Review of Related Studies and Literature

Printing Technologies
Current printing technologies are based on a wealth of inventions
made in the engineering sciences, information technology, physics, and
chemistry fields (Kipphan, 2001, p.40). Heckelman (1996) states that it is
only natural to build better technology and more efficient processes to
accomplish tasks. In recent years, computers and information technology
have made a continuous impact (Kipphan, 2001, p.40).
Printing technologies can be categorized as conventional printing or
non-impact printing. Conventional printing refers to printing that requires a
master or a printing plate that serves as the print-carrying medium (Kipphan,
2001, p.41), while non-impact printing refer to those technologies that do not
require a printing plate (Refer to Appendix A for the types of printing
technologies) (Kipphan, 2001, p.11). Kipphan (2001) states that there are
five major traditional printing processes: relief printing (letterpress,
flexography), Plano graphic (offset lithography), recess printing
(gravure/intaglio), stencil printing (screen), and digital printing (toner and
inkjet).
According to Romano (2002), the majority of printed products are
manufactured using offset technology, followed by an increasing use of
digital technology. With continuous developments in flexographic
technologies, flexography is increasingly gaining market share, especially in
the packaging industry. Gravure is still used for long runs in packaging and
commercial print markets. Figure 1 represents the distribution of processes
employed in the printing industry.

Challenges in the Printing Industry

According to Davis (2004), the demand for printed products and
services are primarily driven by economic growth, the Internet, and
customer behavior.
 Technology has continuously influenced the print industry. However,
business conditions and the economy continue to have a nearly equal
impact (Naselli,2004, p. 18). For several years, economic conditions have
been the top challenge for printers, followed by competition and pricing
(Naselli, 2004, p. 18). Quick and small commercial printers are also
challenged by the economy, but are maintaining their competitive edge in
the short-run, fast turnaround market.
A common assumption is that businesses will improve their
profitability with the recovery of the economy (Naselli, 2004, p.18).
However, the problem is no longer just the economy but the changing
nature of graphic communications, which is no longer simply about putting
ink on paper. It's also about non-print media that replaces ink with pixels
Printers can no longer blame volume declines on a poor economy. Those
printers that have survived the economic slump are now faced with
surviving the economic recovery. According to Naselli (2004, p.19): One of
the major forces that buoyed the print industry in the boom years was the
advertising and marketing of ways of avoiding having to print things -
namely the Internet and the Web. This is why we stress that a focus on
"value-added services" can help ensure printers do not suffer unduly when
print work ebbs.
Two new sales opportunities for printers have been identified:
'broadening digital printing services' and 'making the company's Web site
more interactive', indicating that printers are beginning to acknowledge the
role that digital printing, cross media and the Internet will play in their future
businesses (Evans, 2003, p.23). It is evident that printers are looking away
from traditional businesses practices.

Trends in the Printing Industry

Evans (2003, p.23) states that less than 2,000 companies claim to be
searching for a press. This is historically the lowest result in the history of
the NAPL State of the Industry survey (Evans, 2003, p.23).
NAPL states that the printing industry is finally showing signs of what
may be a sustainable upturn, following more than two years of steep and
broad sales declines. NAPL forecasts that print sales will grow as much as
4.1 % in 2004, compared to 2.6% in 2003 (NAPL, 2004b). Despite the
gross domestic product (GDP) growing at 7.2%, printing companies can no
longer rely on an economic rebound to grow their businesses. The
economy is rising rapidly especially with the elections and Olympic games
occurring this year. Not long ago, all of this would have meant good times
across our industry (NAPL, 2004b). Currently, however, printers are being
forced to prepare for growth in markets that are increasingly competitive in
numerous ways. Although state-of-the art technology is desirable, it is not
necessarily the main ingredient for success in today's soft environment
(Heckelman, 1996).
Across the board, printing markets are being redefined by shorter runs,
increasing use of color, personalization and growing demand for value-
added services such as database management, fulfillment and mailing
(Smith, 2003).

