July 10, 2007 -- Value added printing helps printers differentiate themselves from their competition and boost their profit margins by taking each project to a higher level. How printers can equip themselves to maximize the impact of value added production is the subject of the new white paper available from MAN Roland.
Written by Dr. Markus Rall, the MAN Roland board member in charge of sheetfed presses, the report focuses on how the new ROLAND 700 HiPrint press can optimize every aspect of value added production the printer who runs it.
The main objective is making a printer’s business stand out from all the rest. “Value added printing moves a printing company out of the tight market where many companies are offering comparable products and helps it to reshape its range of products and services,” Rall writes. “Value added printing is a two-way strategy and the two ways are boosting production efficiency and increasing product value.”
Elevating Efficiency
To boost production, the ROLAND 700 HiPrint features a 17,000 sheet per hour run rate.  Rall points out that such high-speed capability is essential in the production of packaging, popular books, and other mass market items.
On the other side of the efficiency coin are fast makereadies. “Most sheetfed-offset printers in the world produce short runs,” Rall states. “These companies invest in solutions to reduce makeready time, and with QuickChange systems, the HiPrint concept is ideal for them.”
QuickChange lets HiPrint purchasers choose from among ten different   makeready enhancements, so they can customize the type and amount of automation they have available. “With QuickChange they can save valuable minutes at every part of the press – from the feeder through the printing and coating units right up to the delivery,” Rall explains.
Precisely how much value added efficiency a printer can expect depends upon the job at hand, according to the white paper. However, a recent cost and performance study by the German Printing and Media Industries Federation found that makeready time savings of up to 40% can be achieved with a ROLAND 700 HiPrint.
The white paper also points to several other areas where the ROLAND 700 HiPrint adds value in terms of production efficiencies.  These include:
- A HiPrint model that provides an expanded sheet size for more yield with each impression
- Quality-conscious perfecting models that produce at the rate of 13,000 sheets per hour
- And the ability of all HiPrint configurations to deliver the benefits of Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM), courtesy of their printnet networking and automation systems.
Adding Value to the Product
Dedicating the second part of his paper to the subject of increasing product value, Dr. Rall cites eight areas in which the ROLAND 700 HiPrint excels:
Lithographic Quality. HiPrint presses can be configured with up to twelve printing units, making them well suited to systems that expand the color space and the authenticity of the reproduction.
Substrate Versatility. Thicker and more rigid sheets, synthetic materials, substrates with little to no absorbency, even corrugated cardboard. All delver value added advantages to the customer, and all present challenges to the printer. The white paper offers this solution: “With its double-diameter cylinders, heavy-duty substructure and side frame construction, and dual drive system, the ROLAND 700 HiPrint has the capability to process the widest range of substrates without any problems.”
Print Quality. A sharp dot, the highest image, screen and register quality, rich and deep inking, and stable ink density are all part of the print quality equation, according to the white paper. The ROLAND 700 HiPrint delivers on all counts with its printing unit and drive rigidity, computer-calculated inking and damping unit engineering, along with many automated and operator-controlled functions.
Surface Effects. The white paper discusses the history and evolution of coatings and other effects in terms of the added value they provide. It then goes on to describe how the ROLAND 700 HiPrint takes them to the next level.
UV Printing and Coating. UV inks and coatings can add visual appeal to promotions and packaging, while imparting special physical characteristics. The white paper describes the growing options in this area and how the ROLAND 700 HiPrint handles them.
Metallic Applications. Printers no longer have to rely on the complexities and expense of hot foil stamping, says Dr. Rall. The ROLAND InlineFoiler Prindor combines with the ROLAND 700 HiPrint to put the more effective and efficient cold foil process directly on press. That means metallic effects can be applied in one pass while the press prints.
Sheet Inspection and Monitoring. Guaranteed quality is a value-added proposition that could be priceless to the customer. Dr. Rall details how advanced quality control systems help the ROLAND 700 HiPrint make good on that guarantee.
Color Measurement and Control. The ROLAND 700 HiPrint’s ColorPilot system features “the industry’s fastest and most precise measuring head that scans and measures print control strips either at the sheet edge or in the middle of the sheet the event,” observes Dr. Rall. That adds the value of optimum color consistency to every piece of every job.
A copy of the full white paper can be downloaded at
manroland.com/prod/prod8_03.htm.