The Rise and Rise of Print Finishing
October 2007
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By Dr. Horst-Dieter Branser
In the years since drupa 2004, demand for paper and finishing techniques has expanded worldwide, and nowhere more than in commercial and packaging printing. This expansion has gone hand-in-hand with mostly small run sizes and rising demand for increasingly diverse finishing work and combination solutions. Along with this, the trends towards greater use of color and a general demand for higher quality products have gained momentum.
Equipment suppliers to the print and media industry are responding to these new demands by offering not just machines for multi-color production, but also the option of inline finishing with additional printing units.
In parallel with these trends, demands for reduced make-ready and set-up times, greater energy savings and the option of processing innovative, resource-conserving consumables, such as films, adhesives, varnishes and inks, have also risen significantly.
Novel product finishing solutions introduced in Düsseldorf back in 2004 have since become integral elements in the printing process. Print-finishing techniques such as coatings, gold and silver inks, die-cutting and embossing, and hot and cold foil application, are now routinely used to add value to high-quality print products and packaging materials. These finishing techniques give print products an exclusive appearance, and both machine and material manufacturers at drupa 2008 will be introducing products and services in line with this market trend.
Raising the bar at the point of sale
At the point of sale, packaging materials must make a product stand out from its competitors and reflect its market value and branding. Higher value products invest more in sophisticated packaging to achieve this — with the cosmetic industry and its high demands for packaging, a good example of this.
Using the latest production techniques, greater added value can be attained for high value print point of sale and advertising displays, without incurring prohibitive production costs. Because advertising of this kind has an increasingly short life cycle, manufacturers at drupa 2008 will be presenting high-tech electronic systems that support the rapid production of advertising and display materials. In this context, digital printing with flatbed processes will be integrated more tightly into the production process.
Coating
Coating is the most popular method of print product finishing, with the capability of adjusting gloss values from matt to high gloss. Coatings offer print products the necessary protection against wear and tear from mechanical forces and other factors. Attractive design effects can be achieved with coatings by combining gloss value and color in an infinite number of ways.
In the years since drupa 2004, demand for paper and finishing techniques has expanded worldwide, and nowhere more than in commercial and packaging printing. This expansion has gone hand-in-hand with mostly small run sizes and rising demand for increasingly diverse finishing work and combination solutions. Along with this, the trends towards greater use of color and a general demand for higher quality products have gained momentum.
Equipment suppliers to the print and media industry are responding to these new demands by offering not just machines for multi-color production, but also the option of inline finishing with additional printing units.
In parallel with these trends, demands for reduced make-ready and set-up times, greater energy savings and the option of processing innovative, resource-conserving consumables, such as films, adhesives, varnishes and inks, have also risen significantly.
Novel product finishing solutions introduced in Düsseldorf back in 2004 have since become integral elements in the printing process. Print-finishing techniques such as coatings, gold and silver inks, die-cutting and embossing, and hot and cold foil application, are now routinely used to add value to high-quality print products and packaging materials. These finishing techniques give print products an exclusive appearance, and both machine and material manufacturers at drupa 2008 will be introducing products and services in line with this market trend.
Raising the bar at the point of sale
At the point of sale, packaging materials must make a product stand out from its competitors and reflect its market value and branding. Higher value products invest more in sophisticated packaging to achieve this — with the cosmetic industry and its high demands for packaging, a good example of this.
Using the latest production techniques, greater added value can be attained for high value print point of sale and advertising displays, without incurring prohibitive production costs. Because advertising of this kind has an increasingly short life cycle, manufacturers at drupa 2008 will be presenting high-tech electronic systems that support the rapid production of advertising and display materials. In this context, digital printing with flatbed processes will be integrated more tightly into the production process.
Coating
Coating is the most popular method of print product finishing, with the capability of adjusting gloss values from matt to high gloss. Coatings offer print products the necessary protection against wear and tear from mechanical forces and other factors. Attractive design effects can be achieved with coatings by combining gloss value and color in an infinite number of ways.
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