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Ipex Preview Part II

April 27, 2010 | By the IPP Desk

Heavy Metal: All major offset manufacturers will have a presence at the show, including Goss, Heidelberg, KBA, Komori, manroland, Mitsubishi, Presstek, Sakurai, Ryobi, Sakurai, Shinohara, UPGroup and Shanghai Electric. Heidelberg, KBA, Goss, manroland and Komori will have the largest stands.

Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 145. Photo: Heidelberg

Heidelberg promising - HEI Performance and HEI Value Hall 8
Heidelberg reduced its footprint at Ipex by half the size of the company’s previous Ipex presentations, but its stand will still be over 2,000 square metres. Heidelberg will be showcasing a broad spectrum of technologies for lean manufacturing and environmentally sound printing. Under the slogan HEI Performance HEI Value, Heidelberg will present its range of prepress, sheetfed and postpress equipment, Saphira consumables, Prinect workflow integration software, and consultancy services. The company will also be demonstrating opportunities for generating new business in the areas of web-to-print, creative print applications with unique selling points, short-run printing, and packaging production.

Heidelberg wants to show that lean manufacturing and ecological printing are not mutually exclusive and rather complement one another. We will see presses with several eco-friendly enhancements such as lower emission of dust, ammonium and powder, and alcohol-free printing. In the area of foil finishing, Heidelberg will show the first FoilStar module with index function, cutting foil consumption by the equivalent of around 200 tons of CO2 per year.

For the Speedmaster XL 105, there will be a non-stop delivery system, which takes the press’ productivity and process reliability to new levels. Pile management has been automated, with the pile now being sent directly to postpress. And regardless of the print jobs at hand, two blanket washup cycles can be eliminated, which amounts to 40 percent less startup waste after washing. CleanStar, which has been available for other Speedmaster models, can now also be employed with the Speedmaster XL 75. It reduces fine-dust levels in the pressroom by up to 80 percent, thus raising the availability of the press while cutting the cleaning workload.

In the area of short-run printing, Heidelberg will be unveiling a Speedmaster SM 52 Anicolor with new coating unit and high-pile delivery with new DryStar Coating dryer. This press, which provides a cost-effective entry-level solution into surface-finishing technology, is over 80 centimeters (31.50 inches) shorter and therefore requires less space and less energy.

In Prinect workflow software, enhanced colour and quality management functions and modules for delivering greater transparency will be presented, as well as extended productivity reporting and documentation of the carbon footprint. A new version of Prinect Pressroom Manager on show will make it easier to effectively link the pressroom to prepress and/or a third-party management information system (MIS).

In prepress, Heidelberg will show a Dual Top Loader for the Suprasetter A 52 and A 75, enabling fully automated plate feed for two different plate sizes, thus further raising the level of automation of this series. At the same time, the machines in this series require far less power than comparable models.

In postpress, we will see a Stitchmaster ST 450 saddlestitcher with newly-developed upright feeders and the new Streamfeeder for automated loading. Heidelberg has further improved the ergonomics of these machines by adding a height-adjustable jogging table. Also a new pneumatic twin lay system for the Stahlfolder TD-94 buckle plate folder will be making its first appearance at a trade show. Two features have been added to these machines to increase their productivity: The sheet to be folded is simply rotated 90 degrees at the feeder and a pneumatic twin lay system is located before the second folding unit. This makes it possible to align and transport the fold sheets in parallel at the second folding unit using two side lays. As a result of the sheet’s shorter feed length at the same machine speed, the performance is increased by around 30 to 40 per cent depending on the sheet format.

The Saphira consumables on show will include Chemfree plates, the Anicolor Performance kit, and a wide range of washup solutions, dampening solutions, inks and coatings.

During Ipex, Heidelberg will conduct tours of their Wiesloch plant near Heidelberg in Germany for demonstrating their converting equipment including folder gluers and die cutters. Readers should contact Heidelberg India in advance.

KBA championing print - Hall 6 Stand D560
KBA also reduced its presence at Ipex, but will optimalise its 780 square metres of floor space by building a double decker stand under its established banner “Champions in Print”. It will present the latest sheetfed offset technologies for commercial, book, plastics and packaging printing in small, half and medium formats, together with the associated integrated workflows and branch software.

While neither web presses nor large-format sheetfed offset presses will be on show, the KBA stand nevertheless promises to be a source of comprehensive information on innovations for commercial, packaging and newspaper printers.

