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Is the world ready for on-demand books?
#GeorgeOrwellStreamingParty: Is the world ready for on-demand books?
In a world of streaming services, it’s clear that society is becoming dependent on the immediate satisfaction that comes with the ability to consume whatever media they desire at the push of a button. As technology and society continue to develop, the possibility of an on-demand streaming service for literature of all kinds doesn’t seem that far-fetched. With services such as Audible, Scribd, and e-book readers, online consumption of texts is not something unbeknownst to Western civilization. But are we ready to turn the page on tangible literature for good? Argh-piracy matey!
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The primary reason why on-demand streaming services exist is to curb piracy rates. There’s only so much that Digital Rights Management (DRM) can prevent. In a 2013 U.S. General Accountability Office report, the price of college textbooks in America rose 82% from 2002 to 2012. This prompted many university students to search for “lessthan-legal” ways to obtain course materials, as seen with the many Twitter threads and Tumblr posts on websites that provide online PDFs. But pirated literature doesn’t stop with educational texts. Pirated books are taking the literary world by storm and it’s not going away any time soon. The most effective way to ameliorate this situation is to turn to on-demand services. Bookmarking on-demand.
According to Lee Marshall for the Creative Industries Journal in 2015, online streaming services have been credited with lowering the instances of piracy. As described by Vonderau in Television and New Media in 2017, Spotify transformed the rampant pirated music market (made possible through software like Limewire and uTorrent) into a more manageable stream of income for artists and their work, achieved through an access-based model. According to Wlömert and Papies for the International Journal of Research in Marketing in 2016, the main reason consumers decide to pirate is due to ‘flatrate bias’ – the belief that by avoiding paying a flat rate, they’ll be better off due to the possible overestimation of the product’s future use and the reduction of fluctuation in rent-like payments. Furthermore, Marshall stated that expanding on the one-time payment plan for a movie DVD or a music album into a streaming service, allows for artists and creators to have continuous payments for their art. But how do content creators get reimbursed, and will it be less than what they currently make? According to Vonderau, Spotify pays artists a percentage agreed upon within their publishing contracts. The way Spotify reimburses rights holders is based on the percentage of Spotify’s overall revenue, determined by the percentage of the overall streams the artists received. This is the same payment method that Apple follows for iTunes purchases, as stated by Marshall in his 2015 journal article. As Spotify’s revenue grows, so do artists’ revenue. Spotify is valued at $13 billion USD and has over 50 million subscribers. So it’s clear that on-demand services can generate huge revenue to compensate artists.
The future of Bookflix? Novelify? Literature+?
A book-focused, on-demand service could bring reading to a whole new audience, providing access to individuals who don’t currently read books for a variety of reasons, access being one reason. The presence of access-based services allows for market expansion, leading to a higher demand for books and novels across the globe, according to Wlömert and Papies. It would allow users to read any desired book without having to store files on their device, much like Audible and e-book readers do. Vonderau added that it would have the capability to take data from your reading selection and cater suggestions to your reading preferences. Marshall stated that while there was once uproar in the music industry over Spotify’s use, it has since evolved to facilitate participatory and unique events such “streaming parties” conducted by the musician’s fans or even the musicians themselves. Times are changing and the era of digital books becoming the norm is approaching. But to know what’s going to happen next, the publishing industry and society at-large must collectively turn the page.
Miguel Castro is a first-year undergraduate Graphic Communications Management student at Toronto’s Ryerson University. When he’s not doing assignments or walking his dogs, he’s a freelance designer focusing on logo creation and graphic design.
Great Little Box boosts folding-carton business with HP Indigo 35K Digital Press
Great Little Box Company (GLBC – Richmond, British Columbia) has invested in a new HP Indigo 35K Digital Press to expand its folding-carton production capacity and offer customers faster turnaround times and more application options. The new press is now operating at the Great Little Box/Ideon Packaging site in Richmond (where half its folding carton runs are below 5,000 sheets) amid an upswing in demand for food and pharmaceutical products with high job diversity. Ideon Packaging is a folding-carton specialist acquired by GLBC last year. The family-run company, established nearly 40 years ago, produces corrugated boxes, retail displays, folding cartons, protective packaging, flexible packaging and pressure-sensitive labels.
The 35K is the third digital HP acquisition by GLBC in the past five years, having previously installed an HP Indigo 6800 Label Press and an HP Scitex 15000 for corrugated boxes and displays. GLBC set up the HP Indigo 35K production line with a new Tresu iCoat II, offering full connectivity and integration. GLBC will use its new press to support the packaging market in Western Canada and Washington State, with high-quality folding cartons – primarily for clients in the frozen foods, snacks, beer and beverage, cosmetics, and nutraceutical markets. Some of GLBC’s customers have hundreds of SKUs and GLBC also plays a key role in their inventory management. Running at full capacity, the HP Indigo 35K will allow GLBC to bring work back in-house – by removing short-run, foldingcarton work from its 40” offset presses, to its new HP Indigo 35K digital. The shop is also saving money on tooling while offering reduced makeready times and set-up waste.
