Minding the gap: evaluating the image quality gap between digital print technologies and traditional offset lithography - how big is it and who cares?

In recent years, digital print engines have made marked strides in increasing their level of image quality. What was once a ragged, de-saturated, and uninspiring color document can now be made sharp and vibrant. The difference between the image quality of digital printers relative to offset lithographic presses is shrinking—but just how big is this difference? What particular image quality parameters contribute most to this difference? And how much does this difference matter to the end user? The objective of this research was to answer these questions by evaluating the image quality gap between digital print technologies and offset lithography and determining the importance of this gap to end users. It was found that there were significant differences in perceived value of prints made on digital versus offset printing equipment, with the prints on coated media from offset equipment being generally preferred and the prints on uncoated media from digital printers being generally preferred

Life cycle analysis in the printing industry: a review

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the leading tool for estimating environmental effects of products and processes. Despite this wide use, LCA analysis remains problematic and limited. Within the printing industry, one of the primary problems is non-standardized assumptions and practices. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to compare the life cycle impacts of products. This paper will compare LCA studies performed within the printing industry in order to identify common practices, limitations, areas for improvement, and opportunities for standardization. This comparison is focused on the data sources and methodologies used in the particular studies

Exploring existing measures of environmental impacts of print: a survey of existing practices

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Characterizing Three Dimensional Microstructures Formed by Particles: An Example of Electrophotographic Printing Toner

Additive manufacturing of objects using powders can result in microscopic structures based on the properties of particles used. In additive manufacturing, piles of powder are consolidated by one or other mechanisms in order to form a part. The resulting microstructure within the part can impact its engineering performance. Predicting and controlling the engineering performance requires the characterization of the part’s material interior microstructures. H owever, obtaining the microstructure is difficult since the interior of a powder is a challenge to visualize. In this paper, unconsolidated powders are characterized. We have used Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy to image three-dimensionally sediments of micron-sized poly-dispersed electro-photographic printing particles. Using image analysis tools, we have extracted each particle’s position and radius in selected sampling volumes. Through this methodology, we demonstrate the possibility to recreate the three-dimensional particle structures and extract values for morphological parameters for powder systems. The feasibility of direct and quantitative particle structural characterization can lead to much needed methods and tools to relate particle structures to the process of fabrication, the design of materials, and product performance in additive manufacturing.Mechanical Engineerin

Development of Integrated Project Tracks for a College-Wide Multidisciplinary Engineering Design Program at RIT

Since 2002, the Kate Gleason College of Engineering (KGCOE) at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has seen its Multidisciplinary Senior Design (MSD) program grow from a small pilot project into a college-wide initiative involving four departments and almost 400 students annually. While subtle adjustments have been made each year, a major redesign effort was undertaken prior to the 2006 academic year to improve program alignment with departmental objectives, to improve delivery efficiency and effectiveness, and to improve student and faculty satisfaction. Coordination of related projects and sharing of information between approximately 60 design teams in a given year, and preserving continuity of information from one year to the next has proven to be a challenging hurdle. This paper addresses the project definition process, which was overhauled to focus on the definition of related projects within a set of disciplinary “tracks,” consistent with academic programs and faculty interests. Emphasis was placed on the development of reusable and scalable platforms to lay the foundation for future project extensions, and to encourage cross-project and cross-department collaboration. The process by which project tracks, project families and individual projects were identified, screened, modified and ultimately selected will be discussed. The integral relationship between the Design Project Management course, which trains the future project managers and technical leaders of the multidisciplinary project teams, and the project definition process will be illustrated. The development of the Aerospace Systems and Technology Track, with particular emphasis on the Microsystems Engineering (KGCOE) and Technology for the Future Exploration of Outer Space Regions (METEOR) family of projects will be used as a case example to illustrate the process

Sustainable printing activities: design and initial approach of a print energy life-cycle decision tool

Information technology holds tremendous potential to help consumers and firms make more sustainable choices by providing information at key decision points. As one example, there are a number of software programs that help calculate and summarize environmental metrics for various products and processes. Surprisingly, while many printers are moving into the IT arena, the technology has not been fully utilized. For the most part, there is a lack of knowledge on the part of the consumer on the sustainability impacts of their communication decisions. Thus, this paper outlines a decision tool, presented to the consumer as they make a print decision, which estimates the energy consumption of printing a given document by analyzing the user’s requirements for the print job, the printer selected and the corresponding life-cycle criteria for these elements

Characterization of the powder/binder interaction in the three dimensional printing process

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 1990.Title as it appears in the Sept. 1990 M.I.T. Graduate List: Characterization of powder/binder interaction in the three dimensional printing process.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 131-132).by Marcos Esterman, Jr.M.S

Characterization and modeling of surface defects in EP3D printing

This paper aims to report an experimental study of how surface defects evolve in EP3D printing as more layers are accumulated and proposes a simulation model for the proces