Markets and Applications

The printing industry caters to an array of niche markets. While some
printing companies specialize in offering a specific product, others offer a
diversified range of products and services. Various pundits and
associations have attempted to classify the products manufactured by this
industry. The NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) has
been working for years to upgrade its classification system to incorporate
the vast spectrum of products produced by this industry. According to
Wilson, Gentile and the staff of GATF (2002), some of the key print markets
are:
 General Commercial Printing
 Book Printing
 Direct Mail Printing
 Packaging
 Magazine and Periodicals
 Newspapers
 Prepress Service Binderies
 Trade Binderies
The Early Vending Machines
It is very surprising that the world's first drink vending machine was
invented by Hero of Alexandria around AD 50, that is, nearly 2000 years ago.
Though the description of the invention has been found in an ancient text of
his called The Pneumatica, the actual invention has yet to be discovered.
This idea was of dispensing some quantity of Holy Water when a coin was
placed in a slot on a machine. The coin dropped on to a pan on a lever and
the weight of the coin moved the lever which opened a crude valve and
allowed the Holy Water to flow. As the lever continued to move, the coin fell
off. The lever moved back and the water flow was shut off again.
After this, it was in the 1880s that the vending machine became a
commercial success. The first machines vending postcards and books
appeared in London. Coffee and drinks vending machines are now a
common sight in offices and hospitals.

Hi-tech Vending Machine

Vending machines used to just swallow your money. Now they sell
anything from drinks to live crabs and can even offer a lifeline in disaster hit
countries.
Vending has come a long way since the ancient Greeks relied on
Hero's coin-operated machine to dispense holy water at temples. The first
machines appeared in the UK during the late Victorian era, selling postcards
before moving on to the ubiquitous machines we see today selling items such
as chocolate bars, stamps and cigarettes that are found in railway stations
and other busy public places.
According to Hilder, the common perception that vending machines do
not accept most coins is now largely false. The technology has come on
enormously in recent years, according to Hilder, and don't blame it all on the
industry: 2.8% of £1 coins are forgeries. More than seven billion products are
vended in the UK each year. The machines offer superb convenience in an
age when we crave convenience.
The staples will always be popular, but vending is undergoing a
revolution in terms of the range of items machines offer, as well as how they
are operated. For example, hot drinks are the most popular vended item in
the UK today, with 60% of vending machines now found in the workplace.
According to Hilder, It's not so much that you can get a hot drink now that's
been the case for years but the variety on offer is fast increasing. In the past
five years, there's been a boom in larger drink sizes, with 9oz and even 12oz
cups becoming the norm. And rather than rely on instant coffee, some
machines are even grinding their own coffee beans.
According to Hilder, most new vending machines now are touch
screen, giving users a wealth of information and options. And once a
universal wave pay system is adopted which will be about five to 10 years
away the options will be incredible for what can be vended. But until that day
arrives, food and drink will continue to dominate vending. Earlier this month,
Coca-Cola revealed a new drinks vending machine it claimed had been in
development for six years called the Freestyle, the touch-screen machine
offers up to 106 varieties of beverage. At its launch in Atlanta, the company's
director of marketing offered some bold claims for the machine: To our
knowledge there is nothing like this in the world. This is the future of fountain
dispensing.

Desktop Printing
In computing, a printer is a peripheral which produces a hard copy
(permanent readable text and/or graphics) of documents stored in electronic
form, usually on physical print media such as paper or transparencies. Many
printers are primarily used as local peripherals, and are attached by a printer
cable or, in most new printers, a USB cable to a computer which serves as
a document source. Some printers, commonly known as network printers,
have built-in network interfaces (typically wireless and/or Ethernet), and can
serve as a hardcopy device for any user on the network. Individual printers
are often designed to support both local and network connected users at the
same time. In addition, a few modern printers can directly interface to
electronic media such as memory sticks or memory cards, or to image
capture devices such as digital cameras, scanners; some printers are
combined with a scanners and/or fax machines in a single unit, and can
function as photocopiers. Printers that include non-printing features are
sometimes called Multifunction printers (MFP), Multifunction Devices (MFD),
or All-In-One (AIO) printers. Most MFPs include printing, scanning, and
copying among their features.
In this article, it shows that printing services can be very successful
because of the USB technology used as documentation source. The USB
or flash disk is very common tool today as storage for data or files. The
proponents chose the kind of printer that best suits for the design project
and with a great contribution for the operation of the system.