Inkjet & Digital Printing
IPA Releases The Graphic Communication Industrys First Comprehensive, Independent Examination of Digital Printing Technologies.
Monday 28. April 2008 - During its Digital Print Forum taking place at the 2008 Technical Conference, April 22-24, 2008 at the Westin Michigan Ave in Chicago, IPA, The Association of Graphic Solutions Providers, is releasing the first independent, technical examination of digital printing technologies.
Digital devices from HP, Kodak, Konica-Minolta, Xeikon and Xerox were evaluated. The benchmark was offset printing from the Heidelberg XL 105 sheet-fed offset press system.
The digital press systems reviewed in the Digital Print Forum included: HP indigo 3050, HP indigo 5000, HP indigo 5500, KODAK NEXPRESS S3000, Konica-Minolta bizhub PRO C6500, Xeikon 6000, Xeikon 8000, and Xerox iGen3.
The IPA Digital Print Forum provides an exhaustive snapshot of digital printing color consistency and serves as a basis for defining a new specification and characterization data set for a global standard for digital printing best practices and color accuracy. The study was a hands-on, practical review of digital printing as used in print production and in conjunction with traditional offset printing.
A key deliverable for attendees of the Digital Print Forum is the report, Digital Print Forum 2008, which includes printed samples from each device. The report contains color analysis data that have never before been compiled and analyzed. The report also includes an outline of the methodology for the 2008 IPA Digital Print Forum. The color gamut was measured, the color consistency over a long press run was mapped, and the ability to reproduce Pantone colors was shown. In the process, questions were answered: how many Pantone colors can each press reproduce? This report details these numbers. Can a digital press match GRACoL? The report shows that the systems that can perform to high accuracy.
In general we suggest that the investment in the software is not keeping pace with the investment in hardware. The third party software front ends need more investment and closer collaboration between the hardware and software. Inkjet RIPs are so sophisticated, yet are not nearly the same functionality/sophistication in digital press front-end systems.
Physical properties of each press was measured using laboratories at three universities – Rochester Institute of Technology, Western Michigan University and Ryerson University. The evaluation included the rub resistance and surface scuffing of the print samples, samples from each press were folded to reveal cracking in areas of high toner coverage; exciting tests that are necessary if your digital press needs to print the book or magazine cover. While inkjet devices had fade problems early in their life cycle, this report shows that in the main digital presses do not suffer such failures for daylight and artificial light fading.
In the business section of the report, the team used stop watches to measure the press speed of each device. The report shows that the letter pages per minute data quoted by suppliers is accurate. In the business case, the report calculates the price per page for each device.
Key test areas included Engines: Xerographic (Laser), Liquid Ink, Dry toner, Web and sheet-fed digital printers; Color: Gamut, Digital vs GRACoL, Neutral tone scales, Repeatability, Tints and gradients, Pantone; Substrates: Print speeds, Paper, Cracking, Rub resistance, Fading, Special finishes; and Business Models: Cost, ROI, Front End Workflow Integration, Variable Data Printing.