Is it really possible to achieve blistering speeds with variable data and maintain optimum quality? How do you keep the presses running with no waiting time when every printed piece is different from the next? How do you mitigate artifacts like banding, or the inkjet smile, at the same time? Tom Mooney discusses a software engine that can drive data directly to the electronics whilst correcting for common quality defects at TheIJC.com. He draws upon two recent customer use cases.

1. The IJC Dusseldorf, 16th October 2018Tom Mooney, Product Manager
The best of both ALL worlds
High-quality, reliability and speed

2. Agenda
 Who are Global Graphics Software?
 Speed, quality and reliability: the story so far
• Mitigating chaining, mottling artifacts
 Case study #1
• How to achieve blistering speed with variable data and maintain quality.
Single pass label presses: Mark Andy
 Recent developments:
• Mitigate banding or non-uniformity
 Case study #2
• How to mitigate head non-uniformity with software
Scanning heads, wide format bill boards: Ellerhold AG
 Questions

3. Who are Global Graphics Software?
A software technology supplier for print OEMs,
especially for inkjet presses
Harlequin ScreenPro BreakThrough
Very fast, high-
quality PDF,
PostScript etc
rendering with
extensive color
management
Stand-alone screening engine.
Can be used with RIPs from
other vendors, or where
original designs are delivered
as rasters/TIFF, as well as with
Harlequin
Professional services with
expertise in building Digital
Front Ends (DFEs), RIP
integration, color management,
halftone screening and
problem solving
Copyright © Global Graphics Software Limited 2018

4. Global Graphics Software is
 A global company
• Head Office and R & D in Cambridge, UK
• US office in Sarasota, FL
• Technical office in Tokyo, Japan
 A Global Graphics company; sister to:
• Meteor Inkjet
• Specialists in industrial printhead driver solutions
• www.meteorinkjet.com
• URW type foundry
• Designers and developers of digital fonts and font technology
used by OEMs
• www.urwpp.de
Copyright © Global Graphics Software Limited 2018

5. Global Graphics Software: digital print customers
Plus many others still under NDA
Copyright © Global Graphics Software Limited 2018

6. High-quality, reliability and speed. Really?
YES

7. The story so far….
 Software that improves output quality from inkjet presses
 Advanced Inkjet Screens (Mirror and Pearl) to correct streaking, mottling
or the orange peel effect
 Applies half-tone screens in a workflow to address defects that are
difficult or expensive to fix mechanically, e.g.
 Immediate benefit: makes the difference between print that can be sold
and print that is rejected
• and between an inkjet press that sells well and a press that doesn’t.
Copyright © Global Graphics Software Limited 2018

8. Why is ScreenPro significant?
High-quality at ultra high-speed
 Works on any inkjet press
 With any workflow
 With any ink or substrate
 With any combination of printheads and electronics
The only solution to improve inkjet output quality that is
generally available to any inkjet press manufacturer

9. Recipient of a 2018 InterTech Award
Awarded by the Printing Industries of America

10. Case study
Mark Andy
Single pass pressure sensitive labels

11. Single pass, pressure sensitive label application
The Digital Series HD: a digital hybrid solution, combining the
advantages of digital workflows and digital printing, with the
capabilities of fast-change flexography technologies

12. ScreenPro Direct to electronics
 First we tuned the Halftone Screens to get the quality up to the
required standards.
 Then we made it go fast, by tuning the software and hardware
 It streams data and variable color images at high-speed and has
reduced process and RIP times on the Digital Series HD by as
much as 50%.
 No limit to the number of VDP elements on one imposition meaning
every page is different.
 Maximizes image print quality for high speed production inkjet
printing,
 No loss in performance even with additional print bars to support
extended gamut colors

13. The result
“The ScreenPro technology built in partnership with Global Graphics
is a key development to provide streaming full color VDP options to
meet the print speed requirements of today’s “next-generation” UV
Inkjet production presses. We were able to seamlessly integrate
high-speed streaming variable data into the existing ProWORX
digital front end”.
Ray Dickinson, Mark Andy, Vice President.

14. The result
“For a workflow to be viable, it has to be able to process and send
full color, fully variable work at a rate that supports the press printing,
nearly continuously, at high speed to produce hundreds of thousands
of linear feet or meters weekly. This was previously a challenge with
the industry leading production speeds of Digital Series HD at 240
fpm.”
Peter Rathje, Senior Manager of digital press solutions for Mark
Andy.

15. What about non-uniformity
or “banding”?
Most recent development now shipping is:
Copyright © Global Graphics Software Limited 2018

16. What causes non-uniformity?
 Variation within a head
• Commonly a ‘smile’ shape
• Caused by pressure or voltage changes
 Variation between heads
• Especially as heads become field replaceable
 Head wear Density
ONE HEAD
Copyright © Global Graphics Software Limited 2018

17. Correction in software gives maximum quality
 Very fine granularity
• Can address every nozzle separately
• On any head/electronics
 Almost instant once output is measured
• Can be automated for closed-loop correction
 Doesn’t affect
• Jetting stability or head lifetime
• Warranty compliance
• Ink pressure and timing/drop speed variation
• Ink coalescence on the substrate
• Halftoning
*images blurred to make the density variation more obvious
Corrected in software
Original
Blurred
Original
Blurred
Uncorrected
Copyright © Global Graphics Software Limited 2018

18. Case study
Ellerhold AG
Wide format scanning head

19. Ellerhold AG: ScreenPro with PrintFlat
Ellerhold manufactures and
operates 6 MLM_2600_NG
double side 2.5 m wide
scanning head web systems
for printing 200 x 252 dpi
billboard displays

20. Ellerhold AG: ScreenPro with PrintFlat
 Ellerhold AG: the market leader in Germany for indoor and outdoor
advertising with an approximate 70% share of the German bill
board market
 Ellerhold AG was experiencing quality issues on its large-format
posters, known in Germany as Mega-Lights, printed on its
MLM_2600_NG digital scanning printer
 The printheads showed variation in printed density both between
the heads and across each head, which produced clearly visible
bands within some types of printed output.

21. How was the problem solved?
 We sent our head of screening Dr Danny Hall to Ellerhold
as part of a Technical Services Breakthrough project
 Quantify the problem
• Printing test targets
• Scanning test targets
 Process the data
• Recombine scans
• Image processing
 Apply correction
• Repeat!
Picture of
Danny here

22. Before… and after

23. Questions?
More information:
tom.mooney@globalgraphics.com
www.globalgraphics.com/ais
Copies of case studies on Stand B6