manroland India redefines roles of digital print in book publishing

Organised recently by manroland India in New Delhi, ‘Book Printers and Publishers Conclave 2016’was an eye opener for book publishing companies to harness new business prospects through digital printing. Print & Publishing gets a glimpse of the conclave where a host of book publishers and printers as well as those associated with the industry thronged for fresh discoveries in digital book printing.

Sudeep BhattacharjeeOpening of the conclave was marked with an introductory speech by Sudeep Bhattacharjee, MD, manroland India. “This conclave is our small endeavor to provide book publishers the prospect of manroland finishing systems, such as FormerLine, a flexible digital print finishing solution for book production, and fully-automated FoldLine multivariable pin-type folder,” he remarked. He cited that the new finishing solutions would redefine the landscape of the Indian book production market.

In the subsequent followed-up session, started with a discourse on the benefits of the industrial scale digital finishing solutions, Alwin Stadler, Vice president–Digital Solutions, manroland web systems, explained that the FormerLine for book production is designed for outstanding productivity with best-of-class variable cut sheet separation within belt sections. “FromerLine is featured with tool for dynamic change of pagination and book structure without standstill ‘on the fly’,” he narrated, adding that the dynamic change of cut-off length is for all folding options.

Stressing on FormerLine’s flexibility in applications, Alwin mentioned that the advantages in auxiliary glued book-blocks, flyer, mailing and longitudinal glued booklets. “Folding options in the system are available in zigzag-fold, wrap-fold, gate-fold and parallel-fold, capable to accept media of 45-150 gsm in minimum page formats of 90×145 mm and maximum of 250×420 mm,” he elucidated, adding that the system could also able to accept book block thickness of 3-80 mm.

FormerLine runs at the speed of 300 m/min in the web widths of 20 inch, 30 inch and 42 inch; and the digital presses and splicer/unwinder can be integrated with this industrial scale digital finishing solution. “The system has been upgraded to integrate with newest splicer technology; and some added advantages include waste reduction and personalization. FormerLine is perfectly designed for ondemand jobs, which include production of just 20 school textbooks for a particular class,” explained Alwin.

Coming to application flexibility of FoldLine, which is suitably engineered for newspaper production as well as books, Alwin explained that the system could accept all common broadsheets and tabloid formats. The system is designed for semi-commercial production with cylinder-stitched booklets or inserts. It can accept media of 45 – 80 gsm, in which options for 45 – 135 gsm (with cross perforation is available) and capable to accept from minimum page format of 152×210 mm up to maximum format of 580×400 mm.

Summing up the advantages of the manroland digital finishing solutions, Alwin explained that FoldLine is a little endeavor that could be done in a big way in book production and on the other side, he explicated that FoldLine is the way to unwind the shrinking in circulation of newspapers, particularly in the offshore markets. “As circulation of printed newspapers is still vigorous in India, our FormerLine is such a system that has been a futuristic model for production of ondemand newspaper copies, with smaller circulation, remote production, localised contents, automated workflow, targeted advertisement and personalised copies.

Delegates at the conclaveReferring to Walliser Bote, a Swiss newspaper, which has been printing digitally on inkjet platform, Alwin said the Berliner format daily uses HP T400 webfed inkjet press for print run of 22,000 copies every single day. In the production process, the newspaper had adopted FoldLine for cut-off folding as well as the software for finishing and overall workflow integration. A specific reason why Walliser Bote has changed its production technology is the slowdown in circulation and increase in personalisation copies of the newspaper.

In the last session of the conclave, a panel discussion on the print-on-demand job in book production was conducted with the participation of key speakers from two leading publishing houses viz. Hachette India and Penguin Random House. “Book publishing is now moving in the country; we have a fast growing education market as this sector occupies 70 percent of the total publishing market share,” asserted Thomas Abraham, managing director, Hachette Book Publishing India Pvt Ltd. He further observed that the country’s increasing literacy rate and growth of working class population would boost the demand for books.