The Digital Imaging Association holds regularly scheduled educational sessions that offer attendees a dependable way to stay current with the industry. The DIA achieves this by asking experts in various fields to address topics of interest to the membership. Members who attend our sessions often remark on how informative our technical-based presentations are. But, technology is of greatest value when the marketplace wants to buy the services it enables.

New revenue streams for the traditional printer

At the Oct. 15 meeting, the Digital Imaging Association once again delivered high-value to all attendees.

Security is becoming ubiquitous in every aspect of our lives. A recent survey of 186 global organizations by ABI Research found that Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is being used or evaluated for a growing number of applications across a wide range of vertical industry sectors, from security-based applications to supply chain management to multiple avenues of asset tracking.

Simultaneously, printing inks have been developed that support RFID, as well as a full suite of covert and discreet taggant technologies to thwart counterfeiting.

Representatives from GS1 Canada and Sun Chemical provided a wealth of information on RFID and security inks. The presenters demonstrated how incorporating these unique tools could become value-added resources to print product offerings.

RFID
Nigel Wood, Director of Standards, GS1 Canada and dean of GS1 Canada Education Centre was the evening’s first presenter. Nigel is a recognized expert in electronic commerce. He covered bar coding, electronic data interchange (EDI), electronic product code (EPD) and RFID technology, global data synchronization and product identification.

Automatic identification and data capture is not new. Since the early 1970s, the universal product code (UPC) symbols have been a visible tool of product identification. The symbol is comprised of a machine-readable bar code, requiring line-of-site scanning or manual entry. While this technology is not going away, says Wood, there are some limitations.

What’s next is electronic product code (EPC), which is a numbering scheme to identify each of multiple objects. A microscopic RFID chip enables this powerful concept. This chip is leveraging an old technology and adding functionality to it. An RFID chip and its integrated antenna on a substrate carrier can track products in the supply chain by pallet, by case and by item, providing a unique identifier for each. But the value, says Wood, is in how the data is gathered and used.

In a simpler form, RFID technology can be traced back to World War II to identify friend or foe. In the 1960s, it was used for electronic article surveillance; in the ‘70s, for animal tracking; and in the ‘80s, for electronic toll collection. By 1999, EPC/RFID data was the key element in auto identification. Commercially, Walmart led the way in the sophisticated use of the data to manage inventory and deter theft. By 2007, global standards had been developed.

When affixed to objects, the RFID tag automatically sends information to a reader. There are three types of tags and accompanying readers:

The active tag has a battery, which enables long distance reading. The military has made use of this tag to track submarines.

The semi-passive tag is a transponder that reflects energy back to a reader and also has a power source to run circuitry and an onboard sensor. This allows for a longer read range and the ability to determine the location of an item and also its state, such as the temperature of goods.

The passive tag has no battery and is energized by the reader. This is the least expensive of the tags and the most widely used because of its versatility.

Regardless of which tag is used, its purpose is to capture numbered information that is tied to a database of information specific to that number.

There are also numerous types of readers and other ancillary devices that complete the loop of data capture, interpolation and utilization. And, there are increasingly more applications benefiting from the technology. These can essentially be grouped into four main categories:

• Supply Chain Management
• Asset Management
• Security and Access Control Management
• Consumer Applications

As these applications continue to increase, there will be a growing need for the tags. The process places a chip and an antenna on a substrate, which is already a print-based application. This is indeed a growth area for our industry. In addition to tag production, RFID technology also delivers productivity with inventory and asset management.

Security inks
Sun Chemical’s brand protection consultant, Richard Gill, discussed technology, devices and implementation issues connected to anti-counterfeiting and brand protection. Issues surrounding product authentication can be accomplished via covert technologies, which are UV-light activated, or machine-readable or other forensic-read taggants. Overt technology includes colour shifting, thermochromic applications and holograms. Sun Chemical is actively providing proven solutions for a variety of applications.

A complexity of processes, substrates, logistics and environmental issues need to be considered when reviewing options:
Processes. Confirm that the technology can be implemented into current packaging processes. Substrates. Confirm that the technology will be compatible with the range of substrates used in current packaging. Logistics. Confirm that the technology can be supplied globally in a secure fashion with a chain of custody. Environment. Confirm that the technology can be authenticated in the most adverse environment.