GLBC’s HP Indigo 35K Digital Press with Tresu iCoat II
Kumon North America invests in Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106 Offset Press
The North American Division of Kumon (a self-learning program with centers worldwide) needed a better solution for printing the carefully designed worksheets that make its educational model so successful. Kumon operates in 50 countries including Canada. After exhaustive searches, it purchased a Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106-9P Offset Press with Push-to-Stop technology (its first Heidelberg investment), and will run the new press exclusively with Heidelberg’s Saphira consumables. Printing nearly 100 million worksheets yearly, Kumon needed to add to its existing fleet of offset presses to keep up with the demand at its Hebron, Kentucky plant. Kumon selected the Speedmaster XL 106 for its fast press speed, advanced technology and automation, Heidelberg’s vast service network, and quick access to parts. “We’re able to consistently run the press at top speeds of 18,000 sheets per hour, which is significantly faster than our other two machines,” said Tom Mock, Operations Manager at Kumon. “This press is far more advanced than anything we’ve run before. Its consistency is outstanding.” In addition to faster speeds, Mock credits Heidelberg’s advanced Push-to-Stop technology for increasing overall plant productivity. With AutoPlate Pro (a fully automatic platechange system), and program-controlled wash-up devices (for blankets and impression cylinders), makeready times have been cut by 50% compared to previous presses. Plus, Kumon moved almost 40% of its total print volume away from its other two presses and onto the XL 106. These productivity gains have enabled Kumon to cut its production from three shifts to two. It’s also saving about 15% on converting costs from its paper vendors due to the addition of CutStar, Heidelberg’s inline roll-to-sheet device.
The Kumon Production Team beside its new Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106
Dye-sub printer for expansion into soft signage
Agfa’s new Avinci CX3200 is a dye-sublimation, roll-to-roll (RTR) printer that can print either directly to textiles or onto transfer paper. It delivers high productivity and consistently vibrant print quality on a wide range of polyester-based fabrics. Users can create textile prints up to 3.2 m wide at speeds up to 270 m²/hr, while using eco-friendly, odourless water-based inks. Ideal applications include banner displays, wall graphics, POS and tradeshow displays, flags, etc. Transfer paper allows for super sharp prints, eliminates any set-off, and reduces media waste. Dedicated dye-sub inks stand out through their outdoor durability. An offline calendering unit fixes the colours after printing. The new engine is equipped with Kyocera water-based print heads. A strong preheater limits drying time and reduces set-off, while the vacuum makes sure that thin transfer papers are kept wrinkle-free. Loading a new roll can be done in less than seven minutes, by one operator.
Agfa Avinci CX3200 dye-sub roll-to-roll printer
Compact desktop print-embellishment technology
Konica Minolta’s new desktop system, the AccurioShine 101, features specialized embellishment finishing, a small footprint, an affordable price point, and several multi-coating functions. Typical applications include business cards, invitations, flyers and direct mail. The 101 features an air-suction paper feed that can adjust the amount of air to prevent two-sheet feeding, an easy-to-use touchscreen to make adjustments on the fly, a dust-removal function that eliminates dust on the paper before laminating or transferring foil, AccurioPress series toner for high-quality embellishments at a low price, and various other embellishments that can be performed simply by changing the film. Foil comes in gold, silver, white and a choice of colours, and is suitable for foiling over toner. The technology is especially ideal for runs up to 100. Other special effects include lamination and spot-gloss highlights. Easy operation enables shorter lead times ideal for affordable in-house operation.
Konica Minolta AccurioShine 101 Desktop Embellishment Printer
New device for 4-second scanning at 600 dpi
Image Access’ compact WideTEK 24F Flatbed Desktop Scanner has a built-in PC and functions without any costly external software running on an additional PC. “While the nearest competitor needs 18 seconds for a full scan at 600 dpi, the WideTEK 24F can complete the same scan in four seconds. Then one second later, it has already performed image clean up and compression,” said the company. Its scratch-resistant glass surface stretches across the entire scanning area. Optional PerfectStitch Software seamlessly stitches together partial scans of documents that can be as large as 36” x 24”. A Long Focal Contact Image Sensor comes with an extended focal range “nearly eight times greater than any other CIS flatbed scanner,” allowing scanning of non-flat items at higher resolutions. The scanner’s long focal Selfoc Lenses eliminate any stitching artefact issues – even with non-flat scanned objects. Image Access’ WideTEK 24F Scanner
Canon U.S.A.’s new ColorStream 8000 Series “sets a new standard for high-volume production environments with its combined advances in productivity, print quality and application flexibility,” said the OEM. The series is ideal for transactional and direct mail, but the newer platform also delivers high quality prints for commercial and book printers. Its expanded media range (including lightweight papers) broadens applications to include publishing and packaging inserts. Comprising two models, the series has speeds of up to 525 feet per minute and can prints up to 2,290 letter images per minute (16 – 75 million letter images per month), handling production peaks and reducing labour and run costs by consolidating volumes from offset and web-fed toner presses onto the ColorStream 8000. Automated tasks, an increased print width to 22”, new 1,200-dpi print heads, and a new water-based pigment ink set with latex polymer, are other key features.
