www.MyPRINTResource.com SEPTEMBER 2014 • INKJET'S AGE 17
What capabilities do you need? How
much of a price, and how much floor
space, can you afford to exchange for
great finishing capabilities? And finally,
what are the relative merits of going with
inline or offline solutions? All are ques-
tions worthy of putting to the authorities
on this topic. So Inkjet's Age went out to
learn what the experts have to say about
these purchase decisions.
Capabilities
When attention focuses on finishing
capabilities, the first decision to be made
is what form the output should take.
So said Scott Peterson, product market-
ing manager for Lasermax Roll Tecnau
Group, a manufacturer of feeding and
finishing equipment for high-speed digital
printers based in Billerica, MA.
"Do you want it to come out in cut
sheets or stacked sheets? Do you want a
rewind roll inline with the printer, ending
with cut sheets on the back end?" he asked.
"Or do you want to run
roll-to-roll and take care of
your finishing offline?"
Ryan Manieri, marketing di-
rector for MBO Digital, a company that
offers digital solutions that can accom-
modate roll-to-roll, roll-to-stack, roll-to-
book, roll-to-booklet, and roll-to-finish
production for 20- and 30-inch web for-
mats, said the capabilities sought depend
on the needs of the PSP.
Automated set-up, variable finishing,
and ease of use are all important technical
considerations, he said. "Fully automated
machines from MBO can auto-calibrate
fold plates, air pressure and alignment
systems based off data in a JDF," he said.
"This can greatly reduce set-up times be-
tween jobs."
Variable finishing has evolved as digital
printing has improved. A finishing solu-
tion equipped with variable capabilities
can finish different length signatures from
one roll. By combining different signa-
W
hether it's books, direct mail, transpromo,
labels, newspapers or personalized
catalogs, today's inline and
offline solutions can keep up
with high-speed inkjet output. But when ac-
quiring and integrating finishing equipment
in your production workflow, there's no end to
the factors that must be considered.
By JEFFREY STEELE
Integrating Finishing Equipment
with Production Inkjet Devices
tures on a single roll, paper waste can be
reduced on each book, greatly trimming
production time. For instance, a 76-page
book could be built using 16-page and
12-page signatures, Manieri said.
"Combining the signatures onto one
roll results in there being no stoppage for
transition between rolls, no secondary
Postpress:
More than just folders, MBO
America offers finishing solutions
for high-speed continuous inkjet
devices in both 20- and 30-inch
widths (above). These
solutions can be customized
based on the needs of the PSP.