From an application perspective, says Gill, adopters of the technology need to delineate what they want the application to do: identify and reduce counterfeiting, act as a diversion because it provides a unique identifier, or to deter and identify tampering issues.

An interesting example of complex layered security which addresses counterfeiting, tampering and diversion is the various applications that are used in the production of today’s paper-based currency. Money is printed using a tremendous range of visible pigment images, non-pigment images and text that can be viewed only with special readers, all in conjunction with polymer binders, surfactants and modifiers. The exact positioning and layering is what is intended to deter counterfeiting. The following are only some of the layers that are used:

• Covert variable data for track and trace
• Covert machine authentication
• Covert non-line of sight authentication
• Covert destructive authentication
• Covert UV fluorescing inks
• Semi-covert currency grade metachromics
• Semi-covert thermochromic inks
• Overt colour shifting inks
• Overt machine readable holograms/foils.

Sun Chemical has developed a variety of security systems

Verigard is a covert taggant system that can be applied using a variety of printing methods. This taggant is not visible to the eye but is read by filtering devices.

SunGuard is an invisible covert product that also works with a variety of print processes and is able to endure extreme heat and other adverse environments. The process applies an invisible security layer that turns inks into authentication tools viewed with a filtering device.

Nautilus is Sun’s newest offering. It is a hidden image technology that can be integrated with existing packaging whether it is a printed package, an injection mould or nano-embossed foil.

SunGuard UV inks are either visible or invisible and can be applied using a variety of printing methods, or a combination of multiple print processes.

SunScreen is a product used for product authentication. It is a data distillation that is a hidden image consisting on a seemingly random overlap of letters and numbers. This random pattern process can be copied but not duplicated. It is used by the pharmaceutical industry; for example, on drug capsules where a reader can readily identify the authentic product, enabling immediate counterfeit crime enforcement.

All systems are fully supported by Sun Chemical, including any equipment retrofitting required. Sun also has indefinites and supports various authentication tools including simple and complex readers. Perfecting the art of security represents significant opportunities for printers to offer value-added applications to their clients.

Anyone who wants to review the GRACoL mandate, offering print predictability from creative to press, can visit www.gracol.org. Or, instead of merely visiting their website, you could have joined print buyers, prepress and print service providers, and vendors to the industry at a recent DIA presentation hosted at Apple Canada.

The Digital Imaging Association offers a dependable and cost–effective way to stay current with the industry by employing experts in various fields to address topics of interest to the membership.

Don Hutcheson, GRACoL Chairman and G7 Inventor, took centre stage to review the GRACoL challenge. Who knew before his talk that a well–delivered presentation could make even the definition of characterization data lively? Our Vice President, Brad Wallans, was even overheard calling Don Hutcheson “Colour Super Hero” following the spirited session.

The Objective
Print buyers are looking for a better match between press and proof; and proofing systems with easy file exchange between different countries or different print methods. Printers want proofs that match the press (and each other), more consistent CMYK files separated to the same standard, faster make–readies, and generally lower production costs.

It is possible to deliver via a common solution defined by standards. Hutcheson contends that printing is no longer an art form, it’s a manufacturing process—and efficient manufacturing depends on standards.

The industry already has a production standard—ISO 12647–2. It is defined as “process control for the production of half–tone colour separations, proof and production prints.” While this standard defines paper, ink, and TVI or dot gain, it does not define appearance. So IDEAlliance set out to find the ideal solution for appearance standards, using ISO 12647–2 as a starting point.

The result was GRACoL G7, a practical calibration method based on visual metrics (density) vs. mechanical metrics (TVI or dot gain). It is a method that addresses what matters to the human eye, using density as an actual and simple reading.

The foundation of G7 is a standardized gray balance and neutral density, regardless of ink colours. The intent was to develop and promote international unified characterization data sets to promote and implement the ISO standard.

With Gray Balance at its core, the GRACoL committee set out to identify a universal neutral print density curve (NPDC), regardless of solid ink density, screening, or other variables—something that can apply to every dot shape and screen frequency.

The Benefits
For pre–press providers using GRACoL G7, there is less chance of error when making CMYK for unknown destinations because all profiles are based on the same NPDC. For the pressroom, make–ready is significantly improved. One reading confirms both ink density and gray balance.

