November 2012 by PrintAction

.com

Maximize Your Printing ProďŹ ts

KNOCKING OUT

Palais Royale November 29, 2012

THE COMPETITION

25% OFF! PM40010868 R10907 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to 610 Alden Rd., Suite 100, Markham ON L3R 9Z1

EFI Inkjet Solutions Wide, Wider, Widest. www.shop.heidelberg.com

printaction.com/CPA

1 800 363 4800

CONTENTS Volume 51, Number 11 Features

Reinventing the Newspaper Victoria Gaitskell attends a Toronto symposium where Canada’s most powerful editors discuss print’s future position relative to online news sources

Technology Report: Big Specialty Imaging Wide-format innovations shine at what SGIA calls its most-successful tradeshow to date, with 529 exhibitors and around 22,000 attendees

No one has more versatile wide-format conﬁgurations.

NEWS Quad/Graphics agrees to spend US$258.5 million on Vertis assets, Roxanna Downing joins Hemlock Printers, and Newsweek to shut down print after 79 years

CALENDAR November 2012 PAC focuses on production line planning, Printed Electronics kicks off in Santa Clara, and the Canadian Marketing Association measures campaign effectiveness

10 11

FRANCHISE Canadian Kwik Kopy Crown Driven by a career of sales and sharing knowledge, Doug Bower is named Franchisee of the Year by one of Canada’s largest printing networks BILLBOARD Generating a Buzz for Coupons Burt’s Bees creates a social media campaign for its skin care products around a 1,300 piece large-format project

Columns

MARTIN HABEKOST Large-format Ink Primer Understanding the core inkjet ink architectures behind one of printing’s most-diverse technology sectors

NICK HOWARD A Crisis of Confidence The need for renewed optimism and investment inside the printing community, as everyone is running for the exits

Archive

November 1992 Bill Clinton wins the U.S. presidency, the 10-millionth cell phone is sold and The Economist magazine transmits a PostScript file in 15 minutes

:Jeti 3020 Titan (FTR)

:Jeti 3020 Titan (FTR) is the ultimate upgradeable UV-inkjet delivering high resolution quality and high production speeds. Produce more powerful high value graphics on rigid and ﬂexible media with in-line white ink and the ability to create specialty applications on almost any media or object. t Adapt as you grow: Titan offers different levels of speed and capability, allowing you ﬁeld upgradeability t Print roll materials with the same high quality and resolution as rigid materials t Save time, money and boost productivity; print multiple boards simultaneously

Resources 21 Services to the Trade Cover photo: Clive Chan

29 Marketplace NOVEMBER 2012 • PRINTACTION • 3

PERSPECTIVE

Canadian Pay-walls Arrive n October poll conducted by Ipsos Reid, on behalf of The Canadian Journalism Foundation, Agetfound that a majority of Canadians still prefer to consult more traditional outlets to their daily news. Victoria Gaitskell, in her cover story Reinventing the Newspaper, marries results from this poll to print-versus-digital insight shared at a Toronto journalism symposium, called Gutenberg’s Last Stand, featuring some of Canada’s most influential newspaper executives from The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Postmedia News, Metro English Canada, and The Canadian Press. The symposium took place just four days after The Globe and Mail announced plans to roll out a new digital subscription package – to put its content behind a pay-wall – with free online access for print subscribers and allowing casual readers access to 10 articles a month on its Website. In The Globe’s own article about the move, media reporter Steve Ladurantaye writes: “Newspapers are trying to compensate for declining print advertising revenue as more spending migrates online. Statistics from the U.S. newspaper industry suggest that for every $7 lost in print ads, papers are only managing to secure $1 in digital revenue.” A handful of dominant newspaper publishers in the United States enacted pay-walls several months ago, including The New York Times, the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal, and it now appears that Canada’s big papers are ready to follow these early testers. A week after the symposium, the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest daily newspaper by circulation, announced plans to put up a pay-wall early in 2013. Earlier in 2012, Postmedia also moved toward a pay-wall system for several of its prominent newspapers, including the Ottawa Citizen and Vancouver Province, prompting the company’s CEO, Paul Godfrey to opine, “You can’t spend millions of dollars on content and just give it away.” This simple line from Godfrey explains the substantial challenge faced by newspaper publishers when trying to enact pay-walls, because, unfortunately, the public at large is not eager to pay for online text – regardless of source or content, even as most of their social-media or blogger sources are fueled by reliable print news outlets. The Ipsos Reid poll looks at what it refers to as the ‘hyper newsie’ consumer, making up 10 percent of the poll population and defined as someone who checks the news all the time and depends on numerous sources to get it. More than eight in 10 (84 percent) of hyper newsies consult a regular evening TV newscast, while three-quarters consult community newspapers and magazines (75 percent), and television stations dedicated to only news and information 24 hours a day (73 percent). Rounding out the top five most consulted outlets for hyper newsies are newspaper Websites (71 percent) and CBC Radio news broadcasts (70 percent). Less than two in 10 (17 percent) hyper newsies say they consult Twitter for their daily news fill. Hyper newsies present positive indications that print is still relevant to people who take a purposeful approach to consuming daily news. They will reach inside Canadian newspaper pay-walls. The challenge for publishers will be attracting the dollars of what Ipsos Reid refers to as ‘moderate newsies,’ making of 29 percent of the poll population, ‘casual newsies’ at 42 percent, and ‘non newsies’ at 18 percent. Jon Robinson, Editor

Canada’s Graphic Communications Magazine. Proudly published for two generations. Editor Jon Robinson • 416.665.7333 ext. 30 • jon@printaction.com Associate Editor Clive Chan • 416.665.7333 ext. 25 • clive@printaction.com Contributing Writers Zac Bolan, Clint Bolte, Peter Ebner, Chris Fraser, Victoria Gaitskell, Dr. Martin Habekost, Nick Howard, Thad McIlroy, Gordon Pritchard, Josh Ramsbottom, Nicole Rycroft, Andrew Tribute, Trish Witkowski Publisher Sara Young • 416.665.7333 ext. 31 • sara@printaction.com Associate Publisher Stephen Longmire • 416.665.7333 ext. 26 • stephen@printaction.com Production Manager Anders Kohler • 416.665.7333 ext. 37 • anders@printaction.com Intern Tiffany Kay Garcia • 416.665.7333 ext. 34 • tiffany@printaction.com Advertising Sales Sara Young • 416.665.7333 ext. 31 • sara@printaction.com Stephen Longmire • 416.665.7333 ext. 26 • stephen@printaction.com Circulation ADPIC Subscription Services • 800.363.3261 • subscriptions@printaction.com PrintAction is published by Youngblood Publishing Limited and is Canada’s only national monthly publication serving the graphic arts industry. ISSN 1481-9287. Annual Subscriptions: Canada: $31.15 ($27.57 + $3.58 HST) United States: CN$69.99; Other Foreign: CN$139.99

Notice: PrintAction, Youngblood Publishing Limited, their staff, officers, directors and shareholders (hence known as the “Publisher”) assume no liability, obligations, or responsibility for claims arising from advertised products. The Publisher also reserves the right to limit liability for editorial errors, omissions and oversights to a printed correction in a subsequent issue.

PrintAction is printed by Sina Printing on Starbrite Plus 70lb Velvet Text and 80lb Gloss Text available from Unisource Canada, Inc. Youngblood Publishing Ltd. 610 Alden Rd., Suite 100, Markham, ON L3R 9Z1 Tel: 416.665.7333 • Fax: 905.752.1441 www.printaction.com Publications Mail Agreement Number 40010868 • ISSN 1481-9287 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to subscriptions@printaction.com We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage. 4 • PRINTACTION • NOVEMBER 2012

DIAMONDS are a Printer’s Best Friend We all know that diamonds are one of nature’s hardest materials. The heart of the printing press is the gripper and the gripper pad. Unlike its competitors, KOMORI decided that gripper pads need to last. And last they do. Most competitors use hardened steel, sintered alloys, carbide or even a urethane derivative. However, these all have a limited lifespan. Diamond-coated pads don’t. KOMORI presses do not require expensive pad replacements that other well-known brands do. Generally, after 75 million impressions, it’s time for an expensive revitalization that can cost over $100,000! Along with the utilization of much larger cam followers, torsion bars instead of springs, KOMORI builds longevity and low cost of ownership that keeps on giving. Sure, diamonds are nice in a ring or a bracelet, EXW LQ WKH SUHVVURRPV RI &DQDGD GLDPRQGV TXLFNO\ DGG XS WR D SUR¿WDEOH HGJH WKDW LV XQLTXH WR KOMORI.

PRINT NEWS from 3.1 to 1.9 million. The publication was then sold by its parent company of 40 years, the Washington Post Co. Quad Graphics has been printing Newsweek since 1977. Earlier this month, Quad announced a new US$900 million agreement to produce 85 percent of Time Inc.’s print work.

JOEL QUADRACCI, CEO of Quad/Graphics, signed an agreement to purchase substantially all of the assets of Vertis Holdings for US$258.5 million. The move comes shortly after Vertis filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States. The US$258.5 million purchase would include a payment of around US$88.5 million for current assets that are in excess of normalized working capital requirements. Vertis Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, produces insert advertising programs, television listing magazines, comics, and special supplements for newspapers, as well as the design and production of direct mail and related marketing services.

DENIS GUERTIN, owner of the displaygraphics firm Kapta, and Mace Hoover, Director of Sales at Fujifilm Canada, Graphics Division, oversaw the installation of a Fujifilm Acuity Advance system. This is an upgrade installation for the Quebec City company, which purchased Fujifilm’s Acuity 2504 inkjet system four years ago. In conjunction with the Acuity Advance install, Kapta also upgraded its wide-format RIP to a ColorGate system.

ROXANNA DOWNING becomes an Account Representative in the United States for Hemlock Printers of Burnaby, British Columbia. Downing, who has spent more than 20 years focusing on both packaging and general commercial printing, will represent Hemlock in the states of Washington and Oregon. In July 2012, Hemlock also added Evelyn Edwardson NEWSWEEK, the 79-year-old New York- as a new Account Representative for its based publication, is moving to an Canadian sales team. Edwardson also has online-only version, called Newsweek more than 20 years of experience in the Global. It will no longer be printed as of print marketplace, focusing on VancouDecember 31. Between early 2008 and ver. Hemlock is one of the largest mid-2009, during the U.S. banking crisis, privately owned printing operations in KUNIO SUZUKI, CEO of Mitsubishi Paper the magazine saw its subscriber base fall the Pacific Northwest. Mills, and Don Burns, Business Development Director for Media at Kodak, celeTHE MACKENZIE PRINTERY AND NEWSPAPER MUSEUM, located in Queenston, brate Mitsubishi’s Sword iJET 4.3 Gloss Ontario, recently held a seminar on the process of letterpress printing. The stock achieving a 5 Diamond Rating for use one-day event allowed registrants to work with handset type and cuts, as on Kodak Prosper presses. Kodak’s 5 Diawell as a proof press and a tabletop platen press. mond rating is awarded to a media that equates to “offset quality” within its rating structure. SWORD iJET 4.3 Gloss is an FSC-certified media designed to run on high-speed continuous feed inkjet presses.

GOSS INTERNATIONAL appointed Rotaweb to represent its products and services in Mexico, focusing on commercial web, packaging and newspaper printers. Heidelberg Mexico previously served as the agent for Goss in the country. Mauricio Guerra, formerly Sales Manager of web offset sales at Heidelberg Mexico is now heading Rotaweb. Guerra and his team will work in concert with Leonardo Clavijo, Goss International Sales Manager for Mexico. Goss reports to have sold more than 30 new Goss web presses in recent years, including Community SSC newspaper presses and M-500, M-600, M-800 and gapless Sunday commercial web presses in formats from 16 to 64 pages.

