PIA/GATF Announces InterTech Technology Award Recipients

SEWICKLEY, Pa.—Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) recently announced the recipients of the 2007 InterTech Technology Awards. For over a quarter of a century, recipients of this prestigious award have not only had a major impact on the graphic communications industry, but they also consistently prove to be successful in the commercial marketplace.

The independent panel of judges deliberated over technology submissions ranging from printing presses to software solutions to ancillary services. A recurring theme with 2007 InterTech nominations was green printing, and numerous submissions contained solutions to minimize the environmental impact of printing. Great strides in technology were also demonstrated in the form of innovative press design, touchless workflow systems to automate production steps, anti-fraud measures, and new materials and systems that increase productivity.

Recipients were recognized from across the entire production workflow. 31 nominations were submitted, and eleven innovative technologies were selected to receive the award.

The 2007 InterTech Technology Award recipients are:
(Listed alphabetically by company, with the technology named first)

:Energy Elite Dual Layer “No Bake” Plate
AGFA Graphics N.V.
Agfa Graphics’ :Energy Elite is a high speed, high quality aluminum thermal plate designed for long press runs without baking. The plate can provide up to 500,000 impressions without baking (up to a million with post-baking), using an advanced, patented emulsion technology that tolerates variations in exposure and processing. It has excellent chemical resistance and delivers superb press performance with a wide variety of inks, including UV and hybrid. “This will be the basis for a new generation of plates,” commented one judge.

KODAK TRACELESS System
Eastman Kodak Company
The KODAK TRACELESS System creates items with unique material properties that can only be detected using Kodak’s handheld reader, thus providing the highest level of counterfeit protection with exceptional ease of use. The TRACELESS System marker materials can be mixed with inks, toners, and varnishes and deployed via conventional, thermal, EP, or inkjet printing methods. The markers can also be added to virtually any printable substrate such as paper, plastic and fabric, and can be added during the production process itself or applied to the end product. Additionally, markers have no effect on the characteristics of products or packaging. “Revolutionary—like adding DNA to ink,” remarked a judge.

EIS UV Printing Blanket Refurbishment
Enviro Image Solutions, Inc.
Enviro Image Solutions (EIS) developed a worldwide patent-pending blanket refurbishment program that extends the life of UV printing blankets by as much as 400 percent. Once a printer determines that a blanket cannot be used due to latent images, the blanket is sent to EIS for treatment with proprietary processes that restore it to full quality. The same blanket can be re-treated many times—the average is four—and can print up to 10 micron stochastic, provided the top layer of a blanket is uncut. This invention not only reduces blanket replacement costs by up to 50 percent, but it also promotes sustainability; once a blanket is no longer suitable for printing, its parts can be broken down for use in other applications. “This service offers dramatic economic value,” said one judge.

Esko DeskPack 3-dX
Esko
Esko DeskPack 3-dX is a new plug-in for Adobe Illustrator. It supports three-dimensional views and provides 3D navigation for packaging design. 3-dX allows the graphic designer to handle complex structural designs intuitively. It maintains a live link between 3D design visualization and the unfolded 2D structure. In addition, package designs created by 3-dX can be exported to create realistic product shots for communication and collaboration. 3D models can be embedded in PDF files. Users can interact with the 3D model by rotating, panning, and zooming in on the packaging design. High-resolution images of the 3D model can also be exported for use in presentations. “The software can move package proofing and design way ahead,” stated a judge.

Fujifilm C-Fit Image Intelligence Software
FUJIFILM Graphic Systems U.S.A., Inc.
C-Fit Image Intelligence Software provides a method for controlling and standardizing large quantities of digital color images with minimal user intervention. The software views pictures the way that people do—by recognizing image types (faces, indoor/outdoor scenes, etc.) and memory colors, making adjustments just like a skilled person would. C-Fit has two distinct functions that can be utilized individually or in conjunction with one another: Image Enhancement is used to analyze and optimize images with little user intervention, while Image Conversion evaluates the color gamut of each image in order to make the most intelligent color conversion possible and maximize the color gamut of the output device. One judge praised, “It eliminates work time involved in color correction.”