The 18,000 sheets per hour Rapida 106 will once more be representing the KBA benchmark in medium-format sheetfed offset. The press to be seen at Ipex is a highly automated six-colour version with a DriveTronic SIS sidelay-free infeed, DriveTronic SPC dedicated plate-cylinder drives for simultaneous plate changing, on-press plate recognition and pre-registration with KBA Plate-Ident, and KBA Flying JobChange for parallel printing and makeready and thus nonstop job changeovers. The configuration also includes a coater with a viscosity-based coating supply controlled from the press console, automatic cleaning of the coating circuit and automated forme changing. The CleanTronic Synchro system for fast, parallel washing of the blankets, impression cylinders and ink rollers also contributes to short makeready times. Inline colour measurement and control with KBA QualiTronic Professional, camera-assisted ACR-Control autoregistration, ecological Air Cleaning System delivery, online densitometric and spectral inking measurement and control with KBA DensiTronic Professional, including a DensiTronic PDF module to compare the content of the printed sheet to the original PDF file, and LogoTronic Professional for integrated printshop networking are further highlights of this press.

Also on show will be KBA’s popular Rapida 105, which is engineered for speeds of 15,000 sheets per hour. It is to be presented in a five-colour configuration with automatic plate changing, ACR-Control video register, automatic washing systems, DensiTronic console-integrated ink density measurement and control system, an aqueous coater, an extended delivery and nonstop facilities for delivery pile changes. Whereas the Rapida 106 is also available with the full range of KBA automation options as a long perfector with up to 16 units, the Rapida 105 is offered specifically as a straight press with up to seven printing units and coating in all variations. Many of the KBA quality control options, for example DensiTronic PDF, can also be incorporated into the Rapida 105.

The Rapida 75 which KBA launched at Drupa 2008 will boast a host of new features at Ipex, many of them adopted from the larger presses. These are to include a new feeder, the sheet grippers known from the larger Rapida presses, air blowers to support sheet guidance, a new sheet brake in the delivery, transfer cylinders without drum shells, automatic format presetting and remote maintenance via the internet.

The exhibition portfolio is rounded off by a five-colour Genius 52UV press in B3 (20 inch) format with UV coater and extended delivery. Printing with keyless inking units in a waterless offset process, the Genius 52UV impresses by way of its fast makeready, the minimal start-up waste of less than 20 sheets, substrate flexibility up to a thickness of 0.8mm, outstanding ease of operation and environmental friendliness. Typical products are smart cards, mouse pads, stickers and lenticular films, as well as short-run paper flyers or packaging samples on board substrates.

As the stand area booked is significantly smaller than in previous years, KBA will not be showing pre-press systems from its longstanding pre-press partner Kodak at this Ipex. The consultants from KBA Complete will nevertheless be joined by German technology partner Hiflex and Italian software developer Logica Sistemi to inform interested print companies on the current possibilities for process optimisation within a print company, with a main focus on networking management information systems and Rapida presses via KBA LogoTronic.

Visitors specifically interested in KBA large-format technologies or long medium-format perfectors are to be offered opportunities to view presses already installed with users in the Birmingham area.

Komori - Hall 6 Stand B520
At Ipex 2010, in addition to showing the faster, larger 40-inch Lithrone SX40 press and the 8-colour Lithrone S40P perfector with breakthrough UV techniques, Komori is launching a brand new, budget-friendly 29-inch press, the five-colour Enthrone 29. On one of Ipex’s largest stands, Komori will be making over 100 press demonstrations during the show — highlighting quality, ecology and assistance solutions.

Komori will also show its H-UV curing system which uses a UV lamp developed with Komori know-how and high-sensitivity UV ink. With just one lamp mounted in the delivery, this system offers high print quality and reliability as well as economical and eco-friendly performance.

manroland - Hall 17 Stand F921
manroland’s solutions offered surround the Value Added Printing concept and the autoprint models with a high level of automation. On its stand, manroland will show real-life examples for publications, commercial and packaging printing. Similar to drupa08, the sheetfed sector is to showcase application examples in the VAP Tunnel where customers will be informed in detail how innovative solutions can increase the quality and efficiency of printing. This will be illustrated with the aid of technical exhibits, print samples, and practical examples.

In the Web Solutions Centre, the web-fed sector will be showing solutions focused on autoprint and production flexibility. Using print examples and references, experts are to explain how these solutions can be implemented and the technology involved. Customers will be given a comprehensive overview of manroland’s portfolio of newspaper and commercial printing systems. Furthermore, manroland will demonstrate with the ecometer how sustainable printing works, and present its wide variety of services in the Printvalue competence centre.