XEROX revenue decreased by three percent in its most recent quarter hitting US$5.4 billion. The company reported services revenue, which includes printing for corporate and government clients, increased by five percent in the quarter, partially offsetting a seven percent constant currency decline in technology revenue, representing the sale of document systems, supplies, technical service and financing of products. “Our third-quarter performance aligns with shifts in our business as services become a larger proportion of our revenue,” stated Ursula Burns, Xerox CEO. “Steady growth in services is consistent with our strategy. Scaling our offerings in business process, IT and document outsourcing gives us a diversified portfolio that helps mitigate declines in equipment sales and supplies.”

Board member Attilo Tonellato teaches the art of typesetting.

Mackenzie Board Member John Hunt with letterpress students. 6 • PRINTACTION • NOVEMBER 2012

Photos by Denis Cahill

GEROLD LINZBACH, who was appointed as CEO of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG in September, cut the ribbon on a new EUR2.4 million cogeneration plant located at the company’s massive WieslochWalldorf press facility – occupying around 860,000 square metres of land, with 36 production halls and office buildings. The cogeneration plant, which Heidelberg expects to pay for itself within two years, will allow the German press maker to reduce its total energy costs at the site by around 10 percent. The Wiesloch-Walldorf site requires around 60 gigawatt hours of power each year. One out of every five euros spent to operate the site goes to heat and power.

STEWART MCKINNON and Tyler White of BOLT Signs & Graphics oversaw the installation of an HP Designjet L26500 system. BOLT, owned by John Carolino, has two large-format printing operations in London, Ontario. The new 60-inch inkjet printer is a 6-colour system reaching a top speed of 22.8 metres square per hour in 4-pass bidirectional mode. BOLT Signs specializes in indoor signage, mobile signage and vehicle wraps for a range of customers in the general commercial and manufacturing sectors.

PRISTINE PRINTING of Etobicoke installed a 4-colour DigiXpress envelope system, which was celebrated by Brett Kisiloski of Pressdown Services, from where the machine was purchased, along with Pristine’s Michelle Lavallee and Luan Pristine. The DigiXpress, feeding sizes from 3 x 5 inches up to 12 x 18 inches, is rated to produce 50 full-colour, personalized envelopes per minute in a single pass.

VISTAPRINT reported an 18 percent revenue growth in its first quarter of 2013, reaching US$251.4 million, when compared to the year ago quarter. “Our organic constant currency year-over-year revenue growth in Europe was, at one percent, well below our plans… There is a weak macroeconomic backdrop in Europe,” stated Robert Keane, CEO of Vistaprint. “In stark contrast to Europe, in North America our organic constant currency revenue growth accelerated to 19

percent versus 18 percent last quarter and 17 percent the same quarter a year ago. In the Asia Pacific market, revenue grew 29 percent in constant currency.” Keene also pointed to the company’s foundations for future growth in India and China and at its Webs and Albumprinter businesses.

five percent increase in revenues, which moved to US$154.1 million from US$147.3 million in the year-ago quarter. For the nine months which ended in September 30, 2012, EFI reported revenue of US$478 million, up 12 percent year-over-year compared to US$428.5 million for the same period in 2011. ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING of Foster City, “For the first time, industrial inkjet California, continued its strong financial represented over 50 percent of total standing with 2012 third quarter results EFI revenues,” stated Guy Gecht, Chief (ended September 30, 2012) showing a Executive Officer of EFI.

RR DONNELLEY was blamed for filing a draft version of Google’s third-quarter financial results to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The error sent the tech giant’s stock price down nine percent in a matter of hours and caused Google to temporarily halt the trading of its shares on the NASDAQ. Google shares fell US$68.19 per share before trading was halted, representing US$19 billion in value, after the draft report showed the company had missed expectations by a wide margin. The error also caused RR Donnelley’s stock to fall six percent, but soon recovered. OBJECTIF LUNE of Montreal, which develops variable-data production software, opened a new office in Sweden to target the Nordic market. The operation is to be managed by Peter Chalkley, Objectif Lune’s Nordic Business Manager. Objectif Lune has undergone significant growth in the last few years, including the acquistion of New Zealand-based PrintSoft last summer. Earlier this year, it expanded its presence in Europe by opening offices in Italy and Russia. The company was founded in 1993 and today operates 23 sales offices and has partners in 52 countries. SCHAWK launched what it is calling the printing industry’s first cloud-based, print-quality management platform, called ColorDrive, which aligns measured and calibrated visual scores throughout the packaging development supply chain. ColorDrive allows brand owners, premedia partners and printers to communicate about colour using the same technical language to convert visual assessments into numbers. BROOKLIN BULLETIN SIGNS of Whitby, Ontario, installed an HP Designjet L26500 wide-format printer using HP Latex Inks. In business for more than 50 years, Brooklin Bulletin Signs began as a small community newspaper in 1960 and changed its focus in 1964 to include community sponsored advertising boards located at 250 municipal arenas across Canada. Today, the company produces a range of signage from small vinyl decals to full vehicle graphic packages.

Rethink, redefine and revitalize… your print operations with the proven leader in customer support, North American resources and innovative ideas. t Q t Q t Q

Commercial Newspaper Packaging

www.gossinternational.com

NOVEMBER 2012 • PRINTACTION • 7

PRINT CALENDAR

DECEMBER 1

Printing Industries of America hosts its annual Color Management Conference at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, Arizona, showcasing new colour technologies for review, colour experts and an Apple computer lab with hands-on sessions. $1,095

Canadian Marketing Association presents a Digital Measurement and Consumer Understanding Seminar in Toronto to explore how to fully understand true consumer impact on a brand with testing methodologies, as well as the dangers of underor over-evaluating a campaign’s performance. $345*

PRIMIR holds its 2012 Winter Meeting in New Orleans, featuring two PRIMIR studies on e-commerce strategies and the impact of integrated marketing on the printing industry. Attendees will also discuss the mobile media revolution and the printing-equipment market.

2013 International CES, the annual massive consumer electronics show, begins one month from today in Las Vegas, which is sure to feature new communications technologies that will alter the future of printing

The Frank Lloyd Wright Spire commemorates the late architect’s work for city of Scottsdale, Arizona, where he spent his winters. The Spire was originally conceptualized in the mid-1950s but was not built until 2004. The Spire was part of Frank Lloyd Wright’s proposal for the Arizona State Capitol building which was rejected. Scottsdale is also home Taliesin West, Wright’s original home and studio complex and today the headquarters of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Pricing listed at standard rates, with * denoting the availability of member or early bird discounts.

8 • PRINTACTION • NOVEMBER 2012

PAC, The Packaging Association, presents Course 4 within its Packaging Certificate Program in Mississauga, Ontario. In addition to a plant tour, the event covers corrugate, distribution, machinery, packaging law, quality control systems and production-line planning. $1,235*

IDTechEx presents the ninth-annual Printed Electronics USA Conference in Santa Clara, California. Co-located with Graphene Live and Photovoltaics (solar energy), the event is focusing on technology commercialization, as well as organic, inorganic, thin film and flexible nanotechnologies.

IDEAlliance begins its online review and testing for G7 Professional Re-certification, lasting nearly a month (until January 6, 2013). This training is for currently certified G7 professionals who have 2-year certification within three months of an expiration date. $150

Specialty Graphic and Imaging Association holds a free webinar called Speciality Imaging Year in Review, hosted by Dan Marx. Targeted to company owners, topics to be covered include what the hot markets will be and what equipment is most wanted.

FLEXIBLE, DEPENDABLE AND ALWAYS CONSISTENT. The FUJIFILM LH-PJ is recognized industry wide as an environmentally sustainable, no-bake thermal plate with outstanding consistency that will suit any of your printing needs - from 10 micron to general commercial printing. It is UV compatible and provides exceptional ink/water balance, faster make-readies, quicker restarts and reduced ink usage relative to your current plate. At FUJIFILM, we’re committed to helping you increase prepress/press productivity and reduce costs without sacriﬁcing speed, quality or performance.

The #1 SELLING THERMAL PLATE IN CANADA

1-800-263-5018 FUJIFILM LH-PJ PLATES fujiﬁlm.ca/lhpj

PRINT FRANCHISE

Doug Bower continues to lead sales for his Don Mills Kwik Kopy location.

Canadian Kwik Kopy Crown espite being in his 70s, Doug Bower still wakes up every morning at 5:30 am to arrive at his Don Mills Kwik Kopy Design & Print Centre by 7:00 am. Nestled in the heart of one of Toronto’s mid-town corporate suburbs, Bower and his wife, Barb, have owned and operated the printing shop for the past 26 years. Their dedication to the printing network, one of Canada’s largest, recently earned them the 2012 honour as Kwik Kopy Canada’s Franchisee of the Year. Doug Bower admits he knew little about printing when he purchased the operation from the original franchisee, who had started out in 1979 – shortly after Kwik Kopy Canada was founded – as the third or fourth such shop in Canada. Bower had spent the previous 25 years of his career with various entrepreneurial businesses focused on the selling and marketing of broadcast advertising – television and radio. As Canadian media powerhouses began to amalgamate dozens of independent radio and television stations in the early-1980s, Bower wanted to be his own boss and found a Toronto Star classified about the Kwik Kopy location up for sale. The site was primarily providing black-and-white photocopying services and traditional printing with a maximum of two colours. He was confident that his sales expertise would trump his lack of technical understanding, which itself was solved by the support of a growing Kwik Kopy network in Canada. “I’m the oldest guy in the network and I can sell because that’s what I’ve done all my life,” says Bower, who has become somewhat of a father figure – a strategic sounding board – for many of the more than 60 Kwik Kopy franchises across Canada. “The minute there is a new franchisee, I phone them,” says Bower. “I say to them, ‘Look guys, I know what you’re going through – call me any time you want.’ I’ve had them call me at home at night on my cellphone. It’s nice that we have that association.”

