Apparently, Israel is about to knock Germany out of the lead in commercial digital printing. With nanotech.
Landa NanoInk is comprised of pigment particles a fraction of the size of a human hair. Powerful absorbers of light, these tiny particles deliver high-quality images that are unusually resistant to abrasion, according to Landa.
Using a water-based, energy-efficient and eco-friendly process, Nanographic machines print on any off-the-shelf material — from coated and uncoated paper to recycled cardboard; from newsprint to plastic packaging film — without pre-treatment or post-drying. They can print books, magazines, direct mail, labels, folding cartons and flexible packaging for food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and more.
The machines have a smaller footprint than other digital presses, and can print in up to eight colors. User-friendly touch-screens indicate how much ink is left, how much time remains to the job, and many other details at a glance. A single operator can manage up to four presses at a time.
“Nanography is a truly groundbreaking development,” Landa stated. “For the first time, commercial printers don’t have to choose between the versatility and short-run economics of digital printing and the low cost-per-page and high productivity of offset printing. Now they can have both.”
It’s a very big deal. Much of my career was in the print/publishing industry. Merging offset and digital printing seems miraculous to me. And not just to me: Look who else Landa impressed:
Landa left Drupa with three strategic partnerships in hand – with Tokyo-based Komori and with Germany-based Manroland Sheetfeed and Heidelberg. These are among the biggest manufacturers of printing presses in the world.
Heidelberg is THE printing press company. My brother worked for them for a while. In fact, a lot of people I know worked for, with, or around Heidelberg.
So this is an especially good thing, as it combines good news of Israel–those wily Jews have invented yet another wonderful thing–with good news for printing. Right about the time when I’m getting ready to publish my novel. Yeah, things are going well these days.
Yeah, but does Israel have a underwear bomb that passes TSA inspection?
This is a boon for the reader as well. Hopefully we will be able to have a Hardback print-on-demand copy for our curl up with a good book and a cuppa days and the e-book for those horrid airplane travels. Although there is something to be said about having a nice heavy Stephen King tome along in your book bag, makes a GREAT improvised “blunt object” with reach…
Heidelberg has been left behind by the digital presses. Drupa this year was basically an inkjet show, not offset. HP, the company to whom Landa sold Indigo is his biggest competition. They are also very invested in Israel, with not only Indigo, but Scitex and a HP Labs facility there as well.