2015 May/June

Print Influencer: Jeff Gomez

June 17, 2015

by Dianna Brodine, PostPress

Jeff Gomez, chief executive officer of Starlight Runner Entertainment, a production company based in New York City that specializes in the extension of intellectual property across multiple media platforms.

Jeff Gomez is the chief executive officer of Starlight Runner Entertainment, a production company based in New York City that specializes in the extension of intellectual property across multiple media platforms – a technique called transmedia storytelling. His company works with executives and creative visionaries at movie studios, television networks and video game publishers to maximize the value of their entertainment properties by extending their story worlds across multiple media platforms – including print.

What is transmedia storytelling?

From the Starlight Runner Entertainment website:
Transmedia storytelling, according to Gomez, is the process of conveying messages, themes or story lines to a mass audience through the artful and well-planned use of multiple media platforms. It is both a technique and a philosophy of communications and brand extension that enriches and broadens the lifecycle of creative content.

[Transmedia means that] the story itself is distributed across a variety of media. Each piece of the story feels as least somewhat complete and adds to the audience’s concept of the characters and story world. When done well, audience members become more and more deeply engaged with the narrative, accessing it whenever they want, wherever they want.

What are the opportunities for print to interact and integrate with movie and video game storytelling?

In the next few years, I am hoping that the print industry becomes more aware of the vitality of the role that it can play in these kind of world environments that we’re seeing, not just in Hollywood – the Marvel superhero world or Star Wars world – but, in these brand worlds where each extension of the ecosystems, the distribution system, the storytelling system that you have access to is telling a slightly different piece of the story. One of the big innovations we’ve seen in print is its capability of being personalized and of becoming an important memorium of the world and your relationship with it. So much of what we now are embracing as possessions are digital. We no longer have DVD collections or record collections. Even our book collections are starting to diminish. So, we have to think about creating a special, more individuated relationship with these kinds of physical products. Printing now can do this with things like variable data printing. This ability to customize and integrate provides an ability to apply data on an individual level so we can actually customize the content of a product that is designed to go out to a mass audience. We can customize it from an audience member-to-audience member level.

What is the print industry’s place in that process?

There’s a printer we use in the Washington, DC, area that has a very clever sensibility – an ease with which the company can speak with a producer or creative people on the entertainment industry side and then draw those elements into a unique printed product. Having a printer who understands and has a more proactive sensibility about the way that the companies in your community or your city are communicating with people is important. Those companies might not be aware that these new effects and the techniques will be useful to them.

Why has storytelling come back into the corporate consciousness? It’s not just for movies anymore.

One of the skill sets that is involved with that is the ability to look at some data and understand what the story is, and then, perhaps, integrate it into the print matter. Some direct mail fundraising has been doing this for years. There is an understanding of what the demographic is and, if you’re above 65, you’re going to get more emotional appeals. Those are important stories that will yield a much higher return. That level of individualized storytelling can be applied across all audiences.

You’re a print consumer. What do you want to see from the people you are working with in the print industry?

On a very superficial level, as a production company for example, if I need someone to go out and shoot a commercial, there are a million little digital production studios that can go out and do that. The same happens with printing – unless you can demonstrate to me not just that you can create a pretty effect or give me a certain paper stock, but that you can understand a little bit more what my content is and what I’m trying to communicate. Your technology can now allow me to localize better, to personalize better and to play up some of my brand’s strengths. Who at Marvel Comics could have ever conceived that Ant-Man could be a different size on every cover? The printer was clever and said, “With this variable data approach, we can do this,” and it was a no-brainer.

Editor’s Note: A recent Ant-Man comic book cover was printed as a limited edition with the Ant-Man character appearing as a different size on each issue.

Now we’re going to see more and more of that, and that makes the printer important to the comic book company.

Why is variable data and social media integration so vital to the print industry?

As parents grew up, we watched the fading heyday of Hollywood where celebrity was always distant. You read the gossip mags to get little snatches of what their lives might be like. Well, it’s entirely different now. They’re accessible, and they have to be. There’s a relationship that’s going on. Some people say it’s not real, but it certainly feels real to these young people. And, it’s impacting their decision-making.

