Production Inkjet: Get Great Color with Less Ink

Transcription

1 #Color2018 Production Inkjet: Get Great Color with Less Ink Dr. Mark Bohan, Heidelberg USA George Promis, Ricoh USA, Inc Terry Wozniak, Eastman Kodak Company

2 Session Overview Audience What inkjet are we covering? Ink reduction strategies Commercial benefits of inkjet ink reduction Color management often done at device Vendor specific

3 Mark Bohan Director Prinect and CtP Heidelberg USA Background with nuclear energy Printing was a better career J R&D in Swansea for 17 years in printing All processes why do things happen? Printing as a manufacturing process Ran GATF operations at PIA for 11 years Lots or work on workflow, ink optimization, inkjet and digital Currently looking after workflow And try to cycle extensively

4 George Promis VP, Production Ink Jet Solutions & Business Development RICOH USA, INC. Joined IBM as a design engineer in 1974 Approximately 30 years of Product Management developing and bringing to market Production printing systems including EP, inkjet color & monochrome printer product families Held positions as Lab Director & Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Company, CEO of UP3i and Business Alliances Developed and launched InfoPrint 5000 family, and participated in establishing the strategy and direction for future platforms to include Ricoh Pro VC60000 and VC40000

5 Terry Wozniak Director, Workflow and Color Solutions Enterprise Inkjet Systems Division, Eastman Kodak Company 20 Years with Kodak Enterprise Inkjet Systems Commercial inkjet printing solutions and digital front-end controllers Production press systems, consumables (primarily ink), inkjet components and services Role bridges R&D, sales, marketing and support Focus on color 19 U.S. patents relating to his work with Kodak and Scitex

6 What do we mean by production inkjet? High speed production Driving high volume production Web presses Ricoh, Kodak, HP, Xerox, Canon, Screen Sheetfed Heidelberg, FUJIFILM, Konica Minolta

7 Graphic Communication Packaging Decorative Functional Graphic Arts Functional & Industrial Ink & Toner Materials Paper Paper/Board/Plastic Industrial Substrates Objects Addressing CAD Photo Promotional Publishing Sign and Display Transactional Brand Protection Coding/Barcodes Consumer Labels Corrugated Direct-to-Shape Flexible Packaging Folding Carton Ceramics Glass Architectural Automotive Consumer Electronics Consumer Goods Laminates Wall/Floor Covering Wood Textiles 3D Prototypes Tooling Manufacturing Printed Electronics Semiconductors Displays Solar Panels Biomedical Pharmaceuticals Organs

8 Substrate Equipment Inkjet Ink Workflow / data

9 Ink reduction strategies Applying changes on the relative percentages of the individual colors Many different solutions available from different manufacturers Inline or stand alone As these are applied drive cost savings Black ink is traditionally cheaper Applied with color management and device link profiles Can be either native or CMYK files Introduction of artifacts Loss of detail, graininess, loss in color accuracy

10 Example Standard With ink savings applied

11 Example Standard With ink savings applied

12 Separations Original GCR Ink Savings

13 Separations Standard With ink savings applied Standard With ink savings applied

14 Separations Standard With ink savings applied Standard With ink savings applied

15 Components of inkjet print cost per piece Heavy coverage direct mail coated glossy paper Ink usage is a significant portion of variable cost Costs include fluids, paper, labor, maintenance, power, and equipment Postage/finishing excluded Paper Ink Optimizing the color / ink usage tradeoff to achieve sellable quality can have a major impact on cost per piece

16 Ink reduction commercial considerations Commercial benefits for inkjet Ink cost Almost half the cost Image stability Substrate stability Drying Time and cost

17 Kodak Prosper 6000 Gamut Volume vs Ink

18 Cost of Gamut Volume vs. Ink Used Most Color 100% Ink Usage vs Gamut Size Ink reduction scenarios: Least Color Relative Gamut Size 95% 90% 85% 80% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95% 100% Relative Ink Usage Least Ink Most Ink High cost savings, small color impact Moderate cost savings, moderate color impact Low cost savings, significant negative color impact

19 Added ink reduction after GCR Cost of Color vs. Ink 100% Relative Cost (Ink Usage) Relative Color (Gamut Size) Most Color Relative Color (Gamut Volume) 95% 90% 85% Sellable Quality 100% 100% 97% (-3%) 99% (-1%) 93% (-7%) 94% (-6%) 89% (-11%) 88% (-12%) 88% (-12%) 83% (-17%) 86% (-14%) 77% (-23%) 80% Kodak Prosper 6000 data Least Color 75% 85% 88% 91% 94% 97% 100% Relative Cost (Ink Usage) Least Ink Most Ink Relative Color varies based on paper Relative Cost varies by source data file Shown as an example, results may vary Ink savings shown AFTER Kodak ColorFlow Ink optimization

20 Logistics of color management and ink optimization for inkjet Normally done at the device Can be bypassed and honor incoming separations The level of ink optimization often developed at the RIP Pre and post sales definitions Introduce artifacts to the print Previous factors Color gamut, color management predictability Jet lines, sharp edges, graininess, banding

21 Thank you for your attention Dr. Mark Bohan Heidelberg USA, Inc. Cell Office George Promis RICOH USA, INC. Phone: Terry Wozniak Eastman Kodak Company Phone (937)