Post-press: A focus on digital embellishment

This article was first published in the March 2021 issue of Australian Printerby Konica Minolta technical sales specialist James Rolland

Adding value to the printing processes is vital to achieving repeat business and improved profit on print. And innovations in pre-press solutions allow print providers to get jobs to press faster, therefore reducing costs. As such, manufacturers need to produce cutting-edge press technology, which will allow print to be run faster and cheaper than before.

However, post-press is where a print provider can add value to print. Printers that offer only basic services find themselves losing jobs or cutting prices to stay competitive with larger volume competitors. Post-press solutions are a good way for print providers to look to be unique and create a niche for themselves in the market.

The best way to achieve a higher profit and create repeat clients within the post-press space is with digital print embellishment. The largest market for digital embellishment today is spot varnish and foil.

Digital spot varnishing and foil stamping work across large quantities as well as single printing jobs, providing print providers with an opportunity to reach out to a variety of businesses across multiple verticals.

Because the method is digital, the finish is sharp and high quality. By adding spot varnishing or foil stamping to a print product, the print provider is able to considerably enhance the visual aesthetic for a client’s product.

Digital embellishment has made luxury finishes more affordable and simpler, by removing the need for consumable items such as screens and dies, and shorter print runs can be achieved easily and with very good margin.

Processes that were traditionally applied by skilled trades people, can now be done easily without the need for specialist operators thanks to the simplicity of digital print as well.

At Konica Minolta, we have a digital embellishment solution for every level of print provider – from a simple desktop SRA3 foiling device to a B1 inkjet press with digital spot UV and foil all applied in a single pass.

Konica Minolta’s full range of MGI JetVarnish equipment is a leading force globally in the digital embellishment revolution and in building our embellishment portfolio, we are happy to announce that a new entry level device – the MGI JetVarnish 3DOne – will be launching early in 2021.

The MGI JetVarnish 3DOne will become the entry point to the JetVarnish range, allowing business requiring a lower cost or smaller footprint the ability to offer new products in their portfolio and drive increased revenue on their existing print volumes by adding value to print.

In 2D/flat mode, the solution is able to print up to 2,077 A3 sheets per hour (with 21μm) and in 3D/raised mode, it prints up to 1,260 A3 sheets per hour (with 51μm) and up to 547 A3 sheets per hour (with 116 micron).

Depending on your file, the inks used and the type of surface of your sheet, the coating thickness can vary. On laminated and aqueous coating, the coating thickness is between 21 μm and 116 μm for 3D raised effects and tactile finishes. On toner and coated paper, it is between 30 μm and 116 μm for 3D raised effects and a tactile finish.

Some of its other features include: coating directly onto most digital prints with no lamination or coating required, varnish delivered with a 10-litre tank capacity, single pass printing, flexible and scalable printing architecture, as well as MGI’s exclusive inkjet engine technology.

Adding services such as digital spot varnish to a printer’s portfolio will allow print businesses to better align with their customer’s needs, driving many repeat orders from print purchases.

In today’s market of shorter turnaround times and reducing print quantities it’s important for print providers to find ways to do more with less print. Post-press equipment will have a big hand to play in the solution, and digital embellishment is leading the way. Konica Minolta looks forward to bringing more digital post press solutions to the market and supporting our customers to “add value to print”.

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