It’s been clear for many years now that processless printing plates are the way forward to improve sustainability in the printing business. They are increasingly the preferred option for printing companies keen to cut their carbon footprints, as well as saving time and money. Kodak recently presented some compelling data to encourage more European customers to switch to process free plates, specifically to the Kodak Sonora Xtra plate. This plate is made in Germany at the company’s Osterode factory. Printing plates have been made here since 1962 for customers throughout the European continent.

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Described as a science fantasy black comedy, Poor Things was produced and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and released in September 2023, gathering both critical acclaim and awards including a Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival, two Golden Globe awards, BAFTA nominations and is shortlisted for the Academy Awards (‘Oscars’). It was shot on a combination of Kodak Ektachrome, Vision3 500T and Eastman Double-X Black & White 35mm film stocks, as part of the director’s intention to create ‘a unique and memorable visual setting’ for the fantastical story of the film. 

Kodak acted on the opportunity to complement the film with printed materials, resulting in the production of an 11-panel postcard set that features images captured on set by photographer Atsushi Nishijima. The photos were also shot on Kodak film, Professional Porta 400 in this case.

To support the global launch of the film across territories including the US, UK and EMEA region. 110,000 postcard sets were printed three-up on the Prosper Ultra 520 web press, on 185gsm Pixelle Enhanced HiBrite inkjet paper, running at speeds of up to152m/min. Once printed, the sets were cut, perforated and fan-folded for distribution.

‘The Poor Things postcard collection is not just a promotional endeavour; it’s a celebration of the craftsmanship and artistry that goes into creating memorable cinematic experiences. This joint project has shown that the Prosper Ultra 520 Press is ideally suited to efficiently producing high-quality, high-ink coverage work with short lead times,’ commented Denisse Goldbarg, Kodak’s chief marketing officer and head of EAMER Sales.

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IFS managing director Eric Keane

In 2024 there will be a continuation of the pressures felt during 2023 – high interest rates, high inflation, labour and skill shortages, and some disrupted supply chains. There will likely be an accelerated trend in mergers and acquisitions for ambitious print companies to make either strategic acquisitions of their competitors, or in order to secure diversity in their product offering, do this through acquisition of other companies.

The sector will continue with consolidation and this will drive more investment in more technology and automation. The latter, in particular, was an accelerating trend in 2023. Most leading print companies have been looking to increase investment in more automated print finishing systems. This in turn has enabled IFS, in collaboration with our partners Horizon and Tecnau, to be at the forefront in supplying innovative, automated print finishing systems, that meet this demand to reduce operator touch points, improve output speeds and utilise less labour.

With the world around us so uncertain, trade fairs like drupa really do bring the business communities together. Business people do mix, and with that entrepreneurship and enterprise flourishes.

Phil McMullin, head of sales for Commercial & Industrial, Epson UK

Continuous improvements with sustainability considerations at their core will remain a significant focus for print production environments and suppliers in the short-to-medium term. Epson strives to build technologies that last and support responsible and efficient production. As we develop our own printheads, print hardware, and print software, we’re able to deliver a very customer-focused portfolio that responds to increased demand for product longevity and reduced energy and waste. We can also help operations explore the most effective options as well as offer support, advice, and guidance when it is needed. 

Ease of use is crucial for both operational efficiency and the ability to move into new markets. Simple and fast setup via user-friendly touchscreen ensures operator confidence and quick throughput to maintain agile and responsive production. These are key persuaders for businesses considering their next steps towards successful growth, and  empower operations to expand their offerings. This is important to help them capitalise on the growth opportunities of markets such as personalisation, where production needs to be right the first time, and every time.

Martyn Train, managing director, Duplo UK

With a steady 2023 under our belt we turn our sights to 2024 and the future of print, which appears to be thriving with resilience and innovation. Despite digital communication’s prevalence, our industry is undergoing a renaissance, embracing cutting-edge technologies to enhance its relevance to add value to the consumer, especially in sectors such as education, greetings cards and the recovery of in-plants.