So I encounter this attitude – this grown-up attitude – that it’s a passing thing. But, it’s fundamentally changing the way we communicate. And, we have to get used to it and move with it. We cannot marginalize or alienate the people who live and breathe this stuff, because that’s pushing our own kids away from us – and the future generation of the employee in our own workforce.

Quality Assurance: Equipment and Operators Work Together

June 17, 2015

by Jen Clark, PostPress

The Standard Hunkeler WI6 Web Inspection System uses state-of-the-art digital camera technology to scan the full width of the web, capturing high-resolution images of printed output for various types of quality and integrity analysis.

In today’s hyper-competitive postpress marketplace, mistakes – even small ones – can be costly. When items are shipped and don’t meet client expectations, binders and print finishers alike can lose more than just money through added labor costs and re-runs. Unhappy clients can lead to the loss of current and future business. Ensuring quality products get delivered to the customer is paramount.

In the bindery, the need for human interaction with the product still puts the onus for quality on the operator. Rickard Bindery, Chicago, Illinois, specializes in providing solutions to challenging folding, saddlestitching, gluing and other bindery jobs. For it, quality assurance begins with preflight and continues through production with an extensive set of checks and balances to ensure a high-quality product is returned to the customer. “It begins with obtaining the right information about what needs to be done, how it should be done and what acceptable quality standards are for each client,” said Kevin Rickard, vice president of operations.

Some in the print finishing industry, though, are utilizing equipment that has become more and more automated. MCD, Inc., Madison, Wisconsin, is known for making imagination become reality through foil stamping, embossing and diecutting complex projects, as well as specializing in lamination, UV coatings, HoloBright and folding/gluing. The company recently added its first camera-based inspection system and is looking to add additional units, said Glenn Gauger, manufacturing engineer manager. “It identifies codes between components to ensure that we match all tip-on pieces to the correct base,” he said. “We have a detailed report to assure the customer of 100-percent matching. Our accuracy has greatly improved while reducing complaints.”

Equipment manufacturers respond to changing marketplace

The increasing amount of automation in the print finishing industry has led equipment manufacturers to develop inspection systems that are more intelligent and operator-friendly. The W.H. Leary Company, Tinley Park, Illinois, engineers and manufactures quality assurance, glue application and mechanical solutions for the packaging industry. “As automation has increased, so has line speeds, and 100-percent manual inspection often is not only cost-prohibitive, but often impossible,” said Andrew Sims, director of engineering. “Inspection systems increasingly are being used to guarantee product quality without increasing labor costs. When used effectively, quality assurance systems also can prevent large amounts of product waste by identifying defects earlier in the process.”

Standard Finishing Systems, Andover, Massachusetts, distributes Horizon folders, saddlestitchers, bookletmakers, collators, cutters, perfect binders and diecutters, as well as Hunkeler unwinders, rewinders, cutters, stackers, folders and perforators for continuous-feed digital and inkjet print engines. Automation leads to more hands-off operation, said Standard’s Johan Laurent, business manager, Hunkeler. “Inspection systems remove the need for an operator to thumb through stacks of printed material,” he said. “But there are other reasons why print providers are installing inspection systems at a higher rate. For example, higher speed presses make it less convenient to spot check by hand. When presses are installed roll-to-roll, there no longer is an opportunity for a visual check, so you want to catch errors automatically, before the web is rewound.”

As an example, Sims relayed a recent experience with one W.H. Leary customer. “Our customer had installed a LearyVIEW™ Print full carton inspection system for a critical job and found that the spoilage was at five percent after installing the system – higher than they were expecting – but found all the rejects were genuine and the printer hadn’t realized it was sending products that were out of spec,” he said. As a result, the printer used the information from the inspection system to correct the root cause of the errors and spoilage reduced to the level it was at before the inspection system was installed. Now W.H. Leary’s customer was able to guarantee 100-percent quality to the brand owner, which enabled this customer to win several new contracts.

