Digital printing is becoming a new trend in the label printing industry
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Combining mature traditional printing technology with the ever-changing digital printing technology is becoming a new trend in the label printing industry. This trend is fully reflected in Labelexpo 2015, with more than 30 printing equipment suppliers or system integrators. More than 50 sets of new digital composite printing systems that combine the best of both worlds for optimal printing results. Almost every traditional printing equipment supplier exhibiting modular digital printing units on their traditional printing and processing equipment, such as glazing with inkjet devices. At the same time, some well-known digital printing equipment suppliers have installed traditional post-press processing equipment on their digital printing equipment, making digital printing equipment also provide online post-press solutions like traditional printing equipment.
The combination of digital printing technology and traditional printing and finishing technology currently has the following modes.
• Digital printing system + offline finishing system;
• Traditional printing equipment + offline digital printing system;
• Traditional printing equipment is equipped with an integrated digital printing system, also known as the digital combination printing system.
For a label printing company, the right choice of a matching digital printing system is very important, but it is also very difficult.
What digital printing can bring
In recent years, the practice of digital printing in the field of labels has proven that digital printing has the following advantages.
(1) The pre-processing time for making labels is short, preparation work is small, and delivery is timely.
(2) Short printing cycle, suitable for small-scale order processing (printing material length is usually 200~1500 meters).
(3) It can be used in small batch orders, and can also be used to encode variable information codes such as QR codes for logistics management, product traceability, marketing, etc.
(4) The boot preparation time is short, and a large amount of overprint paper is not used like the conventional printing, and the material cost is low.
(5) The amount of raw materials used is small, and the storage and storage costs are low.
The above advantages bring higher flexibility and greater benefits to the label purchaser, such as relatively low price for small batch orders, excellent quality and stable and reliable label for finished products. Therefore, even if the wages are higher, the label purchaser is more acceptable. For printing companies, the average profit on orders will be higher with digital printing.
Can digital printing replace traditional printing?
Although digital printing brings a lot of convenience and innovation, it is undoubtedly one of the future development trends. However, compared with traditional printing, digital printing still has some obvious shortcomings, including the following points.
(1) Printing quality, including resolution, dot size, color space range, etc., has certain limitations, such as the gradient to small dots in small dots, and the reproduction of small characters (below 4pt) and thin lines, which are subject to certain limit.
(2) The accuracy of overprinting is general. For large-area CMYK four-color printing, as well as PANTONE color space that reproduces the extended color gamut (plus GOV), the indication of overprint accuracy is very important.
(3) The printing speed is relatively low, and the monochrome printing speed can also match the traditional printing machine, while the color printing can not.
(4) The availability of the system needs to be improved, mainly because of the high maintenance costs, the need for additional automated calibration and cleaning cycle systems, and overall poor stability.
(5) The choice of printing materials is subject to more restrictions, such as shrink film, in-mold label materials, embossed paper, and the like.
(6) Regardless of the ink or the toner, the performance needs to be further improved, including the adhesion fastness of the ink layer, the abrasion resistance, the low migration property, and the light resistance.
(7) Online production (completed from raw material to finished product label) is prone to problems, and there is currently no valuable digital printing connection processing solution.
Prerequisites for selecting and using digital printing systems
Unlike traditional printing systems, digital printing systems are not a simple printing press. The successful application of digital printing systems depends on many factors.
(1) Pre-press preparation, including printing material inspection, color management, correct digital optimization of pre-press documents, etc., otherwise it is difficult to ensure the label quality and smooth printing process.
(2) High-efficiency processing of orders, including the whole process of order taking, production preparation, printing production, and finished product delivery, especially small batch orders of 200~1500 meters.
(3) Develop new business models, such as selling digital printing products through Internet stores and shipping quickly, providing relevant logistics services for label buyers.
(4) Accurate market and product positioning, and close cooperation with digital printing system suppliers, so that all new technologies can be mastered and successfully implemented.