10 • PRINTACTION • NOVEMBER 2012

Bower continues to emphasize the importance of client building before technology investment. He still works the phones, preferring it as a more personal touch relative to emails. “I never make a presentation by email, unless we absolutely have to,” he says. “It’s a personal relationship that you have with your clients.” A savvy veteran marketer, Bower shares many of his client building secrets with other franchisees, including a hardcopy newsletter process through which he communicates

Source: http://www.kwikkopy.ca/location-list.aspx

with nearly 900 clients every couple of months. “People ask, ‘Why don’t you send it out electronically,’ and I say, ‘Because I’m in the printing business.’” Kwik Kopy Canada takes on the role of helping franchisees invest in technology to better position themselves amid today’s drastic structural changes in the industry. Even the veteran Bower leans on the corporate resources of Kwik Kopy’s Canadian leadership, including VP of Operations Tim Turcotte and CEO Gigi Harding. “I can call Tim at home or I can call Gigi any time and they’ll try to help.” Mostly recently, corporate has been helping franchisees adopt wide-format

Barb and Doug Bower opened up their Kwik Kopy shop 26 years ago.

systems for signage applications and building smartphone-compatible Websites and QR-code initiatives for clients through a program called Smart+Connect, as well as building a broader range of services to match Kwik Kopy’s modern-day moniker of From Design to Delivery. A major challenge for quick printing locations, and in fact most commercial printers today, is the ability for large corporate clients to install printing systems in-house, because toner- and inkjet-based printing is drastically easier to manage. This is clearly one of the realities driving toner-press makers to supply large corporations with managed print services. “It’s much more competitive now than offset ever was,” says Bower, who still feels shops like his Don Mills location can add significant value for corporate clients. “I try to convince them that it’s less expensive to deal with us than it is to have an employee do it,” he says. “If the machine goes down here, it’s our responsibility to get the product to the clients.” Bower estimates that a week does not go by without having a phone conversation with another franchisee to discuss the direction of the network. “My dad was an interesting guy and he had a philosophy that everyday of his life he’d try to help somebody and it rubbed off on his son,” says Bower, who clearly also picked up a strong work ethic over his 50-plus year sales career. “I’ll eventually sell this business, hopefully within the next two to three years, but I won’t stop working.” – Jon Robinson

PRINT BILLBOARD

Generating a Buzz for Coupons urt’s Bees, a manufacturer of skin care products, recently launched a promotional campaign centering on a piece of display graphics. The project consists of a groundlevel billboard in which passersby are invited to peel off a layer to reveal a hidden message. In all, 1,300 Post-It note-sized coupons were overlaid on a traditional 11 by 6 foot nylon print. The surface message asks: “Does Your Skin Feel Dry and Flaky?” while the hidden text encourages people to try Burt’s Bees’ Intense

Hydration skin care line. Part of this billboard’s effectiveness is that the texture created by the stuck-on coupons echo the product’s intent. The paper coupons (which offers three dollars off a Burt’s Bees product) were printed on post-consumer recycled stock and applied manually to the billboard. Although the billboard was only deployed once at a Minneapolis farmers’ market, the company also created a time-lapse video in which it captures how the piece was received and also encouraged watchers to download their own coupons via Facebook. Baldwin&, the Raleigh, North Carolina-based creative agency behind Burt’s Bees branding, commissioned the production and the billboard was constructed by Minneapolis’ Street Factory Media. Baldwin& recently won “Agency of the Year” at the Small Agency Awards put on by trade journal Ad Age. The agency also received a Gold Campaign of the Year award for a previous Burt’s Bees project called “Find your Burt,” which was aimed at fighting the green-washing in the personal-care industry. – Clive Chan The project relied on what the company calls “The Power of Curiosity” to reveal the final message. Burt’s Bees is named after Burt Shavitz. He supplied surplus beeswax to a partner, who used it to create natural candles. Today the company’s products are marketed as far away as Hong Kong.

NOVEMBER 2012 • PRINTACTION • 11

MARTIN HABEKOST

Large-format Ink Primer Piezo inkjet technology is used and manufactured by Colourant: As previously mentioned, the colourant arge-format inkjet is arguably the most technologically diverse sector of today’s printing industry, in terms of companies like Fujifilm Dimatix, Hitachi Ricoh, Konica can either be a pigment or a dye, depending on the suppliers and products. The process itself, because of Minolta, Seiko-Epson, Trident and Xaar. Piezo inkjet tech- performance requirements of the ink. Pigments and dyes its production breadth, can be applied in seemingly lim- nology offers the benefit of long life and the ability to be are commercially available in a wide variety of properties. itless creative applications, even if the ultimate purpose of compatible with a variety of inkjet ink chemistries. It An industrially manufactured dye can already contain large-format is well understood in today’s market. Com- can also be used with inkjet inks designed with a higher biocides and fungicides and can also be pH-balanced. mercial printers can appreciate the relatively low-cost viscosity. Piezo inkjet is a dominant process within the Some dye combinations require changes in the other ink components to achieve proper ink performance. entry point of large-format inkjet, which provides ancil- outdoor grand-format printing market. lary revenues for their core business activities and, in fact, Co-solvent or humectant: These chemicals are added to most have been producing display graphic work for sev- Moving and maintaining eral years. Inkjet inks require a carrier fluid, either water or solvent the ink as an additional vehicle for the colourant and are As technology suppliers continue to pour R&D dollars based, to hold the colourant. Once the ink has been jetted quite often alcohol or glycol-based. Humectants are used into expanding their large-format offerings, for niche ap- onto the substrate, this carrier fluid evaporates and leaves to limit the evaporation of the ink. plications and greater production efficiency, it becomes the colourant on the surface. The colourant can either be a more important to understand the core ink architectures dye or a pigment and sometimes is a combination of both. Fixative: As the name implies, this material helps with the driving these machines. A dye is a colourant that is fully dissolved in the carrier transfer of the ink to substrate and to keep it there. Its Large-format inkjet systems utilize two main inkjet fluid and the resulting mix is a true solution. Unless the other function is to prevent feathering and wicking. technologies: Drop-on-demand (DOD) and continuous ink is very poorly formulated, the dye should never sepa(CIJ). Drop-on-demand, as the name implies, deposits the rate from the carrier fluid. Think of it as juice concentrate Surfactant: The surfactant is used to adjust the surface inkjet ink as needed by the image or text that is being re- that has been diluted with water. Pigmented ink contains tension of the ink. If the surface tension is too high, the produced. DOD-technology forms the drops by means of small particles of the solid colourant that are either sus- ink might perform properly in the print head, but not wet the substrate properly resulting a pressure pulse. There are differin uneven print quality and posent ways to create this pressure Ink component Amount [%] Function sible longer drying times. If the pulse, which further divides surface tension is too low, the ink DOD into three subcategories: 50 – 90 Solvent Water might leak from the cartridge Thermal, piezo and electrostatic. and result in flooding of the CIJ, meanwhile, emits a con1 – 15 Colour Colourant print head during printing. stant stream of inkjet droplets, Wicking and feathering can also which pass through an electro2 – 20 Ink vehicle, prevents evaporation Co-solvent (Humectant) be a result of a low surface tenstatic field and – depending on 0 – 10 Fixes ink to the substrate Fixative sion. The type of surfactant the field charge – either jet dibeing used in the ink formularectly onto the substrate or into 0.1 – 6 Surface tension and wetting Surfactant tion depends on the fixative. the gutter as waste for recycling. Since an electric field is applied 0.2 – 10 Adhesion, durability Resin to the inkjet ink, it means that Resin: Resin is added to the inkjet the ink also has to be chargeink formulation to add durability 0.02 – 0.4 Prevent bacterial growth Biocide able. Continuous inkjet is used to the print. The resin increases 0.05 – 1 in well-known products from the abrasion resistance of the Prevent fungal growth Fungicide Kodak, Videojet, Domino and print. The resin has to be carefully 0.05 – 1 pH control Buffer Imaje. selected so as not to form a film that can result in line defect Thermal inkjet, also known as 0.01 – 1 Corrosion inhibition etc. Other printing or prevent the print head bubble jet, is a process in which completely from printing. the ink is rapidly heated to ap- Water-based inkjet inks are formulated as listed in the table above. proximately 400ºC, which leads to the evaporation of a small amount of ink. This in turn pended or dispersed in the carrier fluid. Well-formulated Biocides/fungicides: These two components add shelf life creates pressure to force an ink droplet out of the nozzle pigmented inkjet ink keeps the ink particles in suspension, to the inkjet ink, but they can also have an influence on and onto the substrate. Allowing for very small droplet which is especially challenging when one considers the the pH and the surface tension of the ink. sizes and a high nozzle density, thermal DOD is primarily low viscosities that are required for inkjet inks. applied in consumer desktop printers. Quite often inkjet inks contain a second fluid or carrier, Buffers and other components: These components A disadvantage of this technology is the relatively small which is called the co-solvent, primarily used to control are used to control the pH of the inkjet ink. Some dyes number of liquids that can be inkjetted. One main re- the drying time of the inkjet ink. Another function of the require pH control for a better shelf life and improved quirement for an ink to be used with this technology is co-solvent is also to control the viscosity of the inkjet ink performance. for it to withstand the high temperatures needed to create during manufacturing. All inkjet inks will also hold varya droplet. If the ink is not properly formulated for thermal ing components to help or control issues like the adhesion Dye and pigments inkjetting, the high temperature can damage the ink or of the ink to the substrate, dot gain, drop formation, cor- After getting an understanding for the general composilead to the formation of a hard coating that can shorten rosion of the print head, pH level, fade resistance and tion of inkjet inks, the next step to analyze the different the lifespan of the inkjet head. Drop-on-demand thermal colour brilliance. inkjet ink products that are manufactured for various inkjet technology is quite simple and is best used for low There is one golden rule for all inkjet inks, best de- applications, including water-based dye, pigment and volume, office-type applications. Companies like Canon scribed by Tony Martin in 2005, when he was President resin inks, solvent inks, UV curable inks and eco- or and HP manufacture inkjet printers that utilize thermal of Lyson Inc.: “When any inkjet ink dries by evaporation mild-solvent inks. inkjet technology. then the dried ink must be able to be re-dissolved by the Water-based aqueous dye inkjet inks were the first inks The remaining DOD process is based on a piezoelectric liquid form of the same ink.” Water-based inkjet inks to be developed, because the first wide-format systems crystal, commonly made from lead zirconium titanate, typically include the following components: were based on the thermal inkjet process. These inks which changes its shape when an electric current is apwere primarily applied to indoor signage. If water-based plied. The crystal can be part of a tube, wall or piston. Water: Water is the main component of aqueous inkjet inkjet ink is to be used for outdoor signage, the inks have Since there is no heat involved, many fluids can be devel- ink. Ordinary tap water is not used, since it contains too to be printed onto a specially coated substrate. The coatoped for the piezoelectric process. Due to the absence of many impurities. Water used for inkjet ink manufacturing ing will encapsulate the ink and protect the colourant heat, the print heads also last longer. When the piezo crys- has gone through many purification processes to ensure from the water. Quite often these prints are laminated to tal changes its shape, due to an applied electrical current, stability of the final formulation. Various spectroscopic achieve long-term protection. a pressure builds up and causes the ejection of an ink methods are quite often used to ensure the high quality Dye-based inkjet prints are often more brilliant than droplet onto the surface. of the water that is being used. Continued on page 24

12 • PRINTACTION • NOVEMBER 2012

NICK HOWARD

A Crisis of Confidence: When Everyone’s Running for the Exits One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. “Which road do I take?” she asked. “Where do you want to go?” was his response. “I don’t know,” Alice answered. “Then,” said the cat, “it doesn’t matter.” – Lewis Carroll, Author, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.” herever you are printing in the world, most people realize their current business environment is facing a new, far-reaching challenge in the confidence of the printing product. Bank meltdowns, sovereign debt woes, continuing ad-budget creep onto the Web are all primary factors causing many of us in the business of print to pause. The most-damaging influence, however, is that many printers and industry suppliers themselves have a crisis of confidence – not just the outsiders who simply assume we are all on the way to a paperless world. It has unfortunately proved very difficult to better position print in the eyes of consumers. Numerous efforts to prop up print over the past few years – by trade associations, suppliers and even printers themselves – have borne little fruit. Instead, messages of print’s morass endlessly trickles down through the industry’s rank and file. As much as pundits and industry leaders appear to be looking for answers, reality is that most of us tend to act as followers. In recent years, green printing – in its many phraseologies – has been one of the most-prominent terms used to reposition printing in the marketplace. But it is just as likely that this environmental position can be used against the industry moving forward, regardless of the damaging realities of consumer electronic waste. Most consumers simply are not engaged in debating the pros and cons of analogue green versus digital green. In other words, I do not think green-anything will ever speak loudly enough to support the relevance of print in the exponential expansion of digital communications. There must be a better way – new metrics – to champion print’s relevance. Even print’s best attributes like touchability and portability are now completely negated by younger device-born generations. A printed piece, however, is still unique and holds a strong future based on new market metrics that are not yet even realized. I believe some leaders already understand what these new metrics will be and there are printers out there who do not suffer from a crisis of confidence. These are also the same printers who are investing in technology, building toward a future in which print takes on a new face in the great communications melting pot.

