Make life easier
Color may be a very important factor, but you can't just consider this factor when judging whether digital printing is right for you. To succeed, a company needs to find not only the right tools and solutions but also the right opportunities. And as a perfect printing solution, it must be able to bring convenience to all participants.
Dwivedi said: “Digital books publishers should find a solution that allows them to print a variety of books and publications.†Therefore, hardware devices should have the following attributes: flexible substrates and format options, variable data printing capabilities, easy integration Ability and top quality.
The automation of digital workflows is crucial to the flexibility of printing. Conley said: “You must have the ability to automate your workflow. Without this capability, printing will become a labor-intensive process. And if there are too many manual steps in the production process, then you cannot pass. Digital printing makes money."
If a device does not have a flexible workflow, it cannot be used for a long time, especially if you want to expand your product range. Integrating new features into existing systems seems to be an easier task than buying a brand new printing system. Broadhurst explained: "Digital technology gives you the power to increase the efficiency of your workflow."
Ease of use and convenience are two other factors to consider. Digital photo albums allow people to upload photos in their own homes by downloading photo publishing software. Many websites (for example, al-greens, Costco, and Shutterfly) can now produce products such as photos, photo albums, and personalized greeting cards for customers within 24 hours. Nguyen said: “We like fast food, but we don’t want to go out in line. Professional women usually don’t have time to take care of children, so they need help from others.†In everyone’s life, ease of use is a central idea. Are you a consumer, publisher, or printer?
Bind all pages together
Correct post-printing equipment should have the potential to save time and reduce costs. The biggest appeal of the postpress equipment is the full realization of automated production. In 2006, PRIMIR published an investigation report titled “Installation Basis and Market Potential for Traditional Binding and Postpress Technologyâ€. The results show that 95% of wireless bindery equipment will be automated in the next five years. Less manual intervention means less chance of making mistakes.
Hunt thinks that automation will become synonymous with publication of books. He said: “This can bring a series of unimaginable benefits to digital library publishers. Automation has the same value as ease of use, which means that you can perform faster and easier training for operators and give employees Bring more flexibility. The quick setup and transfer function is very important for the production of short edition digital books."
In general, post-press processing equipment is easily overlooked. Fetherman emphasized: “In the digital book production market, people often only pay attention to the changes in the speed and quality of different digital printing equipment. However, the quality of printed products should also receive more attention from people.â€
Hunt also very much agrees with Fetherman's point of view. He said: “Although finishing equipment is a follow-up processing equipment, today’s book manufacturers have realized that when using post-press equipment designed for long offset printing to process digital books and periodicals, The labor costs and power-on waste generated, so the post-press workflow and equipment have also become the most important part of the production process.The binding quality of digital printing books and journals should be at least the same, whether it is only print or print One hundred thousand."
Complementary
With the increasing popularity of digital photo albums, manufacturers of RFID equipment have also felt the market is booming. The traditional binder machine can be compatible with three types of glues: EVA (ethylene acetate hot melt), PVA (polyvinyl acetate) and PUR (polyurethane). Unfortunately, EVA and PVA are very difficult to stick with the commonly used coated paper in photo albums. So, if you insist on using EVA or PVA glue to bind coated paper, bound books will quickly become fragmented.
On the other hand, PUR is more persistent. In addition to sticking coated paper together, PUR glue has many other benefits. Its performance can be stable between minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit and zero above 200 degrees Fahrenheit. PUR is very flexible, and it can achieve the desired binding effect with only a small amount of usage. When contacted with materials such as alcohol, toluene or gasoline, this glue will not decompose. In addition, the durability of PUR is very strong, and the glue's page pull test results are 40% to 60% better than those of other glue tests.
Regrettably, the price of a perfect binder that can use PUR glue is between 1 million and 2 million US dollars, and it is generally only used by large-scale printers and magazine publishers. Printers generally cannot afford such expensive equipment.
Companies like Depot have now responded to this question. At drupa show in June 2008, the company will launch a DPB500 perfect binder that is compatible with PUR glue.
An interactive market
Lulu.com is actually a digital market where users can create paperback books, hardcover books, photo albums, desk calendars, posters and other graphic content. Since 2002, the book author has had the ability to break traditional publishing barriers and sell his own products. If there is no such site as Lulu.com, this is simply impossible. Andrew Pate, the company’s senior vice president of global packaging and operations, explained: “Hundreds of books that were previously impossible to publish have now appeared on the market. This is mainly because digital printing reduces the threshold for book publishing. â€
As Pate pointed out, when users started uploading their own content, the publishing process of digital books was officially launched. They can create their own projects, order proofs, and receive and confirm proofs.
98% of Lulu.com's business is operated in this way, and the company prints approximately 1.8 copies per book. In addition, Lulu.com is a loyal user of Xerox products and they are currently using Xerox DocuTech, Nuvera and iGen3. Pate said: "From both the product and the marketing point of view, Xerox's high-quality monochrome printing solutions can meet the needs of book publishing."
The era of self-publishing has arrived
Under the growing threat of e-books, UbuildABook Company still achieved a good business performance. Although e-books have become an ideal substitute for short-run digital printed books and publications, digital books publishing is still a cost-effective solution for jobs with less than 1,000 copies.
UbuildABook was founded three and a half years ago, initially it was just a brand new media entertainment company. With the increasing popularity of digital printing technology, the company has gradually transformed itself into an independent self-publishing company.
For reasons of color consistency and compatibility, the company uses the Xerox DocuColor 240/250 press. In addition, they also introduced an HP Designjet 130 press for the printing of book covers and moving envelopes.
Keep energy
The publishing house will continue to open up new roads to increase the speed of short-lived mediation. Their demand is the driving force for the market to move forward. At the same time, they will also promote the integration of printed products and existing workflows. Fetherma predicts: “With the advent of high-speed presses and a new generation of post-press processing equipment, the scope of online workflows will be further expanded to eliminate the difficulties people face today.â€
Personalized story books and digital photo albums have had a strong impact on the market. It will not take long for a brand-new and revolutionary digital book publishing system to stand out in the market. As the consumer demand for this product is very large, more and more publishers will be aware of the benefits of digital printing. Under the influence of the domino effect, the printing and post-press processing industry will also achieve greater development.