Komori On Press

Feature
Adding Value: The Essential Strategy
4
Differentiation by adding value to printed products is the higher-order strategy for
sustaining the business and prevailing in today’s demanding economic conditions.
What’s more, this strategy is applicable to virtually every printer and segment,
regardless of size. This edition’s feature details options in coating, UV printing, and
printing on special substrates, and zooms in on coater trends in the United States to
lay out the choices and their respective advantages.
User Profiles
Fitting the Solution to the Market
16
Every user profiled here adds value with a unique purpose.
Classic Color in the US, Baugé Imprimeur of France, Directprint
from Morocco, Homer Shanghai in China, TASKI of Ecuador,
Coers en Roest from the Netherlands, and Pixart.it of Italy.
Their markets, their solutions, their visions.
Tsukuba
Building the Komori Knowledgebase
30
The Komori Graphic Technology Center in the Tsukuba Plant is building a record that
will resonate throughout the industry. From training to research, from prepress to
finishing, and from beginner to expert, KGC offers a full curriculum of training and a
wide-ranging research program. On Press surveys the offerings.
New Technology
Innovative UV Curing System Debuts
34
Shown at JGAS 2009 and IPEX 2010, the new H-UV system is being
counted on to power a transformation of the sheetfed printing
industry: UV printing and coating will become more affordable and
accessible, and the resulting deluxe effect will change the job of
designers and the experience of end users.
Topics
On the Move: Komori People
The report and snapshots straight from the floor of IPEX 2010 in Birmingham, UK;
the scene at ExpoPrint and the opening of the new technical center in Brazil; an
interview with the president of Cargraphics in Colombia; the latest news on sustainable package printing from the US; and details on kando -generating events and
programs in China.
40
70
no.
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Strategy: Adding Value
Differentiation builds business
Strategy for Success: Adding Value
Part 1
evaporates and does not remain on the paper.
Therefore, the remaining film of the varnish is
inherently thin and does not effectively create
a high gloss.
Differentiation through coating
Purpose of varnish application
In the offset printing industry, ‘coating’ refers
to the application of a clear or semi-clear
liquid, generally called varnish, on to printed
materials.
Varnish is roughly categorized into four
types: conventional OP (overprint) varnish;
UV (ultraviolet) OP varnish; aqueous (waterbased) varnish, and UV varnish. Varnish is
applied to protect the printed materials and
to provide gloss or texture to the printed finish.
OP varnish is placed into the ink fountain and
applied by the inking rollers. The varnish film
is about one micron thick, almost the same as
ink. Conventional OP varnish is used together
with conventional inks, and UV OP varnish is
used with UV inks.
Aqueous or UV varnish is applied by a special
coating unit. Using a coater makes it possible
to apply a film of aqueous or UV varnish that
is about three times thicker (more than three
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Komori On Press
microns) than an OP varnish film on to inks
that are not yet dry. It is easier to attain a high
gloss when using UV varnish via a coater than
when using OP varnish from the inking unit.
Ultimately, film thickness and gloss are determined by the drying process.
Aqueous varnish
As its name suggests, aqueous varnish contains a large amount of water. Aqueous varnish
applied by a coater to materials printed with
conventional ink evaporates and dries by using
the heat generated by an IR (infrared) dryer.
Both the conventional ink and the aqueous
varnish are not fully dry right after coming out
of the delivery. After a few seconds the aqueous varnish is dry to the touch but the ink takes
a lot longer to be completely dry. The ink will
continue to dry by oxidation through the varnish film.
Most of the water in the aqueous varnish
UV varnish
Generally, UV varnish is applied on top of
UV ink. After application by the coater, the
varnish is cured (polymerized) in a chemical
reaction created by the UV radiation from the
UV dryer and the photo-initiators contained
in the UV varnish.
The major difference between UV and
aqueous varnish is that UV dries instantly
and the volume of the varnish remains nearly
unchanged after drying. The volume shrinks
by one to five percent when curing occurs, but
the final varnish film is much thicker than aqueous and has greater potential for high gloss.
Comparison of aqueous and UV varnish
The potential for a glossier printed product
might suggest that UV varnish is superior and
more widely used. In fact, at present, aqueous
varnish is used more frequently. Several factors
explain why.
1. Cost
Cost is perhaps the foremost reason. UV varnish is about three times more expensive than
ordinary aqueous varnish. This ratio is just a
guideline, since cost varies by manufacturer,
the type of varnish, and the volume purchased.
2. Glossiness
Gloss depends on factors such as the type
of paper, image conditions, type of varnish,
quantity of varnish used, and printing speed.
But as a general rule the gloss factor is a little
less than 60 for aqueous varnish and approximately 80 for UV varnish. However, in the
case of water-based varnish, it is possible to
achieve a gloss value of up to 80 by passing
the dry sheets through a calendering machine
as a second pass. For reference, the covers
of women’s fashion magazines, which are
often laminated, usually have a gloss value of
about 90.
3. Post-press
Because UV varnish cures instantly, the surface becomes stronger. However, because the
varnish sometimes cracks when the printed
materials are folded or creased, the materials
must be thoroughly checked before they are
used in products. To avoid UV varnish cracking and to prevent the high-gloss surface from
scratching, many manufacturers use inexpensive water-based varnish instead.
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Strategy: Adding Value
Differentiation builds business
Figure 1: Chamber coater system
Blades
Anilox
roller
Blanket cylinder
Impression cylinder
Figure 2: 80 lpi cells
Figure 3: 300 lpi cells
Supply of
varnish
Collecting pan
4. Powder-less
From the standpoint of
cleanliness, some food
and medicine manufacturers prefer a product that
does not use any anti-setoff
powder. This is not an issue
with UV varnish because
spray powder is not used.
Depending on conditions, aqueous varnish can
also be used without any
spray powder.
Correct application
of varnish
Roller coating on to
a rubber blanket is one way
to apply varnish. This method
is typically used for edge-toedge solid printing. When
varnish is applied selectively,
for example, only to the
image area, or when varnish
should not be applied to glue flaps or date
areas, either the surface of the blanket is cut
or a photopolymer plate is used.
In recent years, most press manufacturers use a flexographic-type chamber coater
blade system (Figure 1) to supply varnish to the
blanket or photopolymer plate. Varnish is circulated in a chamber and applied to the cells
on the surface of an anilox roller (Figure 2). The
varnish is then transferred to the blanket and
applied to the substrate.
Key points in varnish quality
Various factors determine the quality of varnish in printing. One of the key factors is gloss.
UV varnish can easily provide a gloss value of
over 80. Aqueous varnish is often used as a
protective coating when high gloss is not
required.
1. Amount of varnish used
With the chamber coater method, the
anilox roller itself must be changed to alter
the amount of varnish. The amount of varnish
used is determined by the engraving style of
the anilox roller (lpi: number of cells per inch).
When using the in-line coater on a Komori
offset printing press, the most common
choices are between 80–300 lpi. Eighty lines
per inch is used for a thick film of varnish
(Figure 2) and 300 lines is for a thin film (Figure
3). Naturally, a thicker film creates a glossier
look, but as shown in the figure, because the
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Komori On Press
aperture of the cells widens, smoothness can
be somewhat diminished.
2. Increasing smoothness
One way of increasing smoothness is by
delaying the curing time of the varnish immediately after application. Such a delay will allow
more time for the varnish to flow or level out.
Delaying the curing time can be accomplished
by increasing the distance between the coater
and the UV lamp, but, of course, factory space
can then become an issue. Another way is to
decrease the printing speed, but then productivity declines. Finally, a lower viscosity varnish
can be used, or the viscosity can be lowered
by warming up the varnish.
New embossing effect
Recently, a new finish called pseudo-embossing (chemical emboss) has been used to create
a contrast between textured (embossed) and
gloss varnish. This embossing effect utilizes
the reaction between a special UV overprint
varnish and a UV clear coating varnish. The
sections where both the OP varnish and clear
varnish are applied have an embossed look.
The surface has a textured effect, appearing
like water drops that have hardened. The
sections where only clear varnish is applied
have a normal UV high gloss. The appeal of
this method is that different areas of the image
stand out visually due to the contrast between
the clear and matte varnishes. The production advantage is that a spot varnish effect is
possible without using a photopolymer plate
because the image detail is determined by
using an OP varnish
Coater market expands
The basic coater technology has existed for
over 20 years, and there have not been any
overwhelming technological innovations in
the past few years. So why is it attracting a lot
of attention now? The number one reason is
changes in the market. Many printing companies are suffering due to declining printing
prices. Indeed, many are highly distressed
about price-cutting. Thus, many companies
are incorporating coaters to differentiate
themselves. In particular, a coater enables
designs that are not possible with conventional printing. In light of these advantages,
the coater market will no doubt expand even
further in the future.
Part 2
Printing on special substrates
Printed materials such as pamphlets, catalogs,
magazines and posters are generally printed on
white paper. When a color is printed on white
paper, the color one sees is reflected light. As
a simple illustration of this phenomenon, the
reason we cannot distinguish the color of a red
car in the dark is that little or no light makes it
impossible for the reflected light to reach our
eyes. Also, the reason the same red car looks
different when seen in the morning and at night
is that the brightness (color phase) of the light
source itself is different. Therefore, colors that
are distinguished by the human eye change
significantly depending not only on the color
phase of the ink itself but also on the color of
the substrate and the light source.
This is the basic color information needed
when printing on special substrates, because
often the substrates themselves are not white.
Differentiation strategy
As is well known, the value of shipments from
the printing industry is tending to decline, particularly in economically developed countries.
The decline in the value of shipments accounts
for a large proportion of print shop closures.
Thus, sales representatives for printing companies are desperate to win orders. Although
there are various means of winning orders, if
quality is on the same level as that of competitors, the printer with the lower bid will tend to
gain the order. Repeated over time, this leads
to ‘price destruction’ and puts pressure on the
profits of printers.
One way printers can avoid price competition
is to offer their customers proprietary products
that other printing companies cannot offer.
One such differentiation strategy is printing on
special substrates. Printing on nonpaper substrates is visually differentiated from the same
printing on paper and, for example, can lead to
more effective advertising or more compelling
brand identity.
Special substrate printing
Special substrates in the offset printing industry generally include synthetic paper, clear
substrates (such as PP and PET), Yupo synthetic
paper and also metallic substrates.
Special substrates are generally categorized
as nonabsorbent, meaning that unlike paper
they do not absorb water. Because printing
with conventional ink on special substrates
involves problems with drying, the proportion
of UV printing is extremely high in this field.
The cost of UV printing on special substrates
is higher than printing on paper because of
the higher costs for the special substrates
and inks plus the initial costs for a UV printing press. However, because there are fewer
printing companies that have UV printing
presses, companies are less likely to engage in
price competition, and the possibility of price
undercutting by competitors is low. This point
is gaining attention as a differentiation factor.
Printing press for special substrate printing
Figure 4 shows the structure of a four-color
press for UV printing. Detailed explanations
of some specific Komori presses are provided
later. Here, we will explain the necessary
specifications for the presses as compared to
conventional printing presses.
First, when UV ink is used, special plates,
rollers, blankets and cleaning solvent are
Advantages of UV printing
Exceptional drying capabilities (cures instantly)
• Dries immediately even when using special materials (film,
synthetic paper, PET sheets).
• Enables post-press (trimming, die cutting, folding) to be
performed right away.
• Allows printed materials to be stacked up at the delivery.
• Reduces space needed for drying printed materials.
• Eliminates need for spray powder.
High abrasion resistance
• Resists scratching (an advantage during shipping).
Enables shorter turnaround times
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Strategy: Adding Value
Differentiation builds business
Figure 4: UV printing press
• UV lamp storage space
• UV lamp mounting
• Delivery heat-resistant specification
UV-compatible rollers,
plates and blankets
• Ink roller
• Cooling specs required
Exhaust duct
Spray powder and powder
collection system not necessary
Cleaning solvent for UV ink
necessary. (Some items can be used for both
UV and conventional printing, depending on
the manufacturer.)
Also, UV is more vulnerable to temperature
fluctuations than conventional ink. Thus, a
temperature control system (oscillating roller
temperature control) is required in the inker
unit. This may not, however, be necessary for
single-color presses. Further, because UV ink
does not dry (cure) unless it is exposed to UV
rays, space for a UV lamp, the UV lamp itself
and heat-resistant specifications for the press
are also necessary. Off-line UV dryers are available, but in-line systems are used more often.