This resurgence is fuelled by a growing appreciation for tangible, tactile experiences as well as the enduring appeal of high-quality printed products. As we have always said, print in its various forms continues to play a pivotal role in communication and the purchasing experience, offering a unique and timeless way to engage audiences.

At Duplo we are really excited about drupa and some of the new products we’ve been itching to show the industry. This includes upgrades to our range, brand new products that will take Duplo into new areas, as well as some innovations that will show how we are preparing for the future of our industry.

Yale Goldis, director strategy, commercial products and solutions at HP PageWide Industrial

As traditional print volumes decline, digital print will continue to grow. Commercial printers adopting the latest high volume production printing capabilities find better economics for themselves and their clients. They will also redefine their offerings and reimagine applications that bridge digital online and physical media.

Publishers are moving towards sustainable, targeted production. Shorter, frequent runs in the market are replacing large, centrally produced orders to mitigate supply chain risks and reduce book miles. Publishers are also adopting ‘gap’ printing, using POD production from the onset of a book’s life cycle, to meet unpredicted demand. 

Direct mail will continue its renaissance in 2024 as marketers rediscover the performance and value of print in the overall marketing mix. While postal and paper costs pressure overall mail volume, digitally printed, personalised, impactful and relevant mail will see healthy growth. 

Business models such as web-to-print meet growing consumer demands for convenient online ordering, customisation and improved customer experience. Closer integration with large data warehouses and powerful marketing engines enable true multi-channel campaigns executed across online and print media.

Will Mansfield, director, solutions marketing, Kodak

In 2023, the pursuit of production efficiencies was paramount. Advances such as higher quality faster inkjet presses, smarter workflow platforms and more automated CtP systems have significantly streamlined production. These innovations have reduced labour requirements and also improved the accuracy and consistency of printing, thus reducing waste. The economic landscape was again characterised by uncertainties and inflationary pressures. To adapt to these challenges for our plate customers, Kodak continued to invest in regional manufacturing as well as technology innovations.

Kodak is anticipating drupa 2024 as a unique opportunity to connect with printers from around the globe and debut new solutions. The show provides a valuable platform for Kodak to engage with customers and prospects and gain deeper insights into their evolving needs. We are excited to showcase our latest innovations in high-speed inkjet, workflow and offset solutions, demonstrating our commitment to advancing the industry. We are committed to being a strategic partner to our customers, helping them navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities that lie ahead.

Duncan Smith, country director, production, Canon UK & Ireland

As customers are expecting faster turnaround times and higher quality products than ever before, we at Canon have seen an increasing demand for cutting-edge inkjet technology in 2023.

Alongside quality and productivity, businesses are starting to realise that inkjet also delivers many economic and environmental benefits. With reliable equipment that harnesses automation, businesses can save on total cost of ownership with reduced power consumption and streamlined workflows. Additionally, inkjet enables print solution providers to broaden their media capabilities and branch out to a variety of markets, such as retail, manufacturing and interior décor.

We’re excited to return to drupa next year alongside some of the key players in the industry. We see this as a huge opportunity to not only showcase new technology, but also celebrate our achievements over the last few years. We expect to see a lot of conversation around the advancement of inkjet technology when it comes to production and wide-format print and are excited to share our developments in this space.

Andy Kent, general manager, Fujifilm UK

Sustainable and energy-efficient machinery and practices were key factors in 2023 when printers were looking at suppliers for equipment or consumables. The market has also seen many mergers and acquisitions as companies join forces to reduce fixed costs.

Energy costs remain a problem but other costs are stabilising, or even going down in some cases. With interest rates moving upwards, we initially saw some reluctance to invest in new equipment in 2023. I think this was because people felt it might be a temporary situation, but are now accepting that the higher rates appear to be here to stay for some time.

Analogue processes are increasingly transforming to digital, particularly in the packaging space where the market is still growing. I expect this to be one of the main trends and biggest opportunities in 2024.

