[Success Story] Grafiche Filacorda uses AccurioPro Flux to expand further into digital printing
Founded in 1954, Grafiche Filacorda is based in Friuli in northeastern Italy. The company mainly produces catalogs, brochures, books and calendars, along with all kinds of promotional print. Its customers include well-known brands in the engineering, maritime, food and furniture industries, as well as ceramics manufacturers, public-sector clients and art book publishers. The 20-person company has also been printing digitally since 2018, when Tinet, a certified Konica Minolta partner, assessed its needs and installed its first digital press. By early 2022, volumes had grown so much that it needed a more powerful press and a more efficient workflow.
The challenge
- Falling run lengths and much shorter delivery times
- A sharp rise in digital print volume
The solution
- Konica Minolta AccurioPress C12000 color press
- TU-510 inline trimming unit for four-edge trimming and creasing
- IQ-501 for color and registration control
- AccurioPro Flux, our print workflow software
In May 2022, Grafiche Filacorda became the first company in Italy to install an AccurioPress C12000 with a TU-510 and AccurioPro Flux. The existing Kodak Prinergy prepress workflow stayed in place and was connected to AccurioPro Flux. The software simplifies imposition and finishing, and its intuitive interface makes it easy to operate. Print and finishing settings are stored together in the job, so the press and the TU-510 work as one coordinated line.
The graphics department sets up automated workflows in a few clicks: pages are dragged and dropped into AccurioPro Flux, where the job properties are applied automatically. This shortens make-ready times and avoids the errors and rework that come with manual setup. The dashboard also gives the prepress team an overview of all incoming and outgoing jobs, lets them schedule the work and alerts them to delays in production.
Rush jobs are part of everyday business at Filacorda, which is why the company wanted the TU-510 up and running as early as possible. Jobs come off the press already trimmed, with no second machine to start up. The unit also lets the company take on work for other departments and do away with manual steps that were not cost-effective.
Three months after installation, Filacorda had already moved much of its former 350 x 500 mm offset work to the new digital production line. The B1 offset press with H-UV curing remains essential for larger formats, long runs and laminated products, while other work is gradually moving to digital.
The benefits for the customer
- Digital production integrated into the existing Kodak Prinergy offset workflow
- Shorter make-ready times and fewer errors thanks to automated workflows
- Trimmed, finished products straight off the press
- Offset-like look and feel on paper up to 450 g/m² and sheets up to 330 x 1,300 mm
- An overview of all incoming and outgoing jobs in the dashboard, with alerts on delays
- Much of the 350 x 500 mm offset work moved to digital within three months
With AccurioPro Flux linking Kodak Prinergy, the AccurioPress C12000 and inline finishing, Grafiche Filacorda has expanded its digital printing without giving up its proven prepress workflow.