So what is this standard for?

 It covers colour-viewing conditions for the graphic arts and photography areas, including viewing proofs, [...]]]> Well, not really new, the revised standard, ISO 3664-2009 has been in place for around 18 monthss. This has replaced the older ISO 3664 -2000 standard on which your current tubes may be based?

So what is this standard for?

 It covers colour-viewing conditions for the graphic arts and photography areas, including viewing proofs, both on screen and in proof viewing booths and viewing printed sheets on press consoles.

 It is similar to the 2000 version in that is stipulates the use of CIE illuminate D50 lighting, 5000° Kevin colour temperature and a colour rendering index (CRI) of 90 or greater.

 It also covers the intensity and evenness of the lighting, glare, so between 1200 and 2000 lux for viewing proofs and printed sheets.

The main area that has changed is that the light source must be more accurate to the D50 specification in the UV area of the spectrum. However this may result in a differing result when comparing proofs to printed sheets.

This is because many proofing papers have no OBA’s, optical blighting agents, while most papers for printing do. The new specification tubes will show this ‘colour difference ‘in a way the older tubes will not! GTI and Just will supply UV filters with the new tubes is asked. This can still be compliant with the new 2009 standard, but only if all in the viewing/approval process, including clients are using these UV filters with the new lighting!

This has resulted in the D50 tube manufacturers having to make available new specification tubes to this revised standard.

 So this you have not changed your tubes for a while, or have replaced then with the older versions, you will not meet this revised 2009 standard!

This applies to all viewing areas, proof viewing booths, on press, etc.

See below for links to the some companies that can supply these tubes:

GTI Graphic Technology tubes

Philips Master TL-D 90 Graphica tubes

Just Normlicht tubes

Also included the Xerox CiPress 500 Production Inkjet. It is a interesting press from Xerox, not B2, its web fed, around 406mm width using waterless inkjet with piezo print heads. I guess based on [...]]]> Back from Drupa with sore feet but with more info,  so added two more presses and  amended  some of the others.

Also included the Xerox CiPress 500 Production Inkjet. It is a interesting press from Xerox, not B2, its web fed, around 406mm width using waterless inkjet with piezo print heads. I guess based on the ‘old’ ‘Phaser’ technology with solid ‘waxy’ inks. Used at present for uncoated light weight papers. Runs at 1000 to 2000 A4 pages per minute. This could be the tech that Zerox use for a higher spec B2 machine?

There’s been lots of talk, articles and blogs on these presses, many to be shown for the first time at DRUPA, and their impact on the offset litho market, so here are my thoughts!

Firstly not all are new. Not all are ready for the market, and some seem to represent a possible disruptive technology to offset litho more then others.

The interesting area is speed, and which print markets these presses are aimed. The two or three presses are close to being commercially available, these, and most others, all run at around 3000 sheets an hour, most can use variable data, so the commercial, direct marketing, book and trans promo areas I guess?

 Some are being ‘adapted’ for the carton and flexible packaging areas.

But is 3000 sheets an hour fast enough and the presses economic enough when printing non-variable product to complete with a highly spec’d B3 or B2 sheet fed litho press. Do your own calculations! I am unsure at present.

This brings me to the speeds quoted by two of the latest presses announced, the Ryobi/Miyakoshi prototype and of course Benny Landa’s Landa Nanography technology/presses. The first is quoting up to 8,000 sheets per hour B1! But is the resolution high enough for the quality commercial colour market?

Nanography quotes 11,000 sheets per hour and a quality better then litho (a larger colour gamut and higher resolution), all which remains to be seen at DRUPA. So while the 3000 sheets an hour may find a market, they may not disrupt offset litho. So could Nanography be the disruptive technology for offset litho, in the same way as offset litho was to letterpress in the late 1950s early 1960s?

27/4 Komori and Landa enter a global partnership to build presses using the nanography printing system. This is in addition to the Komori partnership with Konica Minolta on the KM1 UV inkjet? Can both coexist? It seems that the Komori/Konica Minolta will be the system thats is aimed at the variable print market?

