“The job with hybrid screening involves a saving of ink with regards to conventional screening with similar resolution and visual appearance”

1. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
Economic Impact of the
Hybrid Screening in the Print
Runs of Offset Sheet
o
Ignacio Villalba Romero. Instituto Tecnológico y Gráfico Tajamar
C/ Pío Felipe, 12 28038 — Madrid. Office T-09. Ph.: 0034 91 477 25 00. ivillalba@tajamar.es
www.itgt.es
Manuel Vacas Galán. ORYMU GRAPHIC ARTS
C/ Ruiz de Alda, 3-5. 28320 Pinto -Madrid. Ph.: 0034 91 691 40 13. calidad@orymu.es
www.orymu.es

2. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
Reasons for this research
Orymu Graphic Arts, is the largest Offset
El Instituto Tecnológico
sheet printing company in Spain.
y Gráfico Tajamar traines and advices
Orymu´s offer is one of the most competitive
Graphic Arts Sector companies
in comercial printing in Europe.
Orymu´s experts believe that there should be less ink consumption The Quality Department detected the lack of research
Using Hybrid Screening than conventional screening concerning the screening matter
The need of researching both screenings methods arised.
The goal of this work is to clarify the economic impact which implies the Hybrid Screening
Usage (XM) in comparison with Conventional Screening Usage (AM)
in Offset sheet printing.

3. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
Work Flow
STATEMENT
HYPOTHESIS
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
WORK METHODOLOGY SECONDARY
SOURCES SUPPORT
PRIMARY SOURCES: EMPIRICAL DATA
OBTAINED
EMPIRICAL COMPARISON
CONCLUSIONS
GOALS ACHIEVED
HYPOTHESIS
ASSESSED

4. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
1. Hypothesis
“The job with hybrid screening involves
a saving of ink with regards to
conventional screening with similar
resolution and visual appearance”

5. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
2. Main Objective
• To determine and quantify the cost ink
decrease which implies the use of
hybrid screening (XM) faced with
conventional screenings (AM) in the
productive process in offset printring
companies.

6. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
2.1. Secondary Objectives
• To check the true stability of the XM
screening
• To compare visually the printing result of
conventional screening images with the
same images printed with hybrid screening.
• To find and assess the variables which usually
affect the graphic production process in a
conventional printing company.

7. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
3. Methodology

8. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
4. Secondary Sources
• We looked for information related to
the research and we found as follows:
– The Lisi & Baitz (2006) studies proved the
use of frequency modulation screening
reduced the ink consumption during the
printing by 22%.
– Agfa-Gevaert N.V presents its SUBLIMA
screening with the advantages of using
the AM & FM screening.

9. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
5. Experiment development
• It was based in a print run which
allowed the ink compsumtion
comparison in two test screened in a
different way.
• The print conditions were the same.
• The samples were cut and weighed to
evaluate the consumptions.

10. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
5.1. Print Test Features

11. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
5.2. Print Test
45 cm. (17,7 inch)
35,7 cm. (14,1 inch)

12. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
5.3. Materials used
• Agfa SUBLIMA XM 240 lpi screening.
(minimum dot size 21 micron)
• Conventional screening of 175 lpi.
• Matt Coated paper of 115 gsm/m2
• Printed in large format Mitsubishi press four colors
5G format
96 x 132 cm. (37,8 x 52 inches.)

13. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
103,1 x 91,6 cm.
(40,6 x 36,1 inches)

14. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
5.4. CTP Linearity

15. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
5.5. Plates generation
• Lastra LT2 thermal positive plates
• Platesetter Agfa Xcalibur VLF 7
• ISO Coated v2 (ECI)
• Composition: Adobe® InDesign®
• PDF/X-1a:2001 Files
• Agfa ApogeeX workflow
• Agfa DQS (Digital Quick Streep) system

16. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
5.6. Measure of dot gains
• Mitsubishi Central Color System press adjustment

17. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
5.7. Color measurement:
conditions
• In accordance with 12647-2 standard.
• In dry conditions.
• Using spectrophotometer X-Rite 530.
• On black background.

18. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
5.8. Color Measurement

19. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
Comparison against
ISO 12647-2
CYAN 1,51 MAGENTA 1,56 YELOW 1,40 BLACK 2,03
Lab (12647-2) 54/-36/-49 46/72/-5 88/-6/90 16/0/0
Test Lab 54,70/-36,40/-48 46,27/72,62/-3,59 84,82/-3,74/92,68 13,34/-1,14/0,01
∆E 1.27 1.56 4.73 2.88

20. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
5.9. Second print. Dot gain
matching

21. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
5.9. Color measurement

22. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
5.10. Samples cut and weighing
• Cut using a POLAR 137E trimmer
• Printed sheets and non-printed sheets were
cut.
• Samples of 10 sheets set against each other,
5 from up side and 5 from down side, from
screening XM and screening AM.
• 15 samples were obtained from each
screening type and 15 from non-printed
paper.
• The samples were weighed on a very
precise Bel Engineeriing Mark 0.01 balance

23. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
6. Results

24. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas

25. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
Consumptions per 10 sheets of
480x387 mm format.
Extrapolating:

26. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
7. Conclusions
• A company with a printing volume close to
100 millons sheets per year and with an ink
compsuntion of around 25.000 kg, could
reach an ink saving near the 20%.
• The ink charges are considered between
200 and 340%.
• For example, in the publishing market of
graphic color edition, where the text and
the white areas covers a high percentage
of the printed surface; a saving within 5 and
10% could be achieved.

27. Economic Impact of the Hybrid Screening in the Print Runs of Offset
Sheet
All under one roof
Ignacio Villalba / Manuel Vacas
8. Reasoned Hypothesis
Thank you for listening