Because the ink dries in less than a second when
exposed to UV radiation, powder sprayers and
Candidates for UV printing
• Companies that want to compete through a high
added value business strategy
Differentiate company from competitors and break away
from price competition.
• Companies that want to compete with a short turnaround time strategy
Win jobs by differentiating through the ability to meet
short turnaround times.
• Companies that already own more than three or four
offset presses
Companies with high added value printing jobs that are
having difficulty with conventional printing.
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powder collection systems are not necessary.
However, because ozone is generated from
the chemical reaction between oxygen and UV
radiation, an exhaust duct to vent the ozone
outside the building is necessary.
Static electricity is often easily generated
when using special substrates. Measures to
prevent static electricity are often employed.
Key points in special substrate printing
UV printing on special nonabsorbent substrates can encounter some problems which
are not generally seen in conventional printing. Therefore, a few key points require
explanation.
In offset printing, water is supplied to the
non-printing area of the plate surface, and
ink is supplied to the printing areas of the
plate. The ink and some of the water are then
transferred to the blanket, and then on to
the substrate.
When printing on paper-based substrates,
because paper is relatively absorbent, the
water is quickly absorbed into the paper
surface. However, when printing on special
substrates, because many of these substrates
have poor absorption, the water is not
absorbed by the substrate itself.
As a result, some of the excess water remains
on the blanket and returns to the plate surface.
This excess water is not required by the printing process so some of it is picked up by the
inking rollers, causing the ink to emulsify.
As shown in Figure 5, with Komori’s industryrenowned Komorimatic dampening system,
the metering roller (rubber) and the oscillating roller (chrome plated) rotate in opposite
directions creating a counter-slipping effect.
The water, which is fed from the water pan
via the fountain roller and the metering roller,
accumulates momentarily between the rollers (A) (not visible) because the vibrating roller
and metering roller are counter-slipping. As a
result, the water film thickness at (D) becomes
extremely thin and very easy to control.
As noted, when printing on special substrates, excess water tends to remain on the
plate. With Komorimatic, however, most of
the excess water is returned to the water pan
instead of into the inking rollers.
The excess water returns via the dampening
form roller (B) and the oscillating roller (C).
Because the water film at (D) does not pass
through the roller nip due to the counter-slipping, it is easy for the excess water to return to
the water pan via (D). As a result, emulsification of the ink is controlled.
Measures to prevent
scratches and marking
When printing on paper, even if some nonimage areas of the sheet come into contact
with parts of the press, it is usually not an
issue unless there is visible scratching. When
using clear substrates, if any non-image areas
or even the reverse side of the printed sheet
come into contact with parts of the press, it
could leave scratches and/or marking that will
often become a major issue.
With many of today’s offset printing presses,
because the moving substrate and the static
parts of the press have potential contact
problems, it is not, strictly speaking, possible
to completely eliminate scratches. Naturally,
because products cannot be sold if scratches
Figure 5: Komorimatic
B
A
1.
Plate cylinder
Counter-slip
2.
3.
C
D
Blanket cylinder
Impression cylinder
Substrate
4.
1. Dampening
form roller
2. Metering
roller
3. Oscillating
roller
4. Fountain
roller
are visible, it is vital to minimize scratches as
much as possible.
Komori’s presses specified for special substrates offer specially processed surfaces,
chamfered parts, air transport systems and
noncontact skeleton transfer cylinders from
the feeder to delivery. Customers who use
clear substrates up to a maximum of 1 mm
thick have registered their overwhelming
praise for Komori presses. There are also automation specifications that apply to a variety of
special substrates.
Presses for special substrates: Examples of
Komori presses
When using clear substrates, printing is often
performed on the reverse side of the sheet but
it is viewed from the front side. However, using
four-color process inks on a clear substrate can
create a transparent appearance. To prevent
this from occurring, an opaque white ink is
generally applied after the four-color printing. If the opaque white ink is not properly laid
Points of differentiation
Item
Strong point
UV added value printing
Inspires customer purchase
Varnish coating
Provides glossiness and protects surface
Short turnaround time
Prints both sides in a single pass
6-color printing
Offers a broad range of color reproduction
High-definition printing
Creates high-definition images
FM screening
Reduces moiré and the running cost of ink
CMS
Standardizes printing; builds the company’s standard
Broader 4-color gamut
Offers broader color reproduction than regular 4-color printing
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Strategy: Adding Value
Differentiation builds business
down on top of the wet ink (resulting in trapping problems), an interdeck drying unit will
be required to dry the four-color process inks
before the white is applied. Also, when the
degree of whiteness is insufficient after one
application of white ink, another application
may be necessary.
When printing on metallic substrates using
four-color process ink, the printed product
will also have a metallic look. If this does not
match the design or is not desired, an opaque
white layer can be applied before the fourcolor process inks. Because four-color process
ink will not print (trap) well on wet opaque
white ink, an interdeck drying unit is advised.
As with clear films, white ink is sometimes
laid down in two coats. For these reasons,
many special substrate presses are multicolor
presses with some interdeck drying units.
Variations of coater-equipped Lithrones
Complete lineup to support development of new areas of business
Lithrone presses offer high added value by handling both light and heavy stock with one press, by creating high-end packaging, labels and cards, and by printing on microflute. The environmentally friendly Komori Coating System affords high quality
in-line coating with either aqueous or UV varnish. Accommodating gold and silver varnish as well as colored varnish, the
chamber coating system expands the range of added value. The Lithrone presses are also capable of nonstop operation when
configured with a double or triple delivery system. Komori is always ready to explain the full range of optional specifications.
Max. sheet size: 720 x 1,030 mm
Figure 6 Seven-color straight printing UV Lithrone with coater
6-Color Plus In-line Coater for Aqueous Coating Specification (LS-640 + C + Extended Delivery)
C
Figure 6 shows a seven-color press with three interdeck drying units and a coater.
The structure of this press enables one-pass printing on clear substrates and other synthetic papers.
C
DU
7
DU
6
5
4
3
DU
2
1
7-Color Plus UV Coating Specification (LS-740 + 3DU + C + UV + Extended Delivery)
C
DU
DU
DU
Clear substrate
Curing
—
—
White
Curing
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan
Black
—
—
—
C
Curing
OP
—
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan
Black
Curing
White
White
Synthetic paper
Curing
Max. sheet size: 720 x 1,030 mm
6-Color Plus Perfecting UV Coating Specification (LS-640P [2x4] + DU + UV + Extended Delivery)
DU
Figure 7 1 x 5 UV Lithrone convertible perfector with coater
Figure 7 is a six-color press with one interdeck drying unit and a coater for printing on synthetic paper. In straight mode on synthetic paper, six
colors are applied to one side of the sheets. In perfecting mode, one color is applied to the reverse side and five colors are laid down on the
front side of the sheets.
8-Color Plus Perfecting In-line Coater Unit for Aqueous Coating Specification (LS-840P + C + IR)
C
6
5
4
3
2
DU
1
C
Perfecting mechanism
7-Color Plus Perfecting UV Coating Specification (LS-740P [2x5] + DU + C + UV + Extended Delivery)
6-color straight mode on synthetic paper
Curing
C
Special
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan
Black
—
Curing
White
C
Special
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan
Black
Perfecting
Curing
Black
C
DU
1 x 5 perfecting
Curing
Note: C: Coater, DU: Drying Unit
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Strategy: Adding Value
Differentiation builds business
Part 3
Max. sheet size: 750 x 1,050 mm
6-Color Plus Coater Specification (LSX-640 + C + Extended Delivery)
C
Speaking of coating
8-Color Plus UV Coating Specification (LSX-840 + DU + 2C + UV + Extended Delivery)
C
DU
C
Coating in Today’s Marketplace
6-Color Thick Sheet/Packaging Specification (LSX-640 + Nonstop Feeder + C + PQA-S + Double Extended Delivery)
C
Max. sheet size: 530 x 750 mm
6-Color Plus In-line Coater for Aqueous Coating Specification (LS-629 + C + Extended Delivery)
C
6-Color Plus Perfecting UV Coating Specification (LS-629P (2x4) + DU + C + UV + Extended Delivery)
C
DU
Understanding the mechanics of coating technology is key to printers who are exploring the coating
marketplace. But equally as important is examining the market benefits of using coating with offset
printing. On Press sat down with Komori America
Product Manager Doug Schardt and GraphiCenter
Manager Don Newberry to explore the advantages
of coating — to the printer, the print buyer and
brand owners.
On Press: Presses equipped with in-line coating systems are probably more common in North America
than other regions of the world. Why?
Doug Schardt: When you consider the geography
of the US, and the variety of climates and weather
conditions, coating is almost a requirement. We have
temperatures that go from freezing cold to extremely
hot and humid. When we ship products across the
country, coating is essential to protect the integrity of
the printed sheet.
Don Newberry: Plus, with an aqueous coater if you’re
printing both sides of the sheet on a straight press, you
can quickly print the second side without waiting several hours or even a day to finish printing the job.
Automatic Nonstop Feeder
Long renowned for exceptional performance in packaging and heavy stock printing, the Komori Automatic Nonstop Feeder has been substantially upgraded.
Smoother, safer and easier. And now more reliable than ever.
Double Coater
Configuring the press with two coaters enables high-grade varnish coating. High added value coating such as combinations of thick varnish application, high
gloss, and gold or silver varnish with clear varnish or matte with gloss varnish can be performed in one pass.
Double Delivery
Nonstop operation is enabled by configuring the press with two delivery piles. By linking the Double Delivery System with PQA-S, defective sheets are automatically detected and separated, preventing them from being mixed with good sheets.
Drying Unit
Installed between printing units or before the coater, the drying unit dries ink and varnish. Capable of handling special substrates such as synthetic paper
and film as well as varied combinations of ink and varnish.
Interdeck UV
By configuring a UV lamp between printing units or in front of the coater, the specifications of the press can be expanded by enabling UV printing on nonabsorbent paper (film and synthetic paper).
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Komori On Press
are very exciting to print designers to help differentiate
the printed piece.
DN: One of the great advantages of UV is on uncoated
sheets. One of the biggest issues with uncoated stock
is that it absorbs the ink and the color is more muted.
With UV, the sheet is cured quickly, which helps the
ink remain more vibrant.
OP: Initially coating was used to improve productivity and protect the printed sheet, but the interest in
UV drying and specialty coatings is on the rise. What
started this trend?
DN: Well, especially in the packaging market, specialty coatings really help build brand appeal. It helps
your product stand out from all the others on the shelf.
And with UV you can obtain extremely high gloss levels
and dry the sheet quickly.
OP: What drives a printer to enter the UV market?
DS: When you decide to go into UV, you are expanding the capability of the press, and in doing so, you
need to make a strategic business decision to go down
this path. It’s not something you dabble in. You go into
UV because you see a need in the marketplace or in
your customer base that will allow you to expand your
product range and sell deeper into accounts or go into
new markets, such as plastic printing.
With the competitive landscape for print being so difficult now, UV capability can also help printers break
away from the pack, and differentiate their business.
DS: Think of the coater as an extra unit. And with this
unit you can obtain a number of effects you simply
can’t with ink. These include the textured coatings
that give a three-dimensional effect to print. They
range from matte finishes to sand type coatings and
DN: There are also a number of additional processes
you can get into with UV, such as Cast and Cure™ technology. Cast and Cure is a decorative coating process
that integrates “casting” and “curing” techniques to
form ultra high gloss, matte, and holographic finishes
Komori On Press
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Strategy: Adding Value
User Profiles
Meeting Strategic Demands
In today’s printing industry,
it is no longer viable to remain profitable simply through
the volume of print production. To impart added value
to printing, full implementation of a standard digital workflow, high quality printing, surface finishing, one-pass two-sided printing,
in-line solutions for off-line equipment, and the ability to print on special substrates are all-important. Available in both the 26/29inch and 40-inch formats, Komori’s Lithrone Series sheetfed offset presses can be flexibly configured with in-line coaters, drying units
and other systems to create added value and thus empower a wide range of special printing.
In addition to this issue’s feature on coaters, On Press introduces a range of coater users succeeding in different markets.
on a variety of substrates. And there is also MiraFoil®,
a liquid coating that gives a metallic effect. These two
technologies work in conjunction with UV drying,
and are good ecological and cost-effective alternatives to foil board printing.
