Dobruška / New slants on small- and half-format sheetfed offset. KBA Radebeul is already well-known to medium- and large-format printers all over the world as a leading address for modern technologies and innovative solutions in sheetfed offset print. The open house “Hot Technologies for Small Format Professionals” on 6th and 7th October, on the other hand, was conceived to tempt small format users to pay a first visit to KBA's sheetfed offset facility.

Some 300 guests from 10 countries attended the first two-day open house for small format users at the KBA facility in Radebeul

After all, a manufacturer who builds the largest sheetfed offset presses in the world can rightly be expected to hold a treat or two in store also for the smaller format classes. And those who took up the invitation were not to be disap-pointed. Some 300 guests from 10 countries, alongside Germany above all from the Czech Republic and Poland, flocked to the modern KBA customer centre. Alongside conventional presses (Rapida 74 and Performa 74), a spotlight was placed on the enormous potential of key-less, waterless offset (Genius 52, Rapida 74G and the DI press 74 Karat).

At the same time, those attending were able to gather valuable information on market trends affecting the small-format segment, management and process developments, the special features and benefits of waterless printing, standardisation, and questions regarding colour and process management.

KBA marketing director Klaus Schmidt expounded significant trends in print production, including the criteria behind order placements by agencies and the advertising industry, as well as critical developments on the market for small-format print. Alongside the pressure on prices and the difficult overall economic situation, print enterprises are faced above all with ever tighter deadlines and ever shorter runs. A small offset business is only able to react effectively through changes in its structures and process organisation, with increased service orientation to strengthen the ties to its predominantly local and regional customers, and not least through targeted investment. After all, it is already clear to all, that digital print is no longer a niche market and can indeed capture market shares from small-format offset in the competition for short-run work with critical deadlines. The same applies also for office printing, e-publishing and the electronic media.

KBA sales director Klaus Sauer welcomed the guests by pointing to the innovative KBA product range for small and half-format printers, giving special mention to the keyless inking technology for waterless offset. His conclusion: “Printers, too, must be prepared to leave well-trodden paths in order to discover new roads to success.”

But small-format print is certainly not on the out

For a whole series of print products, especially in the advertising and packaging segments, on the other hand, further growth is being forecast also for developed countries such as Germany. Through the use of modern and flexible technologies, even small print businesses – and the majority of German print companies employ fewer than 10 staff – are able to distinguish themselves from competitors relying on older equipment and from purely digital printers and copy shops. Alongside shorter turnaround times and increased efficiency, there is enormous potential awaiting in high-quality and individual product design and refinement.

It is such considerations, according to Klaus Schmidt, which explain the KBA commitment to digital-integrated press solutions and to process standardisation in waterless offset with the waste-saving and quality-enhancing Gravuflow keyless inking technology. Favourably priced sheetfed offset presses which nevertheless return a convincing performance, such as the recently added Performa models from Czech KBA subsidiary Grafitec, are interesting alternatives above all for smaller printers who are looking to grow into the half-format market. The demand for price-sensitive short runs with extremely tight delivery deadlines is increasing. Decentralised printing, both high-end and good-enough quality, targeted differentiation through inline finishing, and even workflow solutions scaled to small family-run companies – these are just some of the business models served by the seven press series within the KBA sheetfed offset product range for small formats.

KBA marketing director Klaus Schmidt expounded significant trends in print production, addressing also the increasing competition from digital print for small-format offset

Status quo and prospects for small-format print

Michael Blind from the trade journal Grafische Palette, a man who knows the small-format print scene in Germany better than most, discussed the most meaningful factors governing investment decisions. He analysed how print companies stand on the market today, the jobs and technologies with which they will be seeking to earn money in five year's time, and the decisions which already need to be made today. Even in a branch where productive craft is still a dominant aspect, the printing press is no longer the all-important element, but increasingly just one link of a process chain. The resale value of a press will be less and less important in the future. Instead, investment decision-makers must consider the added value which a particular technology represents, and how it can help the company to stand out from its competitors. But even an established brand name can leave a dent in the bottom line under certain circumstances, where a greater investment volume but comparable net output necessitates higher hourly rates and thus higher prices.

Michael Blind, editor-in-chief of the trade journal “Grafische Palette” outlined sensible approaches to forthcoming investment decisions

Interesting alternatives: Performa 66 and Performa 74

Jens Junker, managing director of KBA-Grafitec in Dobruška/Czech Republic, and Jürgen Veil, KBA head of sheetfed offset marketing, introduced the sheetfed offset presses Performa 66 and Performa 74 as alternatives to the well-known names. Even as representatives of the low- to mid-price segment, both presses offer a good print quality (to FOGRA standards) and are suitable to handle mid-range process demands. They are used for commercial and light packaging work, above all by smaller print companies.

Both presses are produced in two- to six-colour versions. The Performa 66 (sheet format 48.5 x 66 cm, max. output 10,000 sheets/hr) can be configured with either a low- or high-pile delivery in its two-colour version, while perfecting facilities and a convertible coater/dampener are available for all versions. The Performa 74 (sheet format 52 x 74 cm, max. output 13,000 sheets/hr), on the other hand, can also be supplied with an anilox coating tower (Harris & Bruno system). Automatic washing systems, remote inking control (for models with Graficontrol control console), semi-automatic plate changing (Performa 74), an extended delivery, a Techkon or X-rite densitometer and integration into a CIP4 workflow are further options for both press series. There is no doubt that a Rapida 74 or Speedmaster 74 CD lies well out of reach of the Performa presses in terms of equipment features, application flexibility and print quality. But both presses are also significantly more expensive, and are thus beyond consideration for many a small printer whose needs are actually served ideally by a Performa 74.

