Offset on demand demonstrations highlight Komori’s passion for printing

Komori recently organised two-day ‘worldwide offset on demand open house’ for overseas customers at the Tsukuba Plant where around 104 attendees witnessed the demonstrations of ‘offset on demand’ and ‘package and value added printing by the H-UV system’. Showing the passion of the Komori group for printing and printing machines, it was presented how offset on demand shortens printing time, reduces paper waste and shortens the printing process itself, all while maintaining high print quality and high productivity.

Presenting a technical explanation of the demonstrations, Yoshikawa, manager of the sales promotion department, elaborated the offset on demand concept, the makeup of the offset on demand system package, the KHS-AI system, its characteristics, role and differences from the previous KHS system, a comparison of printing with conventional oil-based inks and H-UV printing, the mechanism of H-UV printing, its environmental aspects, and the product lineup.

The customers went on a walk-through of the Tsukuba Plant, and those who were seeing the inside of the plant for the first time expressed their amazement at state-of-the-art production facilities. They witnessed a brief demonstration of a special specification Lithrone SX40 and a Lithrone SX40RP installed in the plant.

After viewing the plant, the attendees moved to the Demonstration Center in the Komori Graphic Technology Center (KGC), where demonstrations were performed by Nakajima of the KGC and Wrigglesworth, the vice director of the Center, using three models, an H-UV-equipped four-colour Lithrone S26, an eight-colour Lithrone S40P, and

a six-colour Lithrone S40 equipped with drying unit, coater and extended delivery.

The spotlight was placed directly on ‘offset on demand.’ Using the four-colour Lithrone S26 and the eight-colour Lithrone S40P, both equipped with H-UV and KHS-AI, the ‘offset on demand’ business model – which integrates ‘20 Matching,’ where final printing is enabled in just 20 sheets from start-up, with prepress, press and postpress – was introduced.

Offset on demand demonstrations highlight Komori’s passion for printing Visitors were able to watch three jobs in the demo of the four-color Lithrone S26 configured with one 120 W ozone-less lamp and the maximum printing speed during final printing for each job was 16,000 sheets per hour. In Job 1, using ‘rough gloss paper,’ register/colour matched four-colour printing on front side was started and 300 sheets were printed. Without plate changing, printed sheets were immediately moved to the feeder for Job 2 and printed on back side (work-and-turn). After checked front/back registration, 300 sheets were printed and preceded them to finishing process. Then, job changeover (removing -> ink down -> plate changing -> pre-inking) was conducted for Job 3. In Job 3, using ‘coated paper,’ single-sided four-colour printing was conducted. After colour comparison between 20th printed sheet and digital proof prepared at the DoNet Center of the KGC, 300 sheets were printed for production. After completion of final printing of the work-and-turn printing in Job 2, printing samples that had been cut and folded in the postpress finishing stage were distributed to the attendees, and they were able to check the fast drying, print quality and smell.

Next a total of three jobs were run in a demonstration of the eight-colour Lithrone S40P (LS-840P) equipped with the H-UV system. The maximum printing speed during final printing for each job was 15,000 sheets per hour. After completion of final printing for Job1 and saddle-stitched 12-page brochure produced in Job 2, printing samples were distributed to the attendees so that they could confirm for themselves the power of ‘offset on demand.’

Following this, a demonstration of package and value added printing by the H-UV system on the Lithrone S40 (LS-640 + DU + C + Extended Delivery) was presented. A total of five jobs were run during the demonstration, and attendees were able to observe high added value printing on cardboard and aluminum metalized paper. By using the same plate from Job 1 through 5, showed comparison of effects such as printed on different paper and added different value on same paper.

The printing samples prepared for this open house included aluminum metalized paper and clear files that were produced with the H-UV system, printing on PP synthetic paper, printed items that allowed a comparison of the quality differences among conventional oil-based printing, UV printing and H-UV printing, a sample book with a graph showing the density changes and an explanation for the brochure printed after just 20 sheets of startup printing, and various samples that allowed the participants to confirm the power of offset on demand by H-UV printing and high added value printing.

“Komori was founded in the year 1923, so we are celebrating our 87th anniversary this year. Ever since our establishment, Komori has supplied high-quality, high-performance printing presses to countries around the world with the basic ideal of contributing to society and culture by developing products with advanced technologies from the customers’ viewpoint. The environment surrounding the printing industry at the present time is one of very substantial changes, including the growth of digitalization and the need to develop eco-friendly products and services. Printing needs are becoming much more diverse. In responding to these changes, Komori is developing environmentally responsible products, working assiduously to improve the quality and performance of printing presses, and providing users with products and systems that utilize the latest technologies and are capable of harnessing the power of advanced networks,” stated Yoshiharu Komori, president, chairman and CEO of Komori Corporation in his opening address.