Clearing the roads

Ever since the beginning of 2012, perhaps inspired by this past-May’s quadrennial drupa tradeshow, which is traditionally seen by printers as a hallmark of future printing technology, I have been repeatedly asked the same question: “Where is this industry heading and what should I be investing in?” 14 • PRINTACTION • NOVEMBER 2012

– Henry Ford, Founder, Ford Motor Co.

The vast majority of printing firms on the globe are medium to small in size. These entrepreneurial companies want to see a clear road forward. Large corporations are usually inspired to show shareholders a clear road forward for their investments, but self-reliant entrepreneurs have much more at stake because their future is measured in days, not deferred quarters. The reason they are asking what to invest is, in fact, based on confidence. This is largely why so many printers today are asking the 40,000-foot-high question, because their confidence is so shaken and they feel like it is time to reinvent themselves – Where is this industry heading and what should I be investing in? Gone are those days when a printer’s most urgent question may have been how should I fingerprint this press or feed it from prepress. From the people I have spoken with, it is clear that confidence is lacking, but how do printers get it back when there is no clear way forward. An email exchange I recently had with one printer turned from him wondering whether or not to invest in a press, to an admission that he is operating a business without a future. During the worst of The Great Depression fortunes were made by business optimists who, armed with some measure of liquidity, sought opportunity, even as everyone around them was cashing out, going bankrupt and running for the exits. In fact, the financial pandemonium of the 1930s likely inspired new leaders to find answers amid the new and untouched economic realities. As much as the European debt crisis continues to make headlines, for the most part, particularly as Canadians, we should count ourselves lucky that economic activity did not fall down a 1930s mineshaft. There are still people out there who can see through negativity and take advantage of the hoarded doomsayers. After losing millions upon millions of dollars during the 2008 banking meltdown, Warren Buffet retrenched in his passion for business fundamentals and invested heavily in businesses he felt certain to rebound. He was right. Perhaps more than anything, Buffet’s longevity of investment success is based on his understanding that the economy will always be in either a bull or bear cycle, and that he can make money in either environment.

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent” – Calvin Coolidge, 30th U.S. President Despite being a clear economic leader through government meltdowns across the globe, Canada still struggles with poor productivity – as a consequence of the stagnant global economy. However, this has not stopped our printing industry from performing reasonably well, particularly when considering how our top print-trading partner just to the south has suffered mightily. True, the number of Canadian printing plant closures today has significantly increased, but, as someone who has been around printing for some 50 years, I have seen scores of plant closures even in the best of times. If you pick up a printing journal from the 1920s it will likely feel very familiar to today, discussing key business strategies like reducing production costs, dealing with the dangers of postal increases or the price of raw materials. Quite easily an article from 75 years ago could be re-published today and we’d all think it was written last week. Mapping new investments

The business strategies of printing have remained constant for decades, but clearly we are in a new era when the most innovative graphic communications technologies are destroying our industry instead of propelling it forward. This makes the question of what to invest in more difficult than ever for printers. Pundits and economists do not have unique foresight into the future of printing and they are very likely asking the same questions as printers. Answers can only be found by discussing different viewpoints. This is where new ideas spring from and mean that as an industry we can no longer sit still and wait for what is coming. Manufacturing industries like printing require constant upgrading and forward thinking. One cannot just stay the course and merely focus on keeping their businesses afloat. New technologies in machinery remain one of the key elements to attracting and keeping you in business. This same argument is often used by equipment sellers, has been for decades, but in my opinion it is more valid today than at any point in the history of print. In 1958, the struggling Haloid Company (now Xerox) entered into rather unpleasant negotiations with the mighty IBM Corporation. Haloid was worried IBM might scoop up the patents it acquired from inventor Chester Carlson and the Battelle Institute. IBM hired the Boston consulting firm Arthur D. Little to undertake a study of the market potential of a plain paper copier, which concluded, “The model 914 has no future in the office copying market.” And with that, IBM ceased acquisition discussions with Haloid. The consultants had obviously made a huge error by focusing too intently on the 1950s demand for office copying, while not accounting for the future of office-copy demand. Of course, the in-house corporate usage of Continued on page 28

Join us for a Celebration of Print at the 7th annual Canadian Printing Awards November 29, 2012 Palais Royale • Toronto

Discounts on corporate tables available to celebrate with your team and clients. Enjoy a gourmet dinner by Chef Steﬀan Howard and the business insight of host Dianne Buckner from the CBC’s hit show, Dragons’ Den.

Purchase tickets at www.printaction.com/CPA or call 416-665-7333 ext 31

PrintAction magazine would like to extend a special thank you to the 2012 Canadian Printing Award sponsors.

op newspaper editors say ‘print remains vital’ By Victoria Gaitskell

Initially, I had reservations about covering a sold-out October panel discussion called Gutenberg’s Last Stand: Reinventing the Modern Newspaper for a magazine that covers the printing industry. Not only the panel’s sensationalist title but also a string of current events seemed to be conspiring against the prospect of a healthy future for the printed newspaper.

16 • PRINTACTION • NOVEMBER 2012

Among the panelists, Lou Clancy, Vice President of Editorial and Editor-in-chief at Postmedia News; John Stackhouse, The Globe and Mail, Editor-in-chief; and panel moderator Scott White, Editor-in-chief of The Canadian Press

Photos: Paul Terefenko / The Canadian Journalism Foundation

For years, printers have been facing similar challenges to those of modern newspapers in declining demand for print and growing demand for content delivery via other media. On October 18, the same day on which the Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) scheduled the panel, Newsweek, the iconic weekly magazine published in New York, announced it was switching to a digital-only format starting in 2013 after nearly 80 years in print. Just three days earlier, John Stackhouse, Editor-in-chief of The Globe and Mail had announced that on October 22 his Toronto-based newspaper would join numerous other major dailies (including the Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Britain’s The Telegraph, and the Financial Times of London) in launching a payment system for online content. So it was with some trepidation that I attended CJF’s panel discussion to learn the straight facts on the future of newspapers through a panel recruited from the royalty of Canadian journalism: John Stackhouse, mentioned above; Charlotte Empey, Editor-in-chief of Metro English Canada; Lou Clancy, VP of Editorial and Editor-in-chief of Postmedia News; and Michael Cooke, Editor of the Toronto Star. Serving as moderator was Scott White, Editor-in-chief of English operations at Canada’s national news service, The Canadian Press. As their discussion progressed, however, I became increasingly relieved and optimistic, since this distinguished panel confirmed repeatedly that print journalism is alive and well. They also

pointed out several directions in which news content producers – like printers – need to think differently and take calculated risks to transform and expand their businesses. Nobody’s last stand

White began by pointing out that the panel’s melodramatic title, Gutenberg’s Last Stand, implied a false crisis, since news in today’s society appears on everything from free printed newspapers, to large public television screens tuned to all-news or all-sports networks, to small screens posted above elevator doors and even public-washroom urinals. Smartphones and tablets have literally put breaking news in the palms of consumers’ hands. “More eyeballs are reading more news stories on more platforms than at any time before,” he says. But he adds that a corresponding problem for newspapers is that society now falsely equates pervasiveness with the idea that news is a commodity that anyone can produce simply and inexpensively. Cooke, who spoke last, observes that, although 20 years ago there were three daily newspapers in Toronto, today there are eight, plus an explosion of news Websites. “Digital ideology keeps on repeating that mainstream media don’t get it digitally and can’t adapt to new ways of producing news. Google and Yahoo and the rest are basically engineering companies, and they do that very well, but they don’t do news. The truth is our reporters do their news for them, and our method of producing digital content is simply by combining oldfashioned reporting with digital tools.” Neither did Cooke view the current state of flux of newspapers as merely the result of pressure to go digital: “The 2008 financial crisis has beaten us up financially as much as any structural changes we’re dealing with. News in general lost 50 percent of advertising revenues in the last eight to 10 years. The reason we’re not out of business is that our profit margins are historically high.” Stackhouse agrees: “There’s no crisis in journalism. Society is hungrier for more and better information than ever before. We just need to wake up and figure out how to monetize it and take advantage of the enormous demand.”

Monetizing text and the rise of pay-walls

Stackhouse says that, although The Globe tried unsuccessfully to charge for online content several years ago, the time is right to proceed now because of three critical trends: Changes in technology to enable the construction of pay-walls, changes in the newspaper industry that have prompted hundreds of newspapers to do it, and changes in the marketplace resulting in greater

Michael Cooke, Editor of the Toronto Star, speaks about the challenges to print media of the past decade

consumer willingness to pay for information of value online. Now IT and customer service have become the biggest challenges for anyone implementing a pay-wall, he says. Cooke contributes two more reasons why so many newspapers are establishing pay-walls now: One is the relatively recent development of Website metering technologies that enable newspapers to charge different readers different amounts for different types of content. The second is the downward pressure on CPMs (cost per thousand impressions) for advertisers online. Stackhouse also points out that custom content is the only significant revenue growth area in a lot of newspaper companies. “The special sauce we are offering includes exclusive content for business leaders and special advertising offers. People want more than journalism. They want access to information that matters to them plus a great user experience. People are overwhelmed with information today. They’re willing to pay a good chunk

Charlotte Empey, Editor-in-chief at Metro English Canada, presents the different strengths of today’s media streams NOVEMBER 2012 • PRINTACTION • 17

Ipsos Reid in October conducted a poll, on behalf of The Canadian Journalism Foundation, to discover which media sources people rely on most for their daily news ﬁll.

Where do you get your daily news?

41% http://www.

Online

Newspaper Websites

14% Dedicated News Services (Reuters or Bloomberg)

30% News Aggregators

36%

35% Social Media Sites 10% Twitter

TV News Websites

(Google News)

“I’m sure we will not be able to turn off print and go to digital any time soon. There is certainly no business case right now for doing it, and I personally don’t see one. Print remains vital.” He explains how the Star has produced a dedicated news Website for 15 years, but that its parent company has consistently been unable to make a digital business case that earns enough money to cover the costs of the newsroom and staff required to produce the news. Print remains vital “There’s a lot of life left in print, and if Among the esteemed panel, Cooke emerged as the strongest advocate for the we’re smart, we can come up with new traditional printed newspaper. He states: and unimagined ideas to make money of money if you can provide them with any help to cope with that.” There was consensus among panel members that their most significant competition came not so much from individual publications or platforms, but rather from the more generalized fight for the time and attention of audiences barraged with information from a large variety of sources.

In Ranked Order

Social Media

with it,” Cooke continues. He cites three such innovations that have occurred recently at the Star: One lucrative change is that now, with their Sunday subscription, readers can choose to purchase an additional optional insert consisting of the News and Book Reviews sections of The New York Times. A second is that weekly TV listings no longer come free with the Saturday paper but can also be purchased as an optional insert, a move that not only brings in additional revenue from 250,000 households but also saves the cost of printing TV listings that the other subscribers don’t want. A third new effi-

Part of Ipsos Reid’s October poll for the CJF ranked a person’s appetite for speciﬁc news sources from always daily consulted to least consulted.

