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2021 Technology Outlook   Digital Printing   Workflow & Software   Labels & Packaging   Wide-Format & Signage   Print Finishing

2021 Technology Outlook - Finishing

Print Finishing Technology Outlook Webinar

With Finishing and Mailing Expert Trish Witkowski

Before the pandemic, binding and finishing equipment—especially equipment compatible with digital printing—was a fast-evolving and hot-selling part of the industry. What impact did 2020 have? What new technologies, products, and applications are emerging post-pandemic?

What you'll learn:
- New developments and trends in binding and finishing
- New products from major industry vendors
- New features, capabilities, and applications

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Featured Articles
Learn the Latest in Finishing from Folding to Taping
Learn the Latest in Finishing from Folding to Taping

As part of our preview of next week’s Technology Outlook Week, Trish Witkowski runs down the latest advancements in folding, book binding, cutting, coatings, and more. Read More

How to Participate in Industry 4.0—Part 2: Internal Hardware Systems
How to Participate in Industry 4.0—Part 2: Internal Hardware Systems

In this new series we look at Industry 4.0—not as a marketing term, but in an actionable way so that you can begin or continue to prepare your company and participate in the many benefits. In this second article in the series, we take a look at internal hardware systems. Read More

How to Participate in Industry 4.0—Part 1: State of Readiness
How to Participate in Industry 4.0—Part 1: State of Readiness

In this new series, we look at Industry 4.0. Not as a marketing term, but in an actionable way so that you can begin or continue to prepare your company and participate in the many benefits. In this first article of the series, we start at the beginning and look at the state of readiness. Read More

How Smart Finishing Can Enhance Value

To select the finishing method that best communicates the value of the content, you must first understand how the final product will be used and its audience. Print salespeople have the opportunity to expand the finishing conversation beyond product, technique, and price. Document finishing is a bit like the real estate market—"curb appeal,” first impressions, and attention to detail can communicate insurmountable value. Read More

The Job’s Not Finished ’til It’s Finished and Out the Door
The Job’s Not Finished ’til It’s Finished and Out the Door

Is your finishing operation holding your business back? Or depressing your margins with labor-intensive processes or waste caused by bindery errors? Are finishers disconnected islands in your workflow automation? This article, the third in a series sponsored by EFI, explains how to integrate the printing operation with nearline finishers to complete automation from prepress to finishing. Read More

Printing Plants and Robots After the Coronavirus
Printing Plants and Robots After the Coronavirus

This article addresses how to protect the labor force in printing plants from being infected by viruses and get a better and more profitable company structure by implementing Industry 4.0. Read More

Don’t Forget to Finish It!
Don’t Forget to Finish It!

Virtually every printed document requires some type of finishing. The expanding array of digital printing methods has changed the nature of finishing from large-scale devices focused on offset printing to automated methods that often occur alongside a production digital printer. To reach its true potential, the role of finishing must evolve as well. Recent research from Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends offers important insights on how print service providers (PSPs) can leverage finishing to win business and drive profitability. Read More

How To Sell Enhanced Printing

“Digital enhancement” or enhanced printing is one of the hottest trends in the industry and has been the talk of many recent trade shows—but enhanced print doesn’t sell itself. Pat McGrew offers some tips and strategies for selling enhanced printing to maximize ROI. Read More

Embellishments: What’s Old Is New Again and Still Adds Value!—Part 2
Embellishments: What’s Old Is New Again and Still Adds Value!—Part 2

Embellishment has been a function of print production for as long as there has been printing. In fact, it almost goes back to the beginning of the writing of documents. There is no doubt that embellishment does add value to the printed product. Especially with the more recent introduction of digital embellishment technologies designed to complement digital printing. Now that embellishments have finally begun to capture market awareness, new developments are happening all the time. In part 2 of this series, David Zwang will look at new mainstream technologies that add embellishments and value to print and packaging production. Read More

Embellishments: What’s Old Is New Again and Still Adds Value!—Part 1
Embellishments: What’s Old Is New Again and Still Adds Value!—Part 1

Embellishment has been a function of print production for as long as there has been printing. In fact, it almost goes back to the beginning of the writing of documents. There is no doubt that embellishment does add value to the printed product. Especially with the more recent introduction of digital embellishment technologies, designed to complement digital printing technologies. New developments in digital embellishment are happening all the time now that it has finally begun to capture market awareness. In part one of this two-part feature, David Zwang will look at the added value and long history of embellishments. Read More

News
Featured Technology Partner
Standard Finishing Systems - Solutions From Hunkeler and Horizon

Standard is a leading North American distributor who proudly partners with world-class equipment manufacturers, Hunkeler and Horizon, to deliver state-of-the-art feeding and finishing solutions. Standard provides a range of quality-engineered pre and post paper handling solutions for continuous-feed print engines from Hunkeler of Switzerland, including unwinders, rewinders, rotary cutting systems, dynamic perforators, plow folders, stackers, and inspection systems. They also offer a comprehensive line of automated finishing equipment from Horizon of Japan, including folders, perfect binders, trimmers, saddlestitchers, collators, bookletmakers, slitters/creasers, and die-cutters. The Standard portfolio of feeding and finishing solutions delivers outstanding performance and ultimate flexibility for the fast-changing offset, digital, and inkjet print markets. Standard’s 15,000 square foot National Demonstration Center, located in Andover, MA is equipped with a complete range of solutions, and in-person or virtual demonstrations are offered.

www.standardfinishing.com

Ultimate Bindery - Your Workflow's Finishing Touch

Ultimate Bindery is a standalone software solution designed to fill the gap between prepress and finishing. Ultimate Bindery® can take any imposed job and complete it with all the necessary parameters needed to automatically set up your finishing equipment.

imposition.com/software/bindery

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About WhatTheyThink

WhatTheyThink is the global printing industry's go-to information source with both print and digital offerings, including WhatTheyThink.com, WhatTheyThink Email Newsletters, and the WhatTheyThink magazine. Our mission is to inform, educate, and inspire the industry. We provide cogent news and analysis about trends, technologies, operations, and events in all the markets that comprise today's printing and sign industries including commercial, in-plant, mailing, finishing, sign, display, textile, industrial, finishing, labels, packaging, marketing technology, software and workflow.

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