Page 48 - Print21 Nov-Dec 2019

Finishing
Digital technology to underpin
evolution of print finishing
A new Smithers Pira report highlights how postpress will increasingly look to incorporate digital technologies as it adjusts to changing nature of the global print marketplace.
Almost all printed material has to be finished and converted into a saleable
item. Today post- press equipment is increasingly
sophisticated, with computer control driving servomotors to automate set-ups. There are in-line integrated single-pass solutions, near-line where finishing is close to the printing machine and the finishing is controlled by the same software, or completely separate off-line solutions.
According to the new Smithers Pira study, in 2018 the global market for new post-press equipment is US$4.87bn. This is a little down from $5.1bn in 2013 – a reflection of the general slowdown in demand for printed products –
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however the market will rebound slightly in the coming years to reach to $4.9bn in 2023.
This period will see a further decline in demand for finishing platforms in several traditional segments. Mailing equipment and systems is forecast to see the biggest decline, falling by nearly 40 per cent across 2013-2023; sales of post- print equipment for commercial applications will fall by 22.2 per cent over the same 10 years.
This negative situation will be ameliorated to a certain degree
by expanded demand for digital print finishing equipment, as the boundaries between digital and commercial machinery increasingly merge. Many of the established equipment suppliers are developing machinery suited to the smaller formats and lower run lengths
that are associated with toner and particularly inkjet work.
Growth is also forecast for finishing systems for packaging and labels as this segment becomes increasingly important to the print industry overall.
Flexibility and connectivity are ever more important in postpress. A few years ago the finishing department of a typical commercial print company would handle a few large jobs, with jobs presented on pallets into store. The situation is changing with the rise of web-to- print systems and greater variety of work; today there may have been 10 or 20 smaller digital jobs that could be on small pallets.
Capitalising on new opportunities for equipment suppliers relies
on the twin demand of evolving
the new potential of digital print technologies into finishing systems, and adapting to evolving print service user demands.
Many print service providers
and converters are exploring ways
to make print more appealing
and engaging to consumers, with special effects and building on the physical and tactile nature of printed products. This business model is posited on employing embellishment techniques driven by digital print technologies to add value to the product with impact finishing.
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New options: digital embellishment