China's printing independent innovation urgently needs to grasp digitalization and environmental protection

In the digital age, independent innovation and technological research and development have become the top priority for the printing industry to accelerate the transformation of development methods. The world printing industry is entering the era of full digitalization, but China's printing industry still has not seen major technological breakthroughs. In the future, what are the directions of independent innovation in the printing industry and what issues need attention? Senior experts in the industry have stated that digitalization and environmental protection will be the inevitable direction of independent innovation in the printing industry, and favorable environmental support will become the driving force for independent innovation.

The overall goal - the new technology-led overall upgrade For the printing industry, independent innovation is no stranger. At the end of the 1980s, Chinese laser photocopying technology, which banished the printing industry from lead and fire and ushered in light and electricity, was independently developed by China. However, this major breakthrough has passed for more than 20 years. To date, the domestic printing industry has not yet achieved new key technological achievements. In particular, the situation that high-end printing equipment has long relied on imports has not changed. With the continuous emergence of new media, the status of the printing industry is again seriously challenged.

“After entering the 21st century, digital network technology has had a huge impact on the printing industry. The world printing industry is entering a full-scale digital era. At present, developed countries are using digital network new technologies to completely transform the printing industry if we do not attach importance to independent innovation in the printing industry. The gap that has been narrowed in the past may be re-increase, and it will also have a negative impact on the development of the socio-economic culture." Shen Zhongkang, chief consultant of the China Printing Technology Association, was interviewed by a reporter from China Press and Newspaper. Emphasize the urgency of independent innovation and technology research and development.

According to the current situation of China's printing industry, on the one hand, compared with developed countries, China's printing industry is a labor-intensive industry. The technical level of production equipment is generally low, and it still lags behind European and American countries in terms of energy conservation and environmental protection; On the other hand, China's printing industry has to absorb new technologies and take the path of low-carbon printing. Therefore, the independent innovation of China's printing industry will be an overall upgrading with a new focus on new technologies.

Breakthrough: How can digitalization and low-carbon tight integration enable technological innovation to achieve a combination of points and meet the needs from the most traditional to the most advanced levels? According to Min Tingliang, deputy director of the China Institute of Printing Science and Technology, printing technology innovation can be divided into two types: one is transformational innovation, that is, new technology replaces old technology and changes the printing method in the past; the other is improved innovation, ie The current mainstream technology and technology are transformed and upgraded to adapt to the needs and trends of the current era. In the world printing industry, the use of new digital printing instead of offset printing and other traditional printing methods belongs to the former, while the digital transformation of the current traditional methods belongs to the latter.

In Min Tingliang's opinion, the change in printing methods is the main battlefield of independent innovation. Fortunately, under the impetus of the General Administration of Press and Publication, this year China's printing industry has launched a major project of digital printing and digital printing.

Shen Zhongkang believes that digital printing can open up new fields of printing, and digital printing can use high technology to transform the traditional printing industry. The two complement each other and closely combine with each other, which can drive the restructuring and upgrading of the entire printing industry. It is a major factor in China's development of printing technology. Breakthrough. He explained that the key to digital printing is to develop inkjet digital printing, which includes the development of key technologies for inkjet control, digital front-end software engineering development, and development of key technologies for digital security and anti-counterfeit printing; the digitalization of printing includes the demonstration of content resource database applications. Chinese character font library digital technology development, digital nano-plate making key production process technology development and industrialization demonstration base construction.

At the same time, green printing technology is also the major direction of independent innovation in China's printing industry. To support the development of flexographic printing technology, we will develop more environmentally friendly materials, plates, and solvent recovery processes to reduce carbon emissions. Yan Tingliang said that since the solvent used in flexo printing is more environmentally friendly, its application rate in foreign countries has reached 60%, but it has not yet been promoted in China. One of the important reasons is that the development of flexographic printing plates in China cannot keep up.

Therefore, independent innovation and technological research and development are also the top priorities for the development of low-carbon printing.

Drivers - Incentives provide innovative support With independent innovation in the technological direction, how to encourage innovation in the main - companies and researchers to really exert force, it is necessary to pay attention to changing the development approach.

In fact, independent innovation is extremely important. Today, it is a consensus in the printing industry, but it seems to have become a "good thing to say and a difficult thing to do." Analysing its causes, Yan Tingliang believes that from the perspective of the external environment for independent innovation in the printing industry, there are very few evaluations of managers' independent innovation indicators in the management system of state-owned enterprises. The assessment of economic indicators occupies a greater weight and independent innovation. The long-term interests have not received due attention; while private enterprises do not have economic evaluation indicators, but most managers' business ideas appear to be more eager for quick success and instant benefits, independent innovation is high in investment and risks, and can not receive benefits in a short time, the company's independent innovation The mechanism has not yet formed.

As for the other subject of independent innovation, the researcher himself, there is also the question of whether it is possible to maintain reasonable values ​​for a long period of time without being influenced by the outside world. Song Yanlin, researcher of the nano-materials green printing plate making technology project and a researcher at the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, proposed that only when the government provides powerful policies and publicity guidance for the development of new technologies in the industry, the overall management system, and stable and sustained financial support can promote our country. The printing industry has changed from a technology-tracking country to an independent innovation-oriented country, promoted the development of science and technology, and transformed the development mode of the printing industry.