallus Ferd. Rüesch AG, describing the potential of screen printing.

A "Mega Screen" in print width 660 mm (26") compared to smaller screens for label applications. (Source: pack.consult)

For decades, Gallus Screeny has been helping users all over the world to create unusual design effects using rotary screen printing. This also applies to the requirement for wider screens for presses in the mid-web sector. Whereas screens were previously designed for presses up to 560 mm (22'') wide, midweb presses require working widths of 660 mm (26''). Due to their width, they place higher demands on the mechanical stability of the screens. The demand for such screens led Gallus Screen Printing to develop a new screen material with the product name Mega Screen. "For printing widths of up to 660 mm, Mega Screen brings the necessary stability and process reliability to screen printing " says Oliver Vetter, by way of introduction of the new product. "For printing widths of up to 660 mm, Mega Screen brings the necessary stability and process reliability to the screen printing process," says Oliver Vetter, Head of Screen Printing Business. Screen material with controlled nickel build-up The production of the more stable screen material is achieved by a change in the manufacturing method, which Roland Greutmann, Head of Customer Services Screen Printing Business explains: "With Mega Screen, the coating of the steel mesh is done in a controlled galvanic process in which nickel is applied to the steel screen. When nickel is applied, it is crucial that the nickel is deposited in the depth of

Welded to a round shape the Mega Screen is than attached into the stencil ring. (Source: Gallus Ferd. Rüesch AG) the screen and not in the width, which would clog the holes of the screen fabric. With the new manufacturing process, the thickness of the screen mesh is specifically reinforced, while the screen holes remain unaffected." "When nickel is applied, it is crucial that the nickel is deposited in the depth of the screen and not in the width, which would clog the holes of the screen fabric," Roland Greutmann, Head of Customer Services Screen Printing Business explains the manufacturing process.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Innovative ideas and unusual product designs are

42 often implemented using rotary screen printing. (Source: Gallus Ferd. Rüesch AG)

Improved ink flow The screens are supplied by Gallus already cut to size, with the screen openings at a 30° angle. "This improves the ink flow with the thicker screens, as the ink is doctored across the diagonal of the screen openings," Roland Greutmann explains the angled arrangement, adding: "Based on experience to date, we recommend adjusting the viscosity of the ink, which should be set slightly thinner for optimum print results." Process reliability What makes the processing of Screeny so safe is the manufacturing process of the screen material. It ensures a very even coating during production, which stands out from the quality of manually coated screens. The cutting to format of the material is just as precise. The raw sheets are cut to tight tolerances on a modern laser cutting machine. The greater the repeat length of the screens, the more important it is that this production step is carried out precisely, to ensure the accuracy of the screen printing effects in the final print. Another advantage of the Mega Screen process is the short make-ready time required. By eliminating the time and effort required to prepare the emulsion and apply it to the printing cylinder several times, the number of work steps is reduced, which shortens the time required to produce the Mega Screen

cylinder several times over, compared to hand-coated plates. To produce the printing cylinder, the customer only has to expose the printing plate, wash it with water and weld it into a round shape, which is then attached into the stencil rings. For whom is the new development of interest? Mega Screen is of interest to users who have invested in mid-web presses in recent years. They can now also use the familiar screen production process

for wide screens and benefit from the significantly shorter production times of Mega Screen cylinders under constant, stable conditions. Major potential users include multinational companies in the label and packaging sector that lead the industry with innovative concepts. They use the wider screens for special effects in printing flexible packaging. Transparent films require a high opacity of white to show off the design. (Source: Gallus Ferd. Rüesch AG)

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Miraclon expands PureFlexo Printing with support for spot color inks ™

Miraclon, home of KODAK FLEXCEL Solutions, announces the launch of spot color support for PureFlexo Printing. Introduced in 2021 for process printing, PureFlexo Printing controls unwanted ink spread and allows for greater latitude on press to meet today’s high-quality expectations of brand clients while maximizing plant output and efficiency. It reduces unscheduled press stops and ultimately improves businesses’ financial bottom line. Delivered as a new feature set for the KODAK FLEXCEL NX Print Suite for Flexible Packaging, today’s announcement enables flexible packaging printers to expand the costsaving benefits of PureFlexo Printing to higher volume anilox applications, and is consistent with Miraclon’s commitment to deliver a constant stream of innovation to customers. “PureFlexo Printing is enabled by unique multi-functional plate surface patterns designed to precisely control ink flow during printing. The rigorously tested and patented technology set now includes surface patterns with edge effects specifically designed to manage the ink flow characteristics of spot

