MCT Digital
New Member
In modern print shops, it’s well understood that simply printing a piece of media for a client is no longer enough—no longer can you simply click print, wait for the ink to dry, and ship the piece.
Today, companies demand finishing processes, and most print shops are now offering these in-house. Depending on the article being printed, this may consist of any combination of trimming, laminating, routing, cutting, stacking, and even grommeting.
A report by the SGIA—a specialty graphics group—shows that 94 percent of printing shops offer additional finishing services, especially among lamination, grommeting, and installation services.
Of these shops, 86.6 percent include lamination as a service offered, 81.3 percent offer grommeting, and 80 percent have laminating and mounting equipment in-house. Additionally, 70 percent of shops have cutting, trimming, routing, and die-cut equipment, with 13 percent of shops planning to expand their tools further this year.
Clearly, finishing processes are no longer an option in this environment—so let’s take a deeper look to understand better what’s required of a modern finishing process.
First, Find Your Bottlenecks
The bottleneck in a modern media printing is almost always the finishing process. Modern printers are quite efficient at doing their jobs and drying quickly and effectively, leaving the finishing department as the area with the longest lead times.
With a growing demand for signs and products with higher dimensionality, there is often a need for many digitally operated cutting tools to handle routing, mounting, back slitting, scoring, and cutting.
It’s important to understand the efficiency and capability of your current machines to understand how long the finishing will take and know what upgrades will increase your turnaround time the fastest.
Consider Automation and Advanced Technologies
Automation is growing in the digital print shop space, but high cost and lack of space mainly preclude smaller establishments from making the switch. However, these restraints are increasingly common in large print shops, and as the technology continues to grow and adapt, we’ll likely see a rise in adoption and a lower point-of-entry price.
Another thing to consider is exotic technology such as laser cutters. Although traditional cutters are much more efficient for large-batch jobs, laser cutters can execute complex, curved cuts that are simply impossible for a knife-based cutter. A laser cutter is a bit expensive, but it adds some complexity and selling points to your shop, allowing you to finish intricate projects efficiently and easily. Today, there are even flatbed cutters for routing and knife cutting that can also have a very capable laser capability added as an option, and without giving up any quality or automation features.
Evaluate the Media You’re Printing On
What sort of media is common for your shop? Textiles? Paper? Wood? Polymer substrates? Your choice of equipment should reflect the materials you print on most often and the ones for which you anticipate growth.
Assemble a Great Team
All of the high-tech finishing tools in the world are no replacement for an effective, hardworking, and loyal floor team. Your team should understand its duties and responsibilities and be properly trained on every machine that it may need to operate or oversee—and even on ones it doesn’t typically use, allowing increased floor flexibility. With a great team on your side and the proper equipment, there’s no task too great to handle.
Wrap-Up
There will always be bottlenecks in the finishing process in this industry—that’s just a fact. However, with smart investment and training, you can maximize the efficiency of your current equipment and begin investing in other finishing equipment for the future that will maximize your ROI and make you more effective, leading to lower turnaround times and higher client satisfaction.
Today, companies demand finishing processes, and most print shops are now offering these in-house. Depending on the article being printed, this may consist of any combination of trimming, laminating, routing, cutting, stacking, and even grommeting.
A report by the SGIA—a specialty graphics group—shows that 94 percent of printing shops offer additional finishing services, especially among lamination, grommeting, and installation services.
Of these shops, 86.6 percent include lamination as a service offered, 81.3 percent offer grommeting, and 80 percent have laminating and mounting equipment in-house. Additionally, 70 percent of shops have cutting, trimming, routing, and die-cut equipment, with 13 percent of shops planning to expand their tools further this year.
Clearly, finishing processes are no longer an option in this environment—so let’s take a deeper look to understand better what’s required of a modern finishing process.
First, Find Your Bottlenecks
The bottleneck in a modern media printing is almost always the finishing process. Modern printers are quite efficient at doing their jobs and drying quickly and effectively, leaving the finishing department as the area with the longest lead times.
With a growing demand for signs and products with higher dimensionality, there is often a need for many digitally operated cutting tools to handle routing, mounting, back slitting, scoring, and cutting.
It’s important to understand the efficiency and capability of your current machines to understand how long the finishing will take and know what upgrades will increase your turnaround time the fastest.
Consider Automation and Advanced Technologies
Automation is growing in the digital print shop space, but high cost and lack of space mainly preclude smaller establishments from making the switch. However, these restraints are increasingly common in large print shops, and as the technology continues to grow and adapt, we’ll likely see a rise in adoption and a lower point-of-entry price.
Another thing to consider is exotic technology such as laser cutters. Although traditional cutters are much more efficient for large-batch jobs, laser cutters can execute complex, curved cuts that are simply impossible for a knife-based cutter. A laser cutter is a bit expensive, but it adds some complexity and selling points to your shop, allowing you to finish intricate projects efficiently and easily. Today, there are even flatbed cutters for routing and knife cutting that can also have a very capable laser capability added as an option, and without giving up any quality or automation features.
Evaluate the Media You’re Printing On
What sort of media is common for your shop? Textiles? Paper? Wood? Polymer substrates? Your choice of equipment should reflect the materials you print on most often and the ones for which you anticipate growth.
Assemble a Great Team
All of the high-tech finishing tools in the world are no replacement for an effective, hardworking, and loyal floor team. Your team should understand its duties and responsibilities and be properly trained on every machine that it may need to operate or oversee—and even on ones it doesn’t typically use, allowing increased floor flexibility. With a great team on your side and the proper equipment, there’s no task too great to handle.
Wrap-Up
There will always be bottlenecks in the finishing process in this industry—that’s just a fact. However, with smart investment and training, you can maximize the efficiency of your current equipment and begin investing in other finishing equipment for the future that will maximize your ROI and make you more effective, leading to lower turnaround times and higher client satisfaction.