Cover story
advertising and events . Read more details about advances in adhesives in Jeff ’ s June 15 article in SignMedia .
Finishing Technologies for faster imaging – inkjet applications and drying - get a fair bit of attention , however the prints will need to be prepared for the end use . Finishing – cutting and routing – can present a bottleneck in production with improvements in throughput , especially with ultra-wide . Finishing speeds can be improved through automated cutting , and larger devices .
Two major vendors in this market , Esko with their Kongsberg tables and Zünd with their series of cutting tables , now offer modular devices . These can have additional features added , such as roll feeders , or even robotic arms for faster and more accurate loading and unloading of rigid substrates .
Laser cutting is getting attention in wide format , offering high quality across a wider range of substrates , along with ’ blades ’ that don ’ t need replacing , with a variety of new equipment entering the market . Prices vary widely depending on size and end use . Techno CNC Systems recently released a new line of large format computer numerical control ( CNC ) systems , which are designed to be compatible with graphic programs , such as Adobe Illustrator .
Automation for Wide Format As with the rest of the industry , automation can play a key part in keeping internal costs competitive for high volume wide format printers .
Maximizing boards has become easier , with solutions such as the ‘ Nesting Optimization ’ in Ultimate Technographics ’ Impostrip imposition software . This feature helps automate the ganging of jobs onto a sheet .
Caldera is a software vendor specializing in the wide format market . Earlier this year they were acquired by Dover , an international manufacturer with products that include software and digital solutions for textile printing .
Caldera ’ s ‘ Version 11 ’ launched at SGIA in Las Vegas last year . Important updates for workflow include a new feature called True Bleed , which lets you quickly add pixels to the edge of any shaped image , to provide a better edge for finishing . The new version also supports v4 , the latest version of Adobe ’ s PDF Print Engine . Benefits in this version for wide format include support for Parallel Processing ( TPP ). Large images can be broken into tiles , which the software can process concurrently , reducing processing times .
For further efficiencies , Caldera had also previously developed their ‘ Nexio ’ connector , which uses JDF / JMF protocols to automate processing tasks through Switch , Enfocus software ’ s popular automation tool . They also offer ‘ Webshop ’, a web-to-print solution developed specifically for wide format printers .
From an enterprise level perspective , Toronto ’ s Avanti Software won a Graph Expo ’ 15 ‘ Must See Em ’ award for their Grand Format Estimating module , which runs with their popular Avanti Slingshot Management Information System . Their solution supports the range of materials , and measurements as well as finishing and fulfillment options that printers offering wide format can leverage for further efficiencies .
Variable presents a specialized opportunity for wide format printers . It can be used for versioning point of purchase signage ( languages , price points , different product images ), producing customized pieces using wide format equipment which are then processed to individual promotional items . ONYX offers a variety of workflow solutions for wide format , which also support variable printing . These include ONYX ProductionHouse , a RIP that can be used to support the automatic output of wide format jobs from online creation and ordering . They also offer ONYX Thrive workflow software as well a large format Textile Edition .
Wasatch SoftRIP is another vendor focused on variable for wide format versioning .
Internally , variable can help support a degree of automation with unique barcodes created that can be added to jobs to support process control and tracking through manufacturing and finishing . These can be a very useful support for companies kitting and shipping a comprehensive project ( for example , marketing campaign signage combined with POP materials for multiple retail store locations ).
Fulfillment & Kitting Nicola explains that kitting – the process of organizing different parts of a printed project into individual shipping packages ( think retail stores ) is a “ big value add ” for clients . If a printer can keep this in-house , by contracting “ temporary space and workers ” it provides the client with an important “ one stop shop ” for fulfillment .
Wide format offers unique benefits for print service providers . From one perspective , they offer opportunities for entrepreneurs to enter the market , and help craft individual solutions for their local customers . From another perspective , wide format offers larger shops the ability to further engage national customers . Overall , the ongoing product developments ensure that wide format will continue to be a big part of the overall future of print – the growing ability to ‘ print on anything ’.
Christopher Smyth is an Assistant Professor at the School of Tony Curcio Graphic Communications Management . A member of Canada ’ s ISO Editor , Graphic Arts Magazine TC / 130 Committee , he has an extensive background in tony @ graphicartsmag . com commercial , magazine , and retail printing and publishing .
16 | November 2017 | GRAPHIC ARTS MAGAZINE graphicartsmag . com