color inks,” says Dr. John Anderson, Director of Advanced Printing Applications at Miraclon. “When higher anilox volumes are used for traditional larger pigment-based spot colors, it usually results in the use of harder tapes, higher impression, and other common printing practices to adjust to the higher anilox volumes. These practices often produce undesirable print effects such as halo, dirty print, and TEV (trailing edge void), while the higher ink volumes also have greater drying needs, causing slowdown in the flexographic printing process to increase drying capacity. PureFlexo Printing addresses all these typical issues to ensure better uptime and consistency on press.” “Spot color support for PureFlexo Printing is an important addition to any trade shop or converter’s toolset to maximize productivity in the press room,” adds Grant Blewett, Chief Commercial Officer at Miraclon. “As businesses are continuously looking

at improving efficiency to increase their financial bottom line while also minimizing their environmental impact, many customers are already experiencing the benefits that PureFlexo Printing delivers. The savings soon add up when the reduction of just one unscheduled press stop per day on a press can deliver up to 60,000 Euro or $65,000 in savings per year. The addition of its use for spot colors will now further support their business growth.” Spot color support for PureFlexo Printing is included in a subscription to the KODAK FLEXCEL NX Print Suite for Flexible Packaging, a fully integrated platform designed to provide tailored solutions for specific applications, creating greater efficiencies in high quality flexo print, alongside expert assistance, and tools to maximize the benefits for pre-press providers and printers.

https://www.miraclon.com

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Embrace the wow factor embellishments with Col The relentless pursuit to print eye-catching label designs is now even easier on an MPS EF flexo press! Thanks to another partner collaboration with Imageworx and Cyngient, MPS is now a certified printer for Color-Logic’s system of reproducing metallic colors and print embellishments Add pizzazz to your labels economically A world leader in metallic color communications systems, Color-Logic provides brands, designers, and printers with an accurate metallic color system to create print embellishments at a fraction of the cost typically associated with metallic ink or foil printing. Their system provides a base of 280 metallic colors (55 of which are gold shades) with an optional 644 metallics colors, plus 4 primary predictable print embellishments for each of those colors that can be used independently or in conjunction with each other— replicated with only 5 colors on your MPS press! A key factor is that Color-Logic considers the capabilities of the prepress, the press, the inks, the

substrates, and coating being utilized so the designer knows what is really possible before going to creation. Color-Logic is also the world’s first color communication system for printing on foil and reflective substrates, when using white ink and CMYK. MPS takes the Color-Logic test The MPS North American Technology and Expertise Center team led the initiative to determine what’s possible with the MPS EF 430 flexo printing press and the world of Color-Logic metallics and embellishments, and brought in Imageworx and Cyngient to help us print the necessary evaluation test forms for certification. Imageworx demonstrated the prepress ability to take the Color-Logic files and run them through their process to provide the plates that would properly demonstrate the Color-Logic colors and embellishments using their design tools. Inks supplied by Cyngient determined the possible color gamut. Unlike CMYK or CMYK ECG (extended color gamut) printing where ICC (International Color Consortium) color management is used to match colors, metallic printing requires the printer to produce the color to demonstrate the colors possible. Most printers do this by trial and error or just stay away from metallic jobs.

We then printed the test forms on the MPS EF 430 flexo press with a fingerprint of 280 metallic colors (55 of which are gold shades) that can be accurately produced. The test forms, based on the Silver metallic BOPP PS material using CMYK and white Ink, demonstrated all the embellishments that can be achieved from the MPS press. Radiant results Mark Geeves, Director of Sales & Marketing & Co-Founder of Color-Logic was quite pleased with our print evaluation test forms. Watch this video to see the test evaluation forms we provided and hear Mark’s feedback: The test forms demonstrated 21 of Color-Logic’s 924 metallic colors and all their embellishments. They looked

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

r of metallics & lor-Logic & MPS

for several items both visually and numerically using spectrophotometers for the certification and verified visually all their embellishments were produced properly and numerically to ensure the ability to consistently produce those results. We demonstrated the ability to not only print Color-Logic’s embellishments but did an excellent job in demonstrating their Security-FX techniques which requires excellent registration!

