Diana Varma, Columnist for Graphic Arts Magazine, Instructor at the School of Graphic Communications Management at Ryerson University in Toronto, and owner of ON-SITE First Aid & CPR Training Group (a health & safety company that provides training to the graphic arts industry), is on the drupa tradeshow floor. Here is her third report.
The stage is set. The audience is alive with anticipation. Let the show begin…..
Benny Landa introduced his nanographic printing technology four years ago at drupa, but some critics noted that all of the hype was just that – hype! Their 2012 showing was simply a prototype and not a single unit was sold (although they did come away with several letters of intent for purchase). This drupa marks an exciting step forward in Landa technology, whereby actual equipment and live demonstrations of nanographic printing have excited swarms of people squeezing in to catch a glimpse.
Here are some facts about Nanography by Landa:
- A nanometre is one billionth of a metre and by the time you finish reading this sentence, your fingernails will have grown about 3 nanometres.
- A sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometres thick.
- Nanography uses Landa NanoInk technology in which pigment particles are just tens of nanometres in size – versus conventional ink where the pigment particles are hundreds of nanometres in size. This allows for more precise dot formation and extended colour gamut.
- The technology uses a blanket system that heats the ink, causing the it to be dry before reaching the substrate. The dry ink is then laminated onto the substrate where it sits on the surface. Dry ink versus wet ink interacting with the substrate is the primary differentiator between Nanography and inkjet technology.
- Nanographic printing technology promises to deliver high quality, high speeds (6,500 B1 sph at first, with a future upgrade to 13,000 B1 sph), on any paper or plastic substrate, all while remaining cost competitive with offset.
- The technology is designed to service the “profitability gap” between current digital equipment and offset technologies (between about 1,000 copies to 10,000 copies). This is the sweet spot where Landa believes his technology can make the most impact.
Looking beyond the excitement, there are some skeptics who aren’t convinced the equipment is production ready and that it’s still all hype. The lack of transparency through the massive black tinted panels of the running equipment, making it impossible to see what’s going on inside, is one argument that has been made. Proven technologies like HP’s Indigo presses (also developed by Benny Landa) are regularly opened up during the demos for all to see the inner workings of the technology. Also, the mysterious rows of shipping containers outside of Landa’s hall are also curious. The giant power generator outside the hall has some questions regarding why it’s needed – and if one invests in Landa equipment, will 0ne need a generator too?
Looking past that skepticism, Landa’s presence at drupa is impressive and convincing. The Landa team is engaged and enthusiastic about its offerings, and its booth has been carefully curated to distill the complex technology and communicate the most relevant benefits to attendees. The Landa theatre show (which runs five times a day) sells out quickly and it’s difficult to secure a same-day seat. The show features five dancers, two drummers and Landa himself explaining nanographic printing technology through movement, visual displays projected on the stage, and analogies to simplify complex concepts.
Benny Landa celebrated his 70th birthday last week, and what better way to celebrate than with the world launch of his potentially industry-changing technology. Happy belated birthday Benny, and congratulations on your showing here at drupa 2016.
