Digital Commercial Printing as a new world order

Market Trends

Commercial printing is one of the markets in which the transition from offset to digital is making the strongest inroads. The quality and price competitiveness of the technology has made the shift increasingly viable. Moreover, its rapid progress offers new applications in the short term. This makes this type of printing a vital strategic choice for commercial printers looking to position themselves for the future.

From traditional to digital printing

Digital printing

In 2015 digital print accounted for 13.9% of all print and packaging in terms of value, but only 2.5% in terms of volume. Both value and volume have increased over the years - and the transition between analogue and digital is accelerating. By 2020, it is estimated that digital print will account for 17.4% of the value and 3.4% of the volume of all print and packaging. The digital offering is growing as it offers advantages that analogue print cannot provide. Variable data in direct mail and transactional mail was introduced in the 1970s, but as digital colour presses came to market, the initial drivers dropped in price for short runs.

Advertising and image printing has a higher proportion of digital print than packaging and publishing, such as books. This transition from traditional to digital printing, now located in commercial printing, will be driven by ongoing technological developments. Printing technology is also evolving from analogue processes; but the biggest developments are taking place in the digital area - and particularly in ink, which is receiving the largest R&D investment in printheads, inks and various systems.

Based on this pace of change, there are several incentives - soon to become urgent needs - for companies in the commercial print sector to integrate digital print into their offerings. A 2015 survey by Smithers Pira found that, of 200 print service providers surveyed globally, more than 60% occupy both digital and analogue equipment, and 13% use digital exclusively.

The ability to create

Users of this digital technology are innovating in applications, and exploring new ways to offer features and print upgrades to customers in a "premium" way. The creativity is reflected in the growing number of systems that, in addition to CMYK colours, already offer fifth station colour capability, such as white or clear toner, and special effects while featuring compatibility with a wide range of substrates. By 2020, fifth station units will be widely available and special effects will be frequently used in commercial print products. For example, specialised inkjet ink-based coating equipment is available to provide digital embellishment on commercial jobs. These options allow companies to surprise their customers with a valuable offering. For metallic effects, a metallic foil is used which is printed with transparent inks before the varnish is applied. This results in a 3D look. It can also be printed in an unlimited range of colours.

Towards digital diversification

Certainly, using digital printing to mimic traditional printing is not the best practice for maximising this technology. The true leaders in the industry are now delivering very high quality results with innovative products and content that customers value.

The reliability and quality of digital printing has improved over time, while electrophotography has grown as analogue printing companies add digital equipment to their production capabilities. This allows printers to offer more and better services to their customers. Simultaneously, new applications have been tested and supported by the development of specialised digital finishing systems, which allow for accelerated ink jetting.

In previous years, the print industry has had the perception that digital printing is not delivering the quality needed to support this transition. This perception of digital capability does not reflect the reality of the new generation of electrophotography and inkjet equipment that entered the market during 2016 and this year. It is also clear that many buyers are also failing to understand the real situation. Nevertheless, digital printing has seen rapid and widespread adoption across a wide variety of graphic applications; including stationery, greeting cards, menus, games, artwork, CDs, DVDs and calendars.

Connecting to digital workflows.

Today, all aspects of printing - from concept design, artwork creation, approvals, pre-prints, prints, bindings, warehousing and delivery - are computerised and linked via the Internet. This allows many individuals to collaborate remotely as processes are simplified and accelerated by specialised workflow platforms. There are several systems on the market - usually modular and automated tools - designed for printers, publishers, packaging companies and advertising agencies. They perform repetitive tasks such as receiving, sorting and processing files automatically.

In the printing business, these systems manage file receipt and preflighting, colour management, optimisation, imposition, raster image processing (RIP), printing and finishing. They typically use a standardised description format (JDF) to link to management information systems (MIS) and device production, and integrate with databases for information storage, delivery and billing. Automating tasks, standardising processes, reduces errors and frees up resources, saving time and money. Resources designated for staff can be reallocated to activities that add additional value - such as customer service, creative work, marketing and sales opportunities - or simply concentrated on core areas of work. Advances in workflows are based primarily on the existence of greater connectivity across organisations.

The new upgrades include project management tools that trigger alarms and pre-set corrective actions and remote logging capabilities, allowing employees to manage print options efficiently and on the fly. These changes allow for more dynamic and highly automated jobs in a global environment, with centralised pre-printing across multiple trading floors or between customers and their printers.

Conclusion

The transition from offset to digital printing is accelerating and companies that fail to upgrade will be left behind in the coming years. In the commercial printing sector in particular, the versatility of digital printing means that an increasing number of jobs can be handled by the new systems.

This aligns with trends in the short-run printing industries and the need to offer greater print benefits. Digital printing has reduced set-up times to match the demands. In addition, ongoing developments are overcoming quality, main toner and ink barriers, making it an increasingly indistinguishable option from offset jobs.

Digital printing

These issues were identified as key motivators for investing in digital equipment according to the Smithers Pira survey. This has been complemented by digital decorative options - including white and clear toner, tactile features built in varnish, metallic effects and glossy stations. This is enabling printers to add greater value to their jobs, maintaining competitive growth across a wide range of commercial jobs. The current trend is to enhance all digital platforms - highlighting the importance it has for the future of commercial printing.