OP: How does a printer begin his education about
UV printing?
DN: I would recommend contacting your local
printing associations. For example, GATF (Graphic
Arts Technical Foundation) in the US offers a course
on UV printing. And, in fact, they use a Komori press
to teach this class. In addition, I would contact all the
vendors who provide UV products and consumables,
such as ink and coating manufacturers, and tap into
their expertise. Plus, there is good old-fashioned
research!
DS: If the goal is just to put a nice gloss coating on a
sheet, that’s pretty easy to accomplish. But if you want
to get into specialty coatings, and do some really dramatic things, you really do need to do your research.
OP: Where do you see in-line coating technology
heading in the future?
DS: Komori was actually an early adopter of equipping offset presses with in-line coaters. With all the
different processes and effects, the future is in where
the coater is added in the press configuration. First
down, or first unit coating, is becoming very interesting to printers. The ability to print an opaque white
coating before adding ink can produce a number of
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Komori On Press
special effects on both paper and plastic.
OP: Why do you think we have seen an increase in
specialty configuration and multiple coater presses in
the past few years?
DS: It’s really about productivity. Printers need to cut
cost out of their operation and the ability to do multiple processes in one pass is significantly more efficient.
While the initial cost of the press is higher, the savings
resulted in one-pass productivity is greater.
DN: It really is about increasing efficiency and productivity. Time and waste are the biggest obstacles in
print production and reducing both are key issues for
printers.
OP: Any final words of wisdom about UV?
DS: If you are an added value, design-driven printer,
UV is definitely the way to go. It opens up a whole
world of new products.
DN: It takes a lot of practice and trial and error, but
the effects that can be accomplished are extremely
impressive.
Pages
Company
Coating System
16–17
Classic Color
Aqueous Coating
1
USA
18–19
Baugé
UV Coating
2
Aqueous Coating
3
Aqueous Coating
France
20–21
Directprint
Morocco
22–23
4
TASKI
Coers en Roest
Substance
Specialties
Paper
Pioneer in all combinations of
inks, coatings and substrates
Plastic
Paper
Full-size
Plastic
Half-size
Paper
Plastic
Print advertising (brochures,
leaflets and direct mail)
Digital, serigraphy and lithography for high-end clientele
Half-size
Paper
UV Coating
Full-size
Plastic
5
Aqueous Coating
Half-size
Paper
Digital, web and sheetfed offset
printing combined with telematic
and database solutions
6
Aqueous Coating
Paper
Lithographer with in-house
design studio providing range
of coated finishes
Full-size
Ecuador
26–27
Full-size
UV Coating
Homer Shanghai
China
24–25
Press Size
Netherlands
Full-size
High-end packaging using UV
and conventional on paper and
plastic substrates
Komori On Press
15
Coating System
Press Size
Aqueous Coating
UV Coating
Substance
Paper
Pioneer in all combinations of inks, coatings and substrates
Plastic
Full-size
Classic Color pushes the envelope
Classic Color, Broadview, US
expertise to make recommendations to our
clients, providing them with an even more
valuable product; this furthers our competitive
advantage, and our clients see us as a valuable
resource because of it.
OP: Your business is a little different than the
average commercial printer, isn’t it?
JH: What we do is manage brands. We start
at the front end of our customer’s business.
In fact, we were a front-end or prepress business that evolved into print, and today 35
percent of our business is still prepress. What
we do is manage the brand for the client, in
every medium it appears, whether it is seen or
touched. That includes electronic media, billboards, large format and traditional print. We
believe coating attaches a personal signature
to a brand when it is delivered in print.
Jeff Hernandez, Vice President with Lead Pressmen Lou Albono and Rob Robinson.
Jeff Hernandez, vice president of Classic
Color in Broadview, Illinois, is a coating evangelist. With four Komori 40-inch presses in
their operation, and two of those being LS40s
equipped with UV, Hernandez and crew are
constantly experimenting with specialty coatings. Classic Color printed this issue of On
Press, and the cover features eight different
coating techniques. On Press sat down with
Hernandez to find out what drives him to push
the envelope on coating effects.
On Press: What sparked your interest in coating technology?
Jeff Hernandez: It was really the ability to
truly deliver value added printing. Everybody
talks about value added, and quality and service. But value added to me means bringing
something different to the customer, meeting
the customer’s need. To us that translated into
coating. We want to bring something totally
different into the market that delivers visual
impact.
What was also interesting about coating
technologies is their ability to bring true craftsmanship back to the printing industry. Now,
when a project hits our floor, we can let the
creative spirit within us shine. We can use our
16
Komori On Press
OP: How did you enter the UV market?
JH: We put in our first UV press knowing
nothing about UV. We did about two years of
research before we bought our first UV press,
and what we found out was that there was UV
out there but it was primarily overall flood
coats. We kept our noses to the grindstone,
learning, trying to figure out what we could
accomplish. We figured out how we could take
it to the next level and deliver something that
our competitors couldn’t. We did that through
spot coatings, tactile coatings. We produced a
photography book that gave us instant experience and credibility. When people saw the
book they were impressed. We got a lot of
accolades for that book, and after it hit the
market, we had clients coming to us asking
for specialty coatings. We went on to produce
sample books for some major paper manufacturers and after that, we really broke out. We
became known as the coating people. We’ve
been blessed.
It wasn’t easy, but if it were, everyone would
be doing it. That’s why we don’t have digital presses here. Once it becomes easy, it
becomes a commodity. Everyone is chasing
a nickel. We don’t have to worry about that
because our competition is limited. There are
only a handful of printers who can do what we
do.
OP: Are you finding that brand owners are
willing to pay for the higher cost that these
added value processes incur?
JH: Corporations spend millions of dollars
on their brand and in terms of their marketing
budgets, the print production spend is minuscule. The companies we work with see these
specialty coatings as providing visual impact.
And that’s what we try to do — produce visual
impact, print that communicates. And that is
what UV does. It allows you to do a lot more
with coating and with specialized ink. It dries
fast.
OP: Humans are visual and tactile by nature —
do you find that plays a role in the marketplace?
JH: Take a look at packaging. Packaging has
to “shelf talk.” Your product sits on the shelf
among all the other brands — how do you make
it stand out? In some cases, the cost of the package is more than the cost of the product. It’s all
about the perception of what you’re buying.
You’re creating a brand image. You see it across
all consumer markets — liquor, cosmetics, electronics. The box invites you in. Studies show
that if you pick a box up off a shelf, about 60
percent of the time, you’ll purchase the item.
It’s tactile and you interact with the piece. And
to your question about whether brand owners
will pay for it — the smart ones do.
What print can deliver is an experience, and
that is even more important in print today.
Vanilla four-color process printing has become
commoditized. When you start working in the
realm of coatings, you’ll see clients who really
appreciate what you do and seek your advice
on how to deliver higher impact with their
product.
OP: Are you seeing different substrates being
used with UV?
JH: With UV it’s endless. We’ve printed on
velour, on plastics, on wood. We broke the
barn doors open with this. You just have to try
things. Everyone says there’s no time to experiment, but if we’d taken that approach in the
auto industry we’d all still be driving Model Ts.
OP: What’s on the horizon for specialty
coatings?
JH: I work closely with coating manufacturers,
and literally the sky is the limit. I’ve worked with
glitter coatings, coatings that look like tar, photochromatic, soft touches, scented coatings.
OP: Where are you looking to expand in the
future?
JH: The packaging market is interesting. I’ve
been doing research, and what was eye-opening to me is the number of 40-inch presses that
large packaging houses are running. I assumed
Strategy: Adding Value
User Profile
they were running larger format machines.
I think with the fast makeready and press
speeds on 40-inch machines that there is an
opportunity in packaging.
Plus the trend is for shorter run lengths, and
that also lends itself to the 40-inch market. It’s
my job to create the experience. I think that
with our ability to provide visual impact, we
could have some success in this market.
OP: What advice do you have for printers
interested in getting into UV?
JH: Getting into UV is a game changer and a
great way to differentiate your business, plus
there is still a lot of room for growth in the UV
market. However, you need to understand the
technology you’re getting into. If you have the
skill internally, that’s great, but if you don’t you
have to get consultants or training. You have to
work with vendors who understand that. Get
all the help you can! And you have to have
employees who are open minded and willing to try.
I like to learn from failure. I think that makes
you a lot stronger. We continuously try things
that other people think are impossible. This
gives our guys bragging rights in the industry. Remember that it’s all about teamwork
between your vendors, your customers, your
employees. You can’t do it on your own. My
three words of advice — training, training,
training!
OP: What is the key to Classic Color’s success?
JH: I think you always have to continue to
invest in new equipment and partner with
companies who can bring you new technology. I tell everyone that Komori is a big
part of the success of Classic Color. If I need
information, there’s always someone I can
call at Komori who can point me in the right
direction. We like to work with vendors who
collaborate. There are other manufacturers
who will drop off a piece of equipment and
then disappear. You need to partner with vendors who will help you grow your business.
That’s just smart business.
You know, we’ve only been printing for eight
years, and in that time we’ve moved up from
two half-size presses to four 40-inch Komori
machines. We installed the first UV press, and
the work was coming so fast, we had to install
another one. Our LS-840 is 100 percent dedicated to UV and our LS-640 is running UV 70
percent of the time. UV is definitely our future
and we’ll keep pushing the envelope!
Komori On Press
17
Coating System
Press Size
Aqueous coating
Substance
Strategy: Adding Value
User Profile
Paper
Print advertising — brochures, leaflets and direct mail
Full-size
Baugé boldly opts for sheetfed
Baugé Imprimeur, Descartes, France
the management of the printing company on
December 21, 2009. He is now in charge of the
entire company, including investments.
Dynamic web printer sees the future
Located in Descartes, 57 km south of Tours,
Baugé Imprimeur is a major name in the printing
industry and currently has a 14,000-squaremeter plant and 95 employees. Specializing in
print advertising, this dynamic company has
up till now focused on web offset printing. But
recognizing the fast evolution of the market,
Baugé Imprimeur was able to anticipate future
demands and installed their first sheetfed press
— a Komori press — in November 2009.
A specialist in complex finishing
“Our clientele, 80 percent of which is from
Paris, comprises large corporations,” explains
Mr. Baugé. “We work for banks — practically all
banks are among our clientele — mobile phone
operators, department stores, insurance companies and large public relations agencies. We
make brochures, leaflets and direct-mail advertisements, from simple items to highly complex
pieces. In direct marketing, for example, we
create materials with remoistenable glue,
scratch-off coating, perforation, and microencapsulated glue — in one pass. Beyond printing,
we have real know-how in finishing processes.
Until the end of 2009 we only worked on web
offset presses: we had two 16-page presses and
one 8-page press. However, in order to stay
afloat in the graphics industry, it is a mistake to
limit oneself. Adaptability is key to identifying
and acquiring new business.”
Nicolas Baugé, CEO
The Baugés have printing in their DNA:
George, the great-grandfather of Nicolas
Baugé, the present CEO, started as a printer
in Richelieu almost one hundred years ago, in
1912. The company as it is today was created
in 1962 by Pierre Baugé, whose father Marcel
was also a printer. Nicolas Baugé is the first
member of his family who did not train as a
printer. Educated as a financier, he took over
18
Komori On Press
Komori Lithrone LS-540 versus
web offset presses
Economic crisis or not, printers are coming
to the same conclusion: quantities are decreasing. Several reasons can be identified: the
Internet, budget cuts and excessively targeted
marketing. Baugé Imprimeur reacted by adopting a bold investment policy: “We recognized
that further commercial development would
not be possible without looking at markets that
we hadn’t touched before,” says Baugé. “To
secure our position in terms of profitability, we
needed a machine adapted to smaller printing
volumes. We opted for a five-color with varnish
coater in the 70 x 102 cm format. As deadlines
were becoming shorter and shorter, acrylic
“To secure our position
in terms of profitability, we
needed a machine adapted to
smaller printing volumes. So we opted for a five-color Komori plus varnish, in 70 x 102 cm format.”
Nicolas Baugé, CEO
varnishing became essential. Delivery drying
allows the pile to be sent on immediately —
products can be finished without any break in
the workflow.”