However, manroland does not only think unconventionally in the development of customised applications: the industry trailblazer wants to make the changes and innovative powers in the printing industry comprehensible with a positive and affirmative presentation in order to be able to discuss extremely customer-oriented solutions. To this end, the show planners have created lots of space for communication, consultancy and exchange of views in a creative and modern manner with new presentation forms.
There will be no actual presses on the manroland stand. Ipex visitors will have the opportunity to visit first-class manroland reference customers in and around Birmingham. There will also be a series of events in the Offenbach Print Technology Center dealing with special topics and customers can attend these combined with their arrival or departure. Readers should contact manroland India in advance.

Mitsubishi - Hall 20 Stand B630
Mitsubishi will be showing the Diamond V3000 B1 press.

Presstek - Hall 7 Stand C480
Presstek will launch its new 75DI press in the B2 range. This press will feature a traditional tower configuration enabling users to specify additional units for fifth or sixth colours and coating. Also on show for the first time in Europe is the 52DI-AC four-colour B3 press with coater. Presstek’s line-up at Ipex will be completed with the 34DI-XI press.

Ryobi - Hall 6 Stand C560
Ryobi’s LED-UV curing system, which made its debut in B3-format at Drupa 2008 and enjoyed its first B2 appearance at the Print 09 event in Chicago last year, is to make its European debut at Ipex on the SR-A1 format Ryobi 920. The LED-UV curing unit replaces conventional UV lamps with long-life UV light-emitting diodes (LED’s), cutting power consumption by at least 70 percent. Drying times are shortened, speeding up job completion, whilst the light source should last as much as twelve times longer than conventional lamps. The system generates minimal heat and no ozone, providing a real environmental plus, and eliminating the need for exhaust equipment to handle both heat and ozone. The LED-UV unit is available for the two-up Ryobi 520 Series press, the B2+ format 750 Series, and the eight-up Ryobi 920 Series press.

Ryobi’s introduction of an SR-A1 press is also an interesting development. The Ryobi 920, which will be shown at IPEX in a five-colour configuration equipped with LED-UV curing, provides for eight-up A4 printing at a significantly lower cost than a B1-format press. Printers looking at moving up from a B2 press tend to focus on B1 as the next logical step, whereas many will only print eight-up A4 work. In reality, it often results in using oversize plates and oversize substrates. The recently introduced Ryobi 920 Series offer printers a solution for such a straightforward workload. It also provides a more economical printing solution, and a significantly greener option when examining the potential savings on power consumption, plate and paper waste. The Ryobi 920 is already becoming firmly established in areas that would previously have only considered the B1 option.

Ipex will also see the official launch of the five-colour version of Ryobi’s 780 press. It has the 785E’s press control system built into the delivery end of the machine, resulting in a foot print the company claims is around 40 percent less than a typical B2 press.

Sakurai - Hall 6 Stand C510
Sakurai Graphic Systems are the recognised world leaders in the production of silk screen presses and have a range of multicolour offset presses. At Ipex 2010 Sakurai will be presenting both offset and silk screen presses from their diverse range. These include the world renowned Maestro MS 102A11 Fully Auto Rotary stop cylinder screen press with Natgraph UV Drier and the Sakurai Oliver SD series of Fully Automated A2 – B2 offset presses performing live demonstrations producing a variety of high resolution and high value added printed products.

Sakurai is the only company in the world that makes all three type of cylinder screen machines --- stop cylinder, swing cylinder and a servo based cylinder ‘zero tolerance’ machine. It has dominated the Indian market for cylinder screen printing machines with a footprint of approximately 120 machines of which around 25 machines have come in the last five years through their Indian agent Kunal Graphics.

Ajay Gandhi of Kunal Graphics tells us that last year has been particularly good with sales of 9 or 10 machines depending on the calendar you follow and that a good number of these have gone for industrial applications in the textile and automobile segments. Some innovative and interesting industrial applications are also under development. The commercial printers have bought the majority of the stop cylinder silk screen presses in the last year often for very unique applications such as the Parksons Graphics Kaliedo calendar where ferrous inks have been used to print icons that work interactively with a magnetic date pad.

Shanghai Electric / Goss - Hall 7 C456
Goss will be showcasing its M-600 Folia press, which produces sheets at the rate of 30,000 sheets per hour from the end of a 8x2 pages web press.

Akiyama, like Goss International part of the group of companies affiliated with Shanghai Electric, will have its range of B1 presses on show, including the JPrint, eXtreme and Bestech sheetfed presses.

