The ‘wow’ factor in printed product!

Picture two similar images – both 4-colour printed – but one with a special effect of gold or a part of the image with spot UV or a textured image. Which will catch your attention? Definitely, the one with the special effect. Such effects are increasingly being used for packaging of high-value or premium products as the packaging itself speaks that the product is premium.

According to Keypoint Intelligence-InfoTrends, digital print enhancement volume will reach 25 billion pages by 2020. It is estimated that profit margins on digital print enhancement range from 50% to 400%, and ROI is quick as print buyers are ready to pay a premium over CMYK only prints for digital print enhancements.

Why brand owners opt for digital print enhancement?

Hence, more and more brand owners are adopting specialty enhancements to make their product stand out in the crowd. They want to give a special look and feel to their product and that’s what digital print enhancement does! Brand owners successfully use it for folding cartons, labels, marketing collaterals, business cards, greeting cards, wedding invites, book/magazine covers, gift boxes or direct mail.

According to Parag Shah of Hi-Tech Systems PFE Private Limited, “Digital embellishment or print enhancement is a new trend and is particularly popular in photo segment. For other segments, the cost per page is still a concern.”

Why commercial printers should have a digital print enhancement set-up?

For commercial printers, it is a profitable printing process, especially in time when print runs are shrinking and digital media has invaded our lives. Having a print enhancement set-up not only brings more high-value print jobs but also more number of jobs. Thus, digital print embellishments provide unique value, higher profits and increased growth.

Automation is the key…

Whether it is about applying spot colors, special coatings, foils, or much more, there are digital enhancement presses that can do it all, and that too inline with offset and digital. Few companies offering such machines include Scodix, Hitek and Konica Minolta MGI.

These digital enhancement presses have no need for make-readies, plates, screens, or dies, and they generate far less waste compared to traditional finishing machines or methods. Besides, they can process variable data, making personalization easy for promotional and on-demand projects.

Scodix: the pioneer in digital print enhancement

Scodix is the pioneer and leading provider of digital print enhancement in the Graphic Arts Industry. Scodix applications are designed to enhance any CMYK sheet up B2+ for the Scodix Ultra family of presses and up to B1 for the Scodix E106 press specifically designed for Folding Cartons. Scodix presses include up to 9 Scodix applications plus multiple variety of combinations of Scodix applications on one press according to platform configuration.

Scodix offers an unprecedented selection of 9 different applications, which work seamlessly on a single Scodix digital enhancement press. These include applications, such as Scodix Sense, Scodix Foil, Scodix Foil, Scodix Spot, Scodix Cast&Cure, Scodix Crystals, Scodix Metallic, Scodix Glitter, Scodix VDE and Scodix Braille. Each of the 9 Scodix applications and additional combinations of Scodix applications provide PSPs with the unique ability to print any of them on a single press.

The Scodix E106 is B1 folding carton digital enhancement press, which supports short to medium run lengths. While, the Scodix Ultra 202 digital enhancement press fuses new levels of flexibility, quality, and productivity generating unprecedented digital value. This press includes up to 9 Scodix applications on one platform. Besides, the Scodix Ultra 101 digital enhancement press is designed for offset and HP Indigo presses. This press produces unmatched quality – on time and on budget – all on one press platform.

Konica Minolta MGI for UV spot varnish

Konica Minolta MGI offers JETVARNISH 3DS, which is a UV spot varnish device, which offers high speed and high productivity. The specially designed varnish formula coupled with the ability to precisely vary the thickness of coating thickness on each sheet gives your digital prints an individual and special touch. The thickness of the varnish can be adapted to the needs of the customer very flexible and on demand. The MGI JETVARNISH 3DS is ideal for lucrative short- and medium printing. The machine can spot varnish on toner or offset prints with and without lamination.

“There will be more demand from bigger
format commercial and packaging applications”

Says Vijay Kamat, National Product Marketing Manager, Industrial Print, Konica Minolta, who shares his views on digital print enhancement.

P&P: What are the trends in the printing industry, particularly in the digital print enhancement space?

Vijay: CMYK printing, whether offset or digital has become very competitive market. End customers are asking for something new, which would enhance their communication process with their customers. So digital print producers are receiving enquiries about requirement of UV, foil, special colors, metallic effects etc.

P&P: What percentage of offset printed products are now digitally enhanced and why?

Vijay: About 20% to 30% of prints received at MGI customers are coming from offset industry. In offset industry, products like POS, visiting cards, cartons and outer box cover of food products are being digital enhanced on MGI equipments. Main reason of enhancement is to create product visibility in the market. a

P&P: What efforts are being taken by your company to educate end users on the various capabilities of your machines?