Camera-based inspection captures images of every page

The use of camera-based technology is available on almost any type of print finishing equipment. It allows systems to perform verification of material imprinted with virtually any standard symbology, including 1D and 2D code, OCR characters, MICR, addresses, Blob, images (pattern match) or even OMR markings at the click of a mouse or via touchscreen. Quality inspection systems serve two main purposes, Standard’s Laurent said. “The first one is the check print quality, such as jet outs, smearing, color density, registration or readability of bar codes,” he explained. “The other one is to verify that everything is printing, in the correct order, without duplicates.”

A camera-based inspection system can handle both, by capturing images of every printed page. These images then are compared, in real-time, to the master image and the database. If there is an issue, the quality inspection system simply can alert the operator that something is off and mark individual pages or sets for removal from the print stream at a later time, for example, in the bindery or inserter area. “In an extreme case, the web inspection system can automatically stop the line,” he said.

Standard Finishing and W.H. Leary offer standalone inspection systems and units that can be integrated into existing finishing lines. Standard’s Hunkeler product line offers the WI6 web inspection system that features color or monochrome cameras that can check one or both sides of the web. It can be integrated into any existing finishing line from any manufacturer. “Hunkeler’s top-of-the-line system can inspect every single page printed on a 40″ wide press at speeds of 800fpm,” Laurent said. “In addition, we offer a range of software options, depending on the type of inspection required, and integration with print management systems.” Standard’s VIVA product line is an automated integrity and inspection system that can be deployed across a range of Horizon finishing solutions, including perfect binding, folding, bookletmaking and saddlestitching, and it provides quality control, tracking, end-to-end system control and production reporting.

Sims said the W.H. Leary units range from basic bar code reading for mixed copy detection to advanced, multi-channel quality assurance systems with multiple high-end vision cameras detecting a range of quality defects. “A large portion of Leary’s business is selling retro-fit systems that enable printers with older machinery to increase productivity and compete in today’s marketplace without having to invest in new machinery,” he said. “Leary systems are designed to be expandable and are ready to accept new sensor and camera technologies as they become available, ensuring the quality assurance systems purchased do not become obsolete in a short period of time.”

Operator inspection plays an important role

At MCD, one of the largest graphics arts and finishing companies in the Midwest, quality assurance is two-fold. There is a formal process of two-person makeready approvals and running retains of products, as well as traceability on all products run. “A spot check of retains can offer indication if additional inspection is needed,” Gauger said. “We also spot check final product before it leaves the building, when appropriate.”

A quality inspection system was added to MCD’s existing folder-gluer line, allowing the inspection system to take advantage of the automation. “The most important aspect of the system is its ability to learn, in addition to setting variable inspect options and integration into a running piece of equipment, as well as reporting data,” Gauger said.

Although MCD is looking into adding additional inspection units, Gauger said visual inspection still plays a role in the company’s print finishing process. “The ability to ensure our customers 100-percent accuracy is very important to us,” he said. “We strive to deliver top-quality products and services, which in turn, develops long-term relationships.”

Rickard Bindery utilizes a camera-based inspection system for pharmaceutical products. The importance of having the right drug information warrants having a camera inspection system, Rickard said. “The penalties are astronomical. If you get a pharmaceutical piece that goes through and isn’t printed on one side… that would be devastating.”

About a quarter of Rickard Bindery’s business involves some aspect of the pharmaceutical industry. “We have a presence of ink detector,” Rickard said. “So if a double-sided print comes through that only has print on one side, we have electronic eyes on the folders that read the sheet on the top and bottom of the machine. If there is a blank side to the sheet, it will stop the machine automatically, the sheet is removed and discarded and the machine is restarted.”

Rickard said he is unaware of any camera systems that could be used for his company’s high-speed folding work. Within its 80,000-square-foot facility, there are about 80 folding machines, of which 30-40 can be running at any given time, he said. “There are too many variables for electronic devices to be programmed to keep track of,” Rickard said. “You have things like bend-overs that can happen inside that an electronic device cannot see or feel.”

