As devices speed up and digital machines are expected to run more than eight hours per day, customers are buying more than one device and the older ‘photocopier technology’ is not robust enough to handle the speed or quality. We have seen significant investment in more robust and higher volume document finishing devices. Duplo has invested significantly in the Alpha saddle, which is capable of 6,000 books per hour. This is a significant shift for them and in that vein I believe we will see several ‘more industrial’ devices at the show.

As well as the document finishers scaling up, I suspect we will see the more traditional industrial finishing companies like Muller Martini, Kolbus, Heidelberg, Hohner expanding on their digital production ranges.

As finishing systems become more and more specialist, the next challenge for the post-press developers is whether to design in-line, near-line or off-line. Many of the digital presses do not have the up time or the reliability to fully integrate. Paper jams and miss feeds often mess up the flow of sheets and books to the post-press line, which in turn becomes less stable.

I hope to see not only more sophisticated management systems for near-line applications and developments for in line that incorporate buffering so that paper jams, and small stoppages do not affect the in-line solution. Lasermax Roll systems have already demonstrated sophisticated in line solutions and I am sure that the management and control of such systems will be equally sophisticated by Drupa.

But Drupa isn’t all about digital. We often forget how large the traditional market is and for finishing companies, traditional devices are by far their biggest market and revenue stream. In times of difficulty, they cannot afford to forget this very important aspect of their business. What I feel we will see at Drupa is traditional machines, but with faster turnaround, automation and JDF integration.

Labour in the finishing area is by far the highest cost for most printing companies and anything that can reduce manning levels and streamline the makereadies is going to be a major selling point. What this means, however, is that finishing controllers and device management systems will need to be overhauled. Post-press historically has not had the knowledge or skills to incorporate sophisticated management systems in their machinery, but now it is a necessity.

MIS firms now understand pre-press and the press room. With the Ghent Workgroup and JDF working more on finishing requirements, these MIS companies can pass across and receive JMF information recording job status and production information. Post-press workflow, then, is probably the most important aspect of every sector of post-press equipment design.

– John Charnock, director, Print Research International

You can read the PrintWeek Briefing that this comment originally accompanied here