Dazzle your customers with Color-Logic As an MPS printer, our certification with Color-Logic demonstrates we’re fully capable of providing Color-Logic colors and print embellishments. Design teams will enjoy the Color-Logic design tools (palettes for Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, and plugin for Photoshop for Adobe CC) for creating designs with peace of mind knowing the metallic colors and embellishments

can be accurately and predictably produced. Today’s brands want the WOW factor with their labels but cost and faster time to market are equally important. With MPS capabilities in label printing, and Color-Logic at the design stage, all three desires are now achievable. BY Dilip Shah - Senior Sales, Service & Demo Room Support Manager at MPS North America.

https://www.mps-printing.com

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Japanese flexo printer Kindai Bijyutsu Co., Ltd, upgrades flexo platemaking Water-wash flexo plate processing delivering cleaner print, fewer press stops and flexographic printing in harmony with the environment

As the need for package printing that is in harmony with the environment increases day by day, this acquisition positions us to deliver the highest quality products with even more reliability.” CleanPrint in Harmony with the Environment Asahi´s CleanPrint water-washable flexographic photopolymer plate technology’s ability to deliver high quality print performance is a result of its engineered photopolymer chemistry design. The water-wash technology also features a low surface energy plate resulting in fewer press stops for plate cleaning for significantly improved OEE in the pressroom and reducing press waste. A Asahi Photoproducts, a pioneer in flexographic photopolymer plate development and a subsidiary of Asahi Kasei, today reported that Kindai Bijyutsu Co., Ltd, headquartered in Okinawa, Japan, has acquired an Asahi AWP™-2530 AA – All-In-One waterwash processor for use with AWP™DEW CleanPrint water-washable flexographic plates. The company produces labels and flexible packaging for a wide range of customers in the food industry. While Kindai had already been using waterwash plates, the company chose this solution due to improved performance with the AWP™-DEW CleanPrint water-washable flexographic plates, including plate accuracy with precise registration, excellent ink transfer, reduction in press stoppages due to plate cleaning, and elimination of the need for washout solvents.

” We are very satisfied with the print quality resulting from our Asahi AWP™ water-wash platemaking system,” commented Ms. Emi Oshiro, CEO of Kindai Bijyutsu Co., Ltd, “as well as with the stability it delivers with both our water-based and UV inks.

ll of these elements make them the most sustainable flexographic plates in the industry. In addition, AWP™-DEW CleanPrint plates deliver extremely high-quality print due to their precise registration and ability to deliver perfect printing balance between highlights and solids.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

DIGITAL PRINTING SOLUTIONS LIKE NO OTHER Ready for the next turn. Just like you. As truly direct and dedicated printing technology specialists, we believe you should deal with your challenges in your very own way. That is why we offer a wider range of digital technologies for a wide range of applications. From wine labels to wall decoration; from toner to inkjet – how can we help you to make your business ready for the next turn? www.xeikon.com

Direct. Dedicated. Digital.

Xeikon_CorporateAdv_210x297_EN.indd 1

24/08/17 09:45

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Sachets for Innovative S Next generation solution for single-use packaging and sampling a new growth opportunity for the company V-Shapes, an innovative supplier of vertically integrated products and services for convenient, hygienic and sustainable single-dose packaging, today reported that visett, a leading provider of branded and white label

cosmetics and body care products, has added V-Shapes sachets to its packaging mix. The company currently has a V-Shapes PRIME single-lane fill and seal

packaging/converting machine for ondemand production of unique singledose sachets that can be opened with a single gesture using one hand, as well as a Trojan Label T2-C printer. The company is using a combination of printing on demand and preprinted flexo substrates to meet the widest possible range of customer needs. visett, located in Germany and in business for two decades, offers its products via white label, B2B and B2C. B2B business for the company, which has nine employees, has grown in 50 countries over the last decade. “We have historically offered a whole range of packaging for our products, including bottles and tubes,” said Michel Raad, Owner and Managing Director of visett, “We had never offered sachets before because many of our competitors did. But as an innovative company, when we learned about V-Shapes, we saw it as the nextgeneration solution, a differentiator for us, and we didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about it.” The V-Shapes PRIME has been so successful for visett that the company is currently in the process of seeking a larger facility in order to add two or three V-Shapes ALPHA six-lane packaging machines. Since based on volume, some substrate is preprinted with flexography, the company will likely configure one of its machines as an AlphaFlex with in-line printing and use pre-printed flexo rolls for the others. “In this way,” Raad said, “we will have the ability to produce relatively large