40%

Regular newscast on a TV station for either evening or late broadcast for their daily news fill

23%

Daily newspaper that they would normally pay for or subscribe to for their daily news fill

19%

Community newspapers and magazines for their daily news fill

17%

Television station dedicated to only news or information 24 hours a day for their daily news fill

14%

Free newspaper that people hand out or make available around town for their daily news fill

14%

CBC Radio news broadcasts to get their daily news fill

13%

Daily newspaper websites for their daily news fill

13%

Social media sites like Facebook for their daily news fill

12%

Talk radio stations with regularly scheduled news broadcasts on the half hour

11%

Daily television stations dedicated to only business news and information for their daily news fill

10%

Online news sources like TV news websites for their daily news fill

ciency is that the Toronto Star has merged its home-delivery operations with The Globe, so that the same company now delivers both newspapers, saving them both millions of dollars. Lean innovation

Lou Clancy emphasizes that modern newspapers need to find ways to encourage and lead innovation and afford the skills and tools these innovations require. He says the National Post is led by entrepreneurs who discover ways to get things done by running small-budget test projects with limited staff. “You’ve got to start up lean, as if your wallet is half empty, not full.” Examples of the Post’s successful projects that started small are Gastropost, a Website and Saturday printed supplement in the Toronto edition where readers report their successes in accomplishing weekly food missions. Another is the Chinese-language site taiyangbao.ca using translated Vancouver Sun content and bloggers which in eight months has attracted 400,000 unique daily visitors and is already profitable. Clancy says he feels it is critical for these projects to rely on a start-up mentality and small teams to enable optimal learning, then the lessons they learn can be shared across the entire organization. Print enhances reader’s experience

News aggregators like 'Google News' for their daily news fill

24-hour news-only radio stations

Magazines like Maclean’s and Time, and their websites for their daily news fill

Dedicated news services (Reuters or Bloomberg) for their daily news fill

Popular micro-blogging medium (Twitter)

18 • PRINTACTION • NOVEMBER 2012

Metro, a free daily and one of the few newspapers currently in growth mode, has expanded into 10 different print editions published in 10 different cities across Canada, each using common national, international, and entertainment content plus 30 percent local news. This spring, Metro also relaunched its Website which offers 15 different digital editions and mobile apps. “The paper does not drive digital and digital does not drive the paper,” explains Editor-in-chief Charlotte Empey. “Our digital growth reflects our belief that our audience is looking for a seamless transition from paper to mobile to online, depending on the time of day.” For example, they might start the day with Metro online over breakfast to learn what happened overnight and research road conditions and weather. While commuting to work, they might pick up a printed copy to stay on top of the latest stories or

Television & Radio

Print 43%

Regular Newscast on TV

Subscribed or Paid Magazines

51% Free Newspapers

43%

74%

42%

60 %

Community Newspapers and Magazines

CBC Radio News Broadcasts

46% 28%

Talk Radio Stations

54 % 24-Hour News Television

Daily Television Stations

24-Hour News-only Radio

unexpected news. During the day, they might consult their smartphones for the latest breaking stories or gossip. On the way home, they might want a lighter content mix with videos, serialized books or restaurant reviews to help them unwind from the day’s stress. “Each medium is valuable because it has specific strengths,” continues Empey. “Print allows for rich detail and language to paint a vivid picture. Online, because of infographics, sound, video, and photo galleries, a story can become experiential. All the platforms work in partnership to deliver stories that capitalize on each medium’s strength and enhance the reader’s experience. “I don’t know exactly how we’re going to make money on the edition of the future, but if we allow readers to get what they want when they want it, give them unique, exclusive content, and make ourselves an indispensable part of their day, they’ll be back every day. Our president and sales team will figure out how to make it work.”

need to know. “We are not pandering to the popular as opposed to the important, but at the same time we have changed because our tools have changed. Our newsroom has a big screen that tells us what is trending on Twitter and Google at any given moment. If we aren’t covering a topic it shows people want to read about, we’ll go and get a story. We change the lineup on Thestar.com almost hourly based on what we learn from the variety of tools available.” He adds that Star reporters have discovered they can selfcorrect a story before it goes to print by posting it on a blog, where social media will monitor the content. Cooke also notes that since being trained in Search Engine Optimization, his newsroom deliberately operates in ways that will “make Google love us.” While taking the new requirements of reader interaction in stride, all four panelists communicate well-informed optimism about the future of newspapers and agree that it’s an exciting time of creative change for journalists.

Know thy reader

Reaffirming print

Each panelist agrees that newspapers are drastically reforming their relationships with readers. Stackhouse says that to create great work for today’s market, journalists have to learn to work with IT engineers and marketing departments to understand what readers want and when they want it. Clancy says: “We no longer sit in an ivory tower. You have to have open discussion with your readers all the time and make use of psychographics and online surveys to find out what they want and need, what their interests are, and what they think.” Empey adds: “The days are gone when media can tell readers what to think about things. Our readers range in age from 18 to 49, but 25 to 34 is the sweet spot for us. Their feedback, even from biased individuals or wing-nuts, gives me a window onto a much larger world. If I didn’t know what the conversation is amongst our readers, what they are thinking about and tweeting about, then it would be impossible for me to put together a paper and digital products that will interest them.” Cooke emphasizes that it still remains a newspaper’s job to tell people what they

A new poll conducted by Ipsos Reid for CJF, released one day before its Toronto newspaper symposium, shows that a majority of Canadians still prefer to receive their daily news from traditional outlets. In descending order of preference, the news sources respondents preferred were: Regular evening or late television newscasts (40 percent); daily newspapers, either purchased or by subscription (23 percent); daily community newspapers or magazines (19 percent); 24-hour news-or-information-only television stations (17 percent); and free newspapers or CBC Radio news broadcasts (14 percent each). Percentages of people who said they preferred to obtain their daily news from various digital media sources were all lower. The poll also asked respondents to classify themselves based on their news-consumption habits as belonging to one of four categories: Hyper newsies, moderate newsies, casual newsies, or non-newsies. Almost 40 percent of respondents self-identified as members of the two most engaged categories, hyper newsies (10 percent) and moderate newsies (29 percent). By combining these

results with demographic information, the poll constructed profiles of Canada’s most highly engaged news consumers as follows: Hyper newsies are twice as likely to be males (14 percent versus seven percent females) in Western Canada (18 percent in Alberta, 15 percent in British Columbia) or Atlantic Canada (11 percent). They include twice as many middle-aged people and seniors (12 percent each) as younger consumers (six percent). They are also most likely to be university graduates (12 percent), earn high incomes (15 percent earned $100,000+ annually) and to be parents (12 percent).

Moderate newsies are slightly more likely to be male (31 percent versus 28 percent females), seniors over the age of 55 (32 percent), in Alberta (36 percent) or Ontario (34 percent), and middle class (55 percent earned between $40,000 and $99,000 annually). Perhaps profiles like these ones will assist news producers in devising the kinds of new, enhanced experiences their audiences crave. Victoria Gaitskell is keen to exchange ideas with readers at victoria@printaction.com; LinkedIn: ca.linkedin.com/in/vicg8; Blog: vicg8.blogspot.ca; Twitter: twitter.com/vicg8

NOVEMBER 2012 • PRINTACTION • 19

TECHNOLOGY REPORT

Big Specialty Imaging The Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA) describes its October trade show in Las Vegas as the organization’s most successful, with

Featured technologies:

• Horizons AlumaJet

• Agfa :Jeti 3020 Titan

• HP Scitex FB7600

• Caldera Flow+ v1.6

• MCT BW Mastercut

• Canon Océ Project Velocity

• OKI Data pro920WT

• Continental Grafix panoFilm

• SAi FlexiSIGN-PRO

• DreamScape Gold Flash

• Screen Truepress Jet W1632UV

• Durst Rho P10 250

• SpotOn! Verify

more 22,000 attendees and 529 exhibitors taking part. Canada had the

• EFI VUTEk HS100 Pro

• Visual Magnetics InvisiLock

highest number of attendees amid the 18.5 percent of international

• Esko Kongsberg XN

• Xanté Excelagraphix 4200

registrants. Thirty-eight percent of all registrants were first-time

• Fujifilm Acuity Advance Select

• Zünd S3

visitors, who accessed 230,500 square feet of exhibition space featuring several product debuts and enhancements, as well as large-format technologies earlier introduced during this year’s raft of printing exhibitions.

Fujifilm Acuity Advance Select Fujifilm featured its new Acuity Advance Select system, which builds upon the preexisting Acuity Advance by featuring eight independent ink channels. The new model includes CMYK with additional channels for light cyan and light magenta and the option of two channels of white or white plus clear ink for printing spot or flood clears. As with other Acuity Advance models, the Select has an optional roll media kit for printing onto flexible materials. The Acuity Advance Select also features additional vacuum zones to further reduce manual masking. Fujifilm also highlighted the recently introduced Onset S40i, which, relative to the preexisting Onset S40 model, features reduced bed masking requirements for substrates thinner than 3 mm, based on a new 15-zone vacuum table, as well as an enhanced substrate height detector and a new UV sensor system that monitors machine condition and informs an operator when cleaning is required. Fujifilm also highlighted its Acuity LED 1600 system, reaching print speeds of up to 215 f 2/h, and the Uvistar Pro8 for display POP and outdoor advertising markets on flexible and rigid media.

20 • PRINTACTION • NOVEMBER 2012

EFI VUTEk HS100 Pro EFI featured a full portfolio of inkjet systems, including its new 3.2-metre VUTEk HS100 Pro UV printer, driven by the company’s new Orion OS software platform. The system handles up to 100 boards per hour in its standard speed mode and up to 50 boards per hour in Point-Of-Purchase mode (600-dpi binary print mode). EFI also highlighted the newest addition to its hybrid wide-format line in the 3.2-metre VUTEk QS3 Pro, which is a UV-based system with variable-drop grayscale and white-ink capabilities. EFI also displayed its VUTEk GS3250LX Pro, a production level LED UV-curing printer; R3225, a UV roll-to-roll printer; T1000, a true UV flatbed printer with near-photographic image quality and white ink print capability at the same speed as CMYK; Jetrion 4900M-330, a new label press with a 13-inch print width; H652, an entry-level UV hybrid printer; VUTEk GS2000, a two-metre flatbed and roll-to-roll hybrid UV printer; and the VUTEk TX3250r, a 3.2-metre dye-sublimation fabric printer for the textile and soft-signage markets.

USED EQUIPMENT

Durst Rho P10 250 Durst highlighted its 98-inch Rho P10 250 printer, a 10-picoliter system that produces a 1,000-dpi resolution, which the company states is suited for hand-held and eyelevel applications, such as backlit signage, POP and commercial displays, and small packages. The Rho P10 250 prints at up to 2,000 f 2/h and can be fitted with light cyan and light magenta. The Rho P10 series also includes the 2-metre (80-inch) Rho P10 200 flatbed/hybrid machine and the 3.2-metre (126-inch) Rho P10 320R roll-to-roll machine. The Rho P10 250 Presto version prints at speeds of up to 2,100 f 2/h. The Rho P10 Series printers feature Durst’s new Quadro Array 10 print heads.

Screen Truepress Jet W1632UV Screen featured its Truepress Jet W1632UV, first launched in May, as a flatbed wideformat printer that supports media sizes up to 62.9 x 125.9 inches and prints at up to 1,011.8 f 2/h. Using 12-picoliter micro-droplet printheads, the W1632UV produces a maximum apparent resolution of 1,200 dpi based on its standard configuration with four process colors (CMYK), with optional stations for light cyan and light magenta inks. Screen also highlighted its long-established Truepress Jet2500UV, a 98.4-inch-wide inkjet system that the company describes as unique because of its 21layer output. The Truepress Jet2500UV simultaneously prints up to seven image layers, including images in opaque white ink. The increased ink thickness – up to 1.5 mm in any area of a design – from multiple layers also produces three-dimensional images and embossed patterns on flexible and rigid materials. Screen also points out that multiple ink layers improve the performance of double-sided window stickers and enhance the day-and-night effect of backlit displays.