Rickard Bindery utilizes visual inspection throughout the process – in cutting, folding, stitching and, of course, coming off the folder. “The big issue is you don’t want to ever remove the burden of inspection from the employees,” Rickard said. “You don’t want them to become complacent and assume a machine is going to catch everything or do the job of inspection for them. It really needs to have a human touch to physically jog it up, feel it, look at it, open it up by hand and look inside to examine the piece properly.”

Quality assurance starts when a job comes in the door. “We create a job jacket and an order, which then go out into the factory to the supervisors,” Rickard explained. “They assign a mechanic who sets up the job according to the specifications and the customer sample. Once he has a job set up, he gets four OKs from different supervisors to ensure the product we are about to produce matches the customer sample. Once it is running, our procedure is to pull one piece every hour and have it time-stamped and saved.”

At the end of a shift, at least eight samples will be collected and looked at again by the quality control manager. The actual number of pieces pulled for a job depends on several factors, including customer requests to increase hourly pulls – some want as many as five pulls per hour – while others want two samples pulled – one for Rickard Bindery’s records and one for theirs. “It really depends on the customer how many and how often pieces get pulled,” Rickard said.

Regardless of the number, those samples are held for three months. “For every job we run, we have a piece from every hour that it was running,” he said. “If there was a problem, we can go back and have a complete history of the job running and be able to identify when and where the problem happened based on the time stamp and machine number that is on it.”

If a quality issue arises during a run, Rickard Bindery’s machine operators are empowered to shut down a machine or even an inline system if a predetermined standard of excellence isn’t met. “More errors are caught when operators develop “ownership” of their job performance and when additional sets of trained eyes look at each job,” he said.

Maintaining this standard-of-excellence is paramount, Rickard said, because the risk-reward ratio on each job is so large. “We are the last people to touch everything – we aren’t a printer, so 90 percent of the value already is in the piece. To make $10 in profit, we are exposing ourselves to $1,000 worth of risk because of the value of the piece. If something goes wrong, the cost of reprinting is huge to us. Errors cannot happen.”

But if an error does make it through the process, Rickard Bindery stands by its work. “When mistakes have happened in the past, we have stood behind our work 100 percent,” Rickard said. “We have had to reprint things, but we do always make it right.” The extensive amount of documentation for the job then becomes a training tool so the error doesn’t happen again, he added. “We use the work-flow analysis of what happened to put features in place so that it doesn’t happen again. Sometimes customers will ask that specific paperwork gets filled out that identifies what happened and identifies how we will prevent it from happening again.”

Manufacturers expect growth for inspection systems

Officials at Standard see a bright future for quality inspection systems, Laurent said. “It is all about efficiency,” he said. “With a good quality inspection system and the right integration, print providers will have the information they need to make their shops more efficient.”

W.H. Leary’s largest volume-producing customers are using fully-automated lines with reel-fed machines, Sims said. “Products are being printed, diecut, folded, glued, packed and palletized without any human interaction,” he explained. “As line speeds and automation increase, customers are relying more and more on quality assurance systems to maintain product quality, and brand owners are coming to expect 100-percent inline inspection of their products. This trend will continue to rise in the future.”

While visual inspections have become less practical, they still play a role in quality assurance measures. Sims noted some customers use visual inspection as part of their overall quality process because they aren’t using automatic inspection for every type of defect. “However, for customers striving for complete automation, today’s highest end quality assurance systems mean that manual inspection is no longer a necessity,” he said.

Added Laurent: “Visual checks provide an extra layer of security. Both printing and binding still have an emotional and tactile appeal, and it takes a human to fully appreciate that. Not everything can be automated – yet.”

