Key digital print trends at the PrintWeek Jury Meet

What was interesting was how three different types of technology were deployed. Electrophotographic toner-based presses, presses that run on liquid inks and finally the inkjet presses, to produce the samples submitted for the Awards. 

One trend that emerged during Day One of the Jury Meet was regarding run lengths. The average seems to be between 300 to 500 copies. However, there are also instances of larger runs, reaching up to 3000-3500 copies, and in the true sense of POD, single-digit runs between 1 and 10 copies.

So that was again interesting. All kinds of paper grades have come into play because of the types of technology. So many jobs that could not be done or would not be done are possible due to digital printing. Having said that, one must have a checklist. And publishers must ask printers (grain check, adhesive type, cover stock/lamination, shopfloor RH, pagination/spine width pre-verification). It's one to ensure you play by the rules in digital print's “playground.”

Having said that, there were two observations by the jurors. These were: The paper feels thinner, and the reader can see the text from the other side of the page. This is addressed by using digital-optimised opaque book papers and controlling ink laydown, especially in inkjet printing. Observation two by the jurors was: loose spine due to lack of proper adhesion, leading to the book falling apart. When PrintWeek spoke to the adhesive players, they said, "The solutions involve proper spine preparation, choosing the right glue (EVA for novels/textbooks, PO for better flow and closer performance to PUR, and PUR as the gold standard for coated/synthetic stocks and wrong grain direction), and running the adhesive at the correct temperature."

Previously uncommon or not done embellishments that are now commonly seen in digital printing include: Gloss laminations; Creating a head and tail band plus creation of square backs; spot UV or foiling on all pages; Debossing and embossing.

The other trend is, the huge boom in books for coaching classes. The numbers are staggering. The average copies are 3,000 to 5,000, and these are usually produced on a digital web press. Most of the tutorial textbooks were in four-colour and in some instances in two-colour.

This begs the question. What is the key distinction between POD (Print on Demand) and short-run printing, and what are the typical run lengths for each? Well, I suppose, the key distinction is in their purpose and typical run lengths. POD (Print on Demand) literally means printing one copy. It's about fulfilling orders for a single unit at a time. Whereas short-run printing refers to small, purposeful batches of books. It typically ranges from 50 to 1,000 copies, where offset printing would be inefficient.

This brings the debate to costs. The factors contributing to the higher per-copy cost of digital printing compared to offset are primarily the direct production costs. However, one trend we detected on Day One of the Jury Meet is this gap is expected to shrink by considering the hidden costs associated with offset printing, such as warehousing, pulping of unsold books, and overstock. Digital printing eliminates these hidden costs. Additionally, as the volumes of digital printing scale up and the prices of consumables ease, the per-copy cost gap is expected to further diminish. 

A few print jobs that caught my eye were a book with 50 types of personalisation and customisation on each page. Absolutely fab. Obviously it calls for extremely high quality pasting and grasp of paper engineering. Then there was a puzzle cart with a pocket slipcase. Sturdy and classy plus easy-to-use. Then there was a premium school memoir rendered with about six types of paper grades plus multiple types of textures and effects. Innumerable examples of books wherein the book printer combined "art paper printing as well as uncoated paper printing" within the same book.

One of my favourites was the Encyclopaedia of the Music, Hindustani Classical. This was a three volume set, very voluminous with thousands of pages. 203 copies, with everything produced on a Canon press. Obviously the cover is four-colour and you have a case jacket which holds the three volumes together and so there's foiling, embossing, varnishing on the jacket. The text also covers ideal cover paper/grammage (220-300 gsm mill-coated boards) and the relationship between book size and cover grammage. The music encyclopedia published by Oxford University Press delves into the advantages of modern adhesives (PO, PUR) in perfect binding for digital printing, often making thread-sewing less viable. This is what makes the three volumes so special. And guarantees music to the print ears. And what it is one would want to see from the POD category. High art and the real world coming together to find a solution. 

All in all, Day One of the Jury Meet was memorable because of the innumerable discussion one had with fellow jurors about grain direction. I was told to always follow the "golden rule" (grain parallel to spine) is reinforced through tactile training and clear labeling. Also as the publisher of Red River I should be aware of moisture/humidity. 

One practical tip for any publisher like me is to ensure your digital print partner follows paper acclimatisation (minimum 12 hours), maintaining room RH between 40-55%, and using hygrometers/moisture metres. And above all, be very, very careful about the spine of the book. This means proper spine preparation, plus being engaged in choosing the right adhesive (EVA, PO, PUR), and maintaining the correct temperature.

Happy making books.