10 technologies define future of print

This year’s awards recognised developments in high speed web and sheetfed colour inkjet presses, digital finishing equipment, the use of metallic foil, patterning for optimal flexo ink laydown, and a portable spectrophotometer for use in the pressroom.

Also honoured were solutions that facilitate cross-media marketing campaigns, use a new standard to define and communicate brand colours, and simplify the integration of production and business processes.

The ten technologies selected to receive the 2015 Intertech Technology Award are as follows.

Oce VarioPrint i300 by Canon

Oce VarioPrint i300 was singled out by the jury as a technology that will have a significant impact on the industry by opening up inkjet to the cut-sheet market. It’s not the first sheetfed production inkjet machine to be introduced but is currently the fastest running at 8,700 duplex sheets per hour.This colour sheetfed inkjet press is said to bridge the gap between the flexibility and efficiency of toner-based sheetfed presses and the economy and productivity of web-fed inkjet systems.  According to Canon, this machine can cost effectively run both monochrome and colour jobs up to a B3 format at a top speed of 294 letter images per minute. Its print heads produce 600 x 600 dpi, achieving a perceived 1200 dpi with drop size modulation.

Oris CxF by CGS Publishing Technologies International
CxF is a software platform for creating, managing, and applying ISO standard Color Exchange Format (CxF) files to ensure brand color fidelity throughout the design, production, and print fulfillment supply chain for packaging and related brand materials.

It is one of the first commercial implementations of the ISO standard that established the Color Data Exchange Format (CxF/X) for spot colour characterisation data. After measurements are taken of a brand colour, users can convert the data to CxF/X4 data, and then export it to a PDF/X file, tagging it with colour definitions and sequence instructions.

A CGS representative said, “If brand colour consistency is an important part of your business then you need to be able to utilise CxF files easily. Designers can immediately design in colour accurate specifications, and when the proof reaches the printer you can rest assured that all the colour data they need is properly contained in the file as well.”

According to the jury, Oris CxF’s standards-based and non-proprietary nature, as well as its ability to communicate colour precisely between multiple graphic service providers, made it a deserved winner of the award.

DirectSmile Cross Media by EFI
EFI DirectSmile Cross Media automates the process of executing cross-media campaigns, including sending out mass and individually triggered emails and messages, pushing messages to social media, personalising print communications, and tracking results. EFI has also streamlined the integration with third-party CRM solutions such as Salesforce.com. One judge commented, “For years printers have been removed from marketing campaign conversations. DirectSmile credentials them in a way that goes beyond the trade and repositions them as valuable partners.”

The beauty of DirectSmile is its sheer simplicity. The user is able to create a storyboard for his campaign that might consist of web, mobile, PURLs, emails and print. Then the Cross Media software lets us create digital media by simply dragging and dropping elements to create layouts. You need minimal design skills and zero development or programming skills. Once the ‘media’ is created the company can launch a website, despatch emails or send SMS messages using the product’s ‘campaign manager’ tool.

Automation Engine Connect by Esko
Esko’s Automation Engine Connect functionality offers a new framework for all suite components that need integration. This means that MIS, web stores, finance and shipping systems can all be integrated. It is a scalable solution (which is customisable with solution services) but there's no need for custom development. In short: Automation Engine Connect is a module on Automation Engine. It’s a toolkit that allows integration from a third party product with an Esko component.

It allows all order information—for example, pricing, quantities, production‐related info, and costing—to move to and from systems through the Esko interface.  One judge commented, "Integrating the pre-press workflow with internal and external business systems enables packaging artwork to be delivered just in time. Esko’s solution lowers the IT hurdle to make different systems communicate with Automation Engine.”

Prinect Media Manager by Heidelberg
In case of Prinect Media Manager, the judges admired the proactive manner in which resources and content were managed, recognising that technologies like these help printing companies transform themselves from conventional service providers into partners able to manage content for their customers’ communication needs. Prinect Media Manager is a browser-based, multi-channel media publishing tool that merges content creation, project management, databasing, and e-commerce, helping to keep marketing messages consistent and timely across all channels. The “mind-mapping” interface coordinates the work of everyone connected with a particular job. Media data is stored in a central database, linked logically, managed centrally and made available to all applications.

Highcon Euclid Digital Finishing Technology by Highcon Systems

Prosper 6000 Presses by Kodak
The Kodak Prosper 6000 Presses use Kodak’s continuous inkjet technology to print at speeds up to 1,000 feet per minute. New driers, interstation drying, and nano-technology ink let the presses overcome a key inkjet limitation—the ability to print glossy and other coated stock with heavy coverage at fast speeds. The other innovation is Kodak’s Intelligent Print System that monitors thousands of inputs and adjusts on the fly to maintain registration and colour quality. One judge summed up the panel’s reaction, “The speed and quality are impressive, and the coated samples really got our attention.”

NX advantage, Kodak Flexcel NX System by Kodak
The technology further raises the print quality of flexo, noted the judges, giving printers the ability to compete with the best that gravure printing has to offer. The NX advantage is a set of new advanced imaging and screening features that enable flexo printers to print more opaque whites, enhance overprints and reverse print, achieve better spot colour printing, and deliver smooth highlight transitions. One aspect of the technology pairs precisely imaged plate surface patterns with anilox volume to improve ink transfer and enables greater colour density and opacity with a lower volume of ink. The technology further raises the print quality of flexo, noted the judges, giving printers the ability to compete with the best that gravure printing has to offer.

Ifoil by MGI Digital
The MGI Ifoil is an inline complement to the company’s JETvarnish 3D UV spot coater. With digital technology, Ifoil makes embossing and hot foiling easy, requiring no plates, no dies, and no makeready. This allows users to produce hot foil stamping and embossing jobs from one to thousands of sheets on the fly. It can use many different types of available market foils in a variety of colours, metallic tones, reflective patterns, and holographic effects. One judge said, “The digital era in package converting has started, and the benefits of Ifoil are clearly apparent.”

eXact with Scan Option by X-Rite

The handheld X-Rite eXact spectrophotometer with Scan Option enables printers and packaging converters to control, manage, and communicate colour across the entire colour workflow. The inventive Scan Option lets users rapidly scan colour patches without the use of a track, especially beneficial in packaging work where colour targets can be hard to access. “The ability to scan multiple colour bars in one pass is an incredible advantage,” said a judge. eXact also supports all measurements specified in the latest ISO standards, allowing for predictable results when optical brightening agents and fluorescent materials are involved.

The InterTech stars, recognised as symbols of technological innovation and excellence, will be presented before an audience of industry leaders during the 2015 Printing Industries of America Premier Print Awards Gala Featuring theInterTech Technology Awards and the Product of Excellence Awards, September 13 in Chicago, Illinois.