DIRECT IMAGING the future of the printing press

May 1, 2001 12:00 PM, JILL ROTH Special projects editor | jroth@intertec.com

Quick, on-demand, top quality — those are the features the define the push toward on-press imaging

Back in 1991 the printing industry looked with doubt when that new-fangled Heidelberg GTO-DI was introduced. It was the first offset press that imaged plates digitally on the press. With the exception of some pioneering printers willing to get shot full of arrows for a few years, few in the graphic arts rushed out to purchase this unique technology.

Then in 1993 an improved GTO-DI came onto the market. It used a spark discharge system for imaging, greatly increasing the resolution and print quality through the use of thermal lasers and the PEARLdry plate manufactured by Presstek. A few more heads perked up, but sales remained sluggish.

In 1995, the Quickmaster DI was launched and the industry started taking direct-imaging technology more seriously. The QM-DI uses an internal roll of imaging media, which avoided the time-consuming task of plate changes. Today, Heidelberg claims more than 1,500 units sold.

But it wasn't until Drupa 2000 that the market got its next big boost. It was at that show that Heidelberg was joined in the DI world by other leading press manufacturers, including Adast, Sakurai, Karat, Ryobi and Akiyama — not to mention Xerox's foray into in-based printing with the launching of the DocuColor 400 DI and DocuColor 233 DI.

The age of digital imaging on-press has begun.

Since its launch, the Quickmaster DI has been enhanced. The two-up system now is known as QM-DI plus. Heidelberg has added four extra ink zones. That gives the advanced system a total of 12 ink zones, enabling press operators to more closely control ink coverage and to do it more rapidly.

The QM-DI plus uses PEARLdry plates from Presstek. The plates, which are configured on a roll to enable the DI to replace itself automatically, produce a sharper dot structure.

And makeready times are much improved. By revving up the rotation of the plate cylinders, imaging time for a four-color job has been reduced from an average of six minutes to less than 4½ minutes.

The QM-DI plus features a new RIP that runs on a faster platform. In fact, Heidelberg offers a number of RIP options. You can choose to increase the performance of the RIP and increase the performance and functionality of the RIP software by upgrading to the latest version. Workflow options also include migrating to Delta technology, with other workflow options on the horizon.

The QM-DI also is operator-friendly. It has an ergonomic control panel equipped with 12 ink zone keys that make fine-tuning ink coverage a simpler and more precise operation.

Over the years, QM-DI owners have found their businesses growing. In a CAP Ventures study, use of the DI press helped printers' business expand from five percent to 200 percent, with the average growth at 40 percent.

“THE SM74-DI EQUIPS PRINTERS TO COMBINE THE RAPID TURNAROUND OF DIRECT IMAGING TECHNOLOGY WITH THE HIGH PRINT QUALITY OF A SPEEDMASTER. THAT'S A COMBINATION THAT WILL HELP USERS COME OUT ON TOP IN THE SHORT-RUN HIGH-QUALITY COLOR MARKET.”
— ERIC FRANK, HEIDELBERG USA

Printers may use QM-DIs exclusively or in conjunction with traditional offset presses or toner-based digital output devices. Approximately half of all QM-DI users rely exclusively on their DI presses. The press can handle time-sensitive orders, just-in-time deliveries, print on-demand and top-notch four-color work.

Users of QM-DIs appear to enjoy significantly higher profitability than the industry average. A CAP Ventures survey of 321 print service providers owning a QM DI found that the average gross profits for typical jobs was 42 percent. Compare this to the industry average of 26 percent as reported in the Printing Industries of America (PIA) Ratio Studies.

“DI presses provide automation that will become the way to operate in the future,” asserts industry guru Frank Romano.

Many of these DI presses are equipped with imaging systems from Presstek. Presstek debuted ProFire in 2000. ProFire replaces the older PEARL imaging system. It uses an array of eight laser clusters, spaced at two-inch intervals across the width of the exposure system. Each cluster holds four laser diodes, each of which records its own spot. A FireWire interface connects the RIP to the imaging head, where the data is decompressed to an onboard gate, allowing a data throughput of 64 million pixels-per-second to each single head. The pixel data is fed to the lasers through drivers that have a 70-nanosecond rise time, allowing very sharp dot formation on the plate.

Resolution is set at the factory to either 2,400 dpi and its submultiples (1,200 and 1,800 dpi) or 2,540 dpi and submultiples. The spot size can be set either to 14 or 21 microns.

MORE THAN TWO-UP

Heidelberg, however, didn't rest at delivering the two-up Quickmaster DI. It developed the Speedmaster 74-DI, a four-up configuration that incorporates the speed and flexibility of digital imaging. Introduced to the U.S. at Graph Expo 2000, the Speedmaster 74-DI (SM74 DI) now has more than 50 installations worldwide and 20 more machines on order.

The SM74 DI prints at 15,000 sheets per hour, with its 200-line screen delivering offset print quality. It can be configured as a four-, five- or six-color machine, with or without inline coating. Perfecting also is available.

“The Speedmaster 74-DI delivers digital printing without compromise,” boasts Erie Frank, vice president of digital printing for Heidelberg USA. “It equips printers to combine the rapid turnaround of direct-imaging technology with the high print quality of a Speedmaster. That is a combination that will help SM74 DI users come out on top in the short-run high-quality color market.”

In contrast to the QM-DI, each of the SM74-DI's printing units are served by its own Creo-Scitex imaging head. Plates are loaded with Autoplate. All units are imaged simultaneously, in register, in three minutes, according to Heidelberg. As a result, the entire plate loading and imaging process can be accomplished in eight minutes, direct from a RIP with no additional prepress work.

Inking is preset using RIPed data via Heidelberg's InterTech award-winning CPC 32 press control system. This press control system provides accurate profiles that reduce waste and control makeready times.

Today, digital imaging on-press is well accepted by the printing industry. As we move forward, the industry can expect these technologies to grow and evolve. Direct-imaging presses are here to stay — for today and the future.

Directions 2001 Sponsors

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