Rotary News

June 17, 2015

Compact Foilers Launches New Modules

Compact Foilers Ltd, Somerset, England, has confirmed the launch of two new modules, the CF1400 and CF75, for print enhancement. The CF1400 FLX is a new flexo module for web-based applications. The unit is available for retro fit to existing flexo printing machines or as a complete standalone machine. The offline machine uses the latest automatic web guide and servo controls for re-registration to the pre-printed web for enhancement with metallic and holographic effects. The machine has integrated reel-lifting units, automatic tension control, flexo printing unit, UV drying unit, inline slitting and foil/film delivery module. The CF75 has been developed to add Cast & CureTM to pre-printed material using spot UV varnish machines. The lightweight unit is mounted after the coating station above the out feed sheet conveyor. The reels of Cast & Cure film can be loaded from the side of the machine, eliminating the need for lifting equipment. A compact UV lamp unit cures the varnish before the film is stripped and rewound for multiple passes. For more information, visit www.compactfoilers.com.

Spartanics Introduces X-350 Laser Diecutting Module

Spartanics, Rolling Meadows, Illinois, introduced the X-350 laser cutting module, engineered to be integrated into Smag Graphique’s E-Cut and Digital Galaxie semi-rotary converting solutions. The X-350 is a modular laser station that can cut material up to 350mm wide and with an infinite length. Capable of reaching cutting speeds of up to 100m/minute, it comes standard with Spartanics’ Fastline and Optimization Control software and is available in either a 200 or 400watt laser. Since the X-350 is modular, it can be integrated into a SMAG converting solution from equipment inception or at a future date. To learn more, visit www.spartanics.com.

B&R Moll Introduces Integrated Inline Rotary Diecutter and Folder/Gluer

B&R Moll, Inc., Warminster, Pennsylvania, has developed the Rotary Die-Cutter System, a combined inline finishing machine designed to integrate complex diecutting, folding and gluing functions on a range of sheet-fed media and packaging. The system incorporates an upper flexo magnetic cylinder with flexible dies to handle kisscuts and cut-scoring for virtually any shape and size of material up to 22pt paper stock. The system includes top suction air feeder with four adjustable suction heads; a registration system with side guides, head stops and gripper fingers; and a sheet counter and double-sheet detectors. Designed to deliver onto a receding stacker or pallet, the Rotary Die-Cutter System integrates with B&R Molls optional stripping unit to remove waste material and pairs with the Versa-Fold and Dial-A-Stack machines to combine diecutting, stripping, folding, gluing and stacking in a single inline finishing system. For more information, call 267.288.0282 or visit www.mollbrothers.com.

Kocher + Beck USA, L.P. Celebrates Facility Extension

Kocher + Beck USA, L.P., headquartered in Pliezhausen, Germany, staged a groundbreaking ceremony for a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Lenexa, Kansas. The 24,000 square-foot extension will help Kocher + Beck to meet the growing demand for flexible dies in the future. The facility will be fully operational in December 2015. Lars Beck, managing director of Kocher + Beck, welcomed the mayor of Lenexa, city officials and about 50 guests. For more information, visit www.kocher-beck.com.

New European Business Development Manager Named for UEI® Falcontec

UEI® Group, Kansas City, Kansas, has announced the addition of Bo Meyer to its EU Company, UEI® Falcontec® – A UEI® Group Company, headquartered in the United Kingdom. Meyer is the European business development manager based in Denmark, providing sales and technical support for a territory that includes Germany, Denmark, Austria, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Poland. Meyer brings over 25 years of experience in the narrow web rotary industry to the UEI® Group, including tenure with Gerhardt in the diecutting tool market. Meyer’s background also includes experience with embossing and hot foil stamping. For more information, visit www.ueigroup.com.

Partnership Breaks the Boundaries of Cold Foil

A collaboration project involving Innovia Films and API Foils received the Technical Innovation Award at the recent EFIA event. The printed swatch booklet, “Breaking the Boundaries of Cold Foil,” showcases the possibilities of cold foils for label converters and features new products from both partners. The booklet also features a newly developed cold foil designed to be as versatile as possible across machines and substrates while delivering the best combination of fine detail and broad area coverage. The booklet contains a variety of images created using a single silver foil which has then been overprinted to create the spectrum of metallic colors showcased throughout. The foils in the booklet were supplied by API and printed in full HD on a Mark Andy Performance Series press using JFM Plates. Other partners in the project included Cheshire Anilox Technology, GMG Color, Reprobrand and Color Logic. For more information, visit www.apigroup.com.

