<title>Future of printing: changes and challenges, technologies and markets</title>

Abstract

Based on technological, economical facts, analysis and observations it is explained that print media and electronic media are both required and will also be important in the distant future, especially in the next century, in the "information age". Digital creation and job preparation and digital workflow lead to the result that the production steps for producing print mediapremedia (newly defined), prepress, printing and postpress -will come closer together, especially prepress, printing and postpress/finishing, and will be merged to system solutions and print production systems -"data inproduct out" could be realized.Digital printing is not science fiction, it is reality and for many applications state of the art technology, but also with much potential for improvements. Digital printing equipment is realized for higher productivity and high quality multicolor printing. Especially direct imaging technologies with fixed image plates are in a powerful position in the market, further systems are announced, and systems with reimageable plates/surfaces are in discussion and in development. Digitalization has also improved the conventional print production process and the related equipment. It is shown that conventional and Non-Impact Printing (NIP)-technologies have their clear position for producing multicolor printed products for different applications, market and quality requirements. Computer to ... -technologies, digital workflow and digital printing systems offer new possibilities for print production. Distributed printingespecially also via the net -, print on demand, personalization, etc. are opportunities for creating new kinds of printed media and business and for changing the print production strategies.It is shown that the new possibilities and products are based on advanced technologies, innovations, synergies and customer/market requirements. Screening technologies, color management, high quality/low cost consumables, design concepts for printing systems easy to use, high reliability of equipment, low costs of ownership are tools and requirements for success as well as cooperations and strategic alliances within the graphic arts industry to meet the expectations of the market and of all the partners within the graphic arts industry. Summarized it is shown that many changes and challenges took place three years after the author's presentation during the IS&T/SPIE's Symposium on Electronic Imaging Science & Technology '95 and that there are big chances for improvements within the graphic arts industry; advanced and new technologies have come up, pushing the market and the demand for print media as an important part of today's high level of quality of life which is also a driving force that print media will never come to a stop. Downloaded From: http://proceedings.spiedigitallibrary.org/ on 06/15/2016 Terms of Use: http://spiedigitallibrary.org/ss/TermsOfUse.aspx AbstractDigitalization within the graphic arts industry is described and it is explained how it is iniproving and changing the print production s...