Lightning Source UK Ltd., an Ingram Content Group company, has expanded its colour printing capabilities with the installation of an OcÉ ColorStream 3700 from Canon.
The installation of the Canon technology at its Milton Keynes facility in the UK mirrors the successful installation of the same equipment at the company's headquarters in Tennessee, USA, where it prints and distributes colour books in as quickly as two working days.
‘Publishers are facing many challenges in today's market,’ said David Taylor, senior vice president Content Acquisition International, Ingram Content Group, and group managing director, Lightning Source UK. ‘Not only is there demand for quick delivery from customers, but there is also the element of guess work in determining how many printed copies of books will sell.
‘With the means to offer true single copy POD, we are able to provide an inventory-free model for publishers, which means zero warehousing of stock - offering significant cost savings, a reduction in unnecessary pulping and an economically viable solution whether one or one thousand copies are required.’
The high speed OcÉ ColorStream 3700 prints at 100 metres per minute with a print width of up to 540mm. It features OcÉ DigiDot technology, which uses drop-on-demand inkjet printheads to jet drops of ink only when and where needed. The small drop sizes produced enable higher quality images, smoother halftones and stunning colour, with less ink and less waste. Additionally, DigiDot technology can vary dot sizes, enabling users to create images with different density ranges to optimise quality levels for individual jobs and media types.
The adoption of OcÉ ColorStream technology follows the success of additional Canon equipment used by Ingram Content Group at its facilities worldwide to manufacture books for publishers.
According to Taylor the expansion of its colour production is, naturally, the next step for the business in the UK: ‘This new printer from Canon is helping us to bridge a gap in the market. Colour POD has previously been possible, but often at a high cost. Our new colour offer is a real game changer for publishers as the cost to print full-colour POD books is approaching the price of black and white manufacturing.’
Hundreds of publishers that work with Lightning Source are already using the new colour printing option for both their short-run needs and to fulfil orders via Ingram's comprehensive reseller channels - which reach tens of thousands of online and traditional bookshops worldwide.
Through Ingram's POD solution, books can also be brought back to life. By holding a digital inventory of titles that have previously been discontinued, the company can offer benefits all-round - to publishers who can resurrect a previously extinct revenue stream, and to customers who can access 'out of print' titles such as childhood favourites.
Craig Nethercott, Commercial Print Group director, Canon UK, said, ‘Lightning Source is helping publishers meet the challenges of modern-day book retailing, using the power of digital print to develop opportunities for both itself and its customers.
‘The traditional method of estimating book sales, printing in high volumes, warehousing stock, together with the prospect of waste if sales are misjudged, is turned on its head for Lightning Source customers and this is a strong offering for the market. To see this production model brought to the UK with Canon technology is very exciting and I look forward to seeing the success in the USA replicated over here.’
For further information about Canon UK, visit: www.canon.co.uk/.
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