Goss International will introduce its new variable cut-off web offset technology for labels, flexibles and cartons at Ipex. The Goss Vpak press uses sleeved and gapless technology to change impression-cylinder diameter and hence repeat length. The press units have been designed to deliver the flexibility of the flexographic process with equivalent speeds and quality of gravure, creating a new opportunity for packaging printers.

Complementing the Goss web packaging offering, the range from YAWA has been designed to deliver versatile converting for packaging printers. Able to handle paper, cardboard, corrugated board, plastic and other materials, the products provide automatic inline creasing, embossing, thermal embossing, die-cutting, stripping, blanking, foil stamping and hologram stamping with speeds up to 7,500 sheets per hour. The versatile YAWA PRO-F106 die-cutter will be shown working live at Ipex. It has been specially designed for die-cutting and quality hot-foil or hologram stamping in a single operation. Differing from a standard dual-purpose foil stamping and die-cutting device, the YAWA PRO-F106 is capable of foil stamping, die-cutting and stripping. A new infeed and control system gives highly accurate positioning that enables holograms to be applied at high speed. The YAWA diecutters already have a considerable footprint in India and are sold and services by SL Kulkarni Cyril Graphics based in Mumbai.

Shinohara - Hall 20 Stand B620
Shinohara manufactures sheetfed offset presses in the small to mid format sizes – 52, 56, 66, 75, and 79 centimetres. 52, 66 and 75, the Shinohara machines have speeds up to 17,000 impressions per hour with perfecting models at every size. Recently added features include the Shinohara Pre-Inking System using CIP3 data, and a suction belt feeder system ensuring smooth transport of sheets through the press. At Ipex we believe that they will be showing their 790 press (600 x 790 mm) in a 4-colour configuration. Shinohara now has two dealers in India, Suba Solutions and Amit International.

manroland stand at drupa08. Photo manroland

Digital Printing

Agfa - Hall 11 Stand CD220
Agfa Graphics stand at IPEX will showcase the new: Dotrix Modular LM and the low-migration packaging applications this digital press is designed to handle. Printing with low-migration inks is crucial in the food service industry, ensuring that no contamination occurs from the ink on the outside of the packaging to the food inside.

The new Jeti 1224 UV HDC inkjet printer will also be demonstrated for the first time at Agfa stand. The Jeti 1224 UV HDC is the first inkjet printer to be launched since Agfa acquired the Jeti business and demonstrates the results of the combined Agfa and Jeti research and development teams.

The Jeti 1224 UV High Definition Colour (HDC) inkjet printer features the widest colour gamut and highest productivity in its class, demonstrating high definition, sharp fine text and photographic detail with bright intense colours.

basysPrint - Hall 11, Stand C230
basysPrint, a division of Punch Graphix and the inventor of UV CtP solutions, will be demonstrating its new 857 UV-Setters with laser exposure technology for 8-up applications. The UV-Setter systems are available in 4-up, 8-up and VLF configurations and offer a range of configuration options.

The series 850 UV-Setter are designed to expose eight pages and can be used for commercial, packaging and book printing. They expose all plate formats up to a maximum of 1150 x 940 mm (45 x 37-inches). The exposure speed can be configured individually on the basis of high performance diode modules enabling plate throughput to be more than doubled. Variants augment the basic models in 4 or 8-page format. basysPrint UV-Setters expose all UV sensitive plates for all types of printing presses, and are fitted with an integrated punch, which provides fast, reliable and accurate customer specific register punching before exposure. Alternatively, it is possible to work with 3-point plate alignment.

We spoke with Chris Matthews, Marketing Director at Punch Graphix who said, “CtP is a commodity product and price is a decision criterion. We decided to distinguish ourselves instead of joining the price battle. basysPrint has the lowest energy consuming machines in the market today and these provide a very cost efficient solution.”
“basysPrint first demonstrated its UV-Setters 450 and 850 at drupa 2008 to very positive reviews,” said Christophe Lievens, Director of Sales and Marketing. “We are very pleased to be at Ipex with the latest generation of these highly-configurable flatbed UV Setters that guarantee ultimate flexibility with regard to operating speed, plate handling, format range and punching options.”

UV-Setter 450, 850 and VLF systems offer multi-cassette or single cassette automation. The multi-cassette version holds a maximum of 500 plates in up to five different plate formats. The single cassette holds a 100 plates of a particular format and can be further expanded if plate volumes justify an upgrade to a multi-cassette version.

