Finishing & Screen Printing
Informative Muller Martini Evening at Druckforum (Printing Forum)
Thursday 14. February 2013 - "Digital Printing is Supplementing, Not Replacing Offset Printing"
In his interesting presentation during the Muller Martini evening at the traditional Druckforum (Printing Forum) in Filderstadt, Germany, Uwe Schulz, Production/Technology Manager at GGP Media GmbH (Pössneck, Germany) discussed the digital printing solutions that book producers can turn to in response to falling print runs. GGP uses the latest Alegro perfect binder from Muller Martini in addition to a SigmaLine system for the finishing of digitally printed books.
As GGP, which belongs to Arvato/Bertelsmann, produces many of the books and brochures that it prints in high print runs, the current market trends present particular challenges for the large printing plant, which employs over 1,000 people. According to Schulz, 30 percent of the titles printed for publishing companies, industry and local authorities now have small print runs of 3,000 copies or fewer. That prompted GGP to enter digital printing with an HP T-400 and, following thorough evaluation, to opt for a Nearline solution from Muller Martini for print finishing. For softcover books the Nearline solution consists of a new SigmaFolder II, a SigmaCollator, an Alegro perfect binder and a Solit three-knife trimmer. Hardcover books, after the book blocks have been glued-off on the Alegro, are produced using an existing BL 500 bookline from Muller Martini.
GGP decided on a Nearline solution because, as Schulz explained at the Druckforum (Printing Forum) in Filderstadt, “the output of the digital printing press from three shifts can be finished using the perfect binder in one shift”. One of the key reasons why GGP, which now operates seven perfect binders from the Swiss machine manufacturer including the Alegro, chose a solution from Muller Martini is the Connex data and process management system. This cross-links all machines and automates all processes. “I don’t know of any other supplier that offers such a workflow system,” says Schulz.
Digital-Ready Systems in Demand
Despite the digital printing euphoria, the printing and finishing expert is sure that “digital printing is supplementing, not replacing offset printing.” The same point was made by Volker Leonhardt, Managing Director of Muller Martini Germany: “We firmly believe in the coexistence of digital and offset printing.” According to Leonhardt, more cost-effective print finishing is required for both printing methods in light of falling print runs. In other words, very short setup times are the order of the day. “You should invest in systems that are digital ready,” Leonhardt told the audience of industry professionals at the Druckforum (Printing Forum). “You can use such machines for offset today, with the advantage that they are already configured for digital printing.”
A typical example is the Alegro perfect binder, first unveiled at the drupa 2012, whose advantages were presented by Kurt Schläpfer, Sales/Product Manager at Muller Martini Bookbinding Systems. “The fact that it’s so difficult to make the right investment decision on the market these days means that you should opt for a flexible machine,” Schläfer told the numerous bookbinders in Filderstadt. The Alegro is optimally equipped for offset and digital printing because its new motion control technology drives all stations directly and controls them individually, thereby optimizing process steps and reducing setup times. Another major benefit of the new, flexible binder technology is that individual binder elements, such as the gauzing station or gluing unit, can be exchanged or built into newly designed stations in the future if market needs change.