HP Scitex FB7600 HP introduced new print modes to its Scitex FB7600 wide-format printer, focused on higher speeds – by up to 20 percent – when producing small text, barcodes and fine details. The company also improved workflow for the Scitex FB7600 to help with media loading, reducing setup times and uninterrupted operation. As well, HP has partnered with software developer ColorLogic to include a new metallic colours effect application for the FB7600, which requires the ColorLogic plug-in, HP FB225 Scitex White Ink and Hazen media – an HP-approved media option for metallic substrates. HP also introduced new point-of-purchase (POP) modes for printing high-quality text and fine details with its Scitex TJ8600 system. In addition, the Scitex TJ8600 is now compatible with 20-pt thick substrates such as styrene, commonly used for lightbox POP displays.

SpotOn! Verify SpotOn! highlighted enhancements to its new Verify software that uses control stripes to compare prints and proofs to G7 and ISO12647 or custom specifications. By storing measurements in a database that can be filtered and searched, Verify provides a report for sales forces to prove the quality of their printing. SpotOn! Verify includes a feature for users to take paper colour into consideration, which is useful for the varied media types employed by large-format printers. The software uses reference data to match the media white so print consistency is compared between medias with different white points. This allows for a common reference to monitor print consistency and ensure devices are in specification. Compatible with both Mac and Windows systems, SpotOn! Verify has a suggested retail price of US$1,495. NOVEMBER 2012 • PRINTACTION • 21

DIGITAL PRINTING

Continental Grafix panoFilm Caldera Flow+ v1.6 Continental Grafix, which produces oneway vision medias primarily for mount window graphics, highlighted its patented line of panoRama self-adhesive medias with a new universal print liner, engineered to work with HP Latex, UV-curable, solvent and silk-screen inks. New panoRama products include panorama Walk&Wall, a textured non-slip vinyl that does not require laminating; panoRama Protect, a clear laminate for window perf. 3-mm calendared vinyl for flat and slightly curved surfaces; and panoRama Innova 30 UV and 50 UV, a perforated self-adhesive vinyl. The company also produces panoScreen, panoRama Film, panoRama Design, and panoRama Vision.

MCT BW Mastercut MCT of Milwaukee introduced new flatbed finishing systems, including its BW Mastercut Multi-Tech series with combined laser and blade cutting for printed or dye-sublimated textile graphics and softsignage. The system, based on a rack-andpinion drive system, is equipped with an industrial class CO2 liquid-cooled laser for cauterized finishing of polyester textiles. This provides for a sealed edge on polyester-based textiles, which reduces the need for hemming or sewing. Mastercut also employs an auxiliary servo controlled tangential head for drop-in tools such as rotary blade, oscillation, angle v-cutting, kiss-cutting, through-cutting, and creasing.

Visual Magnetics InvisiLock Visual Magnetics featured its patented Micro-Iron MagnaMedia print media, which is part of the Visual Magnetics Graphic System for exhibition graphics, designed to produce photo-quality graphics with the multi-layering of graphic panels. The system also includes the company’s InvisiLock Magnet with Surface Protect, which is a sheet magnet available in flexible 30- to 40-mm thick rolls that can be incorporated into frames and fixtures, or applied to wall surfaces. With the addition of the white Surface Protect layer, InvisiLock can now be layered on top of graphics or light coloured walls without concern about scuffing of the application surface.

Horizons AlumaJet Horizons Imaging Systems featured its AlumaJet technology, described as an inkjet printable aluminum that allows users to print full-colour, photographic-quality images directly onto real metal. AlumaJet, according to the company, is compatible with most large-format water-based printers. Horizons also produces printable aluminum under its Metalphoto, AlumaMark, DuraBlack product brands.

DreamScape Gold Flash DreamScape is a manufacturer of textured and printable wall coverings and window films, as well as protective topcoats. The company’s commercial grade vinyl wall coverings – compatible with solvent, UV curable and latex printers – are available in 13 textures in roll sizes from 30- to 60inches wide and 75- to 300-feet long. At SGIA, the company introduced new Silver and Gold Flash chrome finish wall covering materials. 22 • PRINTACTION • NOVEMBER 2012

Caldera debuted version 1.6 of its Flow+ software for wide-format printing with enhancements to the quoting system, user interface, as well as new tools and a faster processing engine. Improvements in the quoting system include a more flexible quotation builder, designed to assist companies implementing an MIS for the first time by allowing the creation of quotes with a free text field. In addition, the quoting wizard now allows groups of finishing processes to be added to a job. The CRM module features better filtering of customer information, while a list of pending quotes can be called up and exported in a Microsoft Excel format for sales team meetings. Information filtering options have been extended throughout Flow+. As well, a daily inventory report can now be exported for analysis, as can overviews on production load, showing how many of which types of job have been scheduled, filtered by device. A new Job Life Cycle report summarizes a job from start to finish and a new Installation Planning feature helps users schedule installations for each job in the system.

Esko Kongsberg XN Esko highlighted enhancements to its Kongsberg XN 24 finishing table, first introduced in May 2012, which can be fit with four tool heads and a range of insert tools, including a new solid-board v-notching insert, a corrugated papercore board v-notching insert and a Braille tool insert. It can also be equipped with a milling spindle, called MultiCUT-HP. The Kongsberg XN is available in seven sizes from 66 x 50 inches to 87 x 258 inches. Esko also highlighted its i-cut Suite designed to drive narrow- or largeformat printers and/or finishing systems. i-cut Preflight handles editing of incoming PDF files, while i-cut Layout is a module to assist with the optimum use of a substrate through shape nesting and tiling. i-cut Vision Pro makes sure that die-less cutting contours match printed images, while i-cut Automate reduces operator intervention.

Agfa :Jeti 3020 Titan Agfa highlighted its UV-based :Jeti 3020 Titan system, which can be configured with 16- to 48 inkjet printing heads and is field-upgradeable. The system produces a true 1,200-dpi resolution and a maximum print speed of up to 2,282 f²/h (212 m²/h). The :Jeti 3020 Titan flatbed has a maximum print area of 122 x 79 inches, handling media up to two inches thick, and is equipped with retractable registration pins for substrate positioning. It is available with a flat-to-roll option and when enabled with its 48-head system can produce light cyan and light magenta in addition to CMYK. Agfa also featured its :Anapurna M2540 FB as an entry-level, flatbed UV system with white-ink capabilities and four production speeds from Express Mode at 484 f²/h (720 x 360 dpi) to Photo Mode prints at 86 f²/h (720 x 1,440 dpi.) This system features quick-change vacuum bed technology, divided into dual zones, for printing on different-sized media without taping off the whole bed. Separate parts of the bed can be used for different jobs in the same print run.

Xanté Excelagraphix 4200

POS COMPONENTS

Xanté featured its Memjet-powered Excelagraphix 4200, unveiled in February 2012, as a 42-inch-wide system with the ability to handle packaging substrates like folding carton and corrugated cardboard – based on print-path height adjustment. According to the company, the Excelagraphix jets more than 3-billion drops of ink per second (based on 350,000 nozzles). To help run the system, Xanté also featured enhancements to its iQueue 7 Ultimate software, which allows users to make independent CMYK/density adjustments, match spot colours, and select the desired feed, media type, resolution, line-screen, and dot shape. Users can also track press consumables, multiple run counts, and job costs from multiple workstations.

SAi FlexiSIGN-PRO SA International (SAi) highlighted its FlexiFAMILY sign making software for designing and cutting text layout and vinyl in low-production environments. The company’s flagship FlexiSIGN-PRO system is geared for designing, cutting, RIPing and printing work, including more than 400 ICC output profiles and built-in direct drivers. FlexiSIGN-PRO is designed to clean up coloured or greyscale bitmap artwork with vectorization tools.

Canon Océ Project Velocity Canon’s Océ division previewed its first large-format printing system based on Memjet technology, called Project Velocity. According to the company, this product concept, for both colour and monochrome applications, is suited for disposable point-of-sale posters, Event Graphics, Indoor Posters, CAD and GIS (mapping) applications. Canon describes Velocity as being able to print up to 500 3 x 4-foot prints per hour, stacked and cut to size. Velocity uses six-roll media input technology from the Océ ColorWave 650 printer, which provides a total capacity of 13,650 square feet, and the touch screen control panel from the Océ VarioPrint 6000 series printer.

PRESENTATION FOLDERS

PRESENTATION FOLDERS Prepress, print and finishing all in house. Four colour and PMS colour mixes proofed and printed accurately. We have in stock over 350 standard and custom sized folder dies. Fast turnaround - 3 days available.

PREMIER PRINTING LIMITED 32 Goodmark Place, Unit 1-2, Toronto, ON, M9W 6J4 Tel: 416-675-2920 Fax: 416-675-2930

info@premierprintinglimited.com PRINTING & EMBOSSING

OKI Data pro920WT OKI Data demonstrated the OKI pro920WT printer as a commercial grade, tabloid/A3 colour printer, including white for textile transfers. The pro920WT runs at 31 ppm in colour or 36 ppm in monochrome, while producing a top resolution of 1,200 x 600 dpi. As part of the proColor Series, the new pro920WT model can be embedded with EFI Fiery and PANTONE support.

Zünd S3 Zünd highlighted its new S3 line of cutters, first introduced at drupa with six differentsize models, from 133 x 800 mm (52 x 31 inches) to 1,800 x 1,600 mm (70 x 63 inches). Built with a unique direct-drive system, S3 cutters use modular tooling to allow for processing a range of materials, such as textiles, vinyl, films, thinner plastics, and cardboard, up to a maximum thickness of 25 mm (1 inch). The S3 line features what the company refers to as “ultra-fast” Z- and T-axis control, as well as the Zünd Cut Center software and the new Zünd Board Handling system.

Canada’s Largest Trade Finishers Specializing in: • FOIL STAMPING UP TO 50” • HOLOGRAM STAMPING • EMBOSSING • DIE CUTTING • FOLDING AND GLUING • UV COATING • SPOT UV COATING • FILM LAMINATING • HEAT SEAL LAMINATING All the above services are done in our 50,000 square foot building

5 Bodrington Court, Markham, ON L6G 1A6

Tel: 905-940-4900 • Fax 905-940-2066 1-800-334-5150 NOVEMBER 2012 • PRINTACTION • 23

ENVELOPES

EQUIPMENT SERVICES & REPAIR

Habekost Continued from page 12

C O L O U R Quality

ENVELOPES Digital & Offset

Same Day or 24 hrs. s Pick up & Pay Mention these coupons and PAY L ESS...

20OFF $40OFF $25OFF $25OFF $

Full Colour 500 #10 Reg. $89

/PX

69 $119 $231 $251 $

No cash value. One coupon per order. Prices subject to change.

Full Colour 1000 #10 Reg. $159

/PX

No cash value. One coupon per order. Prices subject to change.

Full Colour /PX 1000 9x12 OE Reg. $256

X-PRESS

ELECTRIC SERVICES LTD.

416-410-9006 Graphic Arts Specialists for installations, maintenance & repairs on all equipment

Leslie Electric Ltd. Servicing the printing industry since 1914 • SHEET FED PRESSES • WEB PRESSES • BINDERY EQUIPMENT • SPRAYER SYSTEMS • ELECTRONICS • ELECTRIC MOTOR REPAIR

24 Hour Emergency Service (416) 259-6385 Fax. (416) 259-6387 TRADE PRINTING

No cash value. One coupon per order. Prices subject to change.

Full Colour 1000 10x13 Reg. $276

/PX

No cash value. One coupon per order. Prices subject to change.