A close-up of the front of the V-Shapes one-hand opening singledose sachets during the production process, digitally printed in-house with the AstroNova Trojan Labels T2-C press.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

Single-Dose Packaging From left to right: Michal Szumiato, Head of Production, and Michel Raad, Owner and Managing Director of visett in front of the company’s V-Shapes PRIME single-lane fill and seal packaging/converting machine.

quantities with on-demand printing, but for the largest quantities, we can still leverage our flexo fleet as well.” Currently, sachets comprise less than 10% of visett’s overall volume, but that share is expected to grow dramatically once the ALPHA units are installed. For visett, sachets represent an add-on offering, building on its overall growth rather than replacing any current production. “As we have introduced these innovative sachets to the market,” Raad added, “we have found a number of unexpected uses. For example, for sampling, we don’t need to ship large containers anymore, which reduces our sampling costs significantly. In addition, customers who might previously have purchased a full-sized container of a product now are frequently asking for full sets of 10 to 20 sachets in addition to the full-size container for more convenient use. For example, they might take sachets with them when they travel and prefer not to carry the full-sized container with them, or for handing out to their

customers as samples to encourage those customers to purchase the fullsized containers. Sometimes customers find the single-unit sachets more convenient overall. A good example is our cream make-up removal. Some customers would prefer to purchase 10 or 20 single-use sachets rather than a pot of the product.” The other opportunity is in restaurants and at events, Raad points out. “The Health Department has told us that as we come out of the pandemic, most certainly, large multi-use containers on tables in restaurants and bars, as well as at events, will be forbidden. So the demand for single-use sachets will continue to grow. And the V-Shapes sachets are so much easier, cleaner and more hygienic to open and dispense than traditional single-serve packages.” Raad has also been extremely pleased with the support he has received from V-Shapes, noting, “It’s been a very good relationship, they are easy to work with and very supportive. Their response time is also very fast.

I have two phone numbers to use with WhatsApp … if the first one doesn’t answer right away, the second one usually does, which means I literally have 24/7 service.” He also notes that, like his own company, V-Shapes is very proactive. He says, “At visett, once we have a good product range, we start selling it. But in the background, we are also developing new products and upgrading existing ones. V-Shapes has that same philosophy, and they are very proactive in communicating to us about upgrades or new developments. For example, they have already notified us we should expect to have another equipment upgrade soon, and we are also looking forward to implementing substrates made from recycled feedstocks. V-Shapes stays on top of all of that for us to make sure we are delivering the best product possible to our customers.” To learn more about vertically integrated end-to-end solutions for production and filling of singledose sachets, and other products and services from V-Shapes, visit www.VShapes.com.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

52 especially in food packaging, the trend is towards smaller packaging units – reflecting the steady rise in the number of small and one-person households – as well as a wider variety of packaging due to more differentiated consumer demand. This diversity is also encouraged by the fact that brand owners want to differentiate their multiple SKUs and increase the frequency of marketing campaigns to secure consumer attention.

Heidelberg focuses on growing label market and strengthens Gallus sites Heidelberg is further expanding its commitment to the growing label market. As part of this, the Gallus Group sites in Switzerland and Germany have already been strengthened through targeted investments and divided into competence centers. The next step will be to reorganize the headquarters in St. Gallen, Switzerland, and develop it into a competence center for digital label printing. To this end, the new customer demonstration center is to be opened at the site at the end of the year as the "Gallus Experience Center". The expansion of the digital printing portfolio will be accompanied by comprehensive innovations in equipment, service, software and ink. A total of around 160 people work in St. Gallen, including business and R&D management as well as finance, sales, service, marketing and purchasing. The new office infrastructure and the Experience Center will be reorganized in the main building of the site. "With targeted investments in the Gallus Group, we want to gain further momentum in the growing label market," said Dr. Ludwin Monz, CEO of Heidelberg. "The reorientation of our site in St. Gallen into a competence center for digital label printing underlines the high strategic importance for Heidelberg in the packaging sector. We welcome, that the