Canon - Hall 10 Stand CDEF270
Canon will have its largest ever Ipex presence this year, showcasing its complete professional print portfolio over an exhibition. The 2000 sq meter area will be divided into zones reflecting the production challenges that Canon’s professional print customers face within the graphic arts and CRD sectors. On show will be the most comprehensive range yet of Canon professional print solutions, including several imagePRESS colour and monochrome presses, many of which will be running live customer jobs managed by Helix Production Workflow.

The new imageRUNNER Advance PRO series of light production engines will also be seen by a pan-European audience for the first time, offering new-to-digital printers an affordable and scalable point of entry to the benefits of digital production. Commercial printers and CRDs looking to harness the business potential of large format applications such as graphics and signage will see a selection of Canon image Prograf printers, offering photo quality and optimal productivity.

All devices will be connected to a real production, services and support hub, giving visitors open access to see how Canon responds to the genuine technical and production challenges that are a day-to-day fact of life in all professional print environments. Here, visitors can find out more about Canon’s best-in-class service and support packages, and initiatives such as Advanced Operator Maintenance, designed to optimise uptime and profitability in today’s just-in-time print businesses.

The Canon path-to-profit is a key feature of the stand at Ipex. Visitors are guided physically and visually along the digital print value chain towards the services and applications that will help them to differentiate themselves from competitors and escape print’s ‘commodity trap’.

Canon will also offer structured business support and advice to show-goers, with a timetable of short Essential Business Builder workshops. Essential Business Builder consultants will be available on the stand throughout the show to help printers with specific queries, or to guide them on how certain solutions might help them achieve their business goals.

EPSON - Hall 10 Stand C260
At Ipex 2010, Epson will showcase its range of production-level inkjet printers, and innovative products for commercial packaging, proofing and display graphics applications.

Solutions for the packaging and labelling sectors feature strongly in Epson’s newest innovations, and the company will launch its digital label press at the show. Featuring Epson’s acclaimed Micro Piezo inkjet technology, the press is aimed at companies wishing to produce short runs of high quality labels cost effectively. It delivers smooth gradations and superb colour quality on a wide range of versatile media, including standard semi-gloss, film and matte label stock up to 320 microns in thickness and rolls from 80-330mm wide. The Digital Label Press prints at production speeds of up to 5 metres per minute, and uses Epson’s enhanced 6-colour pigment ink system to reproduce colours with remarkable accuracy.

Also on show will be the Epson Stylus Pro WT7900 inkjet printer, demonstrating contract packaging proofs and accurate sample production. The Stylus Pro WT7900 offers sophisticated colour management and precision printing on a variety of flexible film, paper and metallic media. Using the Epson UltraChrome HDR-White inkset, it produces the wide colour gamut and accurate spot colours required by the packaging industry. A key feature is its ability to deliver high density white tints and accurate overlays using a world-first, water-based white ink developed specifically by Epson for this printer.

Epson will also demonstrate the Stylus Pro GS6000 eco-solvent type printer. This 64 inch large format printer with UltraChrome GS inkset offers a very wide colour gamut in a printer designed for both indoor and outdoor applications. The inkset allows the production of high-impact, high quality durable prints, enabling printers, copy shops and sign shops to extend their business into higher quality and more demanding applications such as airport and exhibition graphics.

Finally, the company’s range of Epson Stylus Pro inkjet printers will be in action demonstrating large format photographic, fine art, poster and proofing applications in association with leading software partners.

Fujifilm - Hall 09 Stand CD360
Fujifilm will also demonstrate how a ‘best-of-breed’ digital production solution combined with sound business advice can give printers the ‘power to succeed’ in digital print. A major part of the company’s 1,700 sq meter Ipex stand will be devoted to digital print production, presenting one of the widest ranges of high quality digital presses, making use of some of the latest Fujifilm technologies. The company will show how these production devices, combined with the right workflow, web-to-print solution and business approach, can result in a successful digital print business. In addition, it will highlight how digital production can be managed efficiently in an integrated offset/digital environment.

For A3+ applications, the very latest range of Xerox colour production machines will be used to show how, with a modest investment, printers can add a successful, high quality digital print service, or build on an existing capability with the addition of a high volume production machine. In both cases, Fujifilm will demonstrate how printers can achieve success from digital print production.

Fujifilm will also be showcasing its ground-breaking new B2 inkjet press, the Jet Press 720, which is set to revolutionise the business of short-run printing. This new inkjet press brings the benefits of digital print, which include more efficient production and value-added services such as personalisation, to a much wider range of print applications. The press will be particularly suitable for traditional commercial printers looking for a more effective solution for short-run work and for digital printers who are looking to offer a wider range of digital print services.

