Tecnau announced the general availability of the StreamFolder 5152 cut and stack line for high-speed web-fed color inkjet finishing. The system efficiently produces short-run digital book printing jobs of varying run lengths including ‘books of one.’ Available with a tack-gluing option, the StreamFolder 5152 operates, in-line or near-line, at speeds up to 750 fpm / 230 mpm to take full advantage of the emerging generation of high-speed inkjet presses.
StreamFolder 5152 plow-folds the web once or twice along the travel direction, enabling efficient use of a web-fed press at its maximum print width. This folded web is very strong as the paper is up to three times thicker for system reliability (especially for lighter weight papers) feeding through the cutter and stacker. In addition, all modules operate in the taut web to generate the exceptionally smooth paper flow required for high-speed operations. Curl is canceled out as the web is folded back onto itself, for reliably flat books. The StreamFolder 5152 also features “north/south job offsetting”, offsetting sets/book-blocks back & forth in the direction of travel to maintain full speed even for multiple consecutive small sets.
The system includes Tecnau’s StreamFolder f50 plow-fold module, Cutter c51 single-cutting cutter, and shingling Stacker s52. StreamFolder f50 is based on Tecnau’s popular and proven StreamFolder f20 product, with a next-generation controls package enabling the Internet of Things connectivity, offering features such as remote monitoring and diagnostics and automatic software updates. Stacker s52 offers a tack-gluing option to keep loose sheets or signatures together for automated conveying to an inline perfect binder or other finishers or to maintain book block integrity and registration during manual handling. An optional signature jogger also may be added for excellent signature registration.
The StreamFolder 5152 is a member of Tecnau’s Revolution 50 series, a family of products featuring top speeds, Internet-of-Things (IoT) compatibility, and media flexibility as required in today’s most demanding digital print environments. The complete Revolution 50 series is designed for reliable, continuous non-stop production and lower maintenance costs.
2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India
Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and
multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.
The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry.
While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately
their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book
printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.
The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.
Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.
Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.
Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.
