As part of the anniversary celebrations, PrintAction has created a podcast series focusing on some of the important developments in the industry.

In the inaugural episode, Nithya Caleb, editor of PrintAction, spoke to industry leader and chronicler Nick Howard about the evolution of offset technology in the last 60 years.

Listen to the episode below!

The WKS Group has ordered the Magnus Q4800 Platesetter for its site in Essen (Westend Druckereibetriebe), where production takes place on heatset web offset presses in the class up to 80 pages.

“One key argument for us is that the Magnus Q4800 will let us switch from UV to thermal technology. The higher imaging capacity is another advantage,” said Dr. Ralph Dittmann, managing director of the WKS Group.

The Magnus Q4800 for the WKS Group will be equipped with an XPL Pallet Loading System for four plate formats as well as an in-line punch. Commissioning of the Kodak XLF CTP system in Essen is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2021.

The FL1 Prime features a width of 350mm, servo-driven technology as standard and the Uniprint printhead design geometry, as well as pre and auto-register. The modular, upgradable Prime has the option to install EZ Reg and EZ Die as well as LED UV curing.

“We noticed a gap in the market for those businesses who wanted an affordable ‘step up’ to a press which gives technological advancement and efficiencies and delivers superior print quality,” said James Boughton, managing director of Edale. “The FL1 PRIME modular design can be upgraded to suit the businesses’ growth when they need it.”

The benefits of the new automated Omnicolor II press controls, according to Goss, include start-up waste lowered by anywhere from 20 up to 50 percent, as well as significant reductions in turnaround time.

“Customers can see the potential pay-off, whatever their current production model may be,” said Rutger Jansen, head of customer service, Goss International Europe. “Together, we plot in their average number of jobs and current makeready figures against the investment cost and the new figures they can reliably expect. I can’t claim that the calculation methodology is groundbreaking, but it certainly helps convince our customers that the Omnicolor II upgrade is.”

Features of the Omnicolor II upgrade include the ability to automate press setting direct from CIP3 data to reduce what Goss describes as a three-stage process down to a single step, which also helps eliminate error potential.

More waste reduction improvements include what the company explains as quicker reaction of the ink keys and repetitive positioning; an ability to move all ink keys simultaneously; and the selection of up to 10 papers and inks, to optimize the presetting.

New functionality like Ink Tracking and Color Boost are designed to enable the fastest possible process to achieve good copies. New auto learning, by saving all running job settings, job after job, allows Omnicolor II to fine tune the presetting by taking into account ink, paper and coverage specifications for optimum results.

Following a one-day press audit, Goss engineers require full press access for between two and four days to install the upgrade on existing M-600 systems.

The facility is being designed to accommodate both brand owners and packaging producers to test, demonstrate and implement cooperative printing programs based on web offset technology. To this end, the centre will also be focused on consumables testing.

“The Sunday Vpak platform can provide higher quality, lower costs and faster turn-around times for packaging printing,” stated Rick Nichols, President and CEO of Goss International says. “Our investment in the equipment and the resources to staff this centre demonstrates our commitment to the packaging sector and our confidence in the advantages that web offset can deliver over traditional gravure and flexographic systems.”
 
The Sunday Vpak 500 press system at the Goss Packaging Technology Center will feature seven web offset printing units with a web width of 850 mm (33.5 inches) and a repeat range of 406 to 812 mm (16 to 32 inches). The system will be equipped with a flexo unit and UV and EB curing capabilities and will accommodate film substrates from nine to 75 microns thick and paper products as heavy as 100 gsm.
 
“With the first Sunday Vpak system now producing excellent results and another confidential project underway, we look forward to expanding our ability to demonstrate this new-generation web offset option to packaging producers throughout the world through customized print tests,” explains Peter Walczak, director of product management for Goss packaging presses.
 
Walczak says Goss will host seminars and programs at the Packaging Technology Center that will allow packaging producers, brand owners and suppliers worldwide to jointly explore emerging demands in the market and share new ideas for addressing them. 

“This will also be an industry resource where suppliers can test inks, chemicals and auxiliary technologies for web offset production in a neutral, controlled environment,” stated Peter Walczak, Director of Product Management for Goss packaging presses.

Partners supplying equipment and consumables to support the new Packaging Technology Center and its first Sunday Vpak press include ESI, Flint, Martin Automatic, Nela, Prime UV, QuadTech, Technotrans and Vataphone. Additional suppliers will be confirmed prior to the opening of the centre.

“I was very pleased to have had the opportunity to lead our team through our first year,” stated Ortbach. The North American branch of manroland web systems was incorporated in March 2012, when it began business in both the United States and Canada. “We are now ready to move forward and our next critical phase of growth requires the leadership of an individual who has spent much of his career in the service and customer support area of our industry.”