Security Holograms and Luxury Effects Inline Now Suitable for High-Volume Applications

Pantec GS Systems AG, Kradolf, Switzerland, has introduced the SWIFT foil saver and hologram unit. The new system is equipped with three to six foil streams, allows for applications of 200,000 registered holograms per hour and offers luxury brand protection and security with multiple, coalesced foils in one unit. SWIFT is flexible and adaptable for registered patches, saving foil for bottles and tubes. Global groups benefit from utilizing SWIFT’s hologram and foil saver to manufacture security labels for high-value products in the computer, automotive and oil industries. To learn more, visit www.pantec-gs.com.

2015 Narrow Web Supplement

Sheet-Fed Foil – Hot and Cold!

June 17, 2015

by Mike King, Eagle Systems

In instances where the majority of the sheet or the entire sheet includes foil, cold foil can be a cost-effective choice. Large coverage of foil on the sheet will allow maximum use of the foil ribbon.

With the variety of manufacturing options available to add multi-sensory packaging effects, brands across all industries are beginning to branch out and use foils. One of the most talked about points of confusion is the difference between hot foil and cold foil, along with the pros and cons are of each method. This article will explore the pros and cons of these two separate methods for sheet-fed foil processes. Choosing the right method is tied to many factors, but having a baseline understanding will help with price, speed to market, branding and, ultimately, consumer impact.

Foil coverage

For most applications, the cold foil process is done inline on the printing press. If the image area (the area on the sheet that will be foiled) is small and does not make use of the majority of the foil roll over the sheet, there can be an excessive amount of waste in foil that is not applied. Comparatively, the hot foil process (most commonly performed offline on a hot stamping machine) allows for the foil roll to precisely index in small increments and thus maximizes the use of the entire foil ribbon. So, for smaller areas of foil coverage, hot stamping usually is the best choice to maximize the use of the foil.

In instances where the majority of the sheet or the entire sheet includes foil, cold foil can be a cost-effective choice. Large coverage of foil on the sheet will allow maximum use of the foil ribbon. In addition, if the job requires multiple colors of foil, then cold foil will be more economical, as it is all done in one pass and then overprinted to create the separate colors.

It is important to remember that saving foil necessarily does not calculate to job cost savings, as the whole picture needs to be considered. What most people don’t realize is that job cost savings also encompass the process, logistics and other materials, as well. Sometimes, the breakeven point could be at 1,000, 10,000, 100,000 or even 1,000,000 sheets before one process becomes more cost effective over the other. It is imperative to look beyond the actual foil material cost.

Where cold foil really becomes a game changer is when comparing it to using a laminated foil metallic board. Cold foil inline can create huge savings over laminated board and provide more flexibility with inventory. The other advantage over a foil laminated stock is that the portion of the package or product that is white can be reversed out of the foil, which eliminates the need to print white opaque ink in these areas. The white ink can create problems on press and sometimes needs two passes to properly cover. Other areas, like glue flaps or just plain printing on foil laminated board, can create challenges because the printing is being applied to a plastic material. The major savings is the actual dollar-for-dollar cost against the cold foil with board vs. foil board. A 10-cent savings is $100,000 dollars on 1,000,000 sheets at the end of the year. Imagine the savings if the cost was 53 cents apart! In the cold foil process, multiple webs of foil can be run, which realistically would be a small percentage of actual foil use. With foil board, the whole sheet is paid for and used, regardless.

Substrate considerations

Certain substrates can pose a challenge for the cold foil process, such as uncoated stocks. During the cold foil process, a layer of adhesive is applied to the sheet. Uncoated stocks tend to absorb the glue, resulting in less adhesive for the foil to adhere to when applied. This can lead to uneven surfaces, rough edges and flaking of the foil. Comparatively, hot foil stamping provides more latitude with substrate types since the foil is applied by a heated application onto the sheet vs. the use of an adhesive. So, the type of stock or substrate can have a huge impact on selecting cold foil vs. hot foil.