commitment of entrepreneurs Marcel and Roger Baumer will create an innovative environment in St. Gallen from which we can also benefit." Baumer entrepreneurs from St. Gallen develop property into open industrial and technology campus with Gallus as anchor tenant As part of the reorganization of the site, St. Gallen entrepreneurs Marcel and Roger Baumer will take over the entire area in St. Gallen with around 20,000 sqm on April 1, 2022. The brothers are the fourth-generation owners of the Hälg Group and have acquired the site privately. Gallus will continue to use the required space as the main tenant in this area in the future. A corresponding purchase and long-term lease agreement has been signed. Heidelberg expects the transaction to be completed in the first quarter of the 2022/23 financial year. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. "The Gallus area is set to develop into an open campus for companies and institutions that are helping to shape the future and strengthen St. Gallen as a workplace. We are delighted that the Gallus Group, with its headquarters and Digital Campus, is the anchor tenant of the site," says Roger Baumer. Folding cartons digitally printed and embellished in one pass Packaging is an attractive market that has recorded continuous growth for some years now. This tendency has been further reinforced by the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition,

At the same time, the growing importance of sustainability is a driver for the use of more environmentally sound materials. Wherever possible, brand owners and retailers are opting for plastic-free packaging and ecofriendly packaging materials that can be easily and completely recycled. All these trends benefit folding cartons as high-quality packaging, being valued by consumers as a sustainable and environmentally conscious alternative. Digital printing represents a motivating option for small-batch production of folding cartons. In general, digital permits very short-term production following the approval of packaging designs, meeting demands for a short time to market. Furthermore, digital printing enables customization or versioning of folding boxes in any form. The technology makes it simple to add security features such as serialized codes for supply chain tracking or regional regulatory content. Similarly, variable design and marketing elements – such as variable codes for lottery or gaming campaigns and connected or smart packaging applications linking the analog with the digital world – can be integrated into folding carton designs. When it comes to packaging applications like these, the new KODAK ASCEND Digital Press is in its element. The sheetfed electrophotographic press is based on an extremely robust platform from Kodak that is capable of reliable, superior quality production of millions of impressions per month. ASCEND Digital Press is an ideal cost-effective solution for folding carton printing, not least because it can print sheets up to 1,219

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

SPEED UP YOUR PROCESSES with optical systems for UV curing and drying

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

mm long. Equally important for packaging applications is ASCEND’s compatibility with a very wide range of substrates. The press is suited for printing on uncoated as well as matte and glossy coated board stock and papers – including recycled materials – and a whole range of special substrates. The substrates can be up to 762 microns thick or have a weight of up to 687 g/m2.

Whether it's folding carton boxes, blister cards, paperboard food boxes or belly bands – in packaging applications, it's essential to render brand colors accurately. ASCEND’s high gamut KODACHROME Dry Inks are capable of achieving more than 90% of the PANTONE library with just CMYK, allowing the extra imaging unit to focus on embellishments and special effects.

The strengths of combined highquality printing and in-line print embellishment Another remarkable feature of the ASCEND Digital Press is its fifth imaging unit. It enhances ASCEND’s ability to effectively convey the brand identity on packaging, supporting the decisive impulse at the point of sale. This unit enables the press to print one of a total of 13 available ecofriendly specialty inks in one pass, in addition to the new KODACHROME Dry Inks for CMYK process colors. This allows special color or finishing effects to be achieved, producing vibrant and eye-catching packaging.

And if that shouldn’t suffice, one of the specific KODACHROME Custom PMS Colors can be used as the fifth color. With regard to sustainability, it is also important that KODACHROME Dry Inks are manufactured using environmentally sustainable materials and are fully recyclable. They are also rated for indirect food contact.

The specialty inks include Orange, Gold, White, Clear, Dimensional Clear and Foil Dry Inks to name just a few. Not only does KODACHROME Foil Dry Ink enable a multitude of true cold foil print enhancement effects, it also greatly reduces costs with foil used only where it is required, instead of covering expensive foil board with costly white ink. The specialty inks can be placed in the first, second or fifth imaging unit of the press. This allows ASCEND Press to meet production requirements for different ink sequences. This is helpful, for example, when printing on colored or natural brown board stock. First, a background can be created with Opaque White, onto which the CMY colors are then printed.

