Perf, Slit, Score Systems Tackle Digital Printing

Makers of perforating, slitting, and scoring systems see their future in developing solutions that address the needs of both digital color and offset printing.

"We are redesigning many of our finishing products for digital printing applications, and planning future products based on our belief that one day digital printing will be more widespread than offset," says Larry Corwin, president of Rollem International.

He believes that the quality gap between offset and digital printing is rapidly narrowing, and that larger formats of digital presses that accommodate larger sheet sizes will be another factor.

Corwin isn't the only equipment vendor with an eye on digital printing.

Adds Graphic Whizard's Steve Allen, "As a manufacturer, I would rather invest money in the growing digital print marketplace than in the declining ink-on-paper market."

He continues, "Once a lot of shops have an iGen3, NexPress 2100, or any other large digital printing device, the cost per page is going to drop. Companies that can finish those sheets of paper into value-added products are the ones that are going to win the game," says Allen.

In its own way, digital color printing heightens the importance of the scoring process, says Corwin. He explains that the heat used to fuse toner in certain digital print technologies can result in the toner cracking during scoring and folding. "Heat makes paper brittle, and brittle paper is the enemy of folding," he explains.

Vendors of scoring devices are addressing this issue in many ways, from developing new devices and altering features on existing machinery to applying current equipment to new markets.

At Rollem, Corwin says, "The two-stage scoring system that we developed years ago for the high-quality offset market is now a hit with digital printers."

Meanwhile, other manufacturers offer systems that channel score or crease.

Allen explains the difference: "Channel scoring uses a bar that's the width of the machine to crease the paper as it moves through the bar; rotary scoring makes use of a scoring wheel that turns as the paper runs through the machine."

Another important feature for digital printing, points out Allen, is the demand for air-feed systems rather than friction-feed systems, which can more easily mark the printed sheet.

Here's a sampling of scoring and creasing devices offered for digital printing applications:

Duplo USA Corporation designed its DocuCutter DC-545HC, which automatically slits, cuts, and creases a document in one pass, for the short-run, print-on-demand market. The device makes it easy and economical to produce a wide variety of products, including business cards, greeting cards, invitations, brochures, catalogs, posters, book covers, photographs, and more, according to Duplo.

A bar code reader enables the system to recall pre-programmed jobs to provide fully automatic slitting, cutting, and creasing, as well as read a registration mark. The creasing unit enables "crack-free" output, reports the manufacturer. The system features an LCD control panel that guides users through the set-up of the slit, cut, and crease positions.

Graphic Whizard launched its CreaseMaster series of impact scoring systems to eliminate the problem of toner cracking on digitally printed stocks during the folding process, but Steve Allen says the units also benefit traditional offset users. The system handles a wide variety of stocks, up to 18 points thick (385 gsm) and as wide as 18" (45 cm) and as long as 25½" (65 cm). Output speed is rated at 50 8½x11" sheets per minute.

Allen, who reports that the device is being used for both conventional and digital printing applications, says, "This type of machine is where the market is going."

Rollem International targets its Champion 990 Turbo Airfeed System, available in 17"- and 23"-wide models, at the digital printing market. The system, which features a patented vacuum air-feeding system, is designed to prevent cracking or marking of digitally printed stocks. Suited for short or long runs, the Champion 990 is called ideal for high-quality scoring, perforating, and slitting with minimal set-up time, says Rollem. It can handle any stock up to l4-pt. cover, with processing speeds of up to 18,000 sheets per hour.

Larry Corwin explains, "We score the sheet twice, using two scoring dies. The first die makes a preliminary impression without cracking the fibers, then the second heavier and deeper die completes a very deep score, with virtually no cracking. Trying to accomplish this deep score with a single die most certainly would crack the paper simply because of the sheer physical activity."

To accommodate the increased demand for pre-perforated laser-printed stocks, Rollem offers specialty micro-perforating blades for ultra smooth, close-pitched perforations. Business cards, labels, and other sheets are perforated with no excess, so paper runs trouble-free through laser printers, says Corwin.

Standard Finishing Systems offers its Morgana AutoCreaser, which uses an opposing channel scoring system, to score print surfaces that can easily be damaged, such as the latest generation of ink- or toner-based digital printing systems. Conventional rotary scoring, Standard maintains, can result in cracking of the stock and damage to the printed image.

The fully automatic, suction-feed system is designed for both digital and conventional offset printing applications, for such products as booklets, perfect-bound books, folded sheets or brochures, greeting cards, and announcements.

The Standard Morgana AutoCreaser can handle sheet sizes up to 24.8x12.6" and sheet weights up to 10-pt. cover stock. When used in hand-feed mode, the machine can handle sheet sizes up to 39" long or 13" wide. Using an 8½x11" sheet size, speeds of up to 2,700 individual creases per hour can be achieved.

The machine can place up to nine scores per single sheet; the minimum distance between scores is 0.11" (3mm) and it is possible to make micro-adjustments to 0.1mm. For jobs that are frequently repeated, the AutoCreaser can store nine programs, each capable of up to nine scores.