The Kodak Prosper imprint system in position on the Colorman.

Hamburg-Ahrensburg offset printing company, a member of the German publishing giant Axel Springer group, is the first company in the world to integrate Kodak Prosper inkjet overprinting technology with a manroland web systems Colorman coldset newspaper web offset press.

The technology was implemented in April for the ‘Cash Million’ lottery of the German daily newspaper Bild, but has just been publicly announced with an demonstration to some 90 guests from within the print and publishing sector.

Axel Springer equipped one of its six Colorman rotary web presses with the Prosper imprint system for variable data printing. It said the combination of conventional coldset web offset and high speed inkjet printing enables the efficient creation of variable data within static content. This might include such elements as marketing ads, individualised winning game numbers, variable QR codes, changing graphics, or text information.

The company expects that the two main applications will be lotteries with individualised imprint solutions, to motivate readers in terms of daily newspaper loyalty, and secondly the incorporation of unique advertisements with variable content.

Dr Gregor Enke, head of automation at manroland web systems, said: ‘Axel Springer is the ideal partner for our joint development work: the company is both technologically flexible, and driven by ambitious applications and marketing visions.’

The Kodak Prosper S30 inkjet imprint system has a working width of 105.6 mm and 600 x 200 dpi print resolution. The inkjet unit was installed as auxiliary equipment within the superstructure of the Colorman press. This allows the inkjet system to print at full speed on different webs depending on the web lead. With a production speed of 15 metres per second, variable information can be imprinted with water-based pigment inks on both the inner and outer pages of newspapers.

 ‘Integrated inkjet is possible thanks to the implementation of two modules,’ Dr. Enke explained. ‘The automation module lays the foundations for the electronics and software, and the web lead module ensures the adjustment of the web lead.’

Inkjet software from manroland web systems is integrated in the press operations and handles the requirements and commands of key components such as the control console with multi-touchscreen, the central encoder for speed, and the SmartCam mark reader. The software transmits the resulting control commands to the imprint system from Kodak.

The SmartCam controls parameters such as the printing speed and imprint position. The web lead module enables the structural, mechanical, and technical adjustment of the web lead. There are plans to expand this module, as well as the webbing-up device. Mechanical components such as a crossbar, inkjet head, and SmartCam will also be installed. Service for the system comprises technical consulting, installation, and initial startup.

For the recent demonstration the Colorman with the inkjet module printed an eight-page special newspaper for the visitors. In addition to variable images, the newspaper contained ticket numbers for a lottery. The original ‘Cash Million’ campaign started on 3 April and ran for more than six weeks. Bild readers could win prize money totaling 1 million euros and a VW Tiguan. Instead of inserting separate items, the individual game tickets, which were created for a special Hamburg edition, were printed using the inkjet system. Readers compared them with the daily winning numbers and collected the tickets.

Contact: www.manroland-web.com and www.graphics.kodak.com