Landa: Quality, Engineering Delay Nanographic Release

REHOVOT, ISRAEL—Last month, Benny Landa, chairman and CEO of Landa Digital Printing, shared on his blog why the Landa Nanographic Printing Press still isn't ready 30 months after promised. In short? "Perfection takes time."

Citing two reasons for the delay, he explained, "As exciting as the drupa 2012 models were, they were not exactly what the customers wanted. Folding carton converters wanted in-line coating. The big touchscreen user interface, although universally loved, needed to be at the delivery station. And operators needed more convenient access to the machine's inner workings.

"The second reason is that we had to improve print quality. Although most customers at drupa were able to appreciate the fundamentals of Nanography—the sharp dots, the ability to print on any paper, etc.—print quality defects masked many of Nanography's remarkable attributes."

As a result, Landa wrote, the project has taken more time and money than expected. The resulting machines are now much different.

"If our top-of-the-line Landa S10 press then weighed 10 tons, our fully loaded Landa S10 Nanographic Printing Press with in-line coating now weighs over 30 tons," he says. "That's not just 30 tons of iron, that's 30 tons of technology."

Beta candidates will be hosted at an event in Rehovot next March, and Landa promises to double his floor space at drupa 2016.

"There is still so much to do," he says, "[but] it will happen."