Print buyers like it because it is easier to match a proof on press since the proofs are tailored to the press. But, cautioned Hutcheson, there are still variables such as press profiling and calibration, which add additional complexity.

With the complexity of global print manufacturing today, multi–purposing of images for a growing selection of reproduction methods, proofing consistencies, matching to proofs, and cross–media compatibility have become paramount. GRACoL G7 is a certification which prepares its subscribers to manage their operations in today’s print manufacturing marketplace.

According to Hutcheson, every proofing manufacturer is lining up to become GRACoL certified. We are coming closer to a “shared appearance,” with one common gray scale definition for all printing methods, which reduces the danger of accidental re–purposing and results in a simplified file exchange and a reduction in pre–press and print costs.

Adhering to standards and utilizing tools to support standards delivers on all fronts: print buyers gain a reliable assurance that press will match proofs, pre–press service providers no longer struggle with the dilemma of not knowing where or how their files will be used, printers are able to deliver visual appeal by running to the numbers, and vendors to the industry are faced with fewer subjective issues. Everybody wins.     

Contact Marg Macleod, Association Manager, at 416.696.0151 or marg@digitalimagingassoc.ca.

The Digital Imaging Association offers a dependable and cost–effective way to stay current with the industry—we recruit experts in various fields to address topics of interest to our membership.

Recently, members and guests participated in an in–depth session that examined some case studies of what works and what doesn’t when going down the MIS/ERP/CRM path. A three–member panel led a town hall–style meeting in which both presenters and attendees shared their knowledge and expertise. The expert panel, comprised of  Marg Macleod (IBEC Training and Consulting), Ian Broomhead (CP Printing), and Bob Weller (Transcontinental Yorkville/O’Keefe) provided users’ perspectives, not specific vendor solutions.

The presenters defined the systems:
MIS—Management Information System—a series of inter–related data bases which manage the administrative, production and manufacturing operations of a company

ERP/MRP—Enterprise/Management Resource Planning—identifying and moving resources around in concert with day to day activities
CRM—Customer Relationship Management—contact software to build information about clients

The DIA’s outlook
The intent of the above mentioned systems is to automate manual processes in order to control operating costs, streamline production flow, eliminate redundant processes, track waste, create consistency in estimating and job costing, and eliminate inaccurate information, all in order to maximize revenues.

Manufacturers make money by streamlining processes, and the systems and options now available, provide many ways to streamline by eliminating redundancies and providing measurement tools.

The automation process should start with an audit of current processes by talking to the people who do the work. An objective consultant should review what actually happens as work progresses through planning and production, with a focus on the core flow, not the exceptions or what ifs. The consultant’s documentation should track the progression of work through each phase of production, recording that the work has cleared a department after being checked and verified.

Other important revelations emerge from a review of process and cycle time. Process time is how long it takes to physically perform every operation, measured in seconds and minutes. Cycle time is the amount of time it takes to move the project from the front door to the back door, measured in hours, days, and weeks. The goal of system automation is to reduce cycle time almost to process time. Examples provided by the panel and from participants pointed out systems that can facilitate this objective.

Why your company needs an MIS system
The following 8 reasons were outlined at the DIA session. We suggest you review your own workplace against these reasons and decide for yourself.

1. Estimates are inconsistent and/or take too long to produce
2. Purchasing responsibility is scattered and not all costs are captured on dockets when they’re billed
   
3. Excessive consumable inventories
   
4. Waste and spoilage not accurately measured or managed
   
5. AA’s and house errors go unrecorded and unbilled
   
6. Decisions made based on filtered information rather than actual data
   
7. Scheduling failures are not tracked
   
8. Multiple administrative software programs that have no inter–operability

MIS System Options
There are three basic levels of MIS systems: single, with limited function, multiple functions that cover 99% of printing companies’ needs, and the granddaddy systems that include dynamic scheduling, job imposition planning, and JDF compatibility.

System prices can range from $20 000 to $100 000 for the second level to over $250 000 for the most advanced models.
Buying options include creating your own, buying off–the–shelf products you host yourself, or purchasing systems with external ASP hosts. Whatever your company chooses, implementation requires full employee support and complete knowledge of your process and people.

Ensure that you test and retest to ensure your selected system does address your goals.
In addition to dialoguing about the successes and failures of system implementation, attendees were also able to view and request various charts demonstrating process workflow and how automation tracks and improves activities.

