The fight between offset and digital printing

Should digital printing resist or accept? With the advent of the new millennium, digital printing is no longer a novel and cutting-edge technology, but it has become a substitute for lithographic offset printing. Now that the selling points of speed, quality, and price are no longer the advantages of multinational printer manufacturers, will the traditional offset press really repeat the mistake of printing? the answer is negative. Obviously, whether to choose digital printing depends on the needs of the company itself. In addition, it is difficult to see whether companies with digital printing machines have succeeded. This is because many companies can “catch up to the times” quickly. Below, we take a look at the following companies: A. B. Dick Co. A. B. Dick introduced the PrintPro 34, a two-color, twin-column vertical printing press. The device is available in two models: a general-purpose and vortex air delivery device with an air-pushing device. Both models can use polyester plates, which greatly reduces paper waste. According to the manufacturer, the PrintPro 34 has the same positioning accuracy as large-scale printing equipment, and it also has a vortex air-flow mechanism, a variable wetting system, and a superior inking system. The machine also has some high-strength components, such as helical gears mounted on tapered roller bearings, plated plate cylinders, and positioners. At the same time, automatic jogging and automatic installation greatly speed up the preparation time before printing. It is said that the vortex pneumatic transfer device can increase the long-lived production. The design of vacuum suction conveyor ensures the correct transport of paper, and it is also equipped with built-in continuous loading and unloading parts. The variable wetting system incorporates two major wetting technologies, one is either an integrated or a separate technology, in addition to paper detection control. In the separation mode, the ink supply system uses a three-ink ink roller to apply ink; in the integrated mode, a four-color ink roller is used to apply ink. There are multiple ink paths in the ink sticks, so that ink can be evenly applied to both the field and the dot area so that no streaks will appear in the prints. The 8915/8920 offset press is designed for printing high-quality and spot-color inks. It is suitable for printing jobs in the range of 500-5000 sheets. The device is a low-end offset press for monochrome and two-color printing. The Model 8920 is equipped with a chain feeder and a tail stacker with a capacity of 5,000 sheets. The Type 8915, on the other hand, uses a 500-sheet chute transmission system that excels at handling short runs. Each function of the 8915/8920 model uses a single lever to adjust the printing sequence. The 1-hp DC drive motor is reportedly guaranteed to start smoothly, extending gear life. With blower and suction vacuum transfer device can control the separation of paper to ensure accurate transfer process. The largest printing size is a 11.7×17” sheet of paper, and the double cylinder guarantees a good ink coverage. According to the manufacturer, the device greatly reduces the number of operations, and due to the printing plate and the impression cylinder can automatically adapt to the eraser The roller, which automatically compensates for the difference in the thickness of the printing plate and the printing paper, does not need to be cleaned when changing the position of the image on the paper. One of the company's newly developed devices is the ABDick color digital printing machine. Designed for on-demand printing companies such as corporate in-house printing, rapid printing, and small and medium-sized commercial printing companies, it can print on the surface of various printing materials, and is suitable for short-lived prints such as booklets, sales reports, and advertising orders. According to reports, the equipment's digital offset printing technology saves production time.Agfa Agfa has announced the introduction of 32Si, a Chromapress digital color printing system.32Si is a single-sided five-color printing system based on the model of the Chromapress32Si test model. The front end structure is designed and it is said that the speed can be double that of the test model. The optional fifth color (white) is available Printing and packaging products, trademarks, etc. The 32Si system can be printed at a rate of 14.7 meters per minute and is a high-yield device suitable for printing a large number of printed materials, and it can be used in metal, stickers, cover sheets, canvas, transparent objects. Printed on the surface of many different substrates, such as polyester fibers, paper, etc. The 32Si system can also replace conventional equipment for printing packages, logos, posters, book covers, and various types of materials.Agfa also introduced the Chromapress Mode 50i device. This device is a large-format version of the Chromapress digital printing system, using a 50-centimeter-wide web feed unit, which combines the features of the line introduced above, such as OmniGloss high gloss output, second generation toner, and development. With the new IntelliStream architecture, the output resolution is 600 dpi, which is the same as the Model 32. A variety of different screening methods are available. Heidelberg Heidelberg introduces the world’s first 50×70” Speedmaster with eight-color configuration. Equipment, equipped with two sets