“We chose a Komori LS-540 with PDC-SII and
CIP3, which has been operating since January
15 of this year,” continues Baugé. In addition to
its printing start-up speed, drying speed, and
perfect adaptation to the length of our jobs,
this machine allows us to work on a much
wider range of papers — from 60 to 400 gsm.
The web offset presses, on the other hand, only
allowed up to 225 gsm.”
Careful selection process
Before opting for the Komori, Baugé and
his team did some serious research. “We visited numerous printers and since many were
equipped with Komori presses and had consistently renewed their fleet with this brand, we
thought they must have had very good reasons
for such loyalty. After a series of tests we carried
out at these printers and at Komori, we understood why. This equipment offers excellent
performance and high reliability. Moreover, it
significantly reduces paper waste and requires
smaller volumes of consumables compared
to web offset presses. At the environmental
level, this is a plus, and we are sensitive to this
aspect because we are PEFC (Programme for
the Endorsement of Forest Certification) and
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified and
pay attention to the carbon balance. On top of
that, the service is impeccable, as we saw right
after installation. Komori met our expectations
both in terms of flexibility as well as advice and
training. This company responds to its clients
and is technologically advanced enough to
meet all emerging requirements, now and in
the future.”
Baugé Imprimeur’s investment is part of a
larger re-deployment strategy. The printer
already had an integrated graphics studio, and
with this sheetfed press, prepress capabilities
have been improved. Today, the company
offers full photography services to all its clients. And it seems certain that new ideas will
emerge again in the mind of Nicolas Baugé —
as he envisions taking on new market trends
and leading his company in its partnership
with Komori.
Komori On Press
19
Coating System
UV Coating
Press Size
Substance
Half-size
Paper
Digital, serigraphy, and lithography for high-end clientele
Plastic
Innovating upstream in Casablanca
Directprint, Casablanca, Morocco
From left, Anas Chraïbi, Director, and Abderahim Jari, Workshop Supervisor
Directprint finds a partner for innovation
With a double-digit growth rate that sounds
like a dream to those on the other side of the
Mediterranean, Directprint could rest on its
laurels, especially given that Morocco registered a GDP increase of five percent in 2009.
But this would show a lack of knowledge of
the company’s leaders, who, from the very
beginning, owe their success to their spirit of
constant innovation.
Located in Casablanca, a large industrial
center representing 60 percent of the country’s production, Directprint is the outcome of
an encounter. Anas Chraïbi remembers: “My
associate Younes Benchekroun and I were not
destined for this job. He was a young mechanical engineer and I had in my pocket my MBA
from Columbia University in the United States.
We started with photoengraving in 1992. We
only had two computers, but we were passionate and we quickly secured clients. We began
digital printing in 1995, and then we added
offset printing, which became our core busi-
20
Komori On Press
ness. We felt that it would allow us to expand
our clientele. Actually, the Moroccan market
was a small one, and we had to offer a variety
of products in order to respond to the various
demands of customers.”
Upscale positioning
Their strategy paid off. Today Directprint
has 80 employees and operates out of a
very modern 3,000-square-meter facility in
Casablanca-Est. The printer’s clients include
the tourism industry, large hotels, magazines,
art publications and luxury packaging. “We try
to work upstream with our clients. We have a
design studio with 10 employees, and we are
currently setting up a research office,” says
Mr. Chraïbi. “There are few upscale service
providers here, so besides everyday printing,
our clients request specific products, such as
POS items, display stands, sophisticated cardboard or polypro packaging, and light boxes.
Our fleet includes a Mitsubishi Diamond 1000,
a Heidelberg SM52, a Komori LS-429 and a
Strategy: Adding Value
User Profile
brand new Komori LS-629 with coater. We
also have a serigraphy line with a combined
UV/hot air dryer.”
“We were aware of the Komori reputation
when we bought our first Komori Lithrone in
2007 from Graphic Evolution, Komori’s distributor in Maghreb. We are very happy with
it — it rarely breaks down and it offers reliability and speed. So we naturally went back to
Komori and Graphic Evolution for the second
press, as we were looking for a manufacturer
that could respond to all of our enormous
technological demands,” explains Chraïbi.
New six-color Komori LS29 with UV coater
“We chose a Komori LS-629 with UV coater,
which was delivered to us in December 2009.
It allows us to tackle every type of printing on
specialty papers, on luxury paper, plastic PET,
PP, PVC — things that our competitors cannot
do,” he relates. “UV offset is a completely new
world for us, and we are confident that Komori
is the best partner for our new venture. With
six UV printing units, the jobs are ready for
finishing immediately, which definitely offers
us advantages in ensuring quality, creating
more sophisticated products, and meeting
short deadlines.”
“This new investment is part of our strategy
of operating in the ‘blue oceans’ as opposed
to the ‘red oceans’ — those bleeding markets
where people fight for the same slice of the
cake by slashing their prices. Innovative companies like ours undergo more important
growth and have better profitability. With
our clients, we talk less about price and more
about the product, about the technology, and
about added value. Moreover, large sections
of the market such as catalogs are disappearing, and we think our future is in print that
fulfills useful and valuable functions: communication for large hotels and packages
for high-value food products such as tea and
coffee and new lines of cosmetics that use
plant-based ingredients,” he adds.
Welcome to the world of 3-D
“Giving rein to our spirit of innovation, we
entered the lenticular printing segment, which
is currently growing larger and supports the
promotion of 3-D movies and the launching of
3-D television. Our LS-629 is perfectly adapted
to this application, which requires very high
precision and exceptional printing quality.”
“We and Komori share the same philosophy:
always offer state-of-the-art technological
innovations, go forward, and work with clients on new applications. And of course, offer
Tarik Jarhaidar, UV press operator,
and Abderahim Jari, Workshop Supervisor
“We have chosen
the ‘blue ocean’ strategy, where
innovation attains satisfying
margins, letting others fight each other in the ‘red ocean’ of price cutting.”
Anas Chraïbi, Director
complete satisfaction through our outstanding customer service and the quality of
our products.”
Concludes Chraïbi: “Today, Morocco is
becoming a hub for sub-Saharan Africa, and
Directprint is looking forward to the creation
of logistics centers on the southern route to
work more closely with Senegal, Mauritania,
Niger, and to get a foothold in the Ivory Coast
and Cameroon. The future smiles on those
who look ahead … with Komori.”
Komori On Press
21
Coating System
UV coating
Press Size
Substance
Half-size
Paper
Full-size
Plastic
High-end packaging using UV and conventional on paper and plastic substrates
Strategy: Adding Value
User Profile
Homer: UV printing experts
Homer Shanghai, Shanghai, China
Lin Jianan, General Manager
22
Komori On Press
Homer Color Printing Co., Ltd. is a leading
Taiwanese packaging printer with more than
40 years of experience in producing highgrade folding boxes. From set-up gift boxes
to plastic clear boxes, Homer’s wide range
of high quality packaging products has been
extensively adopted by many global manufacturers in the cosmetics, pharmaceuticals,
wine, tobacco, food, designer merchandise
and electronics industries. As the first printing
company to introduce UV flexo machines into
Taiwan, Homer’s business is expanding rapidly.
into a large printing company with more than
250 employees.
Shanghai Homer is an expert in providing one-stop integrated packaging and
printing solutions to many famous brands.
Their high-end packaging is widely used in
many industries, especially in the cosmetics, tobacco, wine and food sectors. Many
internationally known cosmetics brands from
Japan and the US and many renowned wine
and liquor brands from Japan and France are
long-term customers.
Expansion into mainland China
In 2003, Homer decided to establish its first
printing factory outside of Taiwan — Shanghai
FUTA Print Co., Ltd. — in order to enhance the
company’s production capacity and to extend
its market coverage into mainland China. In
2009, Shanghai FUTA was renamed Homer
Printing (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. After seven years
of hard work, Shanghai Homer has developed
Working on Saturdays and Sundays
Before installing Komori presses, Shanghai Homer used Mitsubishi and MAN
Roland for a few years. In 2005, based on
the well-researched recommendation of
Wei Rongliang, general manager of Komori
Taiwan Ltd., Homer agreed to purchase two
six-color Lithrone S28 presses for trial. One
was installed in their Taiwan factory and the
other was commissioned in the Shanghai factory. “Ease of operation and low maintenance
are the main reasons we chose Komori,” says
Mr. Lin Jianan, general manager of Shanghai
Homer. He believes it was the right decision to
make: “Komori printing machines have a Chinese interface. Also, because the operation is
more ergonomic and fine-tuned, it’s easier for
operators to achieve man-to-machine communication.” Today Shanghai Homer has four
Komori printing presses in their production
line — specifically, a six-color LS40+C with
UV, an LS28 and an LS29 (both six-color with
UV), and a six-color LS40. Each machine specializes in distinctive tasks. The LS-640 uses
normal paper for commercial printing, and
the three UV presses are dual-use, printing
both on normal paper and PP or PET plastic
substrates. Mr. Lin explains: “Komori printing
presses offer outstanding performance and
a clear operating interface with user-friendly
support through high-technology software. In
color management and in operation, Komori
presses make it easier for operators to manage
printing jobs and production schedules.” Currently, all of the Komori printing presses in
Shanghai are operating close to full capacity
and most of the time they are working on Saturdays and Sundays as well.
is enthusiastic about its benefits: “We intend
to thoroughly implement the maintenance
strategy. With support from Komori’s management and the Technical Service Team, I believe
materials wastage will largely be reduced, efficiency will be improved, and maintenance
costs will be decreased. Ensuring the operating
stability of the presses will reduce waste and
defective products and enhance our product
quality. This is vitally important for maintaining
our customers’ confidence and extending our
business development in the future.”
Shanghai Homer is now discussing several
new projects with Komori. Clearly a win-win
situation that will lead to a better future for
Komori and the Homer group.
Signing up for KPM
Recently Shanghai Homer has registered
all of their Komori presses with the Komori
Preventive Maintenance (KPM) program. Lin
Komori On Press
23
Coating System
Press Size
Substance
Aqueous coating
Half-size
Paper
Digital, web and sheetfed offset printing combined with telematic and database solutions
Full-size
TASKI tackles telecoms apps
TASKI, Quito, Ecuador
mote synergies between its offset, digital, web
and telematic divisions to produce innovative
and unique solutions within an overall quality
management system. It’s no surprise that TASKI
is one of the few companies in the printing
industry that has been awarded an ISO 9001
certificate for all of its divisions.
TASKI’s offset division
In 2008 TASKI decided to upgrade and
expand its offset printing machinery to capture promising markets and at the same time
to reduce third-party subcontracting and quality control issues. This strategy translates into
a client-oriented business where TASKI controls the critical points in production. Thus
the company has invested in a great variety
of equipment in the past few years without
extending itself beyond its core business.
Such investment has had two direct positive
effects on clients — improved delivery times
and higher quality control, two of the three
elements most valued by clients. The third element, flexibility through customized solutions,
has allowed TASKI to reaffirm itself as a print
consulting company.
From left: Oscar Ayerve Rosas, Executive President, and Christian Molina, Production Manager
Client-driven innovation and flexibility
TASKI’s origins go back 73 years, when Jorge
Alfonso Ayerve Martinez founded Graficas
Ayerve with a small one-color offset press with
the vision of bringing color printing technology to Ecuador. Years later and now known
as TASKI, that dream has been realized by his
son, Oscar Ayerve Rosas, executive president
of the company. The printer embraces not only
offset printing but also digital printing, web
printing and even the manufacture of offset
printing inks. All of this comes from a business
model where each decision is based on two
fundamental premises: promoting innovative
management while generating customized
products for its clients.
This model has allowed the scope of the
business to expand under the leadership
of Ayerve Rosas and his son, Oscar Ayerve
Cabrera, general manager. In fact, the company has diversified successfully in developing
telematic solutions, which merge traditional
printing with concepts from computer science
and electronic technologies. Ayerve Cabrera
explains: “Today we specialize in providing
solutions where telecommunication overlaps
with data transfer through GPRS/WiFi. We offer
24
Komori On Press
database and document management, Mifare
cards and software applications development
with the objective of providing customized
ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) solutions that offer a high level of security. With
regard to ITS, we focus on preventing fraud by
ensuring the validity of transportation transactions as well as providing tracking solutions
through GPS and RFID on vehicles and documents. Thus our clients view us as a database
management company rather than solely as a
printing company.”
