That's not new, and many printers have already gained experience with appropriate software solutions. But it’s not just any software, although often similar results are promised. It pays to look twice and challenge the field tests that were done a few years ago with first generation Ink Saver tools.

 

Savings of around 20 percent on average

Color expert CGS has devoted a lot of attention to ink saving and continues to expand on the technology: "In the past, ink was to be saved with ink saving software and costs reduced as a result, and that was that. Today, significantly more factors are included in the calculation of optimal total ink coverage, and we achieve much more than ink reduction, namely the optimization of print results and of the entire production process", says Andrew McIntyre of CGS.

The fact that this works reliably can be seen in extensive tests over a wide variety of customers. As a rule, ink savings of around 20 percent are achieved on average. Of course, this depends on various factors, such as the artwork, the printing application, the substrate and the printing machine itself. This shows in practice that in some cases up to 50 and 60 percent of the inks can be reduced – without the expense of quality. On the contrary, image details can now be visible that were not discernible before. In other cases, though, e.g. in textile printing, ink savings are not yet as great.

Easy and quick post-press finishing

Other quality improvements from ink saving are more image contrast, less ink show-through and more abrasion resistance due to the lower amount of ink. For many customers these effects are the main reason for deciding on Ink Saver software.

"Another great advantage is that post-press finishing is made easier and quicker by the reduction of ink cracking across folds. This is especially important for packaging printers, "says McIntyre, commenting on customer feedback. In addition, a reduction in ink quantity means a more green, eco-friendly, system – not an insignificant point where UV inks are concerned. "We’ve also received feedback that the necessary UV intensity to dry the prints can be reduced, which means extended UV lamp life. The same is also true for print heads, they are rarely replaced."

Faster production speed

In the high-speed inkjet sector, a significant benefit is that drying times are reduced, allowing faster machine speeds and more throughput which, in return, means more customer jobs. "If you are operating in three shifts, e.g. on an HP Page Wide Web Press T240, with 10 percent of ink saving, that automatically means 10 percent higher production speed due to faster drying times, without any loss of quality. Over a twelve months’ period, that gives you 5 additional weeks production time”, McIntyre said.

If print shops want to invest in Ink Saver solutions, it is also advisable to make sure that the software can be integrated into their existing workflow and be easy to use or, even better, have automated set-up procedures that allow different employees with different skill sets to be able to operate the software flawlessly.

There are many positive effects that can be achieved with the right Ink Saver software that go far beyond reducing ink usage. Greater profit margins and the ability to react to price pressure in the marketplace are important benefits in an ever-increasingly challenging printing environment.

About CGS

Established in 1985, CGS Publishing Technologies International GmbH is a global leader of color management solutions, digital proofing systems and specially formulated media. Headquartered near Frankfurt (Germany), CGS also has operations in the United States, Japan, Hongkong and many other countries, as well as sales and support partners throughout the world. For more information, please visit www.cgs-oris.com, Facebook and LinkedIn.

 

Images, Source: CGS
Print version