manroland Introduces Lightweight Paper Performance Package

OFFENBACH, GERMANY—Feb. 17, 2011—Although lightweight paper is a niche application, these substrates are used in almost all printing industry segments: in commercial printing for mailings and inserts, in publications printing for songbooks and loose-leaf binders, in packaging printing for packet inserts, and in forms printing.

Printing lightweight paper by sheetfed offset generally does not permit running at high speeds because the material is less stable than material between 0.1-0.3 mm thick and cannot be run reliably through a press. There are often quality issues with lightweight paper, such as dog-eared corners, creasing and small tears.

For printing companies that process a relatively high proportion of jobs on lightweight paper, these constraints are annoying. Now manroland has introduced a Lightweight Paper Performance Package for the Roland 700 series. The results of extensive research and field tests include numerous technical advancements focusing on the press feeder, infeed, delivery and antistatic equipment.

The performance package can increase production output by 25 percent or more. Increased output not only is the result of a higher average printing speed, but through reducing or avoiding press stoppages in the feeder or infeed area, in particular, through optimization of sheet separation and sheet feeding. The performance package also provides straight-edged delivery stacks, which increase productivity in the finishing operations.

A series of extensive tests have shown that production output is considerably higher—with 50 and 60 gsm paper, speeds of 15,000 sheets per hour and more are achievable depending on paper quality. There are related factors that are critical for efficient printing of lightweight paper: room temperature (ideal 18-22°C), air humidity (ideal 55-60 percent), pile humidity (ideal 45-55 percent), pile storage (separate, not stacked), and pile acclimatization time in the pressroom (ideal at least 48 hours).

Field tests have shown that printing lightweight paper is now possible with much fewer press stoppages, which increases productivity. Printers confirm that the sheet travel settings for Roland 700 presses are now much more user-friendly and “forgiving.”

Source: Company press release.