Finishing & Screen Printing

Watkiss targets colour digital print and variable data booklet making at Drupa 2012

Monday 11. June 2012 - Watkiss Automation Ltd is a leading manufacturer and supplier of print finishing equipment, offering a range of solutions to help customers optimise profitability and productivity in their print finishing operations. At Drupa 2012, Watkiss will demonstrate applications and new solutions for colour digital print and variable data booklet making in Hall 13, Stand B70. Highlights of the Watkiss Drupa programme include:

• PowerSquare 200 for the Colour Digital Print market
At Drupa Watkiss Automation is unveiling a PowerSquare booklet maker with full bleed trimming, specifically targeting the colour digital print market.
The Watkiss PowerSquare 200 is a unique and innovative complete book making system for digital and offset print applications. In a single machine it combines the four processes of stitching, folding, spine forming and trimming to produce SquareBack books up to 200 pages thick. It features fully automatic settings for different book size and pagination, including variable stitch leg length for varying book thickness.
With 3-side trimming, the PowerSquare 200 booklet maker can produce full-bleed print jobs in a single-pass direct from the printer, without any intermediary handling. The need to trim the sheets on a guillotine either before or after booklet making is removed.
The entire booklet making operation – stitching, folding, spine-forming, face-trimming and side-trimming – is quick and easy to control from the intuitive colour touchscreen. The operator simply enters the paper size, finished book size and number of stitches that are required. If needed, the side trimming can be offset to match the printed image.
The Watkiss PowerSquare 200 booklet maker is already very successful in the monochrome printing sector, due to its unique ability to produce SquareBack books up to 200 pages thick. Watkiss expects this success to be repeated in the colour sector and will be producing high pagination digitally printed colour booklets and photo books on their Drupa stand.
• PowerSquare 200 for Variable Data printing
Watkiss will also be showing variable data applications on the Nearline PowerSquare 200, a booklet making solution for digital printers that combines a high capacity dual sheet feeder with the Watkiss PowerSquare 200 booklet maker to effortlessly convert digital print into high quality stitched booklets.
With variable data printing, not only does the data change, but the pagination can also change. The PowerSquare 200 auto-compensates for this variability in book thickness. It is equipped, as standard, with Optical Mark Recognition in both feeders to check the set integrity and control the complete set. Barcode Readers can also be included to provide individual sheet-by-sheet integrity checking and to initiate the booklet making process.
In addition to these innovations, Watkiss will be showing a wide portfolio of online and offline finishing systems, including the Watkiss DigiVAC and Watkiss Vario Collating and Finishing Systems; and the Document Finishing System for digital print booklet making.
SquareBack book technology, which was developed and patented by Watkiss and is now the preferred choice of printers and print buyers all over the world, will be demonstrated on the Watkiss PowerSquare 200 Booklet Maker and the SpineMaster.
Watkiss Automation is committed to providing a range of practical and cost effective finishing solutions for all print finishing environments. Leading technology and innovation enables printers to finish their output on-demand, on-time and on-budget.