➤ Reducing waste and printing better quality are two objectives embraced by almost every supplier to newspaper and commercial web printers. QI Press Controls is more ambitious, striving towards the perfection of the printing processes. Savings in raw materials are just part of the payback, and at DRUPA a succession of orders from companies acknowledged QI’s leadership in critical press control technology. Orders there in excess of 7.3 million Euros ($11.83 million) will see the company’s systems added to presses all over the world. Among these, QI’s ‘total control’ markless Intelligent Density System will go to Transcontinental sites in San Francisco and Montreal, and to ‘Freie Press’ in Germany ... all of them manroland Colorman XXL triple-wide installations. The Düsseldorf show was also the occasion for the European launch of QI’s mRC colour register system, and the Australian-developed Air Bustle Device. The new mRC – which can operate either with or without register marks – has already had a huge impact with major sales for Edda Trykk in Norway (22 towers) and NSTP in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. With IDS and the IQM quality management system, it also forms a part of a heatset installation for Datagraf in Denmark. In the fully automatic mRC – for markless Register Control colour and cut-off register system – a digital camera with an integrated microprocessor processes measured data in real-time. Either printed micro marks or the TIFF image data can be used as reference. The ‘markless’ mode is currently not available in Germany, UK and the USA. The system makes a bigger print area available, and further reduces waste because colours are automatically brought into register during start-up. It can be easily expanded with IQM for quality reporting. Based on an Australian invention, the Air Bustle Device addresses the problem of ‘fan-out’ of the web as it is subjected to variables of tension, ink and water-based dampening solution. The resulting mis-register is a common problem on multicolour presses in high-volume production. Avoiding problems such as smearing, inadequate air pressure or excessive consumption, the QI device instead uses constant air pressure and a height-adjustable air nozzle unit for consistent results. James Haisman, managing director of QI Press Controls Australasia, says considerable development has taken place since he first introduced the ABD at last year’s Single Width Users’ Group. “The ABD has been refined and enhanced, and can now be integrated in our closed-loop solutions, so that fully automatic fan-out control can be achieved”. The first international ABD installation will make use of this closed-loop facility on five new KBA Commander press lines for Ciner Printing in Turkey, where a total of 129 QI scanners are being installed. EVERY DAY, NZ’s ISO-ASSURED GUARDIAN PRINT IMPROVES QUALITY AND REDUCES WASTE WITH QI With more than 128 years’ daily newspaper experience, Guardian Print in Ashburton, New Zealand, knows a thing or two about printing a quality newspaper. In fact, they are the only printers in the country with ISO 9001 registration – an international quality standard that they have held for the last six years. The South Island plant prides itself on being the only NZ printer who can offer inline heatset/coldset mix options, on a combination of both newsprint and glossy stocks, with a variety of formats and sizes available. The DGM 440 pressline – chosen for its quality and flexibility – includes four coldset and two heatset four-high towers. Full colour is available on 48 out of 64 tabloid pages in one section. Guardian Print’s general manager Ross Mains says he soon realised that the number of towers, combined with the press’s ability to combine heatset and coldset, would benefit from an automatic register control system. “The main criteria were to assist the printers in maintaining good consistent quality while reducing waste,” he says. “Auto registration allows the printers to focus on other press quality issues.” Mains and his team studied automatic register systems before settling on QI Press Controls: “The size of the registration marks were the smallest we’d seen, and existing customers had no hesitation in recommending the product,” he says. Installation of the QI system comprising 12 IRS scanners controlling both colour and cut-off register automatically, was “painless, very professional, and very speedy”. Guardian Prints’ decision to purchase the IRS system brought immediate benefits: “QI promised to achieve good register within 200 copies of a cold start, and we easily achieve that with some runs being as low as 150 copies,” he says. Other benefits – apart from the significant waste paper reduction – have been consistent good quality printing. “The IRS ensures the finished result really is ‘picture perfect’. The images appear sharper, something that has certainly been noticed by our clients,” Mains says. Printers are also delighted with the latest automation. “The QI equipment is very easy to use and even printers with no previous register control experience quickly came to enjoy it,” he says. Q.I. Press Controls Australasia 10/197-199 Springvale Road, Nunawading, Vic 3131 Ph: (03) 9878 0555 James Haisman – Managing Director Email: j.haisman@qipc.com www.qipc.com