I see AI as another trend with complimentary technology for making quick decisions in time-limited situations. I expect drupa to be well-attended because we will see new sustainable products and services that will inspire print businesses looking for an extra edge.

Charlotte Tueckmantel, GM Enterprise Print & eCommerce, eProductivity Software

2023 in many ways was the reset of the new normal. Coming out of Covid we saw a huge resurgence in our customers’ businesses, and record numbers in many areas. While 2023 took a slight step back it was still well above the Covid years, despite increasing costs across the board. This included the rising cost of people/talent; difficulty attracting new talent is a challenge that the industry has seen for a few years now and we will continue to see in 2024.

The rising costs of people, materials and energy will continue to drive higher levels of automation, supported by the emergence of actionable insights and AI starting to appear in the industry.

For 2024, we see a trend towards more remote or hybrid work in the front office driven by the need for greater flexibility and the challenges to hire skilled people. This shift, enabled by technology and coupled with the arrival or more automation, actionable insight, API integrations and AI will continue to change the landscape.

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What’s now called embellishment or special effects used to be a group of purely post-press operations. These included lamination, spot or flood varnishing and foiling (hot or cold). Other eye-catching things have always had to be done in or on the press – if you wanted metallic colours you had to use a special ink or print on a metallised substrate; the same applied for fluorescent or other special colours.

Digital print has blurred those boundaries, bringing a number of ways of achieving the same or ‘close enough’ effects, combined with the flexibility and minimal set-up requirements characteristic of digital print. These also split into in-press effects and subsequently-applied effects.

Before looking at these in detail, it’s also worth noting that a sustainability argument is emerging for digital embellishment as an alternative to more conventional processes. This comes from Scodix, which makes stand-alone ‘embellishment presses’ (distributed in the UK by Friedheim) that can apply a wide range of decorative effects to printed sheets, with full digital flexibility in each.

Scodix carried out a lifecycle assessment of its digital foiling options which found that compared to conventional hot stamp foiling, its version reduces CO2e (CO2 equivalent) by 85%, fossil fuel usage by nearly 85%, and water consumption by 80% per B1 sheet. The study, carried out by EcamRicert, and Mérieux NutriSciences Companies, compared the enhancement of a single B1 sheet through to 100,000 B1 sheets using Scodix foil (175g) versus traditional foiling methods.

That’s only one of the options that Scodix offers and there’s no indication given that any of the other supported techniques offer comparable advantages. However, like any other form of digital printing, it seems likely that overall wastage of materials and energy is likely to be lower simply through the ability to only print or finish the number required.

The main argument in favour of these types of effects though is that they add impact to printed products and therefore margin to your work. Some you can only do if you bought the right press, though they could also be a factor in choosing a new one. There’s an increasing number of toner presses that offer additional colours which may include clear ‘varnish’, white, fluorescent and metallic colours, though usually only one or sometimes two at a time.

Plus-one – or more

Machines that offer a fifth colour include Xerox’s iGen line and Ricoh’s Pro C7200, also sold by Heidelberg as the Versafire EV (and about to be replaced by the Pro C7500, though we’ve not seen any specification for this yet). Kodak’s Nexpress and Nexfinity models could do this too, with options over where in the laydown sequence the fifth colour went, though both are now discontinued. Moving up to six colours brings in the popular Xerox Iridesse, and the more recent Fujifilm Revoria, while most HP Indigos can handle up to seven colours, though of course click charges go up in proportion with all extra colour presses. Xerox also offers a conversion kit for two-pass printing on its entry-level PrimeLink C9065/C9070, which potentially allows the use of up to eight colours, albeit with a complete change of toner cartridges between passes.

The exact choice of extra colours varies by manufacturer, but in addition to white – for use on coloured or transparent substrates – and clear – used to create flood or spot varnish effects – fluorescent or ‘neon’ colours are offered, particularly pink and sometimes yellow. These can replace or be mixed with their standard CMYK equivalents to expand the colour gamut for more eye-catching effects. A few offer metallic toners too, which again can be printed solid or mixed to provide novel colours and finishes.