Inline vs. second operation

There only are two colors available in cold foil, with the most popular being 98-percent silver and 2-percent gold. Hot foil has a wider range of metallic foil colors readily available, such as gold, silver, blue and red.

The cold foil process is done inline on press and, therefore, eliminates the need for a second offline operation of hot foil stamping. Being inline also means that inks, varnishes and coatings can be applied over the cold foil on press, whereas this would require an additional press pass following the hot stamping process. There are inline efficiencies of cold foil with proper equipment and the knowledge of the process. However, if there are challenges with the setup and coordination of the cold foil process working with the printing process, the potential cost savings of performing the foil inline can diminish.

Sheet-fed cold foil process is approximately 30 years old, but only has truly developed into a viable and economical solution in the last six to seven years. With only around 160 cold foil systems in operation worldwide, those interested in pursuing cold foil must do their homework and speak with others involved already in the process. Of course, this scenario also is true with the hot foil process. Utilizing the proper equipment for hot is essential in todays world.

Careful planning and utilization of reliable equipment are essential to ensuring the job runs consistently and that the printing press does not have to be stopped multiple times through the run.

When a customer is looking for a foil and embossed image, many times the foil and embossing can be applied at the same time on an offline foil press utilizing a combination (foil and embossing) die. When this is the case, running offline vs. inline is the better option because a separate pass will be necessary either way to accomplish the embossed image.

Foil tension also can be an issue if the proper cold foil equipment is not being used. Some cold foil units require special foil tension programming which, if not properly set, can cause tension issues and breaking. This can cause foil damage, foil dust and inferior product. Without proper tension throughout the run, there is the risk of the foil not being applied securely to the sheet and allowing proper bond with the ink. There are retrofit machines that do not require special programming for foil tension and help eliminate this issue.

Foil color

There only are two colors available in cold foil, with the most popular being 98-percent silver and 2-percent gold. Also, a limited number of holographic patterns now are available for cold foil. For larger orders, foil manufacturers may be able to provide specific colors and patterns with a cold foil formulation. To achieve a specific color other than the silver or gold, it is necessary to lay down ink over the foil being applied on press. Utilizing four-color process (CMYK), there virtually are an unlimited number of colors that can be created through overprinting cold foil. PMS colors can be used to create a particular color as well.

Comparatively, hot foil has a wider range of metallic foil colors readily available, such as gold, silver, blue and red, etc. In addition, hot foil stamping offers other types of foils, such as holographic, specialty patterned, pigmented and clear foil options that are not available with the cold foil process.

Brilliance of foil versus flexibility

Hot foil traditionally results in a more brilliant look vs. cold foil – although the final outcome of a cold foil transfer has come a long way in recent years. The customer needs to make the final determination on what will work best for the specific application. Hot foil may provide more overall brilliance, though cold foil has more reflective angles than hot foil because of the sheer process and the way it is applied.

The idea behind the cold foil process is that various colors of foil need not be stocked and any color under the rainbow can be created with CMYK or PMS colors. The beauty of this is even more apparent when the customer comes in for a press check on cold foil and says the color is off a bit. With the cold foil process, the color easily can be changed with prepress adjustments on the printing press because the color comes from the overprint on the foil.

In the same scenario with hot foil, there may be a delay in the job if the foil stamper does not have the customer’s exact color pick of foil in stock. Unfortunately, many foil stamping shops have a lot of unused hot foil and a great deal of it never gets used again. With the overprinting of silver foil for most cold foil applications, there is little to no leftover inventory that cannot be used in the future.

Conclusion

When choosing between hot and cold foiling, it’s important to keep the end game in mind. It’s best to start with the product’s particular needs and then find a match based on how well the capabilities of each technology align with the product. The following questions are examples of what needs to be addressed:

What is best for the application? It is key to understand what the product does and who it’s targeting. The application itself should be able to point to one process over the other.
What is the budget? While budget shouldn’t be the first consideration, it often can dictate a particular solution.
With what substrate is the foil being used? Again, the substrate may determine the preferred method of foiling. Certain substrates only work with hot foil, while others are best with cold foil.
What type of look is being sought? One of the easiest ways to decide whether to use hot or cold foil stamping relies on the type of look the customer wants. The customer is the ultimate decisionmaker to determine the best approach.