30/4 And now Landa have partnered with ManRoland sheetfed, UK owned, to allow them to use the Nanography technology, what next, Heidelberg?

A deal between Heidelberg and Landa was announced 2/5/2012.

Also the new Memjet inkjet technology used in the Delphax Elan SRA2 printer gives speeds up to 500 pages per minute! The technology is also being used in  wide format printers from OCE, Fuji Xerox and Xanta. 

 So watch this space closely.

 So lets look at the basic specifications of whats on offer, errors and omissions expected:

  Fujifilm Jet Press 720

  Size: B2 sheet fed

  Perfecting: No

Variable data: No

Speed: 2,700 B2 sheets per hour

Stocks: Most litho papers and boards

Available: Now? Seems to be ending its beta testing stage

Price: 1,500,000 euros

Pros: Avaiable now. Very good quality.

Cons: Not varable, slow compared to the latest in this market

First shown at the last DRUPA and fully demo’ed at IPEX 2010, one of the first in this field. Built like a printing press with litho like paper feeds and delivery. A packaging version will be shown at DRUPA.

Screen Truepress Jet SX

Size: B2 sheet fed

Perfecting: Yes

Variable data: Yes

Speed: 1,620 B2 sheets per hour one side only, 810 perfected

Stocks: Most litho papers and boards

DPI: 1440 x 1440, 1440 x 720

Type: Inkjet, water based pigment, hot air dryers

Available: Now

Price: NA

Pros: Avaiable now. Very good quality.

Cons:  Slow compared to the latest in this market

Shown at DRUPA 2008. Fully demo’ed at IPEX 2010, one of the first in this field. Now has packaging ‘additions’.

HP Indigo 10000

 Size: B2 sheet fed

Perfecting: Yes

Variable data: Yes

Speed: 3,400 B2 sheets per hour, 4,600 in ‘Enhanced Productivity Mode’, basically a CMY process with no black.

Stocks: HP approved papers and boards

Available: At beta testing stage, and there are to be a twoUK beta testers. Available at the end of 2013

Price: 1,500,000 euros

Pros:  Very good quality.

Cons: Slow compared to the others in this market. 

Not a inkjet press, its an Indigo! DRUPA 2012 will be its first showing, but looks from many reports is close to a being finished product. Built like a printing press with litho like paper feeds and delivery. There are other versions, the 20,000 and 30,000 for the packaging markets.

  KBA Rotajet 76

  Size: B2 web fed

  Perfecting: Yes?

  Variable data: Yes?

  Speed: 150 meters per minute perfected?

Stocks: NA

Available: NA

Price: NA

Brand new machine from KBA to be shown at DRUPA, web fed, a low resolution at 600dpi? Uses Kyocera K64 heads, seems to be aimed at books and commercial print. Print quality is an area to be looked at?

  OCE ColorStream 3500

  Size: B2 web fed portrait

  Perfecting: Yes

 Variable data: Yes

Speed: 75 meters per minute can be single sided or double with an additional printing ‘unit’.

Stocks: 60gsm to 160gsm

DPI: 600 x 600

Type: Inkjet, pigment or dye inks

Available: Now?

Price: NA

Brand new machine from OCE to be shown at DRUPA, web fed, a low resolution at 600dpi? Uses Kyocera K64 heads as the KBA Rotajet 76, seems to be aimed at books and commercial print? Print quality is an area to be looked into? The spec seems to place this press in the transpromo market

 Konica Minolta/Komori KM1 UV inkjet

Size: B2 sheet fed

Perfecting: Yes

Variable data: Yes

Speed: 1650 sheets per hour perfected

Stocks: normal offset papers and boards with no pre-coating

DPI: 1200 x 1200

Type: Inkjet, with UV drying

Available: A prototype technology demo machine. Could be available end of 2013

Price: NA

Pros:  Very good quality.

