The EAGLE Musings: 2006 was the year that wide format digital print matured Part 2

Wide format digital printing matures as a real part of “print for pay.”

Commentary by Steve Aranoff & Robert FitzPatrick, The EAGLE

(Guest Writer – Lou Laurent of Laurent Associates International for The EAGLE; lou@laurentassociates.com)

See Part 1

February 5, 2007 -- In the first part of this series, we introduced the concept of digital wide format display and specialty graphics, first coming to market through emerging businesses outside of the traditional print markets. Initially print production was the most important factor.  That has been followed quite rapidly by the need for automated, digital finishing solutions.

Today, we can see that this wide format explosion has finally created opportunities in both the traditional and non-traditional print marketplaces.  In this realm, what we see is really nothing more than an extension of the recognized post-printing, binding and finishing needs of traditional printers.  In other words, the need for automated finishing has become just as important in the display and specialty printing process as it is for conventional offset, flexographic and screen printing.  As users of wide format digital printers began to fully understand the power of their new digital presses, so too did they begin to recognize the need for finishing; today that need also includes finishing curved and three dimensional objects.

But, this isn’t where it ends; rather it marks the beginning of the next trend. As users have expanded their wide format printer usage beyond a few simple banners or signs, they have begun to more clearly understand that printed display and specialty graphics have even more complex finishing needs; these needs involve 3-dimensional finishing, variable data and on-demand production requirements that may continually alter the finishing requirements of printed jobs.

Cutting complex large and/or small shapes, in very small quantities, is not possible by standard die cutting means, or at all practical to cut by hand. As we discussed Mr. Freedman’s comments in the first part of this series, MGE's i-cut products were the first that were readily available to wed the precision of motorized computer controlled X-Y cutting/routing heads with camera technology; the result is the ability to accurately and quickly cut/finish prints of any shape, regardless of the differences between the expected images and that presented to the camera.

Having started in advance of the market, MGE’s development efforts have continued to provide the enhancements that their customer base recognized were needed by broadening their accurate cutting capability to include their literally "cutting edge workflow™" called i-script®. I-script enables a standardized workflow for digital printing and finishing of graphics, much like Postscript/PDF and/or JDF (Job Description Format) does for rectangular printed work.

In 2006, i-script workflow became the clear market leader in that over 3 dozen companies supplying RIP software, digital printers and X-Y cutting devices (see list below) bought into this philosophy.  These companies provide the various necessary pieces of standardized solutions that, linked together, allow wide format printer owners to develop standardized workflows independent of the specific print-for-pay products they offer their customers.  While not yet a true industry standard, this i-script/i-cut workflow provides many of the same benefits that offset printers have benefited from through standardized Postscript, JDF or CIP3 compliant workflows.

Within this i-script standard, any of the various i-cut equipped X-Y cutting devices (knife cut, kiss-cut, oscillating cut, routing, and laser) can accurately cut shapes on any material – in a fraction of the time and cost compared to conventional means such as die cutting and hand cutting. The trick here is the unique approach that MGE incorporates for feeding back imagery from the mounted, laminated, or directly printed media to the various i-cut equipped x-y platforms’ motorized cutting/routing heads.

Since media type, UV drying, pressure laminating, and other direct or indirect mechanical conditions create many kinds of distortions in the printed contour edge, rather than the designed contour, a vision system that can handle any kind of distortion correction is required. All printed graphics contains distortions due to complex media composition and shape, larger print sizes, and printing methods.

i-cut is not the only vision system (camera eyes communicating back to control software on the fly) that can handle media and printing distortions; it is the only system, however, to use patented technology that guarantees precise fit regardless of the print or process leading up to the finishing requirement.  It is also very easy to use.  It does not try to be any more than a simple production capability.  It fits into a digital workflow that allows customers to choose from the various available printers and cutters/routers that will work best in their own facility in conjunction with the also patented i-script workflow. MGE and its three dozen partners provide the specially tailored solutions for each customer to maximize workflow so that the investment in workflow training can be maintained for many years and through many enhancements in technology.

One final point: success.  MGE's i-cut software is now utilized on almost 1,500 cutting devices worldwide.  It is designed so that traditional graphic arts prepress people feel at home setting up the i-script workflow instructions using vector-based software.  Such applications as Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw can easily be used to prepare the i-script workflow.  Their standard RIPs can be used to further expand the output format, enable the nesting of many graphical images onto a single print (with register marks) and simultaneously create cutting files linked to the print files.  If this isn’t a standard like Postscript, it is the closest thing to it in a Graphic Description Language.

For those thinking about adding wide format capability, or adding automated finishing to your current capabilities, the multi-platform opportunity available with i-cut is a good place to start your search – and perhaps to find a profitable solution.  Remember, digital workflow is only as good as the digital components that are integrated to fully automate the manufacturing process.  As soon as the digital process is interrupted by manual intervention, the performance and payback of the entire digital manufacturing process is compromised.

According to MGE literature, their current corporate partners are listed below.  They offer a broad range of choices for automating the finishing of display and specialty graphics.  What is important to remember is that you can “mix and match” from this list to optimize your current needs without worrying that future needs will require a complete change to your digital manufacturing operations.

i-script Certified RIP Partners: 11

Please offer your feedback. Contact Steve at Steve@arttex.com, or Robert at robertf765@aol.com


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