Hybrid Software Group PLC Annual Report 2022 2 3 THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION IN PRINT MANUFACTURING Hybrid Software Group PLC Annual Report 2022 Hybrid Software Group Strategic report Governance Financial statements Other information The print manufacturing market is transitioning from analogue to digital at a rapid pace. A number of factors have combined to accelerate this change: supply chain disruption caused by the COVID pandemic, changing consumer demand for customised products, and the growing realisation that the way for manufacturing industries to do business is to go digital. At the heart of this change in the printing market are the innovations taking place in digital inkjet printing. Inkjet printing makes it possible to change what is being printed in real time on every object. It can be inserted at different points in the production process, for instance during product decoration, packaging or labelling. In addition, inkjet can print on any surface, resulting in a revolution in the way in which goods are produced and packaged and the speed with which they are ready for market. Prepress Digital printer O set printer Computer to plate Jobfile THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION IN PRINT MANUFACTURING Printing is part of the manufacturing process for thousands of products that touch our everyday lives as the illustration shows below. Inkjet is the technology driver for digital conversion of these processes and makes it possible to produce products that were simply not possible with analogue processes such as customising vehicles, garage doors, or even jetting onto the side of aircraft. Hybrid Software Group enables its customers to migrate their traditional manufacturing processes to digital inkjet. Specialised software is used to prepare the PDF file for printing. This may include merging a data stream to generate bar codes for product identification or security purposes; colour management to achieve specific brand colours; layout tools to ensure the most economical use of raw materials; tools to proof the artwork on screen; and enterprise software for workflow automation. Other software embedded in the printing process ensures high-quality output through RIPping and screening depending on the specifications of the printing device. As many as 7 colours plus white and clear inks may be jetted with different sizes of ink drops to achieve the desired output. All of these need calibrating with the printing device. A typical labelling workflow Analogue versus digital workflow In an analogue workflow, graphic designs are transferred to a printing plate which is fed to the press to produce multiples of the same item. In a digital workflow, a PDF file created by the designer encapsulates all the data required for printing. The PDF file is submitted to the digital printing press via a digital front end (DFE). Image supplied courtesy of FuturePrint https://www.futureprint.tech/ Photo credits bottom row left to right: iC3D software; Amherst Labels, a HYBRID Software customer; HP PageWide, a Global Graphics Software customer. Photo credits left to right: Vollherbst, a HYBRID Software customer; Mark Andy, a Global Graphics Software customer; Vollherbst.
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