Strategy: Adding Value
User Profile
Tooling up for high-end printing
The decision to invest in Komori was not
driven by sentiment — in 1990 Jorge Ayerve
was the first printer in Ecuador to acquire a
Komori machine. Rather the decision was
based on two factors critical to TASKI: first,
Komori showed great interest in being part
of the development and expansion of TASKI
and, second, Komori knew how to present
its technological versatility. The company
invested not only in an LS-529+C press in 2008
Oscar Ayerve Cabrera, General Manager
and an L-420+C press in 2009 to fulfill current
clients but also decided to invest in the first
eight-color plus varnish l/R press in Ecuador,
an LS-840P+C, aimed at capturing demand in
the publishing market.
Without a doubt, the path traced by the
Ayerve family is directed toward expanding
TASKI’s presence in the market in the near
future, not only to consolidate its established
position in the country but also to penetrate
foreign markets. The company’s strategy for
the future underscores its belief that communication barriers are being eliminated and the
need to build relationships by means of innovative management is ever more imperative.
From printing to system integrator
One sign of this successful venture is that
in January 2008, TASKI was appointed the IT
integrator of the Automatic Fare Collection
and Operational Control Systems (SIR/SAE) of
Ecuador’s Corredor Central Norte. Under this
arrangement, TASKI is migrating the payment
mechanism from coins to smart cards and
monitoring the bus fleet in order to improve its
productivity. Ayerve Rosas says it well: “From
the beginning, we recognized that if there
was no technological element differentiating
us from the competition then we would not
prevail.” The objective, therefore, is to proKomori On Press
25
Coating System
Press Size
Aqueous coating
Substance
Paper
Full-size
Lithographer with in-house design studio providing range of coated finishes
Dutch printer takes LS-540+C
Coers en Roest, Arnhem, Netherlands
ing that, even during the downturn of the last
two years, we maintained growth and kept our
machines almost fully occupied, we believed
that this was the time to combine an increase
in capacity with greater productivity, with the
focus on faster job turnaround.”
Growing importance
of five colors and coater
“Recently, the requirement for special colors
has grown to represent 20 percent of our production. We recognized the benefits of a fifth
printing unit on our presses. At the same time,
we’ve experienced a continual increase in
demand from customers for special coatings.
Additionally, as we design so much of our own
work, we could see the advantages of giving
our creative team added value production features that we could offer to our clients.”
“The time had come, therefore, to find a
new press that combined both fifth color and
coating. So, late in 2009, we selected what we
considered to be our three most suitable press
manufacturers — Heidelberg, KBA and Komori
— and planned to visit them to see their latest
technology.”
Coers en Roest subsequently set out to
review the latest range of 72 cm presses on
the market. Their investigations led them to
the demonstration room at Komori’s European
headquarters in Utrecht. This is where events
took an unexpected turn.
Philip Kammeijer, Owner
Fifty years as an all-Heidelberg house reveals
only a small part of the history of Coers en
Roest, printers and designers in the Netherlands. The company was created in 1858,
when Jacob Coers and two partners established art book printing and engraving services
in the city of Arnhem. Several years later in the
early 1880s, the foundations of the present
company were laid when Jacob was joined by
brother-in-law Gerrit Roest to form Coers and
Roest, book printers and lithographers.
By 1921, the steadily growing business had
passed into the hands of the Kramer family,
and now, three generations later, that family
connection remains through the current
owner, Philip Kammeijer, who took control in
2000. The company grew further in 2004 with
the takeover of well-established local printers
Oosterbeekse LindersAdremo.
Print designers at work
at Coers en Roest
26
Komori On Press
Design studio a key to success
Today Coers en Roest has a turnover of six
million euros and a staff of 43, and its wide
range of customers includes the Netherlands
hotel group Bilderberg, the Dutch financial
house Rabobank, the nationally renowned
Burgers’ Zoo, sports organizations, and many
local and regional businesses. The company
is strongly supported by its team of six highly
qualified graphic designers, as Philip Kammeijer affirms: “We have had a design studio for
over 38 years, and, unusual for our industry,
70 percent of the work we print is designed
in-house. It’s a service we’re very proud of,
it’s helped us maintain continual growth, and
it’s been especially useful during the last two
ultra-competitive years.”
It is on the back of these two successful
years that Coers en Roest recently had the
confidence to seek additional production
capacity. As Mr. Kammeijer explains: “Know-
Surprise switch to larger format
Kammeijer elucidates: “Right up until the
time we entered the Komori showroom, we
had planned that the most suitable Komori for
us would be the latest five-color Lithrone S29
with the addition of a dedicated coater. However, Komori had the larger Lithrone S40 in the
showroom — also with fifth unit and coater —
and the Komori team gave us an impromptu
demonstration.”
“Komori quickly ran a series of jobs — all
with spot coating on the fifth unit followed
by overall varnish applied on the coating unit.
Of course, we saw how quick the job-to-job
changeover was and we realized how these
automated technologies would satisfy our
requirement for faster turnaround. However,
while the press was running, it became obvious to us just how much more flexible our
production would be with the larger 102 x
72 cm sheet size. In the past, we had always
accepted that for turnaround speed and competitiveness, some of our large-format jobs
were more efficiently contracted out, usually
to printers with web presses. Suddenly though,
Strategy: Adding Value
User Profile
we recognized in the Lithrone S40 a press that
would also enable us to handle virtually all our
work internally.”
Continues Kammeijer: “Within days, we had
made our decision to break with tradition,
buy our first Komori and install that same fivecolor S40 and coater that had impressed us so
much during the demonstration. Selecting that
press also enabled us to take quick delivery —
another business benefit for us.”
And the press continues to awe the Coers
en Roest management and the operators on
the shop floor. “Komori has been first-class
on installation, training and after-sales support. We have had no problem integrating the
Komori into what was previously a Heidelbergbased workflow with our Xgram Management
Information System. Our operators have found
it easy to run and we are now able to offer
customers a whole range of attractive coated
finishes — matte, silk, gloss, soft touch and
other speciality applications, plus the bonus
of quick delivery,” says Kammeijer.
Competing with digital
“As proof of the Lithrone S40’s efficiency, we
recently used it for a short-run job originally
scheduled for our Canon Image Press C6000.
This job consisted of 380 A4 pages, with a run
length of just 250. On the Canon, we estimated
it would have taken almost five days. On the
Lithrone, we made 42 plate changes and,
with the advantage of a reduced number of
sections, we completed the job in 8.2 hours,”
Philip Kammeijer concludes enthusiastically.
“The difference the Lithrone S40 has made
proves to me that, without doubt, every printer
should now have at least one press with a fifth
printing unit and coater!”
Komori On Press
27
User Profile
User Profile
Evolving from digital to offset
Pixart.it, Marghera (VE), Italy
Matteo Rigamonti, CEO
Thanks to tremendous growth attained in
just a few years, Pixart.it is unique in the Italian printing industry and beyond. With a view
to continuing this growth, the company has
decided to complement their digital printing equipment with offset printing equipment
and has chosen Komori as their supplier
par excellence.
Implementing basic marketing rules and
pursuing ambitious projects: this is what
epitomizes Pixart.it, an all-Italian success.
Responding to the market as a high quality,
web-to-print company supplying mainly corporate users, Pixart.it in 2005 formulated its
own business model. Since then the company
has been operating in the B2B printing sector.
Matteo Rigamonti, CEO of Pixart.it, says:
“Companies should study their own business
by first analyzing primary consumer needs —
overcoming challenges and developing an
28
Komori On Press
economically appealing business.” Pixart.it is
therefore based on a user-friendly business
model, competitive prices, effective answers
to real needs, and guaranteed delivery times.
‘The courage to dare’
“Now more then ever we need to find the
courage to dare,” continues Mr. Rigamonti.
“As far as we are concerned, we never stopped
evolving, which is how we achieved the difficult objective of optimizing both production
and product quality.” It’s in this very metamorphosis that Pixart.it, traditionally a digital
printing company, acquired offset printing
capability by purchasing a four-color Komori
sheetfed press, followed in early 2010 by a
10-color Komori press.
The step toward offset printing
The decision to install the first of the two
offset presses was not dictated by a strategic
change. It was, rather, the consequence of
the company’s need to offer very high quality
printed materials with 24- to 48-hour delivery
at a competitive price. Rigamonti explains why
the company decided to invest in the Komori
LS-429 in 53 x 75 cm size: “It’s the only machine
that is as easy to use as a digital press thanks
to its very high automation. And it also guarantees consistent quality even by operators
without specific skills in traditional printing.”
Pixart.it’s online ordering system sends the job
automatically to the digital or the offset printing equipment based on the run length and
availability.
“I never thought that a certain technology is
better than another one,” continues Rigamonti.
“Since the very beginning we simply decided
to use the type of printing that
best suits our clients’ needs.
When we realized that short
runs often were not short
enough to be convenient for
digital printing, we decided to
take a look at traditional printing. And in this process, we
discovered that lithographic
printing has greatly improved.
In particular, during the very
first steps of our evaluation
process, Komori immediately
stood out not only for the ease
of use of their presses but also
for their color stability, very
short makereadies (only 3–4
minutes!), and extremely low
level of paper waste (only
20–25 sheets!). It was a real
revelation to us.”
‘A fundamental error’
After installing the first of their two Komori
presses, which was delivered in August 2009,
the revolution at Pixart.it continued. “One
week was enough,” explains Rigamonti, “to
understand a fundamental evaluation error
that we made in our early calculations. In fact,
we had completely underestimated the higher
demand for ‘Pixart.it style’ jobs resulting from
the purchase of the first Komori press. We
were overwhelmed by our own success. In
only two months we printed more than four
million copies. This is why we immediately
decided to purchase another Komori. However this time we opted for an LS-1029P with
perfecting (5+5) in the 53 x 75 cm size.”
“The press, which was installed in January
2010, has significantly helped us meet our
short delivery times, improve quality and
increase output capacity, particularly with
the growing number of orders coming from
abroad,” says Rigamonti. In 2009 Pixart.it
started intense marketing activities to further
consolidate its presence in Europe, particularly
in France, the UK and Germany.
Describing his visit to IPEX 2010, Matteo
Rigamonti says: “IPEX was very bubbly this
year. Among the new equipment exhibited,
I think the new Komori press with the H-UV
polymerization system is very interesting. For
us it would be extremely useful thanks to the
very short processing times. Our digital DNA
does not prevent us from using offset printing — it’s still incomparably competitive in
long runs.”
Komori On Press
29
Provides demonstrations
for customers
Education in printing
technology hardware
and software
Core Institution of Komori Group
Komori
KomoriGrap
Graphic Technology Center
Technical training for
Komori engineers
Basic research in
printing technology
Change is a constant that ripples through the printing industry. Technologies, materials, business models and competing media are ever evolving — transforming printing
and creating new needs that must be addressed. One major change in the way Komori
meets customer needs has become clear over the past few years in the vastly expanded
resources devoted to service, technical training and human resources — both within the
Komori Group and in user organizations.
The centerpiece of Komori’s overall organization dedicated to these purposes is the
Komori Graphic Technology Center, opened on October 10, 2009, in the expanded
Tsukuba Plant. At the unveiling ceremony for this higher-level facility, President Komori
addressed a gathering of Japanese printers, other printing organizations and companies,
and the industry press, describing his enthusiasm for the new center: “Through KGC we
will strengthen our ideal of inspiring kando — by exceeding our customers’ expectations.
KGC will be the core institution of the Komori Group for developing an architecture of
printing and printing press technology as well as technical training. As a comprehensive
facility for printing-related technology, KGC will consolidate joint research with printingrelated companies and universities as well as provide demonstrations of our products and
technological training. In essence, we hope to be an information center for the industry
and for customers through an overarching program of knowledge management.”
“Specifically, the KGC Knowledge Bank will collect and process information from the
global graphic arts industry and provide knowledge from Komori to the industry. The
opening of KGC is a milestone for Komori and the Tsukuba Plant, signifying a renewed
determination to provide kando to customers and meet emerging needs in the area of
technical training, enhanced service capabilities, and sophisticated presentations of
Komori products and technologies.”
30
Komori On Press
Provides demonstrations for customers
The impressive KGC Demonstration Center is equipped
with no less than 11 printing presses — including the latest Lithrones outfitted with a range of specialized valueadding options, System Series web offset presses, and
the monstrously productive double-deck LS40SP.