After the event

Post-press options are more about foiling, spot varnish and various creative lamination processes, often in combination. A good entry-level choice here is foil-over-toner, a two-pass method that uses ‘real’ foil in a laminator like Vivid’s Matrix models or those from Caslon, Foliant (sold via IFS), Komfi (from Friedheim) or Autobond. Similar options also come from GMP and Intec, now part of the Plockmatic group.

An entry-level option for foil-over-toner is Vivid’s Matrix, seen here at a trade show

In these, the initial colour print is first laminated with a clear film, then printed again with the foil pattern in black toner on top of the film, before a second pass through the laminator transfers the foil to the partially melted black toner. It’s a more labour-intensive process but it works with a very wide range of foil types and doesn’t require special consumables.

Then there are the fully ‘digital’ embellishment devices that offer spot UV and/or foiling in a single operation. This category includes devices like Duplo’s B2 DuSense 8000, which is offered in various configurations providing spot UV, digital foiling or both, including a pre-treatment option for expanding the types of print that can be handled. It’s also possible to build up textured ‘3D’ effects with multiple passes, which the smaller B3 DuSense 810 also supports. An alternative is the B3+ Konica Minolta AccurioShine 3600, which uses technology from MGI, in which Konica Minolta holds a significant stake. It too can produce ‘dimensional’ effects.

At the top end of the digital embellishment market are the ranges from Konica Minolta/MGI and Scodix. These are dedicated industrial production devices that offer UV varnish and foiling, with Scodix offering a particularly wide range of foils and finished effects, while MGI’s line goes up to B1 sheet size in the form of the print-and-embellish AlphaJet that was formally launched in October 2022. Kurz is another player at the industrial end of the scale, having bought Steinemann, whose inkjet varnish and foiling systems it was already marketing as Digital Metal. These include the sheet-fed B2 DM-Smartliner for 2D flat varnishing and foiling and the DM-Maxliner for raised and textured effects.

Whether you’re just ready to dip a toe into digital embellishment and cautious with the investment, or know that you’ve got a ready market for it but need to be sure it’s good enough and fast enough to meet your customers’ needs, there should be something to suit and help your work shine.

Preparing files for embellishment

All digital embellishment processes require ‘artwork’ to control where the effects are applied. Usually this means creating additional layers in the originating applications and/or print PDFs, though some vendors offer DFE-based tools to create embellishment guides or colour substitutions from standard PDFs on-the-fly.

Andrew Bailes-Collins of Ultimate Technographics, which makes imposition, nesting and ganging software, has written a handy guide to preparing generic PDFs that should process correctly through most embellishment vendors’ DFEs and thus avoid some of the common pitfalls that require manual reworking in the prepress studio.

Called PDF Creation for Digital Embellishment, it covers the use of spot colours, layers, knock-out and overprint and choice of correct versions of PDF for hand-off. It’s available free from Ultimate Technographics’ website.

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The investment is intended to streamline Go Inspire’s manufacturing processes, helping it deliver ‘better experiences, improved performance and new services’ to clients which include Sainsbury’s, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), Pizza Hut and Cruise. The implementation of web-to-print will allow the company to expand into the digital print and short-run offset market. Driven by XMPie software, the system will streamline small-run work, reducing costs and administrative efforts while expediting the manufacturing process.

According to Go Inspire, the investments in the web portal and the digital department mark a significant expansion in its commercial print services. The company will now be able to provide digital printing capabilities, enabling clients to self-serve for small lithographic and digital printing jobs, an option that was not previously available. A mezzanine floor has been added, bringing 3883sqft of space to its facilities to accommodate the digital presses and associated finishing equipment.

Danny Cook, group operations director at Go Inspire, commented, ‘We are thrilled about these investments and their potential to transform our manufacturing capabilities and expand our service offerings. We now have the ability to produce short run volumes, closing the gap in the ever-changing needs of our marketing clients, specifically with the addition of the Xerox Iridesse press, allowing us to provide customers with print enhancements including silver, gold, and fluorescent. The company remains committed to delivering exceptional print and marketing solutions that meet the evolving needs of our clients.’