Mike King is owner and inventor of Eagle Systems’ hot and cold products. For years, Eagle Systems has focused solely on foil machinery and foil process developments, including the introduction of high-tech servo technology to the world of hot foil indexing. For more information on hot and cold foil products, visit www.thefoilexperts.com.

Tech Watch: Aerocut G2 Digital Finishing System

June 17, 2015

by Brittany Willes, PostPress

Aerocut digital finishing systems combine slitting, cutting and creasing into a single operation.

MBM Corporation, Charleston, South Carolina, has unveiled the next generation of Aerocut systems, the Aerocut G2. Aerocut digital finishing systems combine slitting, cutting and creasing into a single operation. The G2 finishing system has operating speeds up to two times faster than the base Aerocut model, while featuring an improved interface and several new functions.

Time loss prevention served as a driving theme for the system. “A dramatic amount of production time is saved using the G2,” said Carrie Ford, art director for MBM. Like the original Aerocut, the G2 merges several finishing functions into a single process. “There is no need to have a separate cutter, slitter or creaser since the G2 is able to do all three in one pass. This not only saves time, but money as well.” Improving on the previous system’s ability to handle up to 12 sheets per minute (based on two cuts and one crease, 8½ x 11″ paper), the G2 produces 20 sheets per minute, which enables users to cut down on manufacturing time. Additionally, the G2’s high-capacity feed tray is able to hold twice as many sheets and is equipped with a three-try re-feed mechanism in which the machine automatically will re-feed the sheet up to three times in case of double feed. Finally, new and improved to the G2 is the ability to cross-perforate by changing out the creasing unit with the cross-perforating unit.

Additional improvements have been made to the color touchscreen interface control module, which has been enlarged for ease of operation and comes pre-programed with 263 cutting templates. The interface’s memory can store up to 60 custom programs, while the new “flex mode” allows for up to 30 additional odd-sized programs to be set up and stored in memory. According to Ford, the G2 also can be equipped with “an Adobe InDesign plug-in, allowing designers to set up jobs and easily transfer templates from their workstations to the G2, saving even more production time,” she said. “In addition to saving time, the air suction feed system and register mark detection sensor ensure accuracy on every job, saving resources as well.”

The Aerocut G2 can slit, cut, crease, score and perforate a variety of jobs, including brochures, business cards, postcards, greeting cards and CD jackets. Furthermore, a range of stocks (such as gloss, laminated, UV-coated and large format) can be creased and scored without cracking, even with full-bleed ink coverage. In order to accommodate various stock sizes, the new machine also includes adjustable magnetic paper guides.

Ford asserted that MBM has received encouraging reviews from customers regarding the new system. “We have had many positive experiences, and we also are starting to see a new trend,” she went on to explain. “With the cost of digital print dropping in the last decade, we are seeing a large increase of small print shops investing in digital print finishing engines. The G2 is becoming the perfect fit for in-plants and small print shops all around.”

Technical Details

The G2 can handle paper sizes 8 ¼x8 ¼” up to 14 3/8×63″ and weight from 32 to 130lbs., though weight may vary due to variations in paper and power supply. The G2’s speed is up to 20 sheets per minute. The feed type consists of belt-drive air suction with a registration tolerance of 0.01″.

Crease depth can be adjusted for different weights of stock with the 5-Position Crease Depth Adjust lever. Maximum creases/cuts per page is 48. Cutting blade is self-sharpening with standard, online perforating units.

With all-metal construction, the G2 is mounted on lockable, heavy-duty casters. The safety access cover ensures the machine will not operate if the cover is left open. The power supply consists of 115V, 60Hz. Dimensions are 32″x36″x43″ with a shipping weight of 452lbs.

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