A considerable area of the stand will be devoted to wide-format print production. Here, the company will exhibit the new Inca Onset S20 printer, the latest Acuity Advance HS wide-format device, and the new, recently announced Uvistar UV inkjet roll to roll machine, in addition to its Euromedia range. Fujifilm will focus on demonstrating the very latest production techniques and applications and, in particular, how commercial printers can maximise the opportunities that wide-format print production brings.

HP - Hall 12 Stand AB150
HP will unveil the latest additions to the industry’s broadest portfolio of digital colour printing solutions at Ipex 2010 where HP will have the 300 sq meter stand at the show.
HP will feature a “production floor” where simulated customer environments can print a range of applications – from publications and personalised marketing materials to large format signage and photo specialty processes. The four production zones will represent the key growth areas for print service providers and other graphics professionals and include solutions that:

Respond to customer needs through profitable, short-run printing with technologies such as the HP Indigo 7000 Digital Press Series that help commercial printers deliver what their customers need, when they need it, with more value and less waste.Transform direct marketing materials into revenue generators with powerful solutions that create dynamic, profit-building integrated campaigns driven by variable-data printing that is cost effective and generates three times greater response rates.Cost-effectively produce medium- and short-run publications and “books of one” to extend the power of the digital revolution with technologies including HP Inkjet High-Speed Production Solutions.Deliver high-value pages in the photo specialty space that generate incremental high-profit results and provide consumers new ways to capture and share special memories through photos.Provide the high-quality labels that end-users demand while increasing productivity and reducing costs for label converters.Create impressive and high-impact large format campaigns with innovative, end-to-end large format printing solutions.

“Print service providers and graphics professionals today are looking for a technology partner to help them get more from their printing investments,” said Christopher Morgan, senior vice president, Graphics Solutions Business, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. “At Ipex 2010, we will announce and demonstrate new solutions that help our customers gain new business, streamline their operations, and deliver higher-value, more innovative applications.”

InfoPrint Solutions - Hall 12 Stand D130
InfoPrint Solutions Company, a joint venture between IBM and Ricoh, are exhibiting at IPEX 2010 for the first time. At IPEX, InfoPrint will be demonstrating its latest production print solutions including its market-leading InfoPrint 5000 continuous forms colour solution. Designed for transactional printers, service bureaus and direct mailers, Demonstrations using the InfoPrint ADF workflow solution will show how customers can reduce production and postal costs by automating jobs and controlling each document from composition through mailing.

Apart from InfoPrint 5000, the company will be showcasing: InfoPrint 4100 - continuous form laser - high-volume digital publishing and transactional production output solution,

InfoPrint Pro C900 AFP – high-quality digital printing for data centre environments and InfoPrint 100 - continuous form laser - high quality, low cost compact laser printer.

Kodak - Hall 09 Stand E320
A number of demonstrations and activities will be featured at the Kodak stand throughout Ipex, highlights being the Kodak Prosper 5000XL Press and Kodak Trillian SP Plates, both making their worldwide public debut. Other equipment on display include Kodak Nexpress SE3000 Digital Color Production Press with NexGlosser Station; Kodak Magnus 800Z Quantum Platesetter with the Kodak Automatic Pallet Loader (APL) running the new Trillian SP Plates; and a full complement of Kodak Unified Workflow Solutions that can help simplify and automate complex production and colour management processes within a digital and offset environment.

Ipex attendees will have the first chance to see the Kodak Prosper 5000XL Press on display and in action. Incorporating Kodak Stream Inkjet Technology, the PROSPER 5000XL Press, as well as the Kodak Prosper 1000 Press, are driven by the versatile Kodak 700 Print Manager, delivering operational efficiency, enabling supply chain streamlining and offering the benefits of better Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI) through personalized, targeted communications in the marketing mix.

The Prosper Platform’s family of products also includes the Kodak Prosper S10 and S5 Imprinting Systems; monochrome continuous inkjet solutions for inline digital printing on high-speed web presses; finishing equipment; and mailbases. All of the Prosper Platform’s solutions make it possible for print service providers to produce offset class output in terms of quality, productivity and cost for their clients.

Kodak’s stand also will feature the Kodak Nexpress SE3000 Digital Production Color Press, which offers exceptional print quality, reliability and ease of use for applications such as direct mail, marketing collateral and photo books. New at Ipex, Print Genius is the fresh face of the Kodak Nexpress SE Digital Platform, designed to build awareness of the unique differentiating solutions, applications and growth opportunities available only from the Nexpress SE Platform.

