In today’s digital era, with the ‘digital native’ generation now accounting for 40 percent of the modern workforce worldwide, technology is thrust upon us at every turn. Advanced digital technologies have evolved far beyond the days of being merely corporate buzzwords or futuristic concepts looming beyond the horizon, and leveraging AI and Big Data for business solutions is no longer a novel concept. Each week appears to bring new instances whereby these technologies are woven into the thread of our daily lives and business environments. However, for the mainstream commercial print, publishing and packaging sectors, despite the promise of a widespread industry renaissance, we are yet to see a fully integrated, thriving ‘Print 4.0’ landscape come to fruition and become a tangible reality across the board. As such, the full spectrum of customer benefits that AI is poised to deliver has remained just out of reach. Until now.
Pioneering a new path, one nanometer at a time
It is no secret that, as a longstanding traditional industry, the commercial print, publishing and packaging landscape has historically been characterized by a degree of inertia. With many print businesses accustomed to established processes and technologies, hesitance to embrace new technologies that require substantial change to workflows and business models is an ongoing challenge. The Landa name, however, has long been synonymous with a pioneering and transformative force across these markets, renowned for thinking outside the box and forging new paths.
The company’s trademark NanoInk®, for example, comprises ultra-small pigment particles around ten times smaller than conventional inks and boasts the broadest CMYK color palette of any printing process available on the market today – not only reimagining the print process and opening up an array of new possibilities for print businesses industry-wide, but thereby redefining the narrative around digital printing.
As we stand on the precipice of huge, widespread change as an industry – with technologies such as AI promising to completely reinvent everything from our machine development to our workflows – it is precisely this visionary ambition and commitment to crafting a new future that will provide the key to unlocking the next phase of our technological evolution and success.
Transforming vision and innovation into real-world solutions
Having unveiled two new cutting-edge digital presses at this year’s Drupa 2024 – the Landa S11 and S11P Nanographic Printing® Presses – Landa’s newest solutions show precisely how technological innovation and foresight can create a transformative synergy and spark a new direction for print. The new presses are designed for the packaging and commercial print / publishing markets, respectively, and leverage the most advanced technologies to reimagine the economics of the print process.
Based on the company’s proven Landa S10 and S10P platforms, the Landa S11 and S11P pack even more power under the hood, featuring a host of performance upgrades to improve productivity and performance. These include a revolutionized ink drying system which provides the key to boosted print speeds of up to 11,200 sheets per hour (SPH), with use of the new 11K Module. In real terms, for businesses, this means much higher volumes, faster turnaround times, and ultimately, a more robust bottom line – however, speed is only part of the story.
Importantly, with a brand new PrintAI module, the presses harness the power of AI and Big Data, with completely new algorithms based on huge data models trained on millions of sheets, introducing a level of precision that was previously unimaginable. Comprising three new elements packaged into one robust module, PrintAI unlocks unparallelled print quality, ensuring that even the most intricate details are reproduced with perfect fidelity. This is particularly critical for applications that demand micro text or sophisticated brand protection features, creating new possibilities for print businesses and brand owners alike.
PrintAI also integrates active quality management (AQM) with AI capabilities to maintain print quality precisely and automatically – bolstered by the inbuilt ability to interface with and utilize an advanced inspection system supplied by EyeC. In essence, the new module guarantees that the unrivalled performance profile of the new presses can be matched with market-leading precision and quality, able to fulfil even the most demanding of applications across the commercial print, publishing and packaging space.
To print businesses operating in today’s challenging market, these advances empower them to expand their service offering, onboard new brands or explore novel applications. Promisingly, however, it also equips printers to break into entirely new, profitable markets, providing an agility that could be critical looking ahead to an uncertain and no doubt continually volatile market future.
Beyond the horizon: realizing our print future
Whilst utilizing AI is no longer considered new or revolutionary in itself, the implications of leveraging this technology with Landa’s new, cutting-edge presses in today’s market context are vast. Combining AI capabilities with Landa’s transformative vision for the print industry, the well-established, high performing Landa S10 and S10P platforms and a host of additional performance enhancements opens new doors for businesses and shifts us ever-closer to Print 4.0. This perfect synergy allows printers and converters to offer the highest quality products that can meet even the most stringent customer needs in today’s demanding market, all whilst boosting profits and, critically, unlocking industry growth and advancement towards an intelligent, connected and flourishing print landscape.
In short, the launch of the Landa S11 and S11P digital presses is more than a product announcement; it’s a statement of intent. Built on a deep understanding of the industry’s needs, Landa is pledging its commitment to realizing the wealth of opportunities that new technologies have to offer our industry. The Landa S11 and S11P presses offer proof that with the right combination of technological expertise and inspired vision, the future is not just something to look forward to – it’s something we can build today.