There's another plus that makes ASCEND a perfect choice for folding carton printing: It is the first digital press that can control gloss levels during the electrophotographic process. With the KODACHROME Dry Inks, the operator can adjust gloss levels without compromising on speed, accuracy or quality. This allows specific requirements of brand owners to be met. In addition, this feature helps to match the look and feel of folding cartons printed digitally in short runs even better to long runs printed in traditional sheetfed offset. KODACHROME Dry Inks also surpass the Sutherland Ink Rub test. This means the printed image has maximum durability and a high resistance to abrasion that package handling, shipping or storage can cause. Furthermore, these inks were designed to support additional lamination and coating/varnishing of the printed sheets as well as glues for the packaging industry without

the need for dedicated “digital” formulations which usually are more costly and have fewer varieties. Additional applications beyond shortrun folding carton printing In addition to packaging, ASCEND Digital Press can also handle commercial jobs at high throughput and in stunning quality. As the press has four standard feeders for different paper types and sheet sizes in addition to the long sheet feeder for the thick folding carton substrates, such applications can be run in quick succession with packaging production. “KODAK ASCEND Digital Press is a uniquely versatile production platform that supports efficient and profitable small batch production of folding carton packaging,” said Jeff Zellmer, Vice President, Global Sales and Strategy, Kodak. “The combination of high-quality CMYK printing and a wide range of print embellishment options in a super-reliable, easy-touse machine makes ASCEND an extremely attractive investment.” Fujifilm announces the launch of the Activ Hybrid LED UV curing system Fujifilm today announces the launch of the Activ Hybrid LED UV curing system, which can be installed on new presses or retrofit to existing equipment by label and packaging converters. The system combines the latest, high power, low heat LED UV curing technologies with Fujifilm’s ink expertise to improve label production on narrow web presses. It enables traditional UV or water-based flexo presses to be seamlessly converted to LED UV curing, resulting in significant environmental savings, cost and material savings and increased productivity and quality.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

56 use is drastically reduced, VOCs are eliminated, and less waste is produced. The working environment for operators is also improved, with many undesirable factors eliminated, including heat from the conventional UV lamps, noise and even the smell. Material usage is also reduced, and the system requires less maintenance and labour. Increased productivity is another significant benefit. Press running speeds are 30-50% faster than a conventional UV system. Shorter job setups and make-ready times are also possible, thanks to improved substrate stability and the elimination of material distortion, and lower press down-time results in additional significant productivity gains. The system offers more consistent quality as the impact of the heat from the UV lamps is removed, resulting in better registration and less substrate stretching. In addition, colours are vibrant and easy to achieve with Fujifilm’s high performance LED UV inks, and the dramatic reduction in power required for the LED UV lamps, means substantial cost savings can also be made. Manuel Schrutt, Head of Packaging, Fujifilm Europe comments “We are delighted to be bringing such an innovative product to market. Fujifilm is proud to be the only supplier able to offer both a state of-the-art LED curing system and a high performance LED ink range to the label and packaging industry. The Activ system takes advantage of the very latest LED UV curing technologies, along with Fujifilm’s ink expertise, to deliver a reliable industrial curing system with none of the disadvantages of higher power and higher temperature conventional UV lamps.”

The LED lamp system and Sericol Flexo JJ ink range have been developed in harmony to ensure optimal performance. The system’s hybrid design has the added benefit of conventional UV Arc capability, arming printers with the option to also

print with specifically developed and unique conventional UV inks. The Activ Hybrid LED UV curing system offers significant environmental benefits over conventional UV systems. Energy

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 5 2022

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Quality improvement Environmental resistance Faster drying Eco friendly

Ink Saving is so much more than just reducing costs: It helps optimizing the entire production process. How?

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May Print Innovation Asia 2022

Articles inside

Indusrty news from the region & around the world

"Mega Screen" combines stability and easy processing

Embrace the wow factor of metallics embellishments with Color-Logic & MPS

Miraclon expands PureFlexo Printing with support for spot color inks

Japanese flexo printer Kindai Bijyutsu Co., Ltd upgrades flexo platemaking

Fully automatic workflow for print

Cost & supply chain Conditions Continue to Disrupt Ink Industry

Sachets for Innovative Single-Dose Packaging

Korea's top web-to-print company growing rapidly with IT-based management:

Sustainable Packaging: - Cartons Can Be

Delivering Support to Ukraine

A beautiful spine can be delightful

Prinect Direct – next milestone for autonomous production in print shops

Sales Leaders Q & A: Collecting outstanding

Print beyond full color with Xeikon’s metallic toners

Equipment estimated to increase uptime by

Heidelberg leads in the packaging market in ANZ