Technically Speaking, April 7, 2008

By Michael Brady

First Published: April 2008

Coming soon! 'DNA' for ink, nano metals for lighter presses, extended ink mileage

60th TAGA 'Technical Proceedings' turn a spotlight on the print industry's future

How many times have you wished for a crystal ball? Consumers who bought a Betamax VCR in the 80's probably wish they'd had one. Amid today's changing technologies and variable economics, getting a peek at the future could be useful. You might call the annual Technical Association of the Graphic Arts (TAGA) Conference, held this year in mid-March, the graphic arts industry's crystal ball. Each year, attendees get a preview of the technologies in store for the print industry, including newspapers, in the next few years.

TAGA's Technical Proceedings has a 60-year history as an independent forum where those in printing and allied industries can share research findings, exchange ideas and collaborate on studies. This year's presentations were no different. Presentations addressed new technical applications and included such topics as:

• Use of ink jet technology to form printing plate molds
• Use of flexo in the manufacture of flexible electronics
• Affect of UV inks on the printing blanket
• Experimental study to identify optimal combinations of hybrid screening
• Predicting pictorial color image match
•  . . . and more.

The 2008 TAGA Technical Proceedings will be published in July. I've summarized a few interesting sessions here:

An evaluation of different strategies for ink savings on press
The heavy focus on cost control in the printing industry turns standardizing manufacturing and optimizing workflow into key objectives. Since ink is a core cost, several strategies have been developed using GCR methodologies to reduce ink usage. Ink mileage savings in pre-press can be achieved using two primary methods for optimizing the process; but the accuracy of the color conversion can be dependent on when the GCR conversion is applied in the pre-press workflow. The first method applies algorithms during the RGB to CMYK conversion process. In this case, the color gamut compression between the original and destination color spaces could result a color shift during the conversion process. When ink optimization algorithms are applied during the conversion between two CMYK color spaces; such as an existing CMYK separated file and a destination CMYK color space, the original color intent of the data file can be maintained, thus maintaining color consistency through the pre-press workflow.

Impact of nanotechnology on the printing industry
Nanotechnology is the branch of engineering that deals with the control of matter at the molecular level, 100 nanometers or smaller, and the fabrication of devices with critical dimensions that lie within that size range. Increased costs and the availability of resources are issues affecting the printing industry. The increased global demand for aluminum, steel, paper and petroleum products is straining supply chains. Nanoparticles can help the printing industry cope with these issues by reducing how much of any given material needs to be used.  Nano fibers can reinforce paper to make it two to five times stronger. Using nano metals can produce plates that are half the current thickness while increasing strength of the metal. Nano metals can also make smaller, lighter-weight presses that use less energy. Nanoparticles can lower costs and lessen pollution, stretch raw materials further, raise quality and performance, and preserve sustainability, continued growth and profitability.

Kodak Traceless System
The Kodak Traceless System for anti-counterfeiting received a PIA/GATF Intertech Technology Award. Counterfeiting accounts for nearly $700 billon lost in annual worldwide sales and isn't just about flooding the market with knock-off designer purses and DVD's. Counterfeiting can also impact such products as pharmaceuticals, mechanical parts and electronic components. These same electronics and parts could find their way into newspaper computer and parts inventory systems and be damaging.

The Kodak Traceless System thwarts duplication of parts and components using forensically invisible authentication technologies. Proprietary 'markers' paired with handheld readers can validate an item's authenticity. Kodak claims that the Traceless technology can be implemented in virtually any type of printing process, creating security features that are akin to "adding DNA to ink." The authentication markers, added at such ultra-low levels that they are undetectable by standard chemical, optical or forensic analysis, can be mixed with inks, toners, varnishes, and other items for analog or digital printing applications, and can be added to any printable substrate or mixed into plastic, powders, liquids and textiles.

This year's TAGA presentations and awards also focused on advances in digital type rendering methods, press drive systems, and infeed systems on sheet-fed presses, to name a few. Advances in research and technology will impact future newspaper operations both for the printed product and the digital media frontier. The 2008 Technical Proceedings will be published by TAGA in July. Think of it as your crystal ball.

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Be a NEXPO Blogger! Join the NAA Technology blogging team of Michael Brady and Sue Fine and blog with us about NEXPO, April 12-15. Register after April 11th to share your viewpoints on educational programs, exhibits and new technologies.