Font Emulation in the Harlequin RIP
Global Graphics Software, Inc.
Global Graphics’ Font Emulation is available with the Harlequin RIP Genesis Release (v7.0 or later) and provides in-RIP font emulation capabilities for time-critical applications such as print-on-demand, newspapers, magazines, and any jobs where artwork or advertising is supplied independently of the customer. The technology creates a typographically acceptable match for missing fonts with no text overflow and with appropriate character spacing, weight, and width. With Font Emulation, problem files are simply sent to the RIP as usual, and the RIP constructs a suitable replacement on the fly. Emulated fonts have the correct width for every glyph in the font. “This meets a niche for digital workflow,” remarked a judge.

Heidelberg Anicolor Inking Unit
Heidelberg USA, Inc.
The Anicolor Inking Unit is a short offset inking unit with a dampening system that reduces makeready waste to typically less than twenty sheets and allows a full job change-over in less than seven minutes. The technology also guarantees high-quality printing with outstanding color consistency. Due to the full format size of all rollers in the ink train, no ghosting is caused by the inking unit. The inking unit supplies an adjustable amount of ink from the screen roller onto the ink form roller and then to the imaged area of a plate. The Anicolor inking unit is a core technology that expands the competitiveness of offset printing into run lengths that were clearly marked as digital territory before. A judge raved, “This unit takes static printing to an entirely new level.”

Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105
Heidelberg USA, Inc.
The Speedmaster XL 105 contains a unique system for contact-free sheet transport, innovations in coating application, and savings in makeready that all result in increased productivity. The Speedmaster XL 105’s high-speed Air Transfer sheet transport system provides a sound basis for achieving reliable and stable production speeds of 18,000 sph. Its Hycolor inking/dampening system allows for quality printing with low ink consumption. All register settings for the coating unit are remote-controlled from the Prinect CP2000 Center press control, including printing pressure setting and decoupling the coating form cylinder with the coating unit disengaged. Makeready times are cut even further with the automated “Multi Loader System” to efficiently change the screen roller. “The new inking system is dynamic and different,” remarked one judge.

KBA Sensoric Infeed System
KBA North America, Inc.
In KBA North America’s no-sidelay Sensoric Infeed System (SIS), a sensor continually scans the edge of the sheet, eliminating the risk of paper fibers negatively influencing the scanning result. Information is transmitted to the gripper bar about the position of the sheet edge so that it is pre-aligned when it receives the sheet. Precise lateral displacement of the gripper bar enables the sheet to be exactly positioned before being transferred to the first impression cylinder. Because the feed process in the front lays is not interrupted by a sidelay process, more time is available for stabilization and alignment of the sheet, reducing malfunctions and enabling a more precise infeed. “This is great for plastics and lightweight papers,” commented a judge.

ROLAND 700 DirectDrive
MAN Roland

The ROLAND 700 DirectDrive press can cut sheetfed press makeready time by as much as 60 percent. The DirectDrive technology powers the printing unit’s plate cylinder with its own high-torque motor, controlled by MAN Roland’s printnet digital press operating system. Isolating the plate cylinder from the main drive allows a number of time-consuming makeready chores to be completed simultaneously, such as plate changing and washup. The mechanical isolation of the plate cylinder also endows a sheetfed press with 360° circumferential register. This enables a ROLAND 700 DirectDrive to accept printing plates built by different manufacturers, providing unprecedented job flexibility for facilities running a variety of models. “All press manufacturers will have to rise to this level,” pointed out one judge.

Océ VarioPrint 6250 Digital Printer
Océ North America, Inc.
The Océ VarioPrint 6250 features Océ Gemini Instant Duplex technology at 250 letter-, 160 legal-, and 132 ledger-size duplex prints per minute, making it up to 70 percent more productive than other printers in its class. The cut-sheet digital press features state-of-the-art paper handling options, simultaneous duplexing and near-perfect registration. Easy migration and interoperability ensure no disruptions when transitioning from other environments. The single-pass duplex printing and low fusing temperature reduce paper stress and jams in post-fusing and finishing. “It’s a true duplex at a good value. The line screens are great,” remarked a judge.