Blue brings with him 19 years of experience in the printing industry, including a range of knowledge gained from working in areas like application engineering, project and support management, and aftermarket business development.

“I’m excited to take full advantage of the opportunities manroland web systems has in its future,” stated Blue. “My primary goal is to search for new growth opportunities which will continue to strengthen existing relationships with our customers.”

In relation to its goals achieved over the past year, manroland web systems points to the strengthening of its parts and service support, relocating its North American parts inventory to a new warehouse in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, expansion of the printcom pressroom consumables product portfolio for U.S. and Canadian customers, relocating North American Headquarters to a new office in Lisle, Illinois, and completing the year with a financial profit.

The company describes the Magnum Compact press as a cost-effective approach to traditional single-width newspaper and semi-commercial production that is designed to drive new short-run, multi-product business models. It is build for extremely fast changeovers, versatility and simplified operation.

Along with the new Magnum Compact model, Goss is highlighting its portfolio of single- and double-width newspaper presses at China Print, including the Community SSC/Magnum series, which the company describes as the market leader for single-width production in Asia, as well as Universal and Uniliner presses and the Colorliner CPS and FPS compact double-width press options.

At China Print 2013, Goss is highlighting its Vpak packaging technology as a variable repeat web offset press for folding carton, flexible packaging, pre-print and label printing. Sunday Vpak presses feature quick-change blankets and printing cylinder sleeves and are available in web widths from 520 to 1905 mm.
 
For the commercial printing market, Goss is also highlighting press range from the 16-page M-500 and M-600 models to wider-web Sunday presses, as well as the M-800 model that was recently installed in Beijing with a 4×4 configuration.

“We are especially delighted to have been recognized for our achievements in automation, as they are part of our long-term mission to help our customers improve productivity and short-run agility while reducing waste and maintenance requirements,” said Jeff Upchurch, senior vice president of Research and Development at Goss International. “We are streamlining press and finishing system performance, including job changeover processes, with a comprehensive approach aimed at automating, simplifying or even eliminating steps. Results can create new market opportunities for web printers allowing them to compete at run lengths that were formerly in the domain of sheetfed printers.”

Other companies receiving awards include Conoco Phillips (oil and gas energy), Fori Automation (equipment designer and manufacturer), Lockheed Martin (aerospace), and GT Advanced Technologies (LED and solar technologies).

“Our Customer Excellence Awards illustrate the power of partnership, specifically highlighting best practice sharing and providing inspiration to other users in the Siemens automation user community. Each of this year’s winners has clearly demonstrated their leadership in driving innovation, collaboratively overcoming barriers and delivering success,” says Raj Batra, President of Siemens Industry Automation Division.

The company will have its first public showing of its Sunday 5000 press, a showing of Asia-orientated Magnum HPS platform, its ColorLiner CPS compact tower press, its latest iteration of its popular M-600 press and its Vpak packaging presses.

“Driven by the challenges that our customers are facing, Goss has adopted a different perspective on adding value. The new products and technology applications that we are showcasing at drupa 2012 offer alternatives designed to help printers expand their opportunities.” said Goss International President and CEO Jochen Meissner.

With four machines sold in 2011, the Sunday 5000 will show off its fully automated 96-page plate change capability and DigiRail digital inking. The press unit shown is destined for Stark Druck in Germany, the world’s first company to run two 96-page web offset presses.

Also in the commercial zone, Goss will show the latest improvements to its M-600 press, which has 2,500 units sold since its introduction in 1992. While 16-page presses has fallen somewhat out of favor, it still accounts for 35 percent of the market, according to Goss.

Goss will make the world first presentation of the Goss Magnum HPS single-width, one-around high speed press, capable of up to 70,000 copies per hour. It is designed for heatset, coldset, or combined production, capable of producing a mix of magazine and newspaper work.

The Sunday Vpak 500 and 3000 will anchor the company’s packaging area. The Vpak 3000 is available in web widths of up to 75 inches while the Vpak 500 is available in web widths of up to 41-inches. Both produce folding carton, flexible packaging, pre-print and labels and both employ quick-change blankets and printing cylinder sleeves, providing it with variable repeat lengths. The company claims Vpak offers 50 to 200 percent higher productivity over sheetfed offset, with savings also in substrate and an increased number of inline finishing options.

Finally, the Colorliner CPS slots into the semi-commercial production role, with production speeds at 4×2 to 6×2 production at up to 90,000 cph. It has many features of Goss’ FPS platform, but at a smaller footprint.

