1st WEILBURGER Graphics Partner Meeting

Digital Printing – Blessing or

Trap for Print Finishing?

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler, InfoStar, Munich

-
Michael Kirmeier, publicly certified expert,
www.print-expertise.eu
 www.print-expertise.eu

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler Michael Kirmeier

Consultant and independent Expert Publicly certified Expert
InfoStar, Munich www.print-expertise.eu
Disparate „Partners“ in Graphic Arts Industry

• Print converters are

„whipping boy“ of the
graphic Industry.
Disparate „Partners“ in Graphic Arts Industry

• No Influence on product
development and on materials of
printing jobs.
• Low added value in relation to the
product value.
• High responsibility and high
product liability in case of claims.
• Financial damage and loss of
face.
 Can we count on Rates of Increase in
Digital Printing ?
Number of Prints (A4) in US and Western-Europe

8,00 7,40 7,32 7,21 7,04 6,96 6,89

7,00 Offset-/Tiefdr.
Digitaldruck
6,00
Billions A4

5,00

4,00

3,00 2,15
1,93
1,41
2,00 0,89
0,67 0,73
1,00

0,00
2007 2008 2012 2016 2020 2022
(15 Years)

IInfoStarI
Source: Caslon; Océ
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler
 Added Values for Print Converting?

Number of printed pages in US and Europe

Periodica
2000
1816,7
1703,6
Digitaldruck
1800
Offset-Tiefdruck
Billion Pages/Year

1600 Books
(Book on
1400 Demand)

1200 Catalogs 1031,7 1036,2

973
905
1000

800

600 Manuals
350,7
400 255,6
201,4
90,5 85,9
200 79,2 85,9 47,5 4,5
1
0
2007 2022 2007 2022 2007 2022 2007 2022

15 Years

IInfoStarI
IInfoStarI
Source: Caslon; Océ
Dipl.-Ing.
Dipl.-Ing.(FH)
(FH) Peter
PeterStadler
Stdler
Digital Printing from typographic point of view:
What is possible, what is not possible?
• Short runs
• Personalization
• Photo albums
• Good ink coverage
and big colour space
on uncoated papers.
• General good
reproduction of 4C-
Images.
• B/W-Prints
• Book production
• Wide format printing.

IInfoStarI
IInfoStarI
Dipl.-Ing.
Dipl.-Ing.(FH)
(FH) Peter
PeterStadler
Stdler
For Digital Printing the End Consumer has same Demands on
Print Finishing as for conventional Printing Processes.

• Perfect Binding
• Folding
• Cutting
• Die Cutting
• Embossing
• Hot Foil Embossing
• Varnishing
• Film Laminating

Is it possible???
IInfoStarI
IInfoStarI
Dipl.-Ing.
Dipl.-Ing.(FH)
(FH) Peter
PeterStadler
Stdler
 Comparison of transferred Ink Amounts

(3 Ink layers)
Elektrophotography Inkjet
Offset Dry Toner Fluid Toner Water based
Synthetic Resin, Drying
Solvents Metallic Oxides,
Additives, Silicone 15 µm
Binder 4.5 µm 18 µm 4 µm 1.5 µm Further UV-
Inkjet-
Pigments (Penetration)
100 µm

applications
incl. UV-
wet dry dry wet dry wet dry Varnishing
are state of
Paper the Art.

Consistency
pasty solid pasty highly fluid
during transfer

Penetration, Penetration,
Fixing Melting Melting
Cross linking Evapuration
IInfoStarI
Source: Dr. Andreas Paul, Océ
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler
Ingredients of Ink and Toners – What can lead to
Dysfunctions in Print Finishing?

• Producers are not willing to

publish formulations of ink
and toners.
• Wide range of products
(toner, inks, papers, different
systems).
• Variable settings and system
parameters.
• Print finishers are not
supported and have to
operate by trial and error.

IInfoStarI
IInfoStarI
Dipl.-Ing.(FH)
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter
PeterStadler
Stadler
Digital Printing – Problems for Print Finishing

Drying-out of the Paper

• In contrary to sheet-
fed offset printing the
thermal stress in
digital printing
systems is very high
and differs from
system to system.

Source: M. Kirmeier IInfoStarI

IInfoStarI
Dipl.-Ing.
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter
(FH) Peter Stadler
Stadler
Digital Printing – Problems for Print Finishing

Waviness Problems

• Waviness-Problems
arise caused by the
toner fixing and by
further finishing
treatments (gloss).

• Mainly cockling
caused by drying-up.

IInfoStarI
Source: M. Kirmeier Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler
Digital Printing – Problems for Print Finishing

Waviness Problems/Electrostatic Charging

• Waviness caused by
moisture pick-up.
• Electrostatic
charging.
• Runability problems
for foil laminating
and varnishing
processes.

IInfoStarI
Source: M. Kirmeier Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler
 Digital Printing – Problems for Print Finishing

Stepwise Appearance of the Book Block

• Mixed productions!!
• Toner based digital
prints – dimension
variations by moisture
pick-up.

IInfoStarI
Source: Fogra Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler
Digital Printing – Problems for Print Finishing

Folding Differences

• Caused by electrostatic
charging.

Source: M. Kirmeier IInfoStarI

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler

Digital Printing – Problems for Print Finishing

Breaking of Coating

• Caused by
drying–up of the
paper.