Visitors will learn about Kodak’s entire digital printing portfolio, which also includes Kodak Versamark VL Printing Systems used for transactional, remote newspaper and security applications, as well as Kodak Digimaster digital production systems, which deliver optimal black and white production applications. All Kodak solutions for printing and imaging are managed and optimized by the full suite of powerful Kodak Unified Workflow Solutions, including the Kodak Prinergy System’s family and Kodak INSITE Solutions.

Designed to reduce ink consumption and improve ink costs for web and sheetfed printers, Kodak Colorflow Software with the new Kodak Ink Optimizing Solution improves print quality through greater press stability. The Ink Optimizing Solution produces ICC device link profiles that can be used to re-separate images automatically within the Kodak Prinergy Workflow and applies sophisticated colour-conversion intelligence to convert colour blends and reduces the amount of CMY ink while preserving print

The colour Prosper 5000XL Press and monochrome Kodak Prosper 1000 Press provide consistency from press to press and job to job, making it easy for printers to ensure maximum productivity and uptime. The family of Prosper Products also includes the Kodak Prosper S10 and S5 Imprinting Systems, monochrome continuous inkjet solutions for inline digital printing on high-speed web presses, finishing equipment and mailbases.

Konica Minolta - Hall 9 Stand DE340
“Expect impact” is the slogan of Konica Minolta at this year’s Ipex, where the company is presenting its professional printing solutions for central reprographic departments, commercial printers and the graphic arts industry. Visitors can see, touch and experience the Konica Minolta product line – including brand new innovations – as well as live applications. The demonstrations will show print professionals how to make an impact by means of comprehensive solutions – in terms of growing business, achieving more flexibility and serving customers better.

Highlights of the production printing line-up are the bizhub PRO C6501 series for highest colour quality as well as the bizhub PRO 1200 series for superior black and white performance. Both printing systems impress with their fast print speed and their flexibility of media handling and finishing options. Konica Minolta will also demonstrate its workflow solutions, e.g. the Printgroove POD series and the Printgroove Jt series, showing how entire print production processes are managed efficiently – from job submission and shipping to invoice generation.

In cooperation with international processing and finishing companies, Konica Minolta will showcase complete applications, from creative ideas via software processing, printing and finishing to the end product, such as photo books, business reports and mailings. Thus, visitors will not only see, but also touch and feel the impressive quality, speed and flexibility that can be easily achieved in today’s print workflows. Furthermore, brand new innovations for the professional printing world will be presented at the Konica Minolta booth for the first time.

Océ - Hall 12 Stand B150
Océ will have production systems and software demonstrations covering the complete workflow value chain at Ipex 2010. These will be focused on digital newspaper, book on demand, direct mail, retail and TransPromo, office environments, as well as wide format and display graphics applications including its imaging supplies business.
Products on display: Océ Arizona 550 GT: This display graphics printer extends the world’s best-selling UV flatbed printers to high capacity print providers. It is capable of POP-quality prints at 40 square metres per hour and is the next generation model in the multi award-winning Océ Arizona series. It uses UV curable inks and Océ VariaDot imaging technology and can print on a wide variety of rigid substrates up to 1.25 by 2.5 meters.

Océ JetStream 1000: A full-colour web press in the 1000 ppm class for transaction, direct mail, books and TransPromo applications. It is the first continuous feed inkjet printer offering full width single engine perfecting press capabilities, printing both sides of the paper in one engine.

Océ VarioPrint 6320 Ultra: Based on Océ Gemini Instant Duplex technology, this 306-ppm environmentally-friendly digital perfecting system is the world’s fastest and most productive mono cutsheet printer. It is the flagship model in the Océ VarioPrint 6000 Ultra Line.

Océ ColorWave 600: Launched as a new printing technology, called Océ CrystalPoint, the Océ ColorWave 600 was the first product of a system combining toner and inkjet production. The Océ CrystalPoint process converts color Océ TonerPearls toner into a gel. This tonergel is then jetted and crystallized onto any type of paper, producing crisp, high quality images.

Screen - Hall 07 Stands E460-7, Hall 10 Stand C290, Hall 09 Stand C300
Top of the list of exciting innovations is the commercial launch of the revolutionary Truepress JetSX, the world’s first full-colour B2 sheetfed inkjet press. First seen as a prototype at Drupa, the Truepress JetSX combines high-quality and productivity with the ability to print single-pass duplex. This opens up a huge array of opportunities to produce many value-added products.

The Truepress JetSX has the ability to output to B2-width on a variety of media types, making it ideal for high-level hybrid printing systems, overprinting variable data on offset-produced material. With the renowned paper handling technology of Screen’s Truepress series, the Truepress JetSX has precise registration to equal that of offset. It features a high-precision inkjet head that can output at 1,440 x 720 dpi to produce text and images of a quality to rival offset.