Demonstrations at the center will allow customers to evaluate presses and will assist in
sales presentations. During factory tours, demos will show new technologies and solutions, such as press control software and color management techniques.
Demonstrations by category
• Added value printing (aqueous and UV coating, UV printing on special substrates)
• One-pass high-productivity printing (convertible perfector and double-deck Super
Perfector)
• Quick job changeover and fast makeready and start-up
• Print quality verification and printing in compliance with world standards (ISO and
Japan Color)
• Environmentally friendly and high-efficiency printing
Komori On Press
31
Offers training for Komori engineers
The Technical Training Center provides training for
Komori engineers working throughout the world to
ensure that customers can confidently rely on
Komori technical support. Various courses in press
maintenance management also use the equipment
in this facility.
The Technical Training Center’s program includes courses for sheetfed press engineers
at all levels — from introductory to expert — as well as beginner and intermediate classes
for web offset press engineers. In addition, basic and intermediate programs of study
for electrical engineers and mechanical engineers are offered. Like all courses at KGC,
this training is offered year-round in major European and Asian languages.
Presents courses using the latest equipment and facilities — from photography to prepress and printing
The KGC Printing College offers participatory training using the latest equipment
and facilities in several fields — from photography to prepress and printing. The
courses are aimed at improving offset printing quality and providing support for
training at printing companies around the world.
Basic, intermediate and advanced courses in general offset printing make up the core of the Printing College’s curriculum.
These are targeted at the critical staff positions in the plant — operators, plant foremen and plant managers. Focused courses
include a variety of practical seminars, a color management course for theoretical and practical mastery of Komori’s advanced
suite of color management tools, a KHS training course, a quality standardization course, and courses for specific machines.
Other classes are also offered, and new courses are constantly being developed to keep pace with evolving products and
technologies.
Digital workflow research, practical use, and information access area
The DoNet Area, focused on Komori’s Digital Open
Architecture Network, supports research as well as
practical training in digital workflows.
Industry-university
collaboration
Pursues basic research in printing technologies
Educational organizations
Universities and research
institutes
Basic R&D
issues in printing
technology
New customer
requests and issues
Joint research with
other manufacturers
Collaboration with
overseas research
institutions
Collaboration with
government/
public sector
KGC’s Printing R&D Center is a long-term initiative that has already paid off in substantive
results (see ‘The Future-Proof Solution’ on page
34). The center will collaborate with academic
institutions and manufacturers of printing materials and peripheral equipment.
Basic research and development issues in printing technology are the foremost target of the center. Through collaboration with a variety of Japanese
educational institutions — including universities and research institutes — as
well as overseas research facilities, public sector R&D organizations, and other
printing industry manufacturers, the Printing R&D Center will address the
medium- and long-term issues confronting Komori customers.
The two pillars of the DoNet Area are training in Komori’s Color Management System
to maximize the effectiveness of KHS-AI and a course on the Data Management System
to make production information visible across the plant .
The research in digital workflows is aimed at reducing wasted work and enhancing
profitability of operations. The training targeted at brushing up workflow knowledge
uses KGC as a ‘virtual printing plant.’
Prepress
Management
department
32
Komori On Press
Color data
Job ticket information
Press operating information
Komori On Press
33
Komori New Technology
New H-UV Innovative UV Curing System opens new possibilities for the offset printing industry
The Future-Proof Solution
A leap in cost-performance
Innovative new Komori technology offers
performance that is not only economically
efficient and environmentally friendly but
also high in quality and reliability.
Apple released the iPad in January 2010,
following on the heels of Amazon’s Kindle
e-reader, and the effect on the printing and
publishing industry is still under evaluation.
At a time when business challenges have
never been clearer, Komori is confident that
its H-UV Innovative UV Curing System is a
genuine stroke of genius — is indeed the nextgeneration differentiation strategy for the
perpetuation and growth of printing culture.
Redefining the state of the art
Since its establishment in 1923, Komori has
never wavered in its devotion to listening
to the voice of the customer as it sought to
ignite customer kando through its products
and services. These voices in recent years
34
Komori On Press
have expressed the difficulty of meeting everrising market needs for shorter runs of more
varied printed products, shorter and shorter
turnaround times, and higher added value.
Komori began to carefully consider what kind
of new system could serve as the first step
toward restoring the profitability of printing companies. Ultimately attention turned
to conventional printing with oil-based ink
— which is chosen for economy — and UV
printing – which is chosen for added value.
Presses for conventional offset printing are by
far the most widely used type. They are easy to
understand technologically, the most inexpensive, and offer lower initial and running costs
compared to other types of machines. Disadvantages include the requirements for time to
dry the sheets and space for the piles while
they dry. Also, determining that the sheets
have dried is not always straightforward. Sheet
scratching can be the unhappy result if work
is sent to finishing before the ink is fully dried.
The application of spray powder brings its own
set of negative consequences. Depending on
the stock used and the amount of ink coverage, the insertion of additional pile boards
may even be necessary.
UV printing offers the advantage of instant ink
curing in-line, thus dramatically shortening the
printing time compared to conventional printing. Finishing processes such as guillotining
and folding or die cutting can be performed
right away, and the period from submission of
the job to delivery of the final product can be
shortened dramatically. Spray powder is not
necessary, so there are no powder dispersion
headaches. The surface of the printed sheet
is not rough, so post-press surface finishing
is much better. Problems that arise when an
on-demand press is used for follow-on printing are greatly reduced. Orders from clients
with applications that prohibit the adhesion
of powder can be increased. Since color drydown does not occur, quality maintenance
and management is much less complicated.
Since no time is spent waiting for the ink to dry,
the printing company benefits by not having to
provide space for the printed work.
Among the disadvantages of UV are the
price of the press itself, the cost of UV ink,
and the fact that it has not yet outstripped
conventional printing in profitability. Since UV
printing releases heat and ozone, anti-corrosion treatment and ductwork are required to
handle these by-products. A distinctive odor
on UV printed items can be another problem.
Nonetheless, UV printing is chosen because
printers value it highly as a means of increasing
profitability that also works as a strategy for differentiating the company from its competitors.
Taking into account these pros and cons,
Komori set out to develop a system that would
yield outstanding economy, productivity, print
quality and operating efficiency by extracting
the advantages of both conventional and UV
printing methods and eliminating as far as
possible their disadvantages. This new system
would need to not only perform at the highest
level but also reduce the environmental footprint of printing. Specifically, Komori began a
process that resulted in the H-UV Innovative
UV Curing System, an innovation capable of
serving as the differentiation strategy for the
next generation of printing.
Principles of UV Curing Systems
Conventional UV lamps
Generate UV radiation in the 200–600 nm range. Ozone is generated
by 254 nm wavelength radiation, and heat is generated by 400 nm and
higher wavelength radiation.
LED lamp
UV radiation on one of the 365/375/385/395 nm wavelengths. The
wavelength selected differs by lamp manufacturer. In Japan, the 385
nm wavelength is generally used.
UV ink
Photopolymerization initiators that react to 350–365 nm wavelength
radiation are used.
LED ink
Japanese domestic makers use photopolymerization initiators that
react to 385 nm wavelength radiation.
LED-UV Issues
Distance from the lamp to the substrate must be 20 mm or less.
Due to the construction, the actual distance is 15 mm or less. When
printing on thick sheets, it is necessary to avoid the lamp touching the
substrate.
Curing technologies for varnish coaters are not established.
The price of the lamp itself is high, and the life cost is expensive.
Although the life of a UV lamp is long, the replacement cost is high. As
a result, LED-UV systems are too expensive.
Economy, productivity and green credentials
UV printing is usually performed by using ultraviolet radiation from a metal halide lamp to cure UV inks. One use of UV
printing is to produce business forms and seals that must be
finished immediately after printing. The UV method is also used
in packaging printing and printing on nonabsorbent substrates,
such as plastic and metallized papers.
In the domain of UV printing, other manufacturers began
introducing presses equipped with LED-UV lamps beginning
in 2008. These machines came into the limelight because the
life of the lamp itself is long and much less heat is discharged. In
terms of cost-effectiveness when considered solely for printing,
these machines are still unprofitable due mainly to the high cost
of the LED lamp and the special ink. However, the production
efficiencies that they allow in the areas of prepress and especially post-press (for folding and finishing) are very high. Here,
Komori On Press
35
Komori New Technology
Plan: to examine the best options in terms of price and technology
and to create a system that contributes to the profitability of printers.
✔ Hold down the initial cost and roll out the system to commercial
printers.
✔ Create a solution that takes into account the life cost of the lamp.
✔ Overcome the problems of LED-UV systems and thus meet the
needs of package printing users (heavy stock and in-line coaters).
Measures for UV Curing Technologies
LED-UV
✔ Overcomes many of the issues of conventional UV printing.
✔ Not the best choice at the present time in terms of technology
and profitability.
Hybrid UV
✔ Newly developed printing system that uses UV lamp and LED ink
✔ Has many advantages compared to LED-UV at the present time.
New presses equipped with budget-friendly curing systems.
Komori launched an intensive effort to find a
way of lowering the cost of the lamp and ink,
which are still a major obstacle to the introduction of UV printing systems. The results of
this research led directly to the development
of Komori’s innovative new UV curing system.
LED-UV lamps: outstanding issues
The LED-UV lamp produces, through the
excitation of electrons, ultraviolet radiation
with a characteristically narrow, or ‘pinpoint,’
wavelength range. LED-UV radiation system
manufacturers can provide equipment with
wavelengths of 365, 375, 385 and 395 nanometers; such systems in Japan mainly use the
385 nm wavelength. The printing ink, consequently, must use photo-initiators with an
absorption wavelength that overlaps the 385
nm wavelength of the light source. This is a
general principle of LED-UV curing systems,
and it would be useful here to compare some
36
Komori On Press
of the various other systems and highlight the
points to which attention must be paid when
considering adoption of this technology.
The UV radiation from a conventional mercury UV lamp begins to break down oxygen
when the wavelength is 185 nm, and this activity intensifies at 254 nm, producing ozone.
Since ozone can be harmful, the printing
facility must have ducting for air supply and
exhaust. In addition, there is the distinct
smell of UV ink. With a higher level of energy,
considerable heat is discharged, creating
temperatures of 60 to 70 degrees Celsius in
the lamp area. This is the reason why the area
around some internal parts and the deck of the
press can feel hot. Depending on the printing
substrate, thermal distortion can occur. Since
this can cause misregistration when follow-up
printing is necessary, great care must be taken
to avoid problems.
LED-UV lamps, on the other hand, only produce UV light at a specific wavelength, so the
production of ozone can be prevented, and
since heat is not discharged, the system has
the advantage of not requiring exhaust ducting. This comparison might suggest that LED
technology is superior; however, the cost of
the machine plus the dryer and the ink are
high. Although the ink contains photo-initiators that react to the LED-UV light and cure the
ink, these are currently patented products and
not subject to the usual price competition.
They are therefore still expensive. Further, as
the sensitivity of the ink is high, it can be difficult to handle since it is even prone to curing
in reaction to visible light. Also, since the distance from the lamp to the sheet surface is
limited to 15 mm or less, care must be taken
when printing thick sheets to prevent the
sheet from coming into contact with the lamp.
Although LED lamp life is long, the replacement cost is high, and in the final analysis the
system suffers from being too expensive.
Full focus on the printing industry
Following analysis and research into conventional UV and LED-UV lamps and the
characteristics of the inks used for these systems, Komori formed a conceptual plan: ‘to
examine the best possibilities in terms of price
and technology and to create a system that
contributes to the profitability of the printing
company.’ The plan was to keep down the
initial cost and roll out a system for the com-
Comparison of Systems by Wavelength
Metal halide
LED-UV (reference value)
H-UV
Energy as percentage
Concept of H-UV System Development
Ozone-generating region
Heat -generating region
Wavelength (nm)
Spectral transmission factor
mercial printing segment. The system must
overcome some of the major problems with
LED-UV systems and thus meet the needs of
packaging printers (heavy stock and in-line
coating). Komori enlisted the cooperation of
lamp makers and ink makers and began development work in close mutual collaboration.
The new Komori Graphic Technology Center
at the Tsukuba Plant, specifically, KGC’s Printing
R&D Center, played a pivotal role in developing this new curing system.
