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Print processing and upgrading has been around ever since books and loose sheets were printed. A modern treatment like golden cold foil convincingly mimics the astonishing effect of gold leaf, which used to be arduously applied to a substrate by brush. Other treatments, for instance the use of thermal coating varnishes, would have been looked upon by people of the fifteenth century as nothing short of witchcraft.
Advanced processing remains an exciting and indispensable field in any case. In the wake of a 560-year history when Johann Gutenberg illuminated, cut, bound and gilded the trim ends of his bible’s folios, advanced processing and finish continues to find itself on the front burner thanks to a steady stream of new technologies. The product introductions of vendors and creative ideas of the advertising community and designers will never cease to feed off each other.
New processing ideas for an up-and-coming method of printing
Great strides were made over recent years in the processing of digital Print. Along with its nearly parabolic rise in significance, makers of both presses and related disposables rushed to develop solutions by adapting established processing techniques from offset to digital printing. At Ipex 2010 and Digimedia last spring, the Israeli manufacturer Scodix (http:/www.scodix.com/) kindled a great deal of interest with its Scodix 1200. In that instance, the digital press performs a single task only—but does it to perfection: it applies transparent ink (ScodInk Clear Ink) with utter precision in layers of optional thickness to the print carrier. The method allows the creation of matte through high-gloss effects in addition to that of embossing. In principle, any printed product lends itself to such type of finish. Scodix, though, maintains a close association with HP: their associates used to work in equal parts for the Israeli branches of Indigo and Scitex and developed the Scodix 1200 by taking cues from technology incorporated in Indigo machines.
The first machine was delivered to the press house RCS plc Printers (http://www.rcs.plc.uk/) of Nottingham in November 2010, using the Scodix 1200 for in-house processing of some jobs. Among them are “digital embossing”— either in bas relief, creating a tactile experience or yet shallower embossing for visual effect. Personalised printing, e.g., place cards and/or table tent cards with guest names printed in clear ink are easily done. The manufacturer claims an hourly production run up to 1,200 sheets in A3 format.