The printing and finishing equipment aspect of the upgrade includes seven Xerox digital presses in total, with various Nuvera and Versant models, as wells the Iridesse. Enhancements to Kodak Prosper variable data hardware have also been made. Finishing and paper handling equipment from Stahl, Palamides and Komori, including a pallet-fed folder with robotic stacker, has also been added.

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Announced at the company’s annual European Graphic Users Association event in Dusseldorf, Germany, the new version is available at no additional cost to customers with a service contract or users of the cloud-based Kodak Prinergy with Managed Services. According to Kodak, new Marks JTP (job ticket processor) Pooling and Archive & Retrieve JTP Pooling features can avoid processing bottlenecks and increase speed. Improvements in Preps SmartMarks placement bring greater efficiency and accuracy, and automatic process template conversion from Harmony Software to Kodak Colorflow software simplifies this transition and eliminates human error.

The added ability to add comments to individual RBA (rules-based automation) rule actions is said to ease the transfer of know-how and important information between employees. In addition, Prinergy 10.0 offers a further increased level of security and stability via support for MacOS 13, HTML5, a 64-bit Adobe Acrobat plug-in and use of HTTPS in Prinergy Business Link which connects the workflow with third-party MIS.

‘Version 10.0 of Prinergy Workflow Software takes automation to a higher level with numerous improvements and new functional capabilities. Altogether, these advancements help printers to streamline their workflow processes while safeguarding their infrastructure and improving profitability,’ commented Jim Barnes, Kodak’s chief IT implementation officer.

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Branded as Kodak Ektacolor Inks and Kodak Optimax Primers, the new products are part of a wider launch that reflects the company’s heritage in advanced materials and chemicals as well as in colour capture and reproduction.

The Inks used in the Stream-based print family, including the Prosper 7000 Turbo, Prosper 6000 and Prosper Imprinting Systems, are formulated to yield brighter, clearer, punchier print at speeds ‘faster than any other commercial inkjet system on the market’. Ektacolor Inks are available for both pigment and dye-based applications (Prosper Imprinting Systems only), for versatility.

Like the recently announced Kodachrome inks for the high-quality Ultrastream Technology systems, including the Prosper Ultra 520, the Ektacolor Inks are manufactured using Kodak’s proprietary pigment micro-milling process, which creates extremely fine nanoparticle pigments with a very narrow size distribution. The finer pigments make the ink easier to jet, reduce light scatter and deliver ultra-thin dried ink layers as well as a ‘superior’ colour gamut. Lower levels of humectants  result in faster drying, even when printing at coverage on difficult substrates.

The use of Optimax primers allows users of Kodak inkjet presses to avoid the need for inkjet-treated papers and other speciality substrates. The primers are said to improve ink receptivity, ink adhesion, rub resistance and image quality across a wide range of substrates, including paper, cardboard, plastic, film, and even metallised materials.

The Optimax Primers are further claimed to facilitate the recyclability of printed products by improving deinkability. They are offered as anEnhanced Primer for coated papers and a Standard Primer for uncoated papers.

Jim Continenza, executive chairman and CEO, Kodak, commented, ‘Along with our high-speed continuous inkjet technologies, these inks and primers create a complete inkjet ecosystem with perfectly matched components, all developed and manufactured in-house by Kodak. This helps printers produce a huge variety of applications efficiently, productively and profitably.’

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The company says the Kodachrome inks provide vibrancy and colour consistency on a wide range of substrates, thanks to a proprietary pigment micro-milling process which creates pigment particles that are typically less than 50nm in diameter, with very consistent sizing. The small particles ground by this process yield faster ink drying times and very thin dried ink layers. This leads to less scattering of light and thus richer and purer saturated colours with increased vibrancy, and a wide colour gamut without sacrificing image permanence.