Canon ColorStream 8000 Web-Fed Inkjet Printer
New press for more reliable security printing
The HP Indigo 6K Secure Press is the first HP Indigo digital press “designed specifically for the security-printing market, delivering end-to-end security solutions featuring multisecurity layers printed in one pass,” said HP. The new solution includes hardware, software, media and inks for security printing and brand protection, based on proprietary HP Indigo LEP technology and partner solutions. It offers advanced security elements and designs that are easy to print and very difficult to copy. Capabilities include multi-layered measures of overt and covert elements with any combination of invisible inks, infrared inks, variable-data printing, unique serialized IDs, QR codes, serialized micro-text, guilloche patterns, and cloud-connected track-and-trace technology. Variable-data printing delivers multi-personalized security elements and multi-serialization techniques for each printed product. Seven HP Indigo ElectroInk colour stations include cutting-edge security inks. Its HP Indigo One Shot print mode can create accurate micro-text, dots and lines.
HP Indigo 6K Secure Press
A versatile automated cutter/creaser
UK-based Intec Printing Solutions’ new ColorCut SC5000 Automated Sheet Cutter fills “a massive gap” in the printfinishing market. “There’s currently no other model available worldwide that offers both 100% reliable high-volume autofeeding, along with a dual tool head for both cutting and creasing,” said Intec. The ColorCut SC5000 is ideal for fast, automated production of both die cutting and creasing of lightweight card stocks for packaging and POS, paper and polyester projects – as well as kiss-cut sheet-label production. A “revolutionary” new suction-operated belt-feeding mechanism feeds from a 1,000-sheet media stacker. At the sharp end, the dual tool cutting head features a double-ended creasing tool alongside the cutting tool to enable both cutting and creasing. These two aspects alone, said the OEM, put the SC5000 “head and shoulders above any device in the print-finishing market.” Its full automation can also allow for unattended operation.
Intec ColorCut SC5000 Automated Sheet Cutter
Heavy-duty automatic folding and creasing
Morgana Systems’ DigiFold Pro XL Folder/Creaser incorporates a suction feeder that handles stock sizes from 210 mm to 1,300 mm in length. Ideal for mid-volume to high-volume digital and offset production, it handles landscape booklet covers, book covers for oversized perfect-bound books, multi-panel brochures and other applications made possible by long-sheet presses. Morgana’s DynaCrease technology allows the creasing blades to be changed without the use of tools. The DigiFold Pro XL can fold up to 6,000 A4 sph. In crease-only mode, it can output up to 7,500 sph. A top-fed vacuum feeder ensures stable production for long runs, while a user-friendly operator panel allows for easy input of sheet size, media type and thickness. With this information, the Pro XL can automatically set the speed, roller gap and fan settings. A unique air-knife system is used for sheet separation. Full cross-perforation is available, plus up to five inline perforation/scoring wheels. Shipments begin this summer. Morgana DigiFold Pro XL Folder/Creaser
New RTR printer uses UVgel technology
Canon’s new Colorado 1630 industrial-grade UVgel roll-to-roll printer “offers all the advantages of UVgel technology at a lower investment,” said Canon. The base model can be configured to each user's needs by adding modular options such as FLXfinish, a second media roll, and double-sided printing. Ideal for sign makers, commercial and in-house printers, it delivers 1,800 dpi and durable, odourless, instantly dry prints “on almost any media.” In its fastest mode (for applications such as outdoor banners and billboards), the printer can reach a maximum speed of 1,195 ft2/hr. In high quality mode, it can deliver prints at 312 ft2/hr. Using Canon's UVgel 460 inks, it produces “razor-sharp” prints with a wide colour gamut. Built for maximum uptime, quick turnarounds and minimal waste, it uses “about 40% less ink compared to other technologies.” The 1630 is now available in the U.S. with plans to expand into other markets shortly.
Canon Colorado 1630 UVgel Roll-to-Roll Printer
