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A week prior to its March 26 press briefing in Dusseldorf, Landa held its pre-drupa event in New York City. The theme of this gathering was “Run More” and Landa customers will have the option to do just that given the headliner announcement of the Landa S11 and S11P. These devices offer B1-size production speeds of 11,200 sheets per hour (SPH) in simplex mode. However, the latest additions include a new ink drying system that enables transfer of dry ink from the blanket to the media at the higher speed of 11,200 SPH. Customization options include a choice of four or seven colors, a continuous printing capability, an optional inline coating unit, and the 11K Module that delivers the 11,200 SPH print speed.
This is a significant increase from the S10, which prints at 6,500 SPH. Landa’s goal is to target high-volume analog print jobs and transfer this volume to digital printing within the folding carton, commercial printing, and direct mail market segments. With the speed increase, Landa presses can more effectively target longer job run work, bringing the company closer to its goal as it closes the gap between offset and digital printing.
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| The Landa S11 and S11P, the latest additions from this innovative manufacturer. |
No event these days can take place without some nod to artificial intelligence (AI). The New York City event was no exception as Landa announced a PrintAI module—yet another early indicator of how AI can and will impact the market. The module utilizes a new camera system that makes use of multiple targets within each page to ensure registration and image quality remain within spec. The software behind PrintAI allows a press to learn and make continued refinements, thereby reducing the number of prints that must be recycled due to poor output. Without the module, the camera system targets a limited number of set positions within an image and the older algorithm used does not learn as it goes. PrintAI was in development for three years entirely in-house. Even if this is in the early stages of AI, you can imagine that once the platform is embedded in the system, there will be future opportunities to branch out to other areas such as preventative service.
The “Run More” theme was designed to highlight the technology’s ability to produce more longer-run jobs digitally, across a broader range of substrates, and to expand into new applications. To help drive this point home to prospects, the Landa team highlighted how its technology is different. Benny Landa himself made a remote appearance to speak to this topic.
Real world examples of how a Landa press can prove more efficient were provided. Platform improvements that were touted included 80% faster blanket replacement, faster coater blanket replacement, and three-times faster raster image processing (RIP) time for long, complex variable data printing (VDP) jobs. Landa showed some statistics comparing offset production to running the job on a Landa press to spotlight savings in time, waste, and expense. Here’s an example:
Four significant customers, who came from different market segments and backgrounds, also took the stage. They included:
- The Quantum Group – Commercial Print & Direct Mail
- Southern Campion Tray – Food Packaging
- Hudson Printing – Direct Mail
- Neff Packaging – Folding Cartons
Each CEO explained how the Landa press impacted their business. Bob Neff of Neff Packaging, which does a lot of work in the medical arena, spoke to how he can offer a differentiated value proposition to his customers because of the productivity, faster turnaround times, and VDP that his digital press enables. When pressed by a customer about what that does for his pricing, he wisely noted with a touch of humor that “It’s faster, not cheaper.” Importantly, all CEOs shared impactful examples of how the press has transformed their business operations, with two announcing plans to purchase the S11 with the 11K Module.
Priced between $3-$4 million, the S11 and S11P are designed for large commercial printers or packaging converters handling substantial volumes of analog print. Such a capital investment would be daunting for mid-size commercial printers, yet the speed upgrade offered by these models narrows the gap between offset and digital printing—potentially lowering the ongoing costs of plates and waste associated with analog processes. Both presses will be showcased at drupa, where Landa’s B1 presses operating at these speeds are sure to attract attention from many curious onlookers.
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