Cons: Slow compared to the others in this market. 

Brand new machine, a development by Komori and Konica Minolta to be shown at DRUPA, is it going to be just a demo of a possible product?

 Ryobi/Miyakosh Digital Press 8000 prototype

 Size: B2 Sheet fed

Perfecting: TBC

Variable data: Yes

Speed: 8,000 sheets per hour, increasing to 10,000 as developed

Stocks: normal offset papers with no pre-coating

Available: Prototype

DPI: 1200 x 1200

Type: UV liquid toner

Price: NA

Pros:  Very good quality. One of the fastest B@ digital,presses

Cons: Not avaiable until 2013. 

Brand new machine, a development by Ryobi and Miyakoshi to be shown at DRUPA, they say it is a prototype, but it is very fast with very good image quality

Impika iPrint eXtreme

Size: up to B1 web fed from a 710 mm web width

Perfecting: Yes

Variable data: TBA

Speed: 375 meters per minute, 22,500 B1 sheets per hour

Stocks: TBA

Available: TBA

Price: NA

Very fast machine, but it is not clear at what dpi the speeds quoted used? It can print at up to 1440dpi. Another DRUPA launch.

 Landa Nanography

  Size: B3, B2, B1 sheet fed and web fed

  Perfecting: Unknown

  Variable data: Yes

  Speed: 13,000 sheets per hour B1

Stocks: Any paper and some plastic films.

Available: Second half of 2013

Price: NA 

Pros:  The fastest digital presses. Only B1 sheet feb digital press. Quality should be good when developement is complete.

Cons: Will quality be good when develoment is complete? Is this nano tech safe?

Is this the new printing process to take over the world, it will be an interesting DRUPA? Now in partnership with Komori, ManRoland sheet fed and Heidelberg to build  presses based on Nanography.

 Delphax Elan

 Size: SR2 sheet or web fed

Perfecting: Yes

Variable data: Yes

Speed: 500 pages per minute, so 7,500 SRA2 sheets per hour at 1600 x 800dpi

Stocks: 60gsm to 350gsm, needs an inline primer coat for some coated stocks

DPI: 1600 x 1600 or 1600 x 800

Type: Memjet thermal inkjet

Available: End of 2013

Price: £400,000 TBC

Pros:  Very good quality. Fast

Cons: An SRA2 sheet size. 

Another fast machine. Aimed at many markets; books, security, and commercial printing

MGI Alphajet

 Size: B2

Perfecting: Yes

Variable data: Yes

Speed: up to 3000 sheets per hour

Stocks: up to 500gsm

DPI: 1200 x 1200

Available: A prototype, available for sale in 2013

Price: TBA

Xerox CiPress 500

 Size: A3 web fed

Perfecting: Yes

Variable data: Yes

Speed: up to 1000 to 2000 pages per minute

Stocks: up to 50 to 160gsm uncoated

DPI: 600 x 400 dpi

Type: Piezo DOD, solid inks

Available: TBA

Price: TBA

Very fast press for light weight uncoated papers using an inkjet method that shows potential for other papers and sizes

Jadason QPress

 Size: B2

Perfecting: Yes

Variable data: Yes

Speed: up to 1080 sheets per hour

Stocks: up to 64gsm to 350gsmcoated and uncoated

DPI: 1200 x 1200

Type: Dry Toner

Available: Now

Price: £250,000

Pros:  Reasonable quality at a reasonable price.

Cons: Very slow compared to the others in this market. 

Slow, but lower priced machine which was one of the first commercially available B2 digital presses, also unclear if it perfects.

Founder EagleJet P5200

 Size: B2 portrait web

Perfecting: Yes

Variable data: Yes

Speed: 75 metres per minute, 

Stocks: uncoated and inkjets papers

DPI: 1200 x 1200

Type: inkjet Piezo 

Available: TBA

Price: TBA

Clearly aimmed at the book and transpromo markets