Digital Printing Technology Status and Development Trend

Digitization and networking are the two foundations and themes for the development of today's printing technology. Throughout the printing industry, a new production environment and technology foundation are being constructed. Digital printing is a new thing in the digitalization and network development of printing technology, and it is also a focus of the development of printing technology today.
First, the definition of digital printing There are many reports and information confusing digital printing and digital printing. But in fact, the two are not the same content and it is necessary to explain. From the definition point of view, digital printing has the following typical characteristics:
1. The digital printing process is a computer-to-paper/print process that converts digital files/pages directly into prints.
2. The process of forming the final image of digital printing must be digital and does not require the intervention of any intermediary simulation process or carrier.
3, digital printing print information is 100% variable information. That is, the two prints adjacent to each other may be completely different, may have different layouts, different contents, different sizes, and may even select substrates of different materials. If it is a publication, the binding manners may also be different.
Two basic concepts are derived here. One is Variable Information Printing (VIP) and the other is Plateless Printing. In fact, if you want to achieve 100% variable information printing, no version is a must. In this sense, the above three characteristics are not independent of each other, but are three aspects that are related to each other. Among the three characteristics above, variable information printing and non-engraving printing are the external features of digital printing, which are most easily accepted by everyone and are also the most familiar to everyone. Some people may ask, if even the printing plate is gone, whether digital printing can be classified in the scope of printing. The answer is yes, because digital prints and traditional prints can be completely free from any difference in output speed or print quality. Perhaps, we do not need to spend time discussing the attribution of digital printing, because this should not be a problem in itself, but should discuss how to modify the definition of printing itself to adapt to the development and change of technology.
Second, the digital printing system composition In general, the basic composition of the digital printing system and the traditional printing system is basically the same, but it is a fully digital production system, has its own characteristics.
1. Digital printing is a completely digital production system. The digital process runs through the entire production process, from the input of information to the printing and even the binding output.
2. Digital printing integrates prepress, printing and post-press integration. From a system control point of view, it is a seamless all-digital system. The digital printing system is like a “combine harvester”. The entrance to the system (ie, the input of information) is digital information. The exit of the system (ie, the output of information) is the required form of information products such as prints, books, and magazines. There are many sources of digital information, which may be digital files or images transmitted over the network, information transmitted by the prepress system, or digital information carried by other digital media such as optical disks, magneto-optical disks, hard disks, and the like. Moreover, the digital printing products are diversified, and they can be either commercial prints or publications, trademarks, cards, or even packaging prints (personalized packaging printing) covering a wide range of professional fields. The system connection of the digital printing system mainly depends on two ways, namely network and digital media. It is a complete printing production system consisting of a control center, a digital printing machine, binding and cutting sections. All operations and functions can be pre-set according to requirements and then automatically completed by the system.
3, digital printing with on-demand production capacity, according to specific requirements, production and production of customer needs information products (as shown in Figure 1).
Third, the digital printing production process and technical foundation Traditional printing production process is in accordance with prepress, printing, postpress, and sales in the storage, transportation, and finally to the customer to arrange. There is a very strict logical precedence in chronological order. The entire production process is characterized by the transformation of physical carriers, from manuscripts to digital documents, to film, to printing plates, and finally to prints, which are transformed between different physical carriers. This determines that traditional printing production requires the use of warehousing and transportation methods to connect and complete different production processes and the transfer, storage, and circulation of products and intermediary carriers. Therefore, traditional printing production is a typical production method based on "simulation process + storage + transportation". This mode of production is inevitably subject to time and geographical constraints. Digital printing is not the case. Although it still needs the necessary prepress processing as with traditional printing, the digital files formed by prepress processing need not be immediately printed out, but stored digitally in the system or via digital data. The network is transmitted to different locations. Finally, the printed output is completed according to the customer's order requirements. Obviously, this is a brand-new production method based on "digital flow + digital media / high-density storage + network transmission". Of course, it will not be limited by time and area like traditional production methods. With the development of technology, in fact, as long as the area covered by the network, regardless of the distance, can realize the real-time transmission of products (digital files / pages), and print out according to the requirements of customers. Therefore, it can also be said that traditional printing is a production mode of “production and then sales”, and digital printing is a production mode of “reproduction and production”. Therefore, once digital printing is combined with the Internet, it can build a global on-demand production and service system to meet the needs of the gradually developed and personalized printing and publishing market.
Fourth, the digital printing market positioning Digital printing market positioning on-demand printing and on-demand publishing. Information on-demand services are a trend in the development of today's information industry. As a branch of the information industry that provides graphic and information products, printing, publishing and packaging are also moving in this direction. -Demand printing and on-demand publishing are typical products of this kind of development. Strictly speaking, on-demand printing plant on-demand publishing should also meet the following requirements:
1, at the customer's time;
2, at the customer's desired location;
3, print production and provide customers with print / publications.
