DIRECT IMAGING PRESSES — DISCIPLES OF DI
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Interest in DI was relatively flat prior to DRUPA 2004, when several new DI technologies were announced. It is these new product developments and continued growth in high quality, short-run color that have created increased momentum behind the DI press. The owners I spoke with had some terrific business growth stories to tell in an industry that often hears too much doom and gloom about its future prospects.
As a backdrop for these user stories, it is worthwhile to examine the common themes they cited and the decision criteria that drove their buying decisions. All are businesses that are well on their way to making their digital future a reality. In speaking with owners, I found two different scenarios for adding a DI press.
Some smaller printers needed to migrate from two-color to four-color printing to keep up with customer demand and to open new markets for themselves. They found that it was no longer possible to competitively produce four-color jobs on a two-color press, but they were concerned about purchasing a conventional offset press and platesetter due to the complexity of the process and, in some cases, the space requirements.
Others had invested in toner-based digital presses and conventional offset, but found that there was an opportunity gap in the 250 to 10,000 run length range that was not being met. These firms installed a DI press to take advantage of this growing market segment.
A direct imaging press is a four-color, highly automated digital offset press that images all four plates simultaneously on-press, eliminating the need for a plate-setter. The majority—more than 90 percent—of the DI presses on the market are enabled with Presstek technology, the company that originally invented the process. Other active players in the market include Screen (TruePress) and KBA (Karat).
Typically, DI presses have been small-format portrait presses, enabling the printing of full-bleed A3 sheets. The majority of the DI installed base comprises presses with a maximum sheet size of 13.39x18.11˝. KBA offers the 46 Karat press in this size format in Europe, as well as the 74 Karat, available globally, as a larger format version with a maximum sheet size of 29x20.5˝. And Presstek has recently announced the Presstek 52DI, which will be available in the Graph Expo timeframe and demonstrated at IPEX this month.
This is the first Presstek-branded DI press, and features a larger landscape format with a maximum sheet size of 20.47x14.76˝.
DI presses are designed to accommodate short runs. Most of the owners I spoke with found that run lengths of 500 to 10,000 were optimum, but many were profitably producing runs as low as 250. Makeready is fast—with the press up to color in a few sheets and producing sellable sheets in as little as 10 minutes. DI presses are chemistry-free, and new models can print up to 300 line screen and easily support stochastic (FM) screening for extremely high quality output.
Here are the stories of some of the companies with whom I spoke. These enterprising establishments have benefited from the ease of use, digital workflow and small footprint of a DI press, and have been able to jump-start their businesses with new applications and new customers.
Braun Printing & Design
Braun Printing & Design is a small printer, operating in Brooklyn Park, MN, with a talented team of five employees. Owner Dave Braun knew he needed to invest in a four-color press to remain competitive and grow his business, but he needed a press that was extremely productive and could deliver exceptional quality in order to justify the investment.
Braun first saw the DI press at a Presstek open house he attended to learn more about digital products that could enhance his business.
“I was very excited,” he recalls. “Its level of quality and makeready speed leapfrogged any digital color system or offset press that we knew about.”
In the first month after the press was installed, Braun captured four new projects that he wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Gilson Graphics
Founded in 1948, Gilson Graphics is now in its second generation of family ownership. With a staff of 66 in two locations, the company has expanded through both internal growth and acquisition. Five years ago, Gilson Graphics began seeing slowing growth in its 40˝ sheetfed commercial printing business and started looking for alternatives.
In a move to upgrade digital equipment that it had acquired, Gilson bought a DI press and an HP-Indigo 3000 digital toner-based press. This configuration provided Gilson Graphics with new services and new topics of conversation with existing and prospective customers.
With this hybrid printing model, Gilson is now well-positioned to handle almost any request that comes its way—from quantities of one to tens of thousands—in the most cost-effective and timely manner possible.
Victor Printing
Victor Printing is a third generation (founded in 1919), family owned business operated by brothers and partners Bill and Terry Richards. As the forms market began to experience declines and it became increasingly difficult to profitably produce four-color work on two-color presses, Victor began looking for ways to boost its commercial printing capabilities—including improved efficiency through a migration to full-color printing.
Victor acquired a five-color sheetfed press in 2000, followed by an HP-Indigo. This mix worked well for a few years, but ultimately Victor was not able to competitively produce runs in the growing 500 to 5,000 copy range.
In 2004, Victor acquired its first DI press, adding a second DI about six months later. The new configuration delivered more than 10 percent year-over-year growth in 2005, well above the industry average.
“Companies use this application to drive sales or motivate employees, and we are looking to grow that part of our business,” Richards says. “The hybrid printing model offered by the DI press and the HP-Indigo is ideal for these types of applications.”
One new product area for Victor is Conceal and Reveal scratch-off products, promotional items where the recipient scratches off a lottery-like ticket for a discount or some other prize.
Kwik Kopy Design & Print Centre
The Kwik Kopy Design & Print Centre in Pickering, ON, Canada, needed to migrate from two-color to four-color printing to remain competitive. The company decided to acquire a DI press to take advantage of its digital workflow, compact footprint and on-press imaging of plates.
Owner Brent Lawrence has also found a number of new applications that the DI press enables him to create, including paint chip samples. He can now match the colors and produce press proofs within moments while the customer waits.
“Because of the increased demand for four-color printing and our improved ability to produce it, I expect to see our revenues grow by at least 20 percent over the next couple of years,” he notes. “We can now efficiently produce four-color work in-house—we don’t have to rely on trade manufacturers to do the work for us. And customers are stunned by the quality the DI press can produce."
