Inkjet & Digital Printing

Digital newspaper production complements offset printing

Tuesday 30. October 2012 - manroland web systems and Océ: united expertise for convincing solutions

As a market and technology leader in newspaper and commercial printing for many years, manroland web systems knows the requirements of industrial-scale web offset print production. Based on this experience, the web offset printing experts, together with the strategic partner Océ, now also offers a complete portfolio of efficient digital production systems suitable for the industrial newspaper production.
The portfolio ranges from inline finishing equipment that focuses on newspaper or book production, through to multi-purpose systems with reel-to-reel production and separate finishing operations. For both production concepts, manroland web systems has developed new and practical solutions in the finishing area for users of digital printing systems, based on the company’s experience with inline finishing of newspapers, magazines and books. This includes automatic production changeover on the run, as well as the know-how for processing high data volumes when printing personalized products.
Printing different titles in the required sequence on one production system
“There is enormous interest in our systems,” says Alwin Stadler from manroland web systems. “We have enquiries from all over the world – including India, Japan and South America.” Rivet Presse Edition in Limoges, Central France, is among the first companies that will benefit from this cooperation on an industrial scale. Christian Sirieix, Director of Rivet Presse Edition, states: “This is a project for newspapers that is a world’s first. Several different titles can be printed on the same production system and delivered in the precise sequence desired by the distribution points. Even better still – on the same basis, the production system can publish “à la carte” newspapers with common main topics and, from one production to the next, topics can be added or deleted according to the subscribers’ interests. This new process is revolutionary.”
Rivet Presse Edition will also print additional products during the day shift including advertising media that is based on variable data to help keep the business model in balance.
Best-in-class solutions of Océ for industrialized digital print production
The installation at Rivet Presse Edition comprises two new Océ JetStream 4300 inkjet color printing systems with 30-inch (76.2 centimeter) wide webs that produce newspapers in offset quality at a speed of 200 meters per minute. manroland, the global leader in newspaper printing systems, has developed the fully variable digital pin-type folder FoldLine VPF and thus offers fully-automated newspaper production systems that can produce up to 40,000 newspapers in variable formats within five hours.
Digital Best-in-Class products from Océ
The performance and specification of the Océ JetStream and Océ ColorStream models extend to a maximum web widths of 762 x 1,372 mm with a web speed of up to 254 m/min. This enables more than 7,000 tabloid newspaper copies with 24 pages to be produced per hour.
This puts Océ among the top performers of currently available inkjet systems. The very high print quality is the reference for upmarket subjects as for example product advertising. This area of application is also supported by the variety of fold possibilities provided by the finishing solutions from manroland web systems, and the high flexibility of the systems due to the short changeover times.
Automatic zero-speed reel splicers provide the basis for continuous multi-shift operation and industrial-scale production with tight deadlines.
Flexible networking via the printnetwork Bridge
printnetwork from manroland web systems is the networking solution for the entire workflow. The printnetwork Bridge integrates manroland folding solutions in the production workflow. It also integrates the folding systems FormerLine VFF and FoldLine VPF in production control. Printnetwork Bridge sets all folder components fully automatically and necessary job information is delivered via an open interface as a JDF/JMF file. To avoid production stops, printnetwork Bridge also checks every job for validity prior to run start. Industrial automation also in the finishing operations is impressively implemented here.
The printnetwork Bridge is fingertip-controlled from the mobile BridgePad. All functions are accessible here and visualized – the folding layouts for example, or status messages. The BridgePad as a mobile Control Center provides full control over all print jobs.
The close integration of digital job preparation, printing and finishing supports production efficiency through fast job changeover, higher productivity, optimized paper consumption management, and highly-automated finishing processes.
The linking of MIS systems with the printnetwork Bridge and the easy to operate graphical user interface are further advantages of the manroland solution.
Furthermore, manroland web systems and Océ offer the software technology for integrated workflow solutions that meet the requirements of newspaper production as well as the specific demands of personalized Image One Print One production.
Variable cut-off folders from manroland web systems
Digital inkjet printing permits production with variable cut-off lengths, and the content of every print product can be different to the previous one. In order to fully utilize this possibility on an industrial scale, manroland web systems has developed folding systems for variable cut-offs and collecting equipment for production of the shortest runs with high page counts, as well as book structures. Depending on the product portfolio, the variable former fold system FormerLine, a variable cut-off cutting unit, and the multivariable pin-type folder FoldLine collecting device, crossfold and quarter fold can be combined. Then further processing modules can be connected, such as a compensating stacker or the collator that manroland web systems has developed for inline production of book blocks from the reel. One press configuration can produce newspapers, cylinder-stitched magazines or booklets, stacked signatures for a perfect binder, or spine-glued book blocks.
The systems are of modular design so that, depending on the application profile, configurations with or without a former can be selected, and certain folder modules need not be included.
Multivariable pin-type folder
The fully-automatic, multivariable pin-type folder FoldLine from manroland web systems is the optimal finishing tool for newspaper production in digital production environments. It provides the possibility to produce broadsheet and tabloid newspapers in long-grain and short-grain format with different structures, and thus ensures maximum utilization of the advantages of digital printing for newspaper and commercial printing.
The FoldLine can produce up to twelve newspaper sections or up to 96 pages, and so the digitally printed newspaper has the same look and feel as customary offset issues for readers and advertisers.
However, the FoldLine is a multi-purpose system. Besides newspapers, it can also produce commercials and direct-mailings. In addition, the system can also be used to produce cylinder-stitched booklets and book signatures.
VBC Collator produces books and signatures
Digital book production is an attractive option for short or extremely short runs. To produce these books on modern bookbinding machines, they need to be in the form of spine-glued book blocks. To meet these requirements, manroland web systems has developed special reel-to-book block solutions. After the web is printed, it is guided over the variable FormerLine and several longitudinal folds into the variable cutting unit for the cross cut. From here, the individual signatures move to the VBC Collator where they are stacked, glued and pressed into book blocks. Up to 5000 book blocks with a maximum thickness of 70 mm are deposited on the delivery tape per hour and then further processed in a perfect binder. The formats range from 90×145 mm to 250×420 mm depending on the web width and the subject.
Short makeready times
Minimizing makeready times is a decisive factor for profitability in industrial-scale print production. Therefore, already in the planning phase, the folding systems FormerLine and FoldLine from manroland web systems were designed for short makeready times. For instance, changing the cut-off length can be done “on-the-fly” i.e. no time needed and with virtually no paper waste. Adjusting the former for a format change takes at the most three minutes, and in only five minutes another paper quality can be processed. As a result, besides newspaper production, many other products can be offered at attractive prices.