Jens Junker, managing director of Czech subsidiary KBA-Grafitec, presented the half-format sheetfed offset presses of the Performa series as interesting alternatives to the well-known names

Stand out through waterless offset with Gravuflow

Anja Hagedorn from the KBA product marketing team devoted a presentation to waterless and keyless offset print. She compared the keyless Gravuflow inking unit to other inking unit configurations for wet-in-wet print and pointed out the unique beneficial features: The Gravuflow inking units contribute to faster makeready and reduced waste. They can be integrated simply into match-the-proof scenarios and boost the repeatability of print jobs. Further advantages, besides constant print quality, are the outstanding ecological compatibility and effective applications both in the short- to medium-run sector and for the handling of difficult and cost-intensive substrates. Users of the Gravuflow technology can still tackle high quality demands even for very small jobs. By way of a product comparison, Anja Hagedorn outlined the strengths of the individual press models: The small-format Genius 52 with its compact design, simple handling and maintenance, and thus fast make­ready and high cost-saving potential for the user, the 74 Karat with fully automated process sequences, integrated plate imaging, a digital workflow for high productivity and low personnel costs, and new opportunities to extend the company's range of services, and the unit-based press Rapida 74 G with its variability regarding the number of printing units and a broad diversity of inline finishing options.

Product manager Anja Hagedorn explained the benefits of the Gravuflow keyless inking technology used in the waterless offset presses Rapida 74G, 74 Karat and Genius 52

Process standardisation means customer satisfaction

Michael Müller from technical business consultants IPM presented the PrintProcessManagement concept, a system for process-wide and integral analysis of all parameters affecting the production process. The objective is to establish a technically reliable and economically profitable basis for all process sequences within the print company. The results are then fewer errors, increased productivity, enhanced quality and greater final customer satisfaction.

Michael Müller, co-proprietor of technical business consultants IPM, presented the PrintProcessManagement concept for process-wide analysis of all parameters affecting the production process

Werner Suhr from the company MSG gave an overview of the software PrintSecure, which acquires and evaluates the parameters influencing print results. Measured data from colour management analyses are converted into print quality and press control information ready for direct implementation by the operator. The system can be used to standardise offset printing processes, to monitor compliance with previously defined standards or to check the quality of repeat jobs. The results can be displayed in various levels of complexity, from simple graphs to full-scale tables.

Werner Suhr from the company MSG introduced the software PrintSecure for evaluation of the parameters influencing print results

Waterless, digital and conventional: Innovative technologies for variable business models

Product refinement on the Rapida 74: Anne-Kathrin Gerlach demonstrated drip-off and scented varnish finishes on a five-colour press with coating tower

During the second half of the day, the theoretical presentations were followed up by practical print demonstrations on a total of five small- and half-format presses. A five-colour Rapida 74 with coating tower and extended delivery first produced a calendar page (150 g/m²) with drip-off varnish effects. Subsequently, it was converted for a packaging job on GD2 board. Finishing was done with a special scented varnish, placing the diversity of product refinement possibilities in the foreground. Fast job changeovers from a typical commercial product to high-quality packaging were the central theme on the Rapida 74G with Gravuflow keyless inking technology. The coating tower was here used to apply a high-gloss water-based varnish to the packaging. Both Rapidas were thus able to provide live proof to the visitors of the comprehensive substrate flexibility which is often indispensable for an all-round printer.

Jürgen Veil, head of sheetfed offset marketing, proudly presented a four-colour Performa 74 with coating tower from KBA-Grafitec, which was to be seen in action in the KBA customer centre for the first time during the open house

The four-colour Performa 74 with anilox coating tower, which was to be seen in action in the KBA customer centre for the first time, demonstrated that it has no reason to hide its print quality in comparisons with the better-known brand names, producing a sophisticated car brochure with inline coating. On the 74 Karat, on the other hand, the central issue was the minimal start-up waste of less than ten sheets for a job on expensive plastic film. The digital-integrated 74 Karat printed perfume packaging on matt PVC.

The digital-integrated offset press 74 Karat excelled with convincing print quality and minimal start-up waste when handling expensive PVC substrates

“Fast makeready and high quality for ultra-short runs” was the motto for the live presentation of the five-colour Genius 52 in A3^plus format. The press produced first a watch catalogue sheet on paper (150 g/m²), before automatic plate changing and a switch to a postcard forme (300 g/m²). Here, too, the visitors were convinced by the fast job change­over and the – in this format class – unrivalled savings of start-up wastage thanks to the keyless Gravuflow inking units.

Unique features in half-format print: The guests praised the print quality and minimal wastage of the Rapida 74 G (Gravuflow), the only unit-based press on the world market designed for waterless offset in conjunction with keyless inking

The diversity of the print demonstrations was indicative of the broad spectrum of different business models which can be pursued with the current range of small- and half-format sheetfed offset presses from KBA, and at the same time showed how expedient use of innovative sheetfed offset technology also enables printers to establish a lead over their competitors in the marketplace for smaller formats.

Especially interesting for small format printers under pressure from digital print: The compact Genius 52 facilitates one-man operation with fast job changeovers, minimal wastage and the brilliant quality of the waterless offset process