Kodak claims that the Kodachrome inks produce a ‘95% larger gamut colour than specified in Swop (web offset) standard and a 39% larger gamut than Gracol for sheetfed offset, adding that because the inks require less laydown to achieve the desired colours, they help reduce running costs of the press.

The water-based, low-humectant Kodachrome inks do not contain PVC or phthalates. Together with Kodak’s range of printable water-based optimiser primers, Kodachrome inks can be used for printing on a very wide range of substrates. The optimiser agents improve ink receptivity, ink adhesion, rub resistance and image quality on most types of paper, plastic, and film.

‘Kodak has been pioneering inkjet production printing for 56 years, and our new Kodachrome inks are designed to deliver outstanding print results and maximise productivity and value for our customers,’ commented Jim Continenza, executive chairman and CEO at Kodak. ‘Kodachrome inks, together with our high-speed Ultrastream inkjet technology and optimiser agents, create efficient digital solutions for cost-effective printing of a broad range of applications. This enables customers to shift more work from traditional printing processes such as offset to digital, opening up new opportunities for increased revenue and profits.’

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GSS provides web inkjet press transport systems and other print-related components and engineering services. The acquisition reflects Kodak’s ongoing investment in digital print technology, as the company seeks to expand its growing portfolio of inkjet presses. It is a geographically appealing addition also, as Ohio-based GSS is located in Springboro, close to Kodak’s inkjet design and manufacturing hub in Dayton.

GSS has been designing and manufacturing web transport systems for inkjet applications for more than 15 years. It has manufactured over 100 inkjet transports, from 18-52in wide and at speeds from 500-2000ft/m. GSS is a long-time Kodak vendor, providing transport systems for various presses in its existing portfolio such as the Prosper Ultra 520 and Kodak Prosper 7000 Turbo.

‘Having an in-house source of transport systems and additional expertise from an industry leader like GSS will immediately make our inkjet business stronger and more sustainable,’ commented Jim Continenza, Kodak’s executive chairman and CEO. ‘As business conditions continue to be challenging, now is the time to control our own destiny and mitigate supply chain risks to ensure reliable delivery of presses to our customers. Looking forward, our ability to leverage GSS’s skills and resources will be extremely valuable as we continue to focus on expanding our inkjet portfolio and providing completely integrated inkjet solutions.’

Dan Green, president and CEO at GSS, said, ‘Over our 20 years of working together, we have developed a very close working relationship with Kodak. Our employees are enthusiastic about Kodak’s decision to acquire GSS. Our portfolio of inkjet transport systems and other components, along with our manufacturing expertise and engineering consulting services, will help Kodak further strengthen their position as a leader in inkjet technology.’

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Kodak expanded its Prinergy Cloud offerings in October 2021 to include the subscription-based option that enables printers to streamline the file upload and approval process. Prinergy Access provides connectivity to any digital press, and was aimed at small- and mid-size printers who didn’t want to sign up for the full Prinergy On Demand Business Services version introduced in 2020.

Prinergy Access provides access to Prinergy’s prepress and customer portal tools including Smart Review, which allows customers of printing companies to upload, annotate, preflight, review and approve print files online. It also includes Kodak’s Preflight+, colour management, file management, backup, trapping and routing software. Kodak says it integrates into any print production environment, including existing on-premise installations of Prinergy or third-party workflows, as well as supporting output to any digital press.

The SaaS (software as a service) model takes advantage of the dependability and security of the Microsoft Azure platform, and enables printers to make use of reliable IT infrastructure without the cost and responsibility of its maintenance and upkeep. Kodak also claims that Prinergy Access has minimal network bandwidth requirements.

‘We are very pleased that Prinergy Access is now available around the globe. It enables commercial printers of all sizes to easily benefit from our unmatched prepress and print automation and customer collaboration tools,’ commented Jim Barnes, Kodak’s chief IT implementation officer. ‘Printers can use Prinergy Access immediately without complex implementation, and without having to invest in the acquisition and maintenance of additional hardware or IT infrastructure.’

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