Digital workflow, CIP3-based production integration

The NPES market data indicates that prepress experts, printers, postpress manufacturers, and packaging printers in the United States are stepping up their research on new technologies.
Transport of all printing-related equipment increased drastically in 1998 and is expected to increase even more in 1999 and 2000. According to the total value of 2.541 billion U.S. dollars in 1998, we forecast that the cost of equipment transportation will increase to 2.678 billion U.S. dollars in 1999 and increase to 27.96 U.S. dollars in 2000.
This continuing health of resources includes: the growing domestic economy, the rapid development of printed product technology, the appreciating press customer demand, and the increase in competitive pressures caused by mergers and acquisitions on the continued volatility of industry.
However, detailed product categories show changing images. For example, as a type, sheet-fed printing presses should have a growth rate of 7.3% in transportation from 1998 to 2000.
However, a significant statistic is our "parallel" forecast for the supply of the printing industry. The lack of network growth in the supply of the printing industry in the next two years is a big news, because of the declining trend in the transport of consumables due to technological upgrading.
Digital proofing products have shown a new momentum of development, and we have reason to believe that in 1999 and 2000 we expect to reach a growth rate of nearly 30% per year.
In general, we believe that data plays an important role in industry, through which corporate managers purchase new equipment to meet the needs of growth and delve into new tools.
However, good equipment conditions and transportation are only part of the future. The real news is that the new system coming into the market will change the way we manage print and link printed information with other business practices.
For printing, the most likely long-term trend is to quickly switch to computer integrated production. In the CIM environment, design, prepress, print, and postpress work will be combined into a single all-digital workflow - and more importantly, this workflow will be further combined with other aspects of a set operation. From sequential supply to scheduling, from delivery of completed products to estimation and listing of the entire production process, each step is based on a shared data center.
In this regard, the first and larger step is the work of the CIP3 Association - the CIP3 Association is an international collaboration organization consisting of nearly 40 major companies serving the printing, publishing and paper processing industries. CIP3, with the goal of covering the entire printing process, has specified a standard format for machine-readable information. This format allows all machines to read and understand data regardless of platform or source. Its goal is to form a truly open, independent platform for print production. All work-related data are input in different ways at different times by different professionals in a uniquely understandable format at one time and then transported through this environment.
It is worth considering that, for example, most printers today use different systems for job registration, planning, supply order, marketing relationships, sales platform management, production records, scheduling, and other work. The data must be entered and then entered. The customer's problem must be solved by the sales representative alone. Changing the order of work must be solved manually and easily overlooked. Special proofing is done in the printing factory, manually handed over to the customer, and then manually returned for manual correction. Understanding the entire process of printing production (speed of operation, maintenance, material consumption, adjustment time, etc.) will be close to the best.
CIP3 provides a solution to system chaos and requirements - this solution is for those who are producing a dynamic customer. Its goal is to replace the current non-connected isolated automatic control system with complete terminal-to-terminal automation. The benefits for printing include fewer errors, faster run times, tighter cost control, and a more accurate understanding of what is happening in the factory.
For printers, another key aspect of CIP3 is a complete digital workflow control press. Although every step of this process has already been automated, it has always played an "island" role on this stage. Changes are now taking place.
Some of these new workflows are based on Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF). A PDFA-based workflow enables repetitive proofing. A working document can be electronically transmitted to the client and proofed on an output device in the client's office. Correct proofs with comments can be returned to the printer in the same way.
Color management is based on the framework of the standards set by the International Color Consortium. The trapping is done on the PDF file and the imposition to the plate or signal can be delayed on time. In this way, when prepress work begins, it becomes easy to transfer a job from a pre-arranged press to another machine at the last minute.
The use of digital data identical to that generated by the printing plate can be used to set the ink. The new system even allows print shop supervisors to preset all presses through a console and monitor every aspect of print performance.
The digital prepress workflow is an eye-catching glare that plays an important role in the emergency of a super-printer such as a 10-12 color 40-inch double-sided press. Improved design is a necessary and indispensable factor, but another, equally important, is the continuous improvement of color management capabilities, preparation work, and the accuracy of the production speeds of the printing plates required to ensure the operation of such a super-capacity press. There is no digital prepress system, which is impossible.
The entire workflow automation also opens up the Internet-based “e-commerce” with huge potential for printing manufacturers. For example, consider carefully when a printer's large number of telephone calls and hours are used to answer questions about the customer's work process, price, whether or not to change the order that has been received, the situation of proofing, and the like. E-commerce is designing to implement all these cyclic support functions through Internet or network work, giving customers greater authority to understand and control their own work situation. Some systems even allow customers to electronically arrange the usual order of letterheads and other business cards, which in turn necessitates the repetitive attention of printers.
Printing companies provide customers with a huge, value-added connection. It builds a more solid relationship, fosters customer loyalty and increases the opportunities for cross-border operations with additional operations. But to achieve e-commerce, the workflow must be fully standardized and fully integrated. This is the goal of rapid industrial transfer.
For digital all-digital prepress workflows, online digital platemaking is another key trend and an inherent accessory. At the Graph Expo 99 and Converting Expo 99 held last year, an important speaker predicted that after 2005, the majority of all new presses sold will be equipped with a link mechanism, and the speed of these systems will steadily increase. .
At the same time, we hope that more and more attention will be paid to the field of variable imaging digital printing. Several new machines of this type were demonstrated for the first time at Graph Expo 99 and Converting Expo 99, and more and more manufacturers started production. It can be expected to see all these system trends in the upcoming Drupa and in Graph Expo and Converting Expo in September.