Not long ago, screen printingⁱ got all of the glory in the world of P.O.P. printing because of that process’s ability to print directly onto the inexpensive rigid substrates that are the mainstay of the point-of-purchase industry. Traditional roll-feed digital printers canⁱ only print onto flexible substrates that have to be mounted later to the rigid stock. That requirement quickly prices itself out of the P.O.P. market that is looking for quick, inexpensive, temporary graphics. However, thanks to recent advances in high quality, high-speed flatbed printers (that can image directly to rigid substrates), and in high-speed digital die cutters, that whole scenario is changing rapidly. So put down those containers of screenⁱ printing ink and let’s look at how a P.O.P. project can be done completely using digital technologies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 P.O.P. printing can be run in reasonably large volumes on a flatbed.

 

THE ARTWORK

Setting up artwork for digital printing is much easier than for screen printing. No more lonely hours spent fine-tuning those traps, chokes and spreads. What you see is what you get with digital printing. Proofing can be done easily and effectively on a calibrated laserⁱ printer.

 

When the artwork is ready to go to print, it needs to be set up in such a way that the maximum use is made of the stock, with a minimum of waste. Most RIPⁱ software allows the user to nest the graphics; however, it often only allows the image to be manipulated as a square shape. Nestingⁱ complex shapes that are to be cut can be done more efficiently using graphics software like Illustrator or InDesign. The next step is to add the die-cutⁱ lines. These are vectorⁱ outlines that tell the digital cutter where to cut in the final part of the jobⁱ. Finish this up with registrationⁱ marks so that the cutter knows exactly where to start, and it’s ready to go.

 

THE PRINTING

Now the files are RIPed but before printing the stock needs to be prepped. Fingerprints are the bane of direct printing UVⁱ-cure flatbeds. The natural oils in our fingers leave a residue on the surface of substrates that UV-cure inks will not stick to. Wearing cotton gloves when handling the material in all phases is the only way to ensure a clean surface. Some printer manufacturers offer special cleaning fluids and some surfaces are fussier than others. After a careful cleaning of the surface dust on all of the substrates, the printing can get started. Put a piece of cleaned substrate on the printer and watch the ink fly.

 

 

UK-based printer maker Inca Digital offers a Print Run Controller software program that can also schedule the types of prints required and in which order. So for example, if a project needs 300 of item 37BX and 250 of item 39LX printed first because those stores have longer shipping times, the software can handle that.

 

 

 

THE CUTTING

When the prints are completed, it’s off to the digital cutter. The cutter can read the die line and registration information embedded in the RIP file.

The file gets fed into the cutter’s computer, a sheet of printed material gets placed into the cutter and before you know it all of those complex shapes have been cut out cleanly and accurately. Nothing left to do but go for coffee.

 

WHY GET A FLATBED PRINTER?

Flatbed printers can print directly to rigid substrates. This can save an enormous amount of time and money if P.O.P. printing is a mainstay of the business. Not all flatbeds are created equal, however, and their cost is often directly proportionate to their speed and output quality. The entry-level flatbeds are generally converted roll-feed printers. They often use solventⁱ-based inks which can only print to certain types of pre-coated rigid substrates. The mid-range to high-end flatbed printers are often dedicated UV-curingⁱ flatbeds. UV-cure inks can print directly to many types of uncoated substrates that require no special prep (other than cleaning). These printers usually feature vacuum tables to hold the stock in place for maximum repeatability. The difference in price on these units often relates to speed and quality.

 

WHY GET A DIGITAL CUTTING DEVICE?

Adding a digital die cutter affects all aspects of the print provider’s business, especially if they own a flatbed printer. It can reduce the cost of manufacturing a project by offering faster more efficient stock cutting, it can add extra services to provide to clients, it can reduce prepress times and it can save valuable substrates by providing better nesting.

 

Digital cutters can do an amazing job on materials that are difficult to cut using other methods, especially when creating complex folding box materials such as this. (photo courtesy Zünd)

 

 

Unlike a digital printer, the normal life span of a cutting system exceeds 15 years. That is something else to consider when buying this type of equipment. Don’t buy the cutter for today’s needs, buy one that will last through your future needs. Some systems like the Zünd are field upgradeable, which can be a major bonus given how fast the technology is changing.

 

 

 

 WORKING WITH CUTTER SOFTWARE
High-end digital cutters, like those made by Zünd, are generally equipped with software that is compatible with the kind of RIP-to-cut software available through suppliers such as Onyx, Wasatch, Caldera and Colorburst. Print files with embedded die lines are sent to the RIP and can be automatically nested, scaled and paneled with the required copies for the job. Registration marks and/or barcodes are added in the RIP process.

Once the die file is created, it is later opened at the cutter. Zünd also offers an automated print-to-cut workflow software system called Prepare-it, which is printer and RIP independent. Prepare-it has sophisticated nesting algorithms for true shape nesting based on the die line, not the bounding boxⁱ of the images. This eliminates the Illustrator step. Prepare-it can also nest a group of independent jobs together based on the material they need to be printed on. It’s basically a very straight-forward process as is outlined in the following illustrations.

Step 1: Set the profile for the material to be cut.	Step 2: Queuei the job.
Step 3: Preview how the job will be cut.	Step 4: Set the cutting parameters.
Step 5: Adjust the production settings.	Step 6: Check the registration marks.