InkJet Age

SEP 2014

Inkjet's Age, a print supplement to Quick Printing, is a business and technology brand dedicated to corporate and senior management and focusing on issues surrounding inkjet printing technology in all its forms. Inkjet's Age covers the industry news,

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www.MyPRINTResource.com SEPTEMBER 2014 • INKJET'S AGE 21 A s printers continue to migrate to the digital playing field, they need to pick their partners wisely to remain competitive, not only today but also in a future that is certain to deliver more new opportunities for growth. Consider this: Just a few short years ago, inkjet presses peaked at speeds of 400 feet per minute (fpm) and widths of 30 inches. Today, those numbers have more than doubled: speeds of 800+ fpm with widths up to 60 inches. And although there are numerous finish- ing players who can achieve the former benchmarks, those who can meet today's needs as well as anticipate the industry's future by engineering flexible and scal- able solutions are considerably smaller. Muller Martini is one of the very few print finishing manufacturers who has adapted its innovative and groundbreak- ing technology to satisfy the trends of today—and tomorrow. Case in Point: Webcrafters Webcrafters, Inc. is a full-service book, magazine, and catalog manufac- turer located in Madison, WI. They've been a familiar name to educational book publishers for well over 100 years—years in which they've witnessed countless generations of print technol- ogy. That's why when Webcrafters en- tered the evolving digital print market, they were most interested in partners capable of manufacturing solutions that could accommodate an ever-changing technological landscape. With the onset of higher-speed digital inkjet presses, Webcrafters installed in 2010 its first Kodak Prosper 5000XL Press, which needed to be paired with a supportive finishing solution that made workflow and downstream processes A Strong Finishing Partner Helps You Reach New Heights more efficient, while handling the challenges inherent in pro- cessing specifically lightweight, large-format teachers' edition prod- ucts. Webcrafters already had an established relationship with Muller Martini, having previously purchased multiple perfect- binding and saddle-stitching systems, including a Primera E140 saddle-stitcher in 2008. With that history in mind, Webcrafters reached out to Muller to provide a finishing solution for its inkjet initiative. The firm needed to support the Kodak press with workflow intel- ligence to help manage the increasing number of files resulting from shorter run lengths and the higher volume po- tential of the new line. That is one of the main reasons why it purchased its first SigmaLine digital book manufacturing system. SigmaLine interconnects prepress, digital printing, and finishing in a touchless workflow system that delivers fully automated pro- duction from a PDF to a finished book in a single operation. What's more, it provided Webcraft- ers with a unique collating solution for processing its lightweight paper stock. It began with the re-engineering of the collator to process the larger format re- quirements of their work. Also, Sigma- Webcrafters partners with Muller Martini for scalable digital print manufacturing solutions that meet today's needs and are primed for tomorrow's. By Andy Fetherman Line applies glue in the trim area of the individual book blocks, which provides a strong bond to maintain the book block integrity for more efficient han- dling during downstream processes for both perfect binding and spiral-bound book production. But perhaps SigmaLine's greatest value is that it is a scalable solution built to grow as the technology evolved. And as Webcrafters received increasing digital demands from its customers, it realized the importance of this scalability. Fast Forward to 2014 Webcrafters' digital workflow contin- ued to expand with inkjet becoming an even more integral part of its operation. Thus, in 2014 the firm invested in a sec- ond Prosper 5000XLi Press. Now, what was most critical was a finishing solution that could keep up with the demand for higher production speeds from inkjet presses, while continuing to efficiently process lightweight, coated stocks. What's more, Webcrafters needed a more robust (continued on page 22)

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