Vijay: Konica has been imparting continuous training program to end users on creating new applications. Building platform for MGI users to bring all stakeholders like media and foil suppliers, VDP software resellers and post press equipment solution providers, so that unique applications are created for particular focused industry.

P&P: What are your offerings in this segment? Give details.

Vijay: Konica offers MGI Jetvarnish 3DS for digital segment, Jetvarnish 3DL for commercial segment and Jetvarnish 3D Evo for packaging segment.

P&P: What is the acceptance of these machines internationally and India in particular? How many machines have been installed so far?

Vijay: MGI Jetvarnish is leader in digital embellishment technology on WW basis. Internationally, machines are installed more in commercial and packaging segment, while in India machines are well accepted in digital and commercial segment while we are witnessing new demand from packaging segment.

P&P: What are the various applications your customers are doing on these machines?

Vijay: Wedding albums, menu cards, invitation cards, visiting cards, POS, food packaging, stationery, exotic brochures and many unique applications are done on MGI equipments.

P&P: What is the USP of your machines?

Vijay: Artificial intelligent scanner which provides 100% registration for each print is USP.

P&P: What is the way forward?

Vijay: Technology is well accepted in Indian market in digital and commercial field. As path forward, we see more demand coming from bigger format commercial and packaging applications. More large sizes of machines will be sold under digital embellishment category.

Steinmann digital foiling machine

The company offers dfoil for dmax 76 and 106. dfoil modules cover a striking range of services like digital flat and raised foiling, step-less raising of the foil for embossing effects, different elevation of the foil on one sheet and application of spot-varnish and foil in one run.

Hi-Tech Systems PFE Private Limited

The company’s product range includes a wide range of foil fuser, foil xpress, foiling and embossing machine and Hitech UV LED printer. The foil fuser machines are designed by using contemporary technology and strong material. The UV flatbed machines can do raised printing up to 2 mm as well as printing on rotary products viz. bottles.

According to Parag of Hi-Tech, “We offer a holistic approach and give an ROI as well as tangible and intangible benefits for the complete solution only if it is the need of the customer. This is the reason 50% of our customers are repeat customers. UV flatbed are very popular in digital market and photo market. We have installed more than 30 machines so far and are customers are using them for embossed printing on various material including paper, leather, wood, acrylic, glass etc.”

 

Ocean Deep Printers’ takes Inovision
to the new heights with Scodix Ultra Pro Foil

Founded in 1995 by Shripal R. Patel, Ocean Deep Printers carries an ambition to become the world’s top-notch packaging printing services company. Today with over 20 years of experience and an aim to reach India’s peak with the name of India’s best printing company, the name is enough to the best explanation of what the company is capable of doing. In order to offer more innovative prints to their customers, the company who is hitting the broadways path launched a new venture name “Inovision” and added Scodix Ultra Pro with Foil to it.

Inovision considers Scodix Ultra Pro as a valuable asset for them as it has given a different dimension to their business after installation in 2017. Inovision understood the value that Scodix and its wide range of applications that bring to any project. The ability to bring those enhancements to an even wider range of projects was what made them be one of the esteemed owners of Scodix Ultra with foil. With Scodix, Inovision is able to provide a wider range of foil types, on a broader range of substrate options. In addition, the shop will also be able to add foil to pieces printed with a larger range of Coated & Uncoated Substrate as well, opening the door to even more customers and applications.

“The Scodix has proven to be a solid production machine for our business, and we have been benefitted greatly from the investment,” said Shripal. Scodix Foil adds a touch of prestige to products, whether embossing, using Scodix Sense selective varnishing, adding high gloss or through the remarkable quality delivered by foils. This dynamic system allows us to address a wider range of materials and polymers. As our business has expanded, we’ve gotten requests for all types of projects, produced on all types of substrates. Not only are we now able to deliver these luxury enhancements on personalized and short-run jobs, but with the cost savings made on eradicating the outsourcing of foiling/tooling costs and set-up time, we can make high-end finishing available to those even on tight budgets.” “Following this investment, we also have moved to new markets such as high-end packaging, because even in such an aggressively competitive market, it is clear that we can provide added value for brands in this sector. It’s a testament that demand has grown rapidly as our customers have seen what we can offer with our Scodix,”Shripal added.

“Our mission is — and always has been — to provide our customers with an innovative and competitive technological and capabilities edge,” said Ajeet Pareek, VP – Scodix Sales, Monotech Systems. Inovision’s decision to buy the Scodix Ultra to take advantage of the Multi-Material Platform is the perfect example of this philosophy in action. The demand they have created outstripped their original estimates. It is gratifying to not only see such a satisfied customer but one who continues to see the value in the Scodix line of products. We look forward to continuing to serve Inovision as their operations flourish for many years to come.”