The ozone-free UV lamp developed by
Komori succeeds in cutting out the shortwavelength UV light that generates ozone as
well as drastically reducing the heat-producing wavelength. The joint development of
high-sensitivity ink that reacts to the ozonefree UV lamp ensures a supply of ink that is
less expensive than LED-UV ink. Komori has
thus obtained conclusive proof that the way
has been opened for low running costs. Tests
run under many different conditions using a
wide range of printing substrates showed that
high print quality could be reliably obtained
with lightweight paper, hard-to-dry high-grade
heavy stock and a variety of special substrates.
These results led directly to the announce-
Wavelength data from Eye Graphics
ment of Komori’s New H-UV Innovative UV Curing System
that cures the newly developed UV inks with the newly developed ozone-free lamp. H-UV offers drying that is much quicker
than is possible with conventional oil-based printing inks. The
new system is superior to LED-UV in terms of both initial cost
and running costs. The simple construction of just one lamp
mounted in the delivery upsweep enables such outstanding
added value printing that observers are comparing the system’s
development to the transition from letterpress to offset.
Specified for the future
As noted, the H-UV system has outstanding efficiency and
green credentials. First, cost performance. The H-UV system
requires only one lamp mounted inside the press delivery
combined with a compact power supply and a small cooling
system. Since it requires no air-conditioning equipment such
as an exhaust duct thanks to being ozone-free and discharging only a small amount of heat, the initial cost is much lower
than an ordinary UV system. The system also saves energy and
allows lower running costs. CO2 emission is approximately
one-fourth that of an ordinary UV system. Long-term running
costs, including lamp replacement costs, have been reduced
significantly. And since the amount of heat from the lamp itself
is extremely small, sheet deformation can be eliminated.
On the environmental side of the ledger, H-UV does not
produce the short-wavelength radiation generated by a conventional UV lamp and therefore does not generate ozone.
Komori On Press
37
Komori New Technology
Outstanding Advantages of H-UV System
Low initial cost
Cost is less than half of conventional UV system (which
includes extended delivery, four lamps, and exhaust duct).
Low life cost
Replacement cost is lower, although the new UV lamp has a
shorter life than that of an LED-UV lamp.
Power consumption is about one-third of conventional UV
system
14.8 kW for H-UV (10.2 kW for lamp and 4.6 kW for chiller in
the case of 32-inch press).
Extremely low heat discharge
Substrate temperature after printing is 30–35 degrees C (no
expansion or contraction of the substrate).
It contributes to a better environment within
the printing plant by not using spray powder
and creating only an insignificant trace level
of odor. There is no need for additional installation space because the compact system is
built into the press. Space utilization within
the plant is more efficient because no space
for drying printed work is necessary thanks to
the instant curing.
Performance. Efficiency. Cost savings. Engineering elegance. Green bona fides. The
H-UV system may well be the ultimate model
for not just urban printing enterprises but for
the future of offset printing itself.
No ozone
Elimination of ozone-generating short-wavelength UV
radiation.
Case studies
Kenbunsya Co., Ltd., Japan
Installed eight-color Lithrone S29P perfector in October 2009. No previous UV experience.
Purpose of installation
• We wanted to secure cost reductions in the printing department. We also wanted to seamlessly integrate prepress, press and
post-press.
• Our company has many customers, such as audio equipment makers, who require high quality printing. We also have many
orders for reprints. Securing consistent high print quality was an urgent task for us.
Evaluation by management
• We no longer have to re-do jobs due to dry-down, so we succeeded in eliminating waste.
• We are more trusted by our customers because we can maintain consistent high quality.
• Claims by customers have disappeared. With H-UV, this machine is virtually perfect.
Evaluation from the pressroom floor
• The details in photographs are very clear, and color formation is good.
• We can handle jobs with lots of solids with heavy ink coverage. Even jobs that require a layer of pearl before laying down six
colors on a side show excellent color formation. These jobs probably couldn’t be handled by an LED-UV system.
• There is no difference between the front and back sides. Paper waste has been cut in half. Work can be sent to finishing as
soon as it has been printed. And no more ink dry-down issues.
Printing on heavy stock enabled
Requires adequate distance between lamp and sheet.
❝Work can be sent to finishing as soon as it has been printed.❞
Specifications
• List of Applicable Models
Lithrone S Series 26-, 29- and 32-inch presses
LS-26 LS-29 LS-26P LS-29P LS-32
• Press Configuration Drawings
On 4-color Lithrone S40
Installed four-color Lithrone S32 in October 2009. No previous UV experience.
Lithrone S Series 40- and 44-inch presses
LS-40 LS-40P LS-44
Lithrone SX Series presses
LSX-29 LSX-40
On 8-color Lithrone S40P perfector
* Not applicable with Lithrone S SP Series, Spica Series and System Series web offset presses.
* Sheet thickness and printing speed depend on press specifications.
* For the further information, contact your Komori distributor.
• Specifications
Item
Control of lamps
H-UV System
Strike-up about 1 min
Extinction about 3 min
Conventional UV System
Strike-up about 1 min
Extinction about 3 min
Substrate temperature
Ancillaries
Ozone exhaust ducting
Ozone
Lamp life *1
Power consumption per day *2
For Lithrone S40
For Lithrone S40P
Total life cost *3
Room temperature + 4–5º C
Electric panel/Chiller/Blower for water/air cooling
Not required
None
2,000 hours (120 W/cm)
Approximately 40º C or more
Electric panel/Chiller/Blower for water/air cooling
Required
Yes
1,500 hours (160 W/cm)
268.8 kW
447.3 kW
1
1105.3 kW
1437.1 kW
3.6
* 1 Not a guarantee of lamp life.
* 2 Calculated at 10 hours per day of operation and operating ratio of 40 percent, including chiller (standby time included).
* 3 Where H-UV System is 1
38
Komori On Press
Atomi Co., Ltd., Japan
Purpose of installation
• Printing mainly on hard-to-dry matte stock with conventional ink required frequent insertion of pile boards and also made the
surface of the printed sheets rough due to the use of a large quantity of powder. In addition, we had to frequently wash the
blankets when printing the reverse side of the sheets. We needed to solve the problem of meeting tight deadlines.
Evaluation by management
• We now have no anxiety about accepting orders when the customer specifies a hard-to-dry paper and the design employs lots
of heavy ink coverage.
• In addition to excellent print quality and productivity, we get very high marks from customers for helping the environment.
• The machine and the ink are more expensive than in the case of conventional printing. We can still make a profit, however, if we
manage to increase productivity by 20 percent.
• The cost-performance factor is also very significant since we receive a lot of short-turnaround work.
• We think that H-UV will undoubtedly become a world standard if the ink cost comes down.
Evaluation from the pressroom floor
• Ordinarily we print with 100 watts power at 13,000 sph. Now we have plenty of leeway to maneuver because the reverse side
can be printed right away.
• We don’t have to use extra pile boards, and drying is not an issue at all.
• We are very satisfied because of the print quality and the powder-less operation.
• There were preconceived notions that the colors in UV printing are dull and dim. Actually, however, they are vivid and quite glossy
even on special papers.
❝Colors are vivid and quite glossy.❞
• The values shown here represent measurements made by Komori under specific conditions and are not guaranteed.
• Performance and values will vary according to specifications. Specified values may be
changed for the purpose of product improvement.
Komori On Press
39
Coming next ...
SEE “ThE FuTuRE oF
ThE PRInT MEdIa”
In ToKyo
IGAS, the outstanding graphic systems exhibition in Asia, is an international showcase held
once every four years covering cutting-edge
technology related to graphic information processes, prepress, printing, bookbinding and
paper converting.
We are looking forward to welcoming everyone in the industry to the Tokyo Big Sight
Exhibition Center.
September 16–21, 2011 (6 days)
Tokyo Big Sight / Tokyo / Japan
Hours: 10:00–17:00 (10:00–16:00 on Sept. 21)
Show REPoRT
IPEX
KOMORI SOLUTIONS
40
Komori On Press
Committed as ever to contributing to the printing industry by
providing kando to its customers, Komori unleashed a host of
leading-edge technological innovations for all market sectors at
IPEX 2010 in Birmingham, UK, in May.
In addition to the UK show debut of the faster, larger 40-inch
press, the Lithrone SX40, Komori introduced the breakthrough
H-UV System, highlighted through the on-stand production of
the Ipex Daily on the eight-color Lithrone S40P perfector. The
exhibition also launched a brand new, budget-friendly 29-inch
press, the five-color Enthrone 29, and demonstrated on-demand
changeover on an ultra-high-spec Lithrone S29.
By showing the latest kando solutions at IPEX — one of the
printing world’s biggest shows — Komori demonstrated its determination to shape the industry’s future.
Komori On Press
41
LATIN AMERICA
Komori Latin America Technical
Service Center Opened in São Paulo
ExpoPrint
Komori opened the new Komori Latin America Technical Service
Center (KLT) this April in cooperation with Brazilian distributor,
Gutenberg, which is based in São Paulo, Brazil. An open house
to mark the start of operations was held on April 14. The center
operates within the facilities of Gutenberg.
Meeting important needs
KLT is part of a Komori initiative to bolster its mission of being a
‘kando-inspiring company’ by providing high quality products and
services. As Latin America is an important market that has great
potential for growth, Komori intends to focus not only on selling
products but also on enhancing technical assistance and service
support.
Specifically, the center offers training to customers’ operators
and provides technology transfer to distributors’ engineers, regular
service on installed machines, support for installation of printing
presses, and support for operation of the Gutenberg showroom.
KLT’s Mission
•
•
•
•
•
Offer training to customers’ operators
Technology transfer to distributors’ engineers
Provide regular service on installed machines
Assist with press installations
Help with the Gutenberg showroom operation
Dateline Chile
Magnitude 8.8: Lithrones Unshaken
New Komori solutions debut in Brazil
At ExpoPrint, Komori introduced breakthrough UV techniques on the five-color Lithrone S29 plus coater. A brand new, budget-friendly
29-inch press — the five-color Enthrone 29 — also premiered. And the mighty LS-840P with coating unit, a model that has proven
incredibly popular with Brazilian printers, was also on display. ExpoPrint was attended by Mr. Yoshiharu Komori, Chairman, President
and CEO, who took the opportunity to renew his good relationship with Latin American customers. Komori’s latest kando solutions —
truly beyond expectations — were seen by a great many enthusiastic visitors to ExpoPrint.
42
Komori On Press
The 2010 Chilean earthquake occurred off the coast of the Maule Region of Chile on February 27, 2010, at 03:34 local
time, rating a magnitude of 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale and lasting 90 seconds. The trembler was one of the
strongest ever recorded. Worse still was the tsunami that followed, causing major destruction and claiming over 500 lives.
ASIMPRES (the Association of Chilean Printers) immediately afterward conducted a complete review of the damages
sustained by printers and the effects of the earthquake. A large number of presses had to be totally disassembled and
then reassembled, causing many printers to lose production for several weeks.
All Komori presses, on the other hand, were printing the day after without problems of any kind having been recorded.
As shown previously by the Kobe earthquake in Japan in 1995, this latest devastating disaster confirms the solid design
and construction of Komori presses and their ability to withstand even the most damaging seismic movements.
Komori On Press
43
LATIN AMERICA
User Profile
User Profile
Fount of Colombian printing
We have developed a close relationship with
Komori and have benefited by investing in
high technology for our company.
Cargraphics S.A., Colombia
From left: Mr. Gustavo Troncoso, Technical Manager,
Print Press, Ms. Bibiana Ruiz, Spica operator, and Mr.
Enrique Herczeg, Technical Manager, Cargraphics
of 1904, with the printing of their first newspaper. However, the Cargraphics Division that we
know today is only 16 years old, resulting from
the merger of other divisions such as Tecar and
Imprelibros.
The philosophy of Carvajal is very important
for people who work for the company. I experienced it as soon as I joined the company.
Dr. Jorge Enrique Uribe, President of Cargraphics
Fabian Ruiz,
President of Print Press
44
Komori On Press
To speak about Carvajal in Colombia is to
talk of one of the most respected graphic arts
institutions of the Americas. With over one
hundred years of history, Carvajal is today not
only one of the country’s industrial leaders but
also a significant force in the growth of graphic
arts throughout Latin America.
