Custom Printing: New Orders For Nanography at drupa

An associate just gave me a link to an article about drupa 2016 and Nanography. This time it seems to actually be a real, ready-for-primetime technology, and the proof is in the actual commitments at drupa by purchasers of the presses.

First of all, the press release from Landa is entitled, “Landa Announces Beta Sites and Major Orders.” You may find it interesting, and I’m sure it can be accessed online. It is dated 5/31/16.

Secondly, drupa is touted as, “the largest printing equipment exhibition in the world, held every three years (4 years in the past) by Messe Düsseldorf in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.” (From Wikipedia).

Thirdly, in the simplest terms, Nanographic Printing involves inkjetting special nanographic ink onto a heated conveyor in a Nanographic press. The drops of ink quickly flatten and lose their water content, forming an ultra-thin polymer ink surface image on the conveyor. From the conveyor, the image is then transferred to the commercial printing paper. (Unlike inkjet, the ink is not jetted directly onto the paper.) By the time it is transferred to the substrate, the ink film is completely dry. This allows for superior ink holdout (the ink sits up on top of the paper fibers). Halftone dots are especially crisp (since there is no dot gain), and the thin film of ink not only cuts ink costs but also provides an especially wide color gamut. And due to the nature of the process (the ability to use off-the shelf printing stock), paper costs can be controlled.

So how do drupa, the Landa press release, the pre-orders for the new commercial printing equipment, and Nanographic Printing all relate to one another?

According to the press release, at drups 2016, the following heavy hitters committed to the Landa Nanography process:

1. 1. Quad/Graphics, “the largest publication printer in the US” (Landa press release), will bring Landa Nanography to the short-run, versioned publications market (magazines and journals). This will involve “magazine quality” (Landa press release) work on light-weight coated and uncoated press sheets.

1. 1. Cimpress, “the global leader in mass customization and web-to-print” (Landa press release) will buy and install up to 20 presses “upon completion of successful testing.” Cimpress “aggregate[s], via the Internet, large volumes of individually customized orders for a broad spectrum of print, signage, and other products.” (Landa press release).

1. 1. Landa will install its presses at beta sites across Europe and the United States in 2017.

1. 1. These beta sites will include such vendors as colordruck Baiersbronn (“Germany’s leading folding carton specialist,” according to “Landa Announces Beta Sites and Major Orders”). colordruck will install a Landa S10.

1. 1. Another beta site will be Elanders, “the Sweedish headquartered global print and packaging supplier” (as per the Landa press release). Elanders will install a Landa S10P Nanographic Printing press with perfecting capabilities.

1. Imagine! (noted in the Landa press release as “North America’s leading provider of large-scale point-of-sale displays and in-store signage”) will beta test the Landa S10 B1 press, which is ideal for point of purchase and point of sale work due to its 41-inch format.

The Implications

Here are my thoughts:

1. 1. Granted, “Landa Announces Beta Sites and Major Orders” is a press release. You could say it is just promotional literature. However, I think it speaks volumes that such prominent vendors as Quad/Graphics, Cimpress, colordruck, Elanders, and Imagine! have gotten behind the technology. They are putting their reputations on the line, and this says a lot about their belief in Nanography.

1. 1. The technology will reduce make-ready times, allow for large-format printing, and maintain offset quality, which will establish Nanography as viable competition for offset lithography.

1. 1. The specific configurations of Landa’s Nanographic presses (the Landa S10 standard; the S10P for double-sided printing; and the W10P, a Nanographic web press that can print 656 feet per minute of publications, catalogs, and direct mail work) address the main growth sectors of commercial printing (general commercial printing; short-run, highly versioned periodicals; large-format point of purchase and point of sale displays; and folding cartons and flexible packaging).

1. 1. The short-run, variable nature of Nanography allows packaging printers to print smaller runs in response to market trends and economically alter the packaging for promotions or individualized messaging campaigns.

1. 1. In short, Benny Landa’s presses (Benny Landa is chairman of the Landa Group) will provide offset quality and speed while offering mass customization capabilities, the option of smaller press runs and versioned press runs, and even economical mock-ups and test marketing initiatives.

1. 1. If all of these beta sites are satisfied with their Landa Nanographic presses, this will establish Nanography as a mainstream, affordable alternative to the more traditional commercial printing technologies such as offset lithography and flexography.

1. As an added bonus, Landa has developed “Nano-Metallography” for these presses, a replacement for hot foil stamping at half the price.

High quality, quick turn-arounds, and economical costs: You just can’t beat that combination.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 17th, 2016 at 7:02 pm and is filed under Digital Printing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.