of paper-fed equipment, on-line coating system, out of the delivery system. The Speedmaster SM 74 has "one-stop" production capabilities. This kind of production method requires a high-precision printing technology when printing four-color prints, so as to avoid scratches and sticking of the paper during the transfer to the delivery pile. The SM74 device is also the first to produce magazines for wrapping paper or surface-coated eight-page manuals. The Heidelberg Speedmaster SM74 eight-colour press with page turning and coating system has improved the paper guide for the transfer unit. The Heidelberg Venturi principle guides the paper through the various transfer units under the protection of air-made cushions. For 4/4 color jobs, the precise paper drying configuration of the device is particularly important. The continuous transfer unit features two infrared hot air dryers and a Heidelberg DryStar cycle dryer that can be used in coordination with the paper guides. The prototype can achieve a maximum print speed of 13,000 sheets/hour. The SM 74 eight-color printer with no page turning and coating configuration uses a new type of paper guide to increase the printing speed to 15,000 sheets per hour, ie 30,000 sheets per hour. Other innovations include new narrow paper brakes and paper guides, which are also used on some devices. Komori Komori's Lithrone 28 Perfector double-sided printing press features a three-minute changeover function. The company has improved the twin-roller printing and transfer roller, and applied to the Lithrone 28” and 40” double-sided printing press systems to achieve maximum paper handling area. The Lithrone 28 Perfector also uses this roller arrangement for a smooth paper transport process with less scratches and higher positioning accuracy. This design not only protects the paper, but also maintains accurate positioning throughout high-speed printing. The conversion between single-sided and double-sided printing on the Lithrone 28 Perfector double-sided press is automatic. Since the AMR function of the console allows the paper size data to be input in advance, the operator automatically adjusts the paper size when the two-sided direct printing is selected, and the subsequent conversion operation is also performed completely automatically. The Lithrone 28 Perfector is also equipped with a back-up system, which includes a manual control box that allows the automatic reversal of the rotary roller. Ryobi Ryobi introduced the Ryobi 3304HA four-color offset printing machine with its own semi-automaticmatic plate Changer (semi-automatic plate changer). The paper is longitudinally fed and has a slightly larger print size than the A3 format. The Semi-Automatic Plate Changer allows users to control plate replacement with just one button press. In addition to the use of metal plates, this machine can also use a polyester base plate output from a Plate Setter. In addition, a new diagonal adjustment device is installed on the platen, which greatly simplifies the positioning adjustment during printing and ensures short preparation time for short live multicolor printing. The 3304HA is designed on the basis of 3304H. Ryobi describes the 3304H as the world's first four-color offset printing machine with A3 size vertical paper feeding. The design is simple, efficient and cost-effective. The basic specifications and features of the 3304HA device are the same as those of the 3304H. The four printing units consist of two satellite-based V-type five-roller systems, which reduce the replacement of grippers and improve the accuracy of image positioning. In addition, the continuous humidification system “Ryobi SuperDampener” of this equipment is based on the optimization of fountain solution supply. The 3304HA can handle a maximum paper size of 13.39 x 17.72”. The maximum print speed is up to 10,000 sheets/hour. The standard PCS-F print control system includes a console for remote control of ink fountains. Xeikon plastic card production Manufacturers can now use Xeikon's DCP/32S digital color press to print short runs, which is increasingly attracting attention.Xeikon's plastic card production solutions can be printed not only on PVC but also on Melzer. The functional system features post-press processing, such as film lamination, die-cutting, and the ability to embed magnetic strips, panels, microchips, holograms, etc. The advantage is that it reduces the cycle time and meets the short-lived print on demand. Enhanced ability to customize products for customers (personalized or illustrative cards) for flexible operation DCP/32S equipment uses Xeikon's electrostatic printing engine for five-color printing on standard coated PVC surfaces (four A printing process color and an opaque white print can be printed up to 10 mils at a speed of 24 feet per minute. The front and back ends of each roller can accommodate Two complete 12.06" wide jams. The system can be printed directly with digital files without the need for printing plates, and it is reported to be faster and more flexible than traditional equipment. The DCP/32S can handle a variety of cards, including multilayer composite products and smart instrument components. In addition to a typical four-story card (combining two layers of PVC on both sides of the cardboard), the system can also produce multi-layer cards with a core layer sandwiched between two PVC layers. This core layer may contain antennas similar to those contained in the RFID (Frequency FM Radio) card.