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N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 4 / Q U I C K P R I N T I N G 15 w w w. M y P R I N T R e s o u r c e . c o m it through any kind finishing equipment and you'll start to get more jams and misfeeds because the edges are warped." Pre-treatment is the default option for most of the inkjet system currently on the market, but sometimes there is also an additional post-treatment. "Some customers require very high- quality applications and may use our Image Optimizer station on a Prosper 5000," said Terry Wozniak, manager of applied workflow solutions, Inkjet Print- ing Solutions, Kodak. "They can use a Sterling Ultra gloss [offset paper] and optimize it with a precoat. That may also be post-coated. That post-coating will also give an extra pop to the color gamut as well as protect it. Some customers are doing that for book applications, and certainly the post-coat is common for 7-point or 9-point postcards or things that go directly into the mail stream." … Nor Any Drop to Drink Another way of solving the water prob- lem is to just not use any water at all. Xerox's initial entry into production inkjet—its CiPress series web presses—is waterless, using the solid ink technology acquired from Tektronix. The waterless ink comprises colored wax-like substanc- es—rather like crayons, in a way—that are melted and jetted onto the media. With a spreader roller mechanism, the melted colorant is compressed into the paper. This waterless approach does solve many of the problems associated with aqueous inks. (Xerox has since acquired aqueous inkjet printing technology from a French company called Impika, giving the company a portfolio that includes both aqueous and waterless inkjet.) "Customers who are interested in the direct mail space see unique value in CiPress because, without introducing water into the page, you can maintain a real flat sheet independent of what cover- age you have," said Dustin Graupman, VP/GM of Ink Jet Business, Xerox. "On top of that, most customers in the direct mail space are often looking for the most economical substrates, and that's part of the value proposition of CiPress, that it performs almost best when you have a real commodity sheet." But, as with aqueous inkjet, there are similar media compatibility issues. "Gloss-coated substrates are a challenge," admitted Graupman. "The ink technol- "If you are printing a web with high-den- sity areas—100 percent, 200 percent coverage— and then a lot of white space, you could poten- tially overdry some areas and underdry other areas," Allen explained. Solutions to this problem can involve using color profiles (about which in a moment) that desaturate given colors while keeping the hue as con- sistent as possible. Controlling saturation in this way not only helps with drying but also can reduce ink costs, since you're laying down less ink. Ultimately, inkjet web printing is a balanc- ing act between controlling costs, optimizing basic runnability, and maintaining quality. "As you saturate the sheet with more colors, you get cockle, curl, and show-through when the sheet is wet," said Schilling. "You have offsetting on the rollers, and when the paper is wound up, you can see the cockles in the roll. You put Continued on page 28 Digital Finishing Solutions. Print is always on the move. In dynamic markets, printers need to adapt to new conditions. This is manroland web systems' focus: You, your business, and your future. Our finishing and workflow solutions for digital printing enable you to develop profitable business models for digital newspaper and book production. manroland web systems Inc., Lisle/IL. www.manroland-web.com For more information, visit MyPRINTResource.com/10006536