Toner getting smeared at the post office

[raminmd]

Hi all,

I am sorry if this is not the right place but I was curious on how everyone handled the issue of toner getting smeared when it goes through the sorting equipment in the post office.

I know digital printing in general has this issue. However, is UV coating the only solution. Not only does it add significant time to the turnarounds but it is also not very environmentally friendly.

We have a Canon 7000VP and we do have the issue of the toner getting smeared on the postcards when they go through the postal system. It is random but it does happen more than we want. I know other printers in the area who have IGENs and they have the same issue as well. I am assuming that most digital printers have this issue.

Most of our stuff is run on 12 pt. glossy stock.

Thanks.

[ROCPrinter]

Yes, it will happen with an iGen, Indigo, Nexpress or any other digital device. UV coating is about the only fast option... You could varnish the sheets on an offset press but then you will need drying time. You have to seal the sheets.

I bought a 25" UV coater (without the feeder) relatively cheap from Tec Lighting (Tec Lighting). I ran a shop that had two HP Indigo's and this machine suited them well and my customers where happy. I would buy another one in a heartbeat!

[Rhino]

Raminmd,

Sealing the sheet is your best option to prevent future smearing. You had mentioned UV coating, our UV coatings are environmentally-friendly, pressman-friendly and ODOR-FREE.

Please visit our web site Welcome To Rhino Performance Products or call us @ 866-601-6241

[lfelton]

My experience is different. On K-M and Xerox colour machines, the rub resistance is very high on all the paper we use and we've never had to coat a sheet for that reason. The only time I can remember ever getting an issue with rubbing, it turned out that some sheets of heavier paper had been mixed in somehow and therefore the fuser wasn't hot enough for those sheets.

I've heard that the print on Indigos can be a bit fragile and there are various discussions (i.e. ink laydown order) on how to improve this.

I don't know about Canons, but IMO you should investigate whether you are getting the best rub resistance your machine can produce before looking at coating.

[X33]

I've seen 2 solutions:

1. Put UV coating on the pieces mailed.

2. Use the highest level of automation and bar codes that the USPS needs so that the pieces don't need to go through sorting machines; they go straight to the delivery carriers. Check with the USPS.

[Craig]

X33 - #2 will only apply if you are doing a saturation mailing.

One thing we need to remember and inform our customers. The USPS is sorting at something like 12 pieces per SECOND. There is a great amount of friction when the machine is separating the pieces. I get offset printed pieces all the time that have the same amount or even more smearing than digital prints. We are not the only ones plagued with this problem, it effects everyone.

[Pirate Mike]

I concur UV coating is the best method to protect sheets being mailed. I will caution you that just recently there have been quite a few very inexpensive units put out on the market that have shortened the dwell time by reducing the overall length of their units to fit small spaces and pocketbooks, but have severly reduced the quality of the overall coating.

The only "entry" level unit that I have seen work successfully is the TecLighting unit. Another benefit to them is that they make their own coatings so you can be assured that they will work as planned. Over the years selling Konica Minolta (C500, C5500, C6500, C65hc), Canon ImagePRESS's and later Ricoh C900's TecLighting has been the most consistent for the price. If you are in a mixed environment you may have to have several solutions. For example end up with a Canon and a Konica Minolta due to the differences in their toner.

I have used several other brands in my solutions just to be dissapointed. Just my 2 cents worth...

[SnappySteve]

Craig is right - we have a bin we keep just to show clients who become upset when this happens. We have examples of offset printed, UV coated cards that are burnt through into the paper. It is not just a digital problem - it is a USPS impatience problem.

[alan4color]

Like craig i have seen litho cards damaged. I sometimes think the post office uses a belt sander in the sort machines. While we do not have a UV coated on site we have had good luck running indigo work through our litho press and applying an AQ coating to seal.

Its a matter of determining clients needs and getting expectations in line with reality.

[KurtK]

The IPA evaluated rub resistance and cracking in their Digital Print Forum Tests in 2008 and 2009.

In 2008, the entrants selected their own paper for the test. In the rub test, prints from the Heidelberg XL 105 and Indigo 3050, 5000, & 5500 lost 50% or more of their density, whereas the NexPress S3000, KM 6500 and Xeikon 6000 and 8000 only lost 20% or less of their original density.

In 2009, the same paper was used by all entrants, so the test may not show the best a system can do. Print samples from the Indigo 7000, Presstek 52DI, Sceen Truepress 344, and the iGen4 lost 40% or more of their density. Print samples from the Canon C7000, NexPress S3000, and Xeikon 3300 & 8000 only lost around 20% or less of their original density. The print samples from Xeikon 8000 did the best with only 10% density loss.

Bottom line is one can get very good rub resistance with many of the digital presses w/o coating the output. There were no print samples using ink that did well in the test, so offset generally needs to be coated. Check with your vendor for the best media and make sure you’re using the appropriate fuser/paper settings.