Goss’ booth in Hall 17 will span 1,820 square metres and operate under the theme of “See Things Differently.”

The press manufacturer will launch the ROTOMAN HiPrint, focusing on print quality within standard web-offset price/performance ratios, and the ROTOMAN DirectDrive, focusing more on automation.


Every printing tower of the ROTOMAN DirectDrive press is equipped with two motors and the cylinders can be moved apart so that the paper web runs are contact-free between them. According to manroland, this means that the complex diversion of the web through rollers is no longer needed, nor is the use of energy- and maintenance-intensive air bars or blind plates. 



The press manufacturer continues to explain that the wide separation of the printing cylinders results in greatly simplification of imprint changes and temporary usage of coating and spot colours.

For job changes with the ROTOMAN DirectDrive press, an operator can insert new plates laterally into encapsulated cassettes, while another job is on press. Then, after the start command for the job change, autoprint attends to all other setup tasks. The plates are automatically changed and all settings are optimized until the press recognizes the prescribed quality level. According to manroland, this can reduce makeready times and start-up waste by 50 percent.

The ROTOMAN DirectDrive press, according to manroland, provides no loss in print quality at 70,000 copies per hour. The ROTOMAN HiPrint press, meanwhile, is designed for producing high-quality print at speeds of up to 55,000 copies per hour.

The ROTOMAN HiPrint is based on the original ROTOMAN inking unit with extensive temperature control, which allows for the use of various conventional blankets, as opposed to the restriction of metal back blankets or sleeves.

“WSJ Weekend will provide the agenda-setting journalism that defines the Journal along with great reportage and original writing to drive the national debate,” said Robert Thomson of WSJ. “Our readers are keen to spend more time with the Weekend paper and are interested in discerning writing on leisure and lifestyle.”

Across the United States, WSJ Weekend Edition will expand from three sections to four, while The Greater New York section will continue to be included for readers in the New York area.

A newly designed masthead will appear on the front page of the Journal, featuring “WSJ” as the center logo. The paper’s second section, Money & Investing, will be re-named “Business & Finance”.

The Journal will also debut two new sections: “Review” and “Off Duty”. Review will include in-depth features, reports, book excerpts and essays about compelling issues and ideas, while Off Duty will be a weekly style guide with dispatches fashion, travel, food, wine, decoration and technology.

“The Journal comprises the most affluent and influential audience with the highest purchasing power, and the expanded WSJ Weekend Edition provides a new opportunity for advertisers to reach this audience on Saturdays — the most important day for consumer spending among readers,” said Michael Rooney, Chief Revenue Officer for The Wall Street Journal.

Advertisers for the first week of the expanded WSJ Weekend include Montblanc, Westin, Lincoln and Dutton Press.

More than 4,900 Universal printing units have been installed since the launch of the press model in 1991.

“Publishers and printers of all sizes are demanding added versatility and efficiency to produce a wider range of products at lower costs,” stated Goss CEO Jochen Meissner. “With the most complete range of large- and small-format press platforms, and extensive expertise in customizing these presses for specific requirements, we are in a strong position to support these customers.”

The 4×2 Universal XL model is supplied with a Goss quarterfold option, and with heatset or UV dryers. Like all models in the Universal portfolio, the new press can also be installed in the Goss T90 configuration, with the pasters on the floor level and at right angles to the press line for added versatility.

“We are confident and positive about the future of printed newspapers,” said Meissner. “IFRA Expo presents an excellent opportunity for us to confer with our customers and to emphasize the ownership structure, versatile portfolio and ability to execute that differentiate Goss International as a supplier.”

“The Sunday press was a truly revolutionary engineering accomplishment, and it remains the most advanced high-productivity printing platform in the world,” said Goss International CEO, Jochen Meissner. “This milestone is a testament to our ongoing R&D efforts and our commitment to innovations that make our customers more competitive.”

The first Sunday 3000 systems were installed in 1993. Cylindrical gapless blankets, the signature feature of the presses, eliminated vibration, allowing printers to maintain higher print quality at higher speeds on wider, more productive presses.

“We are continuing to invest in our network of facilities to give our customers the most innovative printing technologies available,” explains Transcontinental Mexico Group senior vice president Roberto Sierra. “We are very familiar with the quality, productivity and flexibility of Sunday presses and we look forward to bringing those advantages to our facility in Mexico.” Transcontinental uses several Goss presses and print finishing systems, including six Sunday presses.

Goss will supply a Contiweb FD paster, Ecocool dryer and PFF-3 pinless former folder with the new Sunday 3000/32 system at the Transcontinental Xochimilco plant in Mexico City. With a 72-inch (1830 mm) web width, the four-unit press will print 32 magazine pages per impression.