Ipex will see the launch of two new versions of high speed single-pass colour inkjet printer, the Truepress Jet520. There are already more than 200 units installed globally and the range of applications for which the machine can be used will be increased through the introduction of these new models.

For the wide-format market, the Truepress Jet2500UV will demonstrate new levels of imaging and substrate flexibility with its maximum output resolution of 1,500 dpi and production speeds of 67.5 square metres per hour, on substrates up to 50mm thick and 2,500mm wide.

Uniting all forms of digital devices within a single, highly-automated workflow, Screen’s new Equiosnet workflow strategy is a major highlight, with tools optimised for digital output including variable data and versioning, product automation, monitoring and management.

Xerox - Hall 7 Stand CD450
At IPEX, the company will show enhancements to the Xerox 650/1300 Continuous Feed Printing Systems, toner-based monochrome devices. These include heavy-weight media compatibility, running duplex applications up to 200 gsm and the FreeFlow Print Server 7 and ImageSmooth Technology, delivering unmatched image quality without slowing down the printer.

There is also news about Xerox’s first production inkjet system which was announced at the Ipex media summit in London. “The strategy behind adding inkjet to the Xerox portfolio is comparable to how automobile manufacturers offer cars powered by gas, diesel or electricity — each meets a different performance standard,” said Eric Armour, president, Global Business Group, Xerox Corporation. “We delivered breakthrough toner-based colour continuous feed solutions allowing new levels of cost, image quality and speed for transpromotional applications. Our new offering will meet similar requirements for those looking for an inkjet option.”

Environment
ContiTech - Hall 20 D630
Climate-neutral manufacturer of printing blankets; waterless offset printing; special applications — spot varnishing and rotary newspaper printing.
ContiTech is the first manufacturer to climate-neutralize its printing blanket production. A new kind of manufacturing process eliminates up to 70 per cent of the climate-damaging CO2 emissions released in the production of world standard printing blankets. ContiTech offsets the residual CO2 emissions by supporting a reforestation project in Panama, for which it acquires climate protection certificates. The calendering process used in making the printing blankets is chiefly responsible for the Conti-AIR HC line’s small carbon footprint. A steel roller forms the rubber into a slab of the requisite thickness without using solvent additives. This is a much more energy-efficient approach than the conventional coating process.

ContiTech is also an active member of the European Waterless Printing Association (EWPA), which researches the attempt to avoid the use of fountain solutions and to protect the environment. The Conti-AIR Steel CE 50/51 for metal printing, for example, is a proven option for waterless newspaper offset printing. This printing blanket delivers convincing performance in terms of excellent colour rendition, maximum precision and high print quality.

New blankets: At Ipex three new printing blankets are being shown: Journal, a blanket for high-speed web offset newspaper presses, Xtra Sticky for special applications in offset printing, and Xtra Spot, the reusable varnishing blanket for spot varnishing applications. Journal is the first Phoenix Xtra newspaper printing blanket for both modern satellite newspaper units as well as for 4-high towers. It features two hydrophobized carcass fabrics and a highly resistant blanket surface with optimized neutral-negative paper transport properties to provide stable and reliable production conditions.

The Xtra Sticky printing blanket features a special self-adhesive layer for special offset applications like continuous form or envelope and label printing. This new adhesive technology enables tight thickness tolerances, outstanding adhesion, and blanket removal from the cylinder with no adhesive residue.

For UV- and water-based spot varnishing, ContiTech has developed Xtra Spot, an optimum reusable varnishing blanket which – thanks to its elastic polyester back – remains dimensionally stable for smooth and precise separation. The varnishing blanket has a large stencil depth, and thanks to its flat ground surface, helps to lay down a clear and smooth varnish coating with reduced ink buildup.

Measuring compressibility! ContiTech and the Swedish Nip Control have developed a world’s first system capable of measuring compressibility in the nip zone between the plate and rubber blanket cylinder in offset printing. This digital pressure indicator measures the maximum pressure in Newton per square centimetre at the printing nip between the cylinders, thus enabling the printer to adjust the printing process more reliably. So far there has only been an indirect method by which the height of the rubber blanket or the printing plate could be measured, which meant that the compressibility of the rubber blanket was not taken into consideration.

By combining the calendering process with the acquisition of climate certificates for a reforestation project, ContiTech Elastomer Coatings is able to climate-neutralize its printing blanket production. Photo: ContiTech