Minimum order 50

(call for prices s some restrictions may apply)

Sizes available

#10 Reg. #10 Window #10 Artline #9 OS #8 OS

PRINTED BLACK ONLY

57/8 x 9 OS 51/4 x 71/4 OS 31/4 x 43/4 OE 9 x 12 OE 10 x 13 OE

#10 Regular s 1000 s $ 6 5 #10 Window s 1000 s $ 6 8 PMS colours, metallic gold & silver and flap printing also available.

UV & Bindery Services

T 905.370.1875 F 905.482.9428 E UV_UBS@yahoo.ca 95 East Beaver Creek Rd. Unit 6 Richmond Hill ON L4B 1L4

TRADE PRINTING

Trade Printing Best deal on time on budget

When you have deadlines to meet… Fast turnaround & competitive trade pricing

NEW 8-Colour Mitsubishi 40” w/ Perfector 6-Colour Mitsubishi 40” w/AQ 5-Colour Mitsubishi 40” 4-Colour Heidelberg 25” w/AQ State of the art CTP & Film Output

NEW Over 50,000 sq. ft. Facility 24/7 Production Full In-house Bindery and Finishing Fully Automated Process Books, Magazines, Catalogues, Posters, Brochures, Flyers, etc.

Prompt estimates

416-299-8568

416-299-3977

E: bestdeal@bdprint.ca 30 Production Dr., Scarborough, Ontario M1H 2X8

www.bestdealgraphicsprinting.com Toll Free:

1-866-719-3339

BROKER / ACCOUNT PROTECTED 24 • PRINTACTION • NOVEMBER 2012

Trade Printers ...and more

CCANADIAN ANADIAN P PRINTING RINTING R ESOURCES RESOURCESINC INC..

• • • • • • • • • •

Cold-set Webs Heat-set Web 6-colour, 28” Mitsubishi 5-colour, 40” Komori Two Jet Envelope Presses Diecutting Colour Copies Bindery Pre-Press Direct-to-Plate

Our Specialties: Envelopes, Laser Sheets, Pads, Flyers, Brochures, and more!

Tel: 416.740.3388 Fax: 416.740.3054 Toll-Free: 1.888.388.5538 sales@canadianprintingresources.com www.canadianprintingresources.com

their pigmented counterparts due to the fact that dye-based prints are more smooth and reflect the light back more uniformly than a print produced with a pigmented ink. They also have a wide colour gamut. Although strides have been made to manufacture smoother pigment particles, they still remain as particles and, therefore, make for a more evenly printed surface. For outdoor exposure, it is accurate to say that pigmented inks last longer than dye-based inks, but for indoor fade-resistance, the picture is not so different. Independent tests have shown that dyes can outlast pigments in an indoor exposure setting. Water-based dye inks are often used for the reproduction of photographic prints and fine-art prints for long-term indoor display. Backlit displays can also be manufactured using water-based dye inks. Dye-based inks are not available in a UVbased vehicle system, since the dyes would fade during the exposure to the powerful UV-light required to cure. Water-based inkjet inks are quite common for the desktop inkjet market. They are relatively inexpensive and environmentally friendly. Water-based inkjet inks can be used on porous substrates or specially treated substrates. Sometimes it is necessary to laminate the printed products to achieve some sort of durability. Compared to dye-based inks pigmented inkjet inks have a smaller colour gamut. Waterbased pigmented inks can also be used for the manufacturing of general outdoor signage, outdoor backlight displays and vehicle wraps, but these prints require lamination for added protection. Solvent-based inks for wide-format inkjet printing have been around for quite some time. They deliver excellent print quality, image durability and can be applied to a large variety of substrates. Solvent-based inkjet inks also dry very fast, particularly when accelerated through heating. Disadvantages of solvent-based inks include obvious environmental concerns like the emission of VOCs into the atmosphere and the need for ventilation in the print shop. These inks can also exhibit high maintenance requirements, because the solvent can potentially block nozzles in the print head. However, the combination of solvent-based inks with certain media has resulted in printed products that can last up to five years outdoors without any lamination. The solvents used in these types of inks quite often enable printing on substrates like self-adhesive vinyl, since the somewhat aggressive solvent helps with softening of the media surface, which in turn helps with the bonding of the pigment to the substrate. If a mild solvent is used, the inkjet printer requires more heaters to achieve the same effect, but the added heat can cause the substrate to buckle, which in turn can cause possible print head damage. Aggressive solvents also allow the use of different kind of resins and additives that make it easier to manufacture ink that will appear glossier – making the colours look more vibrant. Solvent-based pigmented inks can be used for the printing of general outdoor signage, outdoor back light displays, vehicle wraps and graphics and products using uncoated rigid materials.

Eco and latex inks

Eco- or mild-solvent inkjet inks are quite often based on glycol esters of glycol ethers and lactates. Although these solvents do not require special ventilation, they are derived from mineral oil and not a natural source. Inkjet printers that can run with these types of ink often require additional heating of the media to open the pores of the media and help with the drying of the ink. As with any inkjet ink, the question that needs to be answered first is: How is the abrasion resistance of this ink, does it pass a scratch test and an alcohol wipe test. Another question that needs to be answered is, if the printed material needs to be coated or can the ink print on uncoated material. One of the main reasons for developing eco-, mild- or bio-solvent inks is the possibility to install inkjet printers without the need for an exhaustive ventilation system. These slow-drying inks require additional heating elements or platen heaters to open up the media. The faster the printer, the more heating elements are required. One of the first companies to introduce eco- or bio-solvent inks to the market was Mutoh. Currently Mimaki, Mutoh, Roland and Seiko manufacture systems that can be used with eco- or bio-solvent inks. Although the inks are less pungent, it is still recommended to install some kind of on charcoal-based air filter in the vicinity of the printer. Eco-solvent inks can be a low cost entry into the wide-format printing market since the price of the printers are more economical than those used for solvent-based inks. Latex-based inks – predominantly championed by HP – were invented to replace solvents and reactive ingredients with less hazardous materials and water. Latex-inks offer comparable durability on many substrates to solvent-based inks. Latex-inks can also be printed on uncoated vinyl. Since this type of ink is water-based, it requires more heat for drying and also slower printing speeds compared to solvent-based inks. Coalescence and puddling can be a problem. Latex inks have been developed to give image quality, durability and outdoor display permanence comparable to lowsolvent inks. The main component of these inks is water at around 70 percent. Latex inks also contain a co-solvent that helps with softening of the vinyl substrate, so it can react with the synthetic latex polymers. The curing or drying of the latex inks takes place with the help of radiant heat and forced air application. Once the water has been removed, the latex particles come together and form a durable film that encloses the pigments and bonds to the substrate. Printed material has to be heated up to 100ºC, which can result sometimes in unpleasant odours from the substrate. Prints made with this ink can last outdoors up to three years and up to five years with lamination. Prints made with latex inks are quite stretchable and, therefore, can be used for vehicle wraps. Latex inks can used to print on self-adhesive vinyl (calendared, cast and perforated), PVC front- and backlit banner, uncoated paper, polyester fabrics, mesh, and canvas. Continued on page 26

TAGS & LABELS

SOFTWARE

TRADE PRINTING

PRINTING & EMBOSSING

QUALITY & PROMPT SERVICE to the trade for over 30 years Foil Stamping / Embossing / Die Cutting Printing / Numbering / Finishing / Etc. STATIONERY, POCKET FOLDERS, BOOK COVERS & MORE...

• Sheet Sizes from: 2”x3” to 28”x42” • Specializing in Short to Medium Runs • Most stocks from light to heavy weight

A-Z Printers Ltd. Tel: (905) 780-8680 Fax: (905) 780-8682 E-mail:

61-556 Edward Avenue Richmond Hill, Ontario L4C 9Y5

INFO@AZPRINTERS.COM

NOVEMBER 2012 • PRINTACTION • 25

TRADE PRINTING

inkjet printing due to their excellent performance in regards to print quality and nozzle reliability. Resin and UV inks Prints made with UV inkjet inks do Water-based resin inks have been formu- not need to be laminated to achieve lated as an alternative to solvent-based scratch and fade resistance like prints inks. They offer comparable durability on made with water- or latex-based inks. numerous substrates, including uncoated Another factor that needs to be considvinyl. This media needs heat as it is being ered is that UV inkjet inks show very little printed, but no post-printing heater is re- spitting and require less purging cycles quired. The heating temperature should than solvent- and water-based inkjet be set between 40 to 60ÂşC, depending on inks. This means that most of the UV the substrate. The printing speeds have to inkjet ink will end up on the media and be slower than with solvent-based inks. not consumed for purging cycles. These types of ink have been on the market since 2008, but have gained more Costs and constraints traction since 2010. Inkjet inks are not the major part of the Prints made with this type of ink do cost equation of a printed product; most not require a special drying or wait time likely it is the media that will be used for before the prints can be laminated. This printing which costs the most. Although ink can also print on rigid materials. there is an option to acquire aftermarket Sepiax, to my knowledge, is the only products, these inks are most often not company that manufactures this type of specifically designed to work with the inkjet ink. Sepiax inks do not require any print head in your wide-format system. special coating or pre-treatment for the An aftermarket ink might work for a ink to adhere to uncoated substrate. short period of time, but then print head These inks are lightfast for up to two failures are more likely to happen and the years outdoors without a protective lam- costs of replacing them is much higher ination. Although the properties of these than buying the ink recommended by the inks seem to be quite interesting, it was manufacturer. not possible to find out what kind of There is also no inkjet ink that will work market share they have achieved. on all types of media. The inkjet ink has to UV-curable inkjet inks have also been be compatible not only with the print head, available for some time. The chemistry but also adhere properly to the media and used in UV-curable inkjet inks is differ- provide good scratch- and fade-resistance. ent from the solvent- and water-based Inkjet ink manufacturers and print inkjet inks. The ink contains so-called head manufacturers work closely tomonomers and oligomers that form the gether to ensure optimum performance matrix for holding the colourant. In of their products. Keep in mind that the order for the ink to cure, photo initiators volume of an inkjet droplet has been rehave to be present in the ink formulation. duced from about 80 pl (picoliters equals Once the ink has been printed. UV-light 10-12 litres or one billionth of a litre) to is applied and the photo initiators form about 6 to 10 pl. These small volume levfree radicals, which starts a chain reaction els allow printing with higher resolutions, and cures the printed ink in a few mil- but also require print heads capable of liseconds. The liquid ink becomes a solid. firing at very high frequencies, so high Although UV-inks do not emit VOCs, in print quality can be achieved. rare instances, some people can still get The shelf life of inkjet inks is about 12 sensitized to the components in the ink. months. OEM inks are pretty much guarUV-curable inks can be used for many anteed to last for this duration of time, signage applications. These inks provide a while aftermarket inkjet inks can change high gloss finish. UV-curable inks can also in this timeframe. be applied on uncoated flexible and rigid The choice of inks for large-format materials. The UV lamps required for cur- printing can seem overwhelming, but it ing UV-inks emit some heat and also pro- is really not. Before a large-format inkjet duce small amounts of ozone during printer is chosen, you must determine printing. This needs to be vented outside. what kind of market will the printed A common misconception is that UV products serve, such as outdoor signage, curable inks last longer in an outdoor indoor signage, vehicle wraps, fine-art reexposure setting than other inkjet inks. Al- production or proofing. This in-turn dethough the pigment type is the dominant termines what kind of ink needs to be factor in ink durability, the other ink com- used for this type of product. ponents, including the type of reactive Quite often it is possible to use one monomers and oligomers, also contribute type of ink for multiple applications, but to the film durability. The pigments used no ink is perfect enough to be used on in UV-curable inkjet inks are automotive- every substrate. Inkjet inks are primarily grade, which have a high degree of light- formulated to work with the print heads fastness. UV inkjet inks also offer the installed on a system. With the growth in unique property that they will only dry UV inkjet systems over the past few years, when they exposed to UV-light, which UV inkjet ink appears to be dominating gives these inks much better nozzle relia- the current wide-format inkjet market. bility than solvent-, water- or latex-based This is largely because UV inkjet provides inks and, therefore, UV inks have compa- a great deal of application flexibility in rably reduced maintenance requirements. terms of excellent fade and scratch resistUV inkjet inks also instantly dry, once ance, without the requirement of any they have been exposed to UV light. lamination on the printed product or Water-based or solvent-based inks re- preheating of the media. quire that the solvent be removed, which can require a larger amount of energy, es- Martin Habekost is Associate Chair of pecially when water needs to be removed. Ryerson University's Graphic CommuniThese days UV inkjet inks are the most cations Management program and can be common inks used for wide-format reached at mhabekos@ryerson.ca.