The following is a basic framework for the purchase of digital printing systems for reference.
(1) Do you choose the digital printing system supplier to know the actual situation of your company? The introduction of digital printing systems should be forward-looking in order to facilitate the development and development of other new types of businesses in the future. This is one of the important conditions for ensuring the competitiveness of label printing companies.
(2) Can your chosen digital printing system provider provide comprehensive and comprehensive services during the digital printing system? When a high-level digital printing system is selected to expand the production business, the training and technical support of the system supplier is very important. Suppliers should have a rapid response mechanism that meets customer requirements within 48 to 72 hours when training or after-sales service is required.
(3) Digital composite printing system includes many different types of interfaces and interfaces. Can your chosen supplier manage this huge and complex system? Successfully processing a label requires a consistent fit between processes, including traditional printing, digital printing, post-press processing, digital pre-press processing, and materials such as ink or toner. The modules and components of a piece of equipment are usually supplied by many different suppliers. Each supplier has its own characteristics. It is necessary to coordinate these suppliers so that they can serve them without affecting the work of other suppliers.
(4) Choose a digital printing system to adhere to the concept of sustainable development and focus on the future. The cycle of hardware and software innovation for digital printing is relatively short, so the entire digital printing system needs to be constantly updated during use, and funds must be continuously invested to maintain the advanced nature of the system. Of course, suppliers can also benefit from the use of equipment and the supply of consumables from printing companies. In other words, that is, maintaining the proper functioning of the digital printing system will also benefit digital printing system suppliers.
What to pay attention to when choosing a digital combination printing system
Digital composite printing systems are attractive to label printers who are familiar with many traditional printing processes, but how to choose the right digital combination printing system is a challenge that requires a combination of factors.
(1) Conventional printing systems suitable for long-run printing are synchronized with digital printing systems suitable for short-run printing.
(2) The digital printing workflow should be integrated with the traditional printing workflow.
(3) Optimize to achieve the best application range by optimizing to achieve the best application.
(4) Understand the complexity of digital combination printing and the differences from traditional printing methods.
(5) Carefully understand the combination of two process technologies and their optimization.
(6) Perform necessary training for operators and related personnel, including technical and prepress software knowledge.
(7) Develop a label cost calculation model for digital combined printing.
The success of a digital combination printing system depends on the integration level of the whole system. The performance of the digital printing system should be matched with the traditional printing process. The printing effect of the label must be the same as that of the traditional process. no difference.
For small orders, the printing speed of the digital composite printing system is not important, the key is overall efficiency. The advantage of the digital combined printing system is that the overall production efficiency is greatly improved compared with the previous single machine production, and the material waste, preparation time and tool cost are lower than the traditional printing processing method, that is, the advantages are significantly greater than Disadvantages, this is the value of digital printing combined with traditional printing processing. For example, in today's typical digital composite printing system, inkjet printing can replace the application of flexographic printing, glazing, but does not require complex pre-adjustment like a flexographic printing system; half-turn intermittent die cutting Can replace the full-rotation die-cutting, cold stamping + bumping process can completely replace the traditional hot stamping. All of this reduces the cost of tooling.
The convenience of integrated operation control of the entire digital composite printing system is very important. Through the standardized user interface of the digital printing device, online monitoring and management can be performed during operation. In addition, the equipment should have a central console or control room, centrally control all UV or LED UV curing devices, monitor their working status, and keep abreast of the overall operation of the digital composite printing system.
To sum up
Even if the conditions for a digital printing system are available in the printing house, the entire process is complicated or even difficult to properly select an ideal digital printing system supplier.
In order to expand the scale of production, the ideal way for label printing companies familiar with traditional printing methods is to develop digital composite printing systems.
Since digital printing is the only part of digital printing in digital printing systems, there are many problems that need to be prepared and challenged.
The choice of digital printing system suppliers must consider all the circumstances of future partners, because in the future, long-term cooperation, continuous investment and common development.