Traditional printing is a kind of production method that meets the needs of the masses and wins by quality and price. Its price advantage is realized by increasing the number of prints. That is, as the number of prints increases, the cost of a single page continues to decrease. The fundamental reason is the use of plates, which involve plate making and the corresponding consumables expenses. In fact, when the number of prints is large, the cost of plate-making and corresponding consumables shared by each page of prints has dropped to a level that cannot be considered. According to the specific plate-making method used, the decrease in single-page cost is not the same. The traditional PS plate process is slower because of the high plate-making cost. The cost of the direct plate-making process is relatively low, and the cost of a single page is reduced more quickly. Digital printing is a production method that addresses individual needs. It depends on speed, diversity, and satisfaction of different needs. Digital printing does not require plate making, and there is no question of sharing the cost of the plate making. Therefore, printing one, ten, 100, and 10,000 sheets will not affect the cost of a single page. From the economic cost point of view, digital printing is positioned in the short-run printing market from zero to hundreds, thousands of categories. On the other hand, with the continuous improvement of technology and the emergence of a new imaging system, the cost of a single page of digital printing is also continuously decreasing, and its cost advantage is also moving in the direction of more prints, which makes traditional offset printing feel a potential Threatened to fear that market share was eaten. This has caused debate about whether digital printing will replace traditional printing, but in reality the problem is neither intuitive nor simple.
Judging from the relationship between printing quality and quantity, traditional offset printing is positioned in the field of large-volume (long-run), high-quality, digital printing is located in a small number (short version), and the quality is not too high, but now some situations have occurred. Variety. Traditional offset printing develops in the direction of high-quality, short-term printing, while the quality of digital printing is also increasing, and it is approaching the high-end offset printing level. In other words, the development trend of the two is the same, and they are approaching the same market segment, namely the high-quality and diversified short-run market. This trend is in the tradition of direct plate-making, especially offline plate-making technology. The performance of offset printing is particularly prominent and obvious, because the rapid increase in the speed of plate making and the significant reduction in cost make them able to adapt to the short-term market demand. However, whether or not these two kinds of printing will fall into the same field in the future, there are still essential differences between them: Traditional printing is aimed at mass-produced, mass-demand markets; digital printing is aimed at personalization. On-demand production market. Some people have asked whether the emergence of digital printing will seize the traditional offset printing market, and it will not. Because the emergence of digital printing will create a new business opportunity, its market is an on-demand market. This is an area that traditional offset printing cannot completely cover. Of course, it is undeniable that traces of digital printing will appear in many areas of traditional offset printing, and even some markets, especially hundreds of short-range markets (such as fast printing, light printing, etc.) will become digital printing coverage areas. However, the greatest advantage of digital printing is not in these areas. Its most effective areas are on-demand markets such as on-demand printing and on-demand publishing. If digital printing is equivalent to fast printing or light printing, this cannot but be said to be a huge waste.
The on-demand market is starting and developing in foreign countries. There is no such market in the country. It will develop with the development of technology and economy. The demand for on-demand is huge and potential, requiring guidance and excavation. Perhaps, for our country, at present, while developing the existing on-demand printing/publishing technology, these technologies should be used to drive/drive the development of the on-demand market.
V. Associations of Digital Printing Association There are many families of digital printing, such as CTFilm (from computer to film), CTProof (from computer to proofs), CTPlate (from computer to printing plate), and CTPress (from computer to printing machine), But the closest connection with digital printing is the machine-to-plate technology, CT Press. The earliest on-machine direct platemaking also required the use of a traditional plate. It was necessary to first mount the plate on the plate cylinder of the press, and then scan and image it on the plate to complete the plate making operation. In other words, this type of plate-making method requires the use of a traditional form of printing plate, except that the plate-making process is performed on a printing press. There is no essential difference from the conventional offset printing. However, there are two kinds of direct-to-plate systems at the Drupa 2000 exhibition that are worth mentioning, and they no longer use traditional forms of plates. One is the DICOweb direct imaging printing system introduced by Manroland, and the other is Agfa's introduction of an imaging system called Spray-on-Polymer. DICOweb adopts thermal wax transfer imaging method to directly transfer the oleophilic polymer material from the ribbon to the plate cylinder, forming a oleophilic graphic area. The plate cylinder becomes a hydrophilic non-graphic area after proper processing. . Spray polymer imaging system is a kind of polymer material with thermal affinity changes directly sprayed on the plate cylinder, and then by the infrared laser scanning imaging, the laser effect of the area due to elevated temperature induced chemical / physical reactions become pro The surface of the oil, while the laser-free region still maintains good hydrophilic properties. After the printing is completed, the polymer coating on the surface of the plate cylinder can be removed by solvent washing, and the plate cylinder can be restored to the initial state, and the next round of plate making can be performed. It should be said that these two systems are already very close to digital printing in use, but they are still traditional printing methods that require the use of printing plates. They do not have variable information printing capabilities and do not meet the conditions for digital printing mentioned above. Although many manufacturers use the concept of “digital press” when they introduce it, it cannot be called a true digital press. It can only be called as “Direct Imaging Press” (or called “Direct Imaging Press”). OnPress Imaging, or On-Press CTP. Digital printing must meet the three necessary conditions mentioned above, namely (1) from computer to paper or printing