Habekost

Continued from page 25

26 â&#x20AC;˘ PRINTACTION â&#x20AC;˘ NOVEMBER 2012

LETTERPRESS & FINISHING

other Services ...

UV coating

OFFSET & DIGITAL 4X6 To 28X40 80 lb text to 60 pt cover We can UV Magnets & Labels

Lamination

New! SOFT Touch Laminate. 3ml Gloss, 5ml Gloss, Matte & Satin.

Foil Stamping

New ! Hot fol stamping & Embossing. Letterheads, Business cards, Labels, Greeting cards, High gloss UV Folders. Full colour s 9x12 s 12 pt cover 3.5” pocket with b/cards slits.

P/Folders

Bring your printed covers and we can also finish them for you.

Carbonless 1, 2, 3 spot colours s PMS col. Metalic Gold and Silver. Letterheads, Business cards, Pads, Labels, Flyers, Brochures

Stationery

Anti Cracking Solution

DIGITAL EQUIPMENT

Crease-Fold

MONEY MAKERS $$$

Cerlox s Plasticoil Wire-o binding.

Bindery

WORLD’S FASTEST S ST DESKTOP S O DIGITAL LABEL SYSTEM

Crease & Fold in one pass. 100 lb text to 16 pt cover. 5.5x8.5 to 18x25

Stitch up to 1” thick. We can UV covers Crease - Stitch - Fold - Face trim. Send us your collated sets and covers.

Numbering Numbering Folding Folding Padding Padding Perfing Round cornering Perfing Round cornering

**Dealer Innquiries Weelcome U V T

905.370.1875

B i n d e r y F

S e r v i c e s

905.482.9428

95 East Beaver Creek Rd. Unit 6

UV_UBS@yahoo.ca

Richmond Hill

ON L4B 1L4

BUSINESS FORMS

Up to 1600 x 1600 DPI

Speeds up to 60ft/min.

FOUR COLOUR ENVELOPE PRESS

TONER

less than

½ tChoemPpreicteitoorfs

(416) 297-7996 (800) 608-4506 wwww.pressdown.net sales@pressdown.net NOVEMBER 2012 • PRINTACTION • 27

inkjet and toner devices. However, this year’s unique prototype drupa likely created more confidence issues for printers, Chester Carlson’s inventions had not yet who are wise enough to see change coming even if it will take a few more years to take happened. This IBM misstep speaks volumes about hold. This is why lithographic technology how new processes and equipment will ac- remains first and foremost as the key piece tually forge or sustain, through lower costs, of a successful printing plant. The existing finishing and bindery sector the businesses of printing’s future. Since the initial launch of the first plain paper copier is much different in that reductions to run more than two trillion Xerographic copies lengths have stabbed legacy long run perhad been made before 2004. But even this fect binders and stitchers in the heart. There are way more machines, especially in is now yesterday’s printing news. The new high-speed machines of digital stitching, than can be utilized. Suppliers in printing will eventually arrive and, when this sector are developing smart equipment they do, create structural change in the that can be adaptable to all run lengths and world’s pressrooms. drupa 2012 showcased formats. The current commercial web-offseveral ideas of change through prototype set sector, just like finishing, has been

Howard

Continued from page 14

TRADE PRINTING

bloated with older machinery for years, reliant on long-run characteristics. Nowhere is new investment in printing more critical than in the sheetfed sector. Being the largest by far, modern litho sheetfed can make a big difference. There are too many old, dumb-technology machines running throughout the world. It’s quite amazing to still find 1990 mechanization trying to keep up with today’s lowwaste high-output offerings. A wide gulf exists between countries and regions in terms of efficiencies. If a business suffers from weak or shrinking margins or cannot keep pace with competitor’s prices then that business must recognize it can only remain stable by investing in new technologies. Modern sheetfed presses have a lot to

offer as manufacturers continue to add incredible new make-ready features that, when combined with sound business practices, drive out costs. It is true that most of the key builders are still puzzled by the lack of our adaption. All features are rarely embraced in practice as they should be and that leads many of you to question the rational of buying a newer offset press. Those printers who see how technology drives manufacturing, will be the winners. There is a bias of course in what anyone selling machinery may write or pontificate. Manufacturers of printing machinery do not want to raze our industry. Since the dawn of the long perfector and before that the beginnings of real automation (1990), press makers have seen a constant contraction in the numbers of presses sold. Everyone understands their axiom for why two older presses are removed for every modern press added. However, much like the reliance on green printing, this 2-for-1 argument cannot hold water in the long term, when trying to promote the relevancy of printing in modern times. Press builders know full well the importance of our whole industry needing to stay current in order to stay profitable – even when it means fewer units get sold. Take the average shop owner who survives on fear and hard work, who is so busy keeping their boat afloat that they cannot find any time to realize positives for the potential of printing. We all need to believe in printing again, even if it may be years before the right phrase is coined to describe such confidence. Nick Howard has been involved in the printing industry since 1976. He manages Howard Graphic Equipment Ltd., which has been involved in the supply, sale, rebuilding and appraisal business since 1967. Nick can be reached at: nhoward@bellnet.ca.

TRADE PRINTING

CANADIAN ANADIAN PRINTING RINTING RESOURCES INC.. ESOURCESINC See our ad on page 24

Tel: 416.740.3388 Toll-Free: 1.888.388.5538 sales@canadianprintingresources.com

28 • PRINTACTION • NOVEMBER 2012

SIGNS, POSTERS, BANNERS

MOVING & INSTALLATIONS Email: classifieds@printaction.com • Tel: 416.665.7333 x37 • Fax: 905.752.1441

Signs Printing

printing on: 10 &12Pt POSTER Paper PV PVC, Coroplast, styrene Wood & Acrylic Banner, Vinyl Canvas, Perforated Backlit & more...

Assisting Canada’s Printing Industry Nationwide Since 1975

Machinery moving and rigging Crating, storage and warehousing Full service plant relocation All pre-press, press room and bindery equipment

Disassembling, moving and

reassembling of your equipment

Vancouver Edmonton Calgary Toronto Halifax

www.wingenback.com 905.876.0280

POCKET FOLDERS

g ng n r nti Pri Printi gns ig SSigns

Screen Printing: T-shirts Bags

Speed & Outstanding with no qua quality lity compromises!

Presentation Folders from File to Finish

170 Wilkinson son Rd. #13 Brampton, Ontario L6T 4Z5

Office: 905-450-8994 90 Direct: 647-773-1630 info@logosgraphix.ca o@ www.logosgraphix.ca

STEEL RULE DIES

Freeeous

$77500

Aqouatinlogur Con 4-Ccoess Pro

1 or 2 Sides

PRINTING & DIE CUTTING UP TO 40” - 6 COLOUR + AQ

6 & 7-1440 Graham’s Lane Burlington, ON L7S 1W3 Phone: (800) 547-8848 Fax: (800) 705-9881

Superior Service Progressive Technology FREE Daily pick up & delivery in the Western G.T.A. Visit www.petersdies.com to learn more!

Trad EW e EnveloPrices pes

t /FX .BOBHFNFOU t-BSHFS 4IPQ t .PSF 1SFTTFT

Tel: 416-231-1475 or Toll Free 1-866-292-1475 Fax:416-740-3054 www.tradepocketfolders.com

TRADE PRINTING

SPECIALTY PRINTING CANADIAN ANADIAN PRINTING RINTING RESOURCES INC.. ESOURCESINC

____________________________________

SOUTHERN ALBERTA PRINTING BUSINESSES FOR SALE Two printing business for sale. 1) Family business established in 1973. Approximately 600K annually. All equipment and inventory. 2) Family business since 1972. Approximately 850K annually. Room to grow! Both located in Southern Alberta. Join the migration! Email deloresm@shaw.ca ____________________________________

FOR SALE One 1992 Stahl T50-4/4 folder. Asking price $7,000, reasonable offers considered (F.O.B.) Call (306) 773-9321 ex. 214 or Email mreil@swbooster.com ____________________________________

WANTED Old printers type, cuts, engravings, presses etc. Turn your stuff in storage into cash. Call Don: (416) 267-2598 or Email don@donblack.ca and leave message SR. PRODUCTION MANAGER saying you saw it in PrintAction SEEKING JOB OPPORTUNITIES Enthusiastic about joining an established ____________________________________ agency or client. I have expertise in tradi- FOR SALE tional, digital, and large- format printing, Time for early retirement, this Toronto as well as direct-mail, exhibit displays, offset printing company was estabonline banner ads, Web pages and digital lished in 1983. All equipment & accesapps. I am capable of the production and sories stock & supply inventory and scheduling of complex jobs and great at very loyal clientele are for sale. Annual multi-tasking, while bridging the gap be- sales 200k approx. tween client service, creative studio, Fax Joe at (416) 766-8519 ____________________________________ proof reading and production. Contact Dolph Loeb: (905) 767-1487 Email: loeb@sympatico.ca or ca.linkedin.com/in/dolphl ____________________________________ DIECUTTER & LARGE FORMAT PRODUCTION COORDINATOR WANTED Eterna 40” Diecutter wanted. Large-format Production Coordinator wanted. The two positions must have wellrounded experience. Markham area. Easy access 404 and Hwy 7. Contact Paul Kett: (905) 944-9444 x323 or Email paulk@mi5print.com ____________________________________

PRINT BROKERS & SALESPEOPLE WANTED!

FREE OFFICE SPACE! Excellent opportunity to grow your print clientele at a centrally located print shop. Great support team of design, print production and admin. Restrictions apply. Email for more information: sales@canadianprintingresources.com

WANTED URGENTLY FOR EXPORT USED OFFSET PRESSES KORD 64, SORDZ,SM 74-2,KOMORI L-426

See our ad on page 24

Tel: 416.740.3388 Toll-Free: 1.888.388.5538

We Buy

sales@canadianprintingresources.com

Heidelberg: K-Line/S-Line/ Speedmaster/GTO/MO Komori: 1,2,4 or 5 colours & any size Adast: 714/715/724/725 Mitsubishi: Any model Ryobi:: 2800CD/3200CD Itek: 960/975/985 Hamada: 500/600/700/800 Polar: 72/82/90/92/107/115 CM Horizon-BQ: 220/240/260/440/460

NUMBERING MACHINES

Any model surplus printing machines, paper cutters & bindery equipment.

IMMEDIATE DECISION We buy one piece/entire plant $$$$ TOP PRICES PAID $$$$

Buy & Sell Used Printing Equipment

Call: (416) 824-0236 (647) 835-6224 33 Denison Ave., Brampton, Ontario L6X 0H2 E-Mail: gr_trade@hotmail.com Tel/Fax: (905) 450-2748 NOVEMBER 2012 • PRINTACTION • 29