Colombians have learned the art of printing
from Carvajal. What has endured throughout
the years has been not only the technique
of printing and the adherence to excellence
(“doing things right” as their logo states), which
has become the standard in the industry, but
also the company’s business philosophy.
To Komori, Carvajal has been a great partner. The Carvajal Group currently has nine
Komori machines, distributed among different industrial divisions: Cargraphics (books
and magazines with an LS-440SP, an LS-140SP
and a Spica 429), Bico International (mainly
textbooks with an L-550+C and an L-650+C),
Assenda (securities and credit cards with an
NL-628+UV and a Sprint S-228), and Carpak
(folding boxes with an L-640+C and an L-540).
The Komori-Carvajal union
This 16-year partnership has been based
on mutual trust, respect and understanding.
Here, Dr. Jorge Enrique Uribe, president of
Cargraphics, one of the most important divisions of the organization, speaks with Fabian
Ruiz, president of Print Press, the new Komori
distributor in Colombia, about the prosperous business venture that has ensued from the
Komori-Carvajal union.
Not just another company
Fabian Ruiz: Doctor Uribe, let’s start with the
history. Please tell us about your company in the
Colombian as well as the international context.
Jorge Enrique Uribe: Cargraphics started
with Carvajal, almost 106 years ago, in October
FR: What is the Carvajal philosophy?
JEU: I very much admire Carvajal. It is a company that has achieved important milestones:
in addition to being the first multinational of
Colombia, Carvajal has defined as one of its
goals the welfare of the people of its community. We are not talking about people
with economic power but rather low-income
people who are helped by the Carvajal Foundation, which owns 30 percent of the company’s
shares. One in every five citizens of Cali, where
the company has its headquarters, benefits
from services provided by the foundation.
Carvajal is known as the first Colombian multinational because we have been present in
many countries for years. Today, we’re in 18
countries, focusing on graphic arts. Carvajal
has diversified by entering the world of packaging, both rigid and flexible, and even operating
paper mills within the organization.
FR: And what about the graphics market situation in Colombia?
JEU: The Colombian market suffers a more
severe problem than our neighbors in Latin
America: it is over-supply. Colombians are
printers by tradition. There are printers on
every corner of each neighborhood. Based
on a favorable exchange with the dollar and
labor costs lower than in other countries, we
experienced growth in overseas sales. This has
changed. The revaluation of the peso and the
global economic crisis resulted in reduced
advertising, which in turn resulted in great
losses in the graphic communications industry in 2009.
A life in print
FR: Finally, let’s talk about you, Dr. Uribe —
how did you get to this important position within
the organization?
JEU: I started with Carvajal 26 years ago as
sales manager for one of the smaller companies, Comolsa, which manufactures paper
pulp. I owe a great deal to Carvajal because it
has given me everything. It has made me feel
happy at work. I am one of those who come
to work in the morning with joy — to meet the
challenges and opportunities of the business.
FR: How have Komori machines helped you
grow?
JEU: Enormously. Komori is, and I have to
admit there is nothing new here, a company
that has developed greatly and has a magnificent image. Its manufacturing plants are very
advanced. Its innovative products are of the
highest quality.
We have always relied on Komori. When I
directed Plegacol, I had the experience of using
Komori presses — they were our workhorses.
Komori On Press
45
Sustainable Packaging
Conference Held in Chicago
From left: Ben Markens, President and Chief Staff Officer of
Paperboard Packaging Council; Don Carli, Senior Research
Fellow for the Institute for Sustainable Communication;
Thomas Oris, Procurement Manager at Morton International
Packaging is one of the hottest topics around, so Komori America organized a conference in Chicago that brought together
printers and leading experts in the field. The outcome was so encouraging that KAC is planning more conferences on topics that
are essential to the future of the printing industry.
More than 40 commercial print companies
were represented at the recent 411 on Sustainable Packaging Conference held by Komori
America Corporation. The event took place
on May 5th and 6th in Chicago at the Schaumburg Marriott and at Komori’s North American
Headquarters. The conference featured noted
industry speakers and live demonstrations that
focused on lowering the eco-impact when it
comes to package printing.
Highlights from the conference included
these presentations.
• Ben Markens, President and Chief Staff Officer of Paperboard Packaging Council, talked
about what sustainability really means for printers and its importance to the industry’s future
success.
• Don Carli, Senior Research Fellow for the
Institute for Sustainable Communication, discussed the Walmart Initiative and how it is
driving industry advances.
• Thomas Oris, Procurement Manager at
Morton International, spoke on what print
buyers are required to look for in packaging
today.
On the second day of the conference live
demonstrations were held by Komori vendor
partners including Henkel Coatings, Harris &
Bruno, Nordson, Diversified Graphic Machin-
46
Komori On Press
ery, HiFlex, Komori Chambon and Toyo Ink.
Each company showcased how attendees can
answer today’s package printing environmental challenges with their products in every step
of the print process.
“Protecting the environment and reducing
the carbon footprint is one of Komori’s most
important responsibilities. This conference
illustrated that fact as it offered attendees
the latest information on the state of sustainability as well as hands-on eco-friendly print
processes they could put to use in their operations,” said Kosh Miyao, president of Komori
America Corporation. “The number of people
in attendance underscored the importance
of employing sustainable measures when it
comes to package printing. Printers of all sizes
are dedicated to educating themselves on
these requirements as they are shaping the
future of their business.”
Komori has always believed that the ability to
see the world from its customers’ point of view
is necessary to deliver a marketing approach
that provides greater value to each customer’s
unique business issues. With that in mind, the
company plans further conferences on topics
that are essential to the future of the printing
industry.
Komori Reports on
Sustainable Packaging
Environmental issues are changing the way every business and industry operates and the
print industry is no exception. With a Pike Research study that indicates sustainable packaging will grow to 32 percent of the global packaging market by 2014, printers involved in
the packaging industry in particular are looking at this sweeping trend and rightly seeking
solutions for ways to incorporate green initiatives into their business practices.
Komori’s report “How Sustainable Packaging Is Shaping the Future for Business” analyzes
how corporations like Walmart are influencing this push by taking steps to require sustainable packaging efforts from suppliers. Additionally, groups like the Sustainable Packaging
Coalition (SPC) are working with major corporations to discover and encourage eco-friendly
solutions.
Komori reviews Walmart’s definition of sustainable packaging and the nine weighted
metrics from the scorecard Walmart introduced in 2008 that has changed the package print
game. The efforts of the SPC are discussed as well as the eight elements the SPC considers essential in making a truly sustainable package. The report also describes a life-cycle
approach to packaging sustainability, looking at the ways printers can integrate sustainable
practices in their facilities.
Companies and package designers will increasingly seek out printers that incorporate
sustainability practices in all aspects of their print operation. Clearly, sustainable packaging
strategies will help safeguard the planet’s natural resources, but Komori’s reporting illustrates
how a greener approach to packaging also offers a number of competitive business advantages that translate into lower costs and higher revenue.
The report can be downloaded from Komori’s new packaging website:
www.komoripackaging.com.
Komori On Press
47
Shanghai
Open House
Our Customers Weigh In
Q4 Ranking of Lithrone S40SP’s best features
SUrVEY rESULTS
The results of a survey taken of visitors to the open
house are shown below.
1 High quality printing without scratches or smears
2 High productivity due to one-pass printing
3 High quality printing due to excellent color matching and
11%
28%
50%
Q5 Type of equipment considered for the future
Dedicated perfector
Convertible perfector
Straight
13%
42%
21%
Q3 Average number of colors per side
83%
Impression
cylinder
Plate cylinder
Blanket cylinder
Q6 Size of offset press being considered
6%
11%
Supplementary
materials
Printing
production
preventive
maintenance
KPM
84%
1 40 inch
2 44 inch
3 26 inch
Q7 Reasons customers chose brand
1 Quality
2 Service
3 Brand image
Printing
environment
Data
management
10%
6%
4 32 inch
4 or fewer
5–7
8 or more
Komori On Press
Printing Production Maintenance and
Preventive Maintenance
Measuring device
Q2 Average run length in sheets (converted to 40 inch)
8%
3,000 or less
16%
5,000 or less
48
KOMORI ONE SERVICE TEAM
register adjustment
4 Space saving
5 Printing speed
6 Speed of automatic upper and lower deck plate
7 Ease of operation
11%
10,000 or less
More than 10,000
Other
China
changing
Q1 Customer’s market segment
Commercial
Publications
Commercial and publications
Packaging or other
Shin Shin, a full-service printer in Shanghai, held an open house on
April 12 to show off its new four-color Lithrone S40SP. This press has
already gained a stratospheric reputation in Japan, Europe and the
US and this year made its full-fledged entry into the Chinese market.
Visitors to Shin Shin’s event came away with a very clear appreciation
of the dedicated perfector’s design concept.
Dampening solution
conditions
Dampening solution
feed
Ink unit
The KPM Course of Action
•
Divide Komori printing presses into 10 major component
groups to carry out more than 200 checkup and maintenance
procedures systematically throughout the contract period.
•
Provide regular maintenance to keep machines in top operating condition.
•
Identify user needs and provide effective solutions to Komori
customers.
•
Prevent problems by providing operator and maintenance
training rather than finding a remedy after trouble has
occurred.
•
Provide in-depth evaluation to the user’s production and management staff detailing steps to improve operations.
Komori
China’s
Proactive
KPM
Program
K
omori Preventive Maintenance (KPM) is a
distinctive service program provided by Komori
China’s Technical and Service Team. With the
mission slogan of ‘Kando by Komori One Service
Team,’ Komori began promoting the newly
designed KPM concept and program to all Komori users in
China in 2009 after China Print.
KPM is based on a program widely used by Komori users
and has proven to be an effective way of reducing machine
downtime due to malfunctions. Through the implementation
of KPM, overall maintenance costs can also be decreased. It
can also help to avoid problems and reduce repair times and
spare parts replacement costs. In addition, regular KPM visits
can solve most minor problems that have cropped up but not
yet caused a serious loss in production. After each KPM visit,
experienced Komori engineers analyze the evaluation results
and photographs to present customers with a report detailing
potential machine problems and offering improvement
suggestions. This report gives the user a clear understanding
of current machine conditions, allowing routine maintenance
tasks to be scheduled to facilitate high quality printing on a
more predictable production schedule.
In the future, the Komori One Service Team will continue
inspiring kando and providing strong backup services to
Komori users for successful — and uninterrupted — production.
Komori On Press
49
About the cover and inside covers
For this issue of On Press, Komori partnered with Classic Color, featured on pages 16–17. The goal was to produce a visual and
textural roadmap to the many coating techniques and the array of effects that can be achieved. The inside and outside covers
were printed using six different coating techniques and were done in partnership with Henkel Coatings and Sappi Fine Paper.
Outside cover from the top
Inside front and back covers
MiraFoil® • Matte • Soft-Touch • Textured • Sand • Strike-Thru
High gloss coating on flies and strike-thru dull varnish
for the background.
Printed using sustainable green technology on Sappi Opus Gloss made with 10% post-consumer waste.
Artist profiles
Mitsuo Katsui
Graphic Designer
Born in 1931, Mitsuo Katsui has done art direction work for the Japan World Exhibition, Osaka (1970), the Ocean Exhibition, Okinawa (1975), and the International Science and Technology Exhibition, Tsukuba (1995). His works have won prizes
on every continent, including the Gold Prize at the 1995 New York ADC International Exhibition. Katsui has also been honored in the Czech Republic, Poland, Finland and Mexico. He also serves as a judge of international design competitions and
as a university instructor.
Ken Sawada
Fly fisherman and fly maker
Maker of fishing flies for the magnificent Atlantic Salmon, Ken Sawada has for his mentor and rival a 19th century Victorian aristocrat. And when he says, “I can look in the fly box of a fly fisherman and know his philosophy and mind,” you
believe it. One of only a few hundred professional dressers, or makers, of fishing flies in the world. Sawada is the ultimate
connoisseur of salmon fishing who spends at least four weeks each year in icy Norwegian streams casting for the big fish.
“A really noble fly will have a record of deceiving fish for 100 years,” explains Sawada. “I wanted to create such flies, and
also ‘things of sport’ that could be viewed as legitimate artistic creations.”
Ken Sawada’s website: http://www.kensawada.com
50
Komori On Press
ONPrESS70
en
USA
52P
Jul. 2010
11.6K
CC
Komori On Press
52