Ultra-small regional runs for newspapers, targeted advertising, and print-on-demand in book printing: digital printing systems create added value for successful publishing. As part of the 2013 Océ International Inkjet Days (March 19 - 21) in Poing near Munich in Germany, manroland web systems demonstrated its latest digital production systems to around 100 trade visitors. Alwin Stadler, Vice President of Digital Printing at manroland web systems, explains the company's innovations: “We are establishing finishing as a central system component in digital printing systems and ensuring integration into the customer's workflow.”

FoldLine for digital newspaper production

The FoldLine finishing system for industrial digital printing also celebrated its premiere. The system is able to produce newspapers in any format (tabloid, broadsheet, Berlin) in both in-line and off-line operation. Also included in the FoldLine portfolio are brochures, magazines, and individual book signatures. Its performance is clear: FoldLine is designed to produce up to 96 pages (48 pages broadsheet) with a web speed of up to 300 m/min and a web width of up to 1,060 mm. The system can output up to 2,700 broadsheet newspaper copies with 32 pages, 9,100 bound brochures, or 14,000 16-page signatures per hour. FoldLine can quickly be prepared for new jobs: the makeready times for format and paper changes are minimal, and changes to volumes can be made without interrupting production.

The presentation of FoldLine in Augsburg demonstrated what efficient and creative digital newspaper production looks like today. The first product was a 32-page tabloid newspaper in 420 mm x 600 mm format. Eight sections of four pages were collected and folded. The delivered result won over the visitors: ultra-small print runs under 100 copies can be produced one after another, without any interruptions, even if the total number of pages or the book structure of the individual editions vary. This tabloid newspaper featured an added variant, a fold for delivery. This means the newspaper was given a quarter fold as a third fold and delivered at a right angle to the folder via the A4 delivery.

FormerLine for digital book production

Producing with print-on-demand to optimize costs and being fast on the market: these are the challenges of digital book production. The FormerLine system stands for its industrial dimension. Both inline production and offline finishing of preprinted reels is possible. Together with the VBC collator from manroland web systems, the system generates stacked signatures of up to 6,000 auxiliary-glued books, up to 100 mm thick, per hour.

In Augsburg, the FormerLine system displayed its flexibility in offline finishing with a book and a magazine each. The products varied in format, folding sample, and collection structure and were placed on a pre-manufactured reel for mixed production. 38 signatures, 8 pages each, were collected for the "Innovations" technical book with 304 pages (bleed size 240 mm x 190 mm; double parallel folding sample), 100 books were produced one after another. Then, production was switched to a 42-page specialist magazine in a matter of minutes without manual intervention on the folder or cutter. Consisting of 7 signatures, 6 pages each, the print run included 300 magazines (bleed size 230 mm x 334 mm; accordion folding sample), which were delivered as auxiliary-glued books blocks.

Well networked: printnetwork Bridge and DigiLink

printnetwork Bridge uses a JDF/JMF link to create a complete and efficient digital production workflow. The software connects production preparation, the printing process, and postpress, allowing for automated finishing, automatic production change, low printing substrate use, increased productivity, networking with the production environment, and data transfer/reporting to MIS systems. 
DigiLink connects the product planning of digital printing and off-set printing. Currently, productions are mostly planned and run separately, depending on the process ? resulting in inefficiency, higher storage costs, and overproduction. DigiLink is a software module from manroland web systems that is available as an upgrade or complement to the PECOM PressManager. DigiLink allows planning of offset and digital productions from a central workplace, including parallel monitoring of production during printing and in the mailroom.