Source: M. Kirmeier
IInfoStarI

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler

Digital Printing – Problems for Print Finishing
Trimming Problems

• Flaking in the area

of trimmed edges
(middle – high ink
coverage).
• Interaction
paper/toner.
• Fixing problems.

IInfoStarI

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler

Digital Printing – Problems for Print Finishing
Trimming Problems

• Trimming -
Result of an
insufficient
toner adhesion.

IInfoStarI

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler

Digital Printing – Problems for Print Finishing

• Further problems can occur at deforming processes

like:
– Scoring
– Die cutting
– Embossing
caused by drying-up of paper and flaking of the
toner.
• Partial or large area insufficient adhesion of foils at
hot foil embossing.

IInfoStarI

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler

Digital Printing – Problems for Print Finishing

Decreased Strength of Perfect Bindings

• Problems can occur at

perfect binding applying
Dispersions- and Hotmelt-
systems.
• Less problems known with
PUR-systems. (Toner-
adhesion!!)

Source: M. Kirmeier IInfoStarI

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler

Digital Printing – Problems for Print Finishing

Defects in Film Laminations

• Particles (toner/fiber)
reside underneath the
foil (between substrate
and foil).
• This causes tensions
between substrate and
foil after film laminating.
• During handling partial
delaminating and air
bubbles around the
particles increase the
visibility of the fault.
• White spots remain.
IInfoStarI

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler

Digital Printing – Problems for Print Finishing

Ghosting

• Ghosting - often
not visible at
non-finished
prints.
• Estimation:
“Ghosting is
caused by print
finishing…”

IInfoStarI

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler

Digital Printing – Problems for Print Finishing

Ghosting

• In fact the increase

of gloss after film
laminating makes
the ghosting effect
visible.
• Also possible for
varnishing.

IInfoStarI

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler

Digital Printing – Problems for Print Finishing
Ghosting

Client‘s arguments: Primary causes:

• It‘s print finisher‘s fault. • Too long running time of
blankets in the printing
• Set-off of print in the pile
machine (memory effect).
after film
lamination/varnishing by • Use of non-certified papers.
pile heating.
• Transfer of the ghosting
image in calanders or other
rollers.
IInfoStarI

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler

Digital Printing – Problems for Print Finishing
Insufficient Wettability
Wetting Test
Benetzungsprüfungen
45 Ink coverage 200 %
40 • The wettability of digital
35
prints depend on the
30
system and on paper.
mN/m

25
20 • Values for surface
15 tension from 26 until
10 41mN/m (limit >35
5 mN/m).
0
• This leads to varnishing
Papier 1

Papier 2

Papier 3

problems.
Papier 4

Papier 5

B
Papier 6

C
Papier 7

A Maschine
System
Paper
Papierqualität
IInfoStarI

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler

Digital Printing – Problems for Print Finishing
Insufficient Foil Adhesion
Peeling Forces of Film Laminations
Ink coverage 200 %
• The printing system
has a decisive
Influence on stability of
film laminations.
• Papers are only partly
certified.
• Only a few prints can
achieve the foil
adhesion of offset
prints.

IInfoStarI

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler

Digital Printing – Problems for Print Finishing
Insufficient Foil Adhesion

Consequences of high
ink coverage for film
lamination?
• Increasing ink
coverage influences
the foil adhesion
negatively.

IInfoStarI

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler

Flash Tests for Digital Prints

• Only a few subjective tests

are possible because of the
complex mechanism of inks
and toners.
• Measurement of wetting
properties using testing inks.
• This gives information about
the acceptation of varnishes
and foil adhesion.

IInfoStarI

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler

Flash Tests for Digital Prints

• The measurement of
toner adhesion using
adhesive tapes
gives information
about the possible
film adhesion for film
laminating.

IInfoStarI

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler

 Certification Center for Digital-Print-Papers

• Test lab in US.

• About 800
papers (each)
are registered
for HP- and for
Kodak-
systems.

IInfoStarI
Source: RIT Rochester, NY, USA Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler
 Certification Center for Digital-Print-Papers

• Extract of RIT‘s
test program.
• Definition of
product
properties for
the print, but
nothing for print
finishing (ability
for varnishing,
perfect binding
or film
laminating!!!).

IInfoStarI
Source: RIT Rochester, NY, USA
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler
Further Competition for Print Finishers

• Digital varnishing
systems (Inkjet)
could take market
shares of
conventional print
finishing.
• Speed 2.500
sheet/h (52 cm x
74 cm).

IInfoStarI

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler

 Print Finishing – Plans for the Future

Don’t get demoralized! Think positive!!!

• Digital varnishing processes and
inline film laminating could
substitute the conventional print
finishing.
• Toner fixing, surface properties
and toner adhesion cause
problems for print finishing.
• Certification centers are not
informed about the concerns for
print finishing.
• Increase of book market expected.
• Concentration on niche markets like
film laminating with effect foils, special
varnishes for books, packaging or
advertising folders.
• Concentration on print finishing of large
format prints using special foils and
embossing systems.

There is still a lot of potential capacity for the future!

IInfoStarI

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler

 How can Print Finishers protect themselves
against Processing Defects on Digital Prints?

Possible addition of the

„Standard Business
Conditions“ ???

IInfoStarI

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler

Thank you very much for your Attention!!

IInfoStarI

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Stadler