Become a member of the Digital Association today to take part in informational sessions like this one. The privilege of membership enables companies to send as many employees as they deem appropriate to each meeting at no additional charge above the low cost of membership. As a member of the DIA, you’re not just a name on a list. You become part of a network of professionals dedicated to the strength and future of the industry.     

Contact Marg Macleod, Association Manager, at 416.696.0151 or marg@digitalimagingassoc.ca.

The Electronic Job Docket - Another DAM Project?

Graphic arts companies manage every last detail that goes into each job. Every order is a custom order. Communicating the information required to get that job through the production process error free, without having to explain each step, is the goal of every production manager.  Add to this the fact that we need to save all the production related information as the job progresses through the plant, and then at the end archive that information along with the job’s assets for re-use and to share with our customer.

This should be a piece of cake with all the technology at our disposal.  Almost everything is now digital: files, images, communication and file transfer. Even the colour managed proof is signed off electronically. So why do we still have that paper docket floating around the shop floor?

The docket is, like the mousetrap, quite simple in purpose and highly effective. And like building a better mousetrap, creating a better job docket has been an enigma.  Many have tried and many have failed. The digital docket, though, is a necessity in a fully digital workflow. So how can we build a better mousetrap?

The Digital Docket

Most systems create their electronic job docket from the perspective of an ERP system. They record all the necessary production details, but fail to take into consideration the graphical nature of our business: holding the files, images and proofs, and communicating in a way that is meaningful to a production department.

Accessing the files from a docket for re-orders, repurposing content for alternate delivery processes, whether the Web , demand printing, or other formats, along with the paper trail of proofs, signoffs and communication—all that  needs to be captured and retrieved electronically in a timely way.

Quite a challenge for an ERP system, but more efficiently handled by a digital asset management system. The advantage is in tying into the workflow.  JDF (job definition format) technologies pave the way for automated graphic arts workflows to support these functions, and capturing workstation and user data in the process.

Adding a job ticket or job docket to a content management, or digital asset management system has proven to be a successful approach for many graphic arts companies.

Ian Broomhead, President of the DIA (who in his spare time runs CP Printing in Vaughn), has successfully implemented this technology. Ian recently showed me the system he has developed, using an off the shelf system that he modified extensively to get it to work they way he wanted.

Hence the need for systems integration. This is a term not heard in many printing plants. The open standards of new technologies built on databases with industry standards such as ODBC, JDF, PDF and XML make it easier to communicate between disparate systems.

A systems integrator’s role is to take diverse technologies and combine them, providing one seamless solution customized to your needs—a tailored package of services and systems that meets current needs and provides for growth.

But most integrators come from a document management perspective; they understand storing files, not creating and managing print production.

Be sure to find an integrator who has worked with graphic arts organization. Here are some factors you should take into consideration.

Challenges

Change management: Ensure that all stakeholders buy into changes in process, workflow, and job responsibilities. A production management system needs initiative and support from senior management, and a desire to implement from all participants.

Data migration integrity: Ensure the integrity of data from source documents when migrating  information into a new system.

Timing: Time the implementation to avoid disrupting ongoing work.

Future enhancements: Ensure that all elements will be able to scale up for growth.

Digital Docket Components

In a digital docket management system, look for:

• Project planning and scheduling: JDF-based project management, task management and process automation
• Digital Asset Management (DAM): managing and repurposing files
• Dynamic and batch conversion of file formats
• Connectivity with the information management system on a static, scheduled basis
• Workflow automation: deconstructing document pages, importing them to the content management system, page layout, automatic updating of content and pricing, PDF generation
• Preflight
• Soft proofing
• Collaborative review mechanism that aggregates requests for modifications and logs changes and activity
• Communication: email notifications of collaboration and proofing requests.
• enhanced image management and print management system
• business analytic modules for event planning
• a product information management system
• Web content automation tools that provide content and administrative tools to Web sites
• storage and archival modules
• Web-to-print modules.

Finding integration resources in the Printing Industry

The DIA has several member organizations who provide systems integration services, such as the Intuitive Solution Group in Markham, and manufacturers who provide end to end production systems which include digital dockets, such as Heidelberg, AGFA, ManRoland and Xerox.

Marg Macleod is the Association Manager of Digital Imaging Association.
T: 416-696-0151