Digital Finishing’s Remarkable Game-Changing Renaissance In February 2016, after nearly twenty years of collaboration, Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Canada) (Booth 1801) inked an exclusive agreement with MGI (Booth 2149) to co-market and service the entire line of MGI digital printing and fi nishing solutions in Canada. One month later, Konica Minolta installed the latest version of MGI’s JETVarnish 3DS Digital Spot UV and Inline iFoil System at Print Panther, a high-end digital printing boutique in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Why high-end digital fi nishing? Why now? Today’s printers have been coping with a changing industry driven mostly by soaring customer expectations. They have to deal with shorter runs, more customization, faster time to market, shrinking margins, and the lingering challenge of commodity-based cutthroat pricing. For shop owners, the decision of whether to outsource fi nishing effects or purchase new equipment to produce those effects can be monumental. And while the world’s Christine Yardley, V.P. of Sales and Marketing at Print Panther (left) with Rebekah Fougere, Director of Marketing and Sales Support for Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Canada) Ltd., in front of the JETVarnish 3DS. press manufacturers have improved processes, fi nishing still remains a headache. “All that is about to change dramatically,” says Paul McCarthy, Director of Production Print at Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Canada). For example, spectacular value-added digital fi nishing effects can now be done totally in-house at Print Panther. There’s no need to outsource or buy additional equipment. Workfl ow is smoother and downtime is reduced because the special effects can be printed in one pass. These effects include embossing and de-bossing, multiple-colored hot foil stamping (up to three colors), spot UV coating, and special 2D and 3D effects. The technology can even accommodate variable-data printing of hot foil and/or spot UV coating that can be applied on the text, on the image, or on both, in runs from one to thousands of sheets. A true game-changer This will open up new markets that were previously unattainable. Now, Print Panther can create visually stunning pieces quickly with short-run customization not previously possible via traditional methods. The goal is to maximize one-on-one marketing and branding impact while adding enormous value for its customers and lowering production costs. Some of the initial applications the company foresees include custom packaging, pocket folders, custom binders, wine labels, shopping bags, Braille, business cards, brochures, and more. “This technology will be a real game-changer for printers and their clients across Canada,” says Dal Raimondi, Production Paul McCarthy, Director of Production Print at Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Canada), with Shelley Squelch, Senior Account Executive, Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Canada) Ltd. Print Solutions Analyst at Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Canada). The technology is also evolving quickly. In fact, MGI premiered its next-generation of JETvarnish technology (the JETvarnish 3D Evolution, the world’s fi rst B1+ scalable Digital Enhancement Press) at drupa this year. As for Print Panther’s JETVarnish 3DS installation, Konica Minolta realized the potential of this technology long ago, and was determined to bring it to Canada. But Konica Minolta wasn’t the only major industry player who saw its potential. One of the huge cost-cutting benefi ts of Print Panther’s MGI JetVarnish 3DS is that it doesn’t require dies, fi lms, or makereadies. This allows production of hot foil stamping and embossing jobs faster and more cost-effectively in a single pass. Canada’s fi nishing “renaissance” is already underway. Print Panther’s JETvarnish 3DS and iFoil utilize MGI’s inkjet technology, Konica Minolta’s piezoelectronic printheads, and hot-foil stamping to provide digital spot UV coating in 2D and 3D, as well as embossed foil textured effects. The digital hot-foil and embossing functions are inline with the varnish process on substrates and sheets up to 14x40" in size and weights from 135 to 600 gsm. This digital spot UV coating process is 100% variable-data compatible with barcode reader options that enable custom spot-varnished prints with unique graphics, text and numerical data. Up to 2,298 A3 pages per hour can be handled. Spot UV coating is another built-in game-changer. Print Panther’s JETvarnish 3DS integrated UV curing dries sheets on the fl y using integrated LEDs. No additional drying time is required. Sheets are dry upon entering its high-capacity stacker (maximum height 30 cm). Adding spot varnish to any project simply involves adding a fi fth color through a fi fth color mask. The fi fth color is simply loaded into the Digital Front End. No plates or screens are needed and a wide range of substrates can be accommodated. Quality printing is not enough “Today, exceptional printing quality is no longer enough,” says Christine Yardley, VP of Sales and Marketing at Print Panther. “Even with our latest digital presses, all the end-user’s perceived value is coming from fi nishing techniques. Now, because of the 100% digital JETvarnish 3DS spot coating integration with the personalization of the iFoil hot foiling module, we can help our customers create an emotional connection for their brands with personalized fi nishing options. Our focus on embracing revolutionary digital fi nishing processes is really giving us an edge in the marketplace. We can move forward with new projects faster and more effi ciently while controlling costs. The JETvarnish 3DS and iFoil are certainly unique when it comes to adding value to printed output with enhanced, deluxe fi nishing treatments such as 2D or 3D UV spot coating and embossed hot foiling. They’re delivering astonishing tactile fi nishing for our small, medium and large runs. The new installation, combined with the unwavering support we’ve been getting from Konica Minolta Canada, is defi nitely helping us to achieve our goal–that is, to constantly push boundaries in everything we do,” she adds. Inside the MGI JETVarnish 3DS iFoil Module. 36 | September 27, 2016 | GRAPH EXPO 16 Offi cial Show Daily | PrintingNews.com
GraphExpo_ShowDaily_September_27_2016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above