A revolution for newspapers in France where distribution-optimized newspapers in different formats will be produced digitally under a first agreement within themanroland and Océ strategic alliance has been unveiled by Rivet Presse Edition, an innovative contract printer.

Tomorrow’s newspaper à la carte with cutting-edge concept

Under a project called Synapse, which has been developed in close cooperation with the publisher of the regional French daily L’Echo, in Limoges in the center of France, a cutting-edge business model – a world-first for newspapers – has been established that will open up new editorial opportunities for publishers.

National and regional daily newspapers, as well as foreign editions of titles, will be printed in the order they are required for delivery to outlets in a defined area around Limoges, which will be less than 90 minutes’ journey time from a new 960 square meters production plant. An administration building with 1,200 square meters will be built in the overall ten million euro investment – the majority of which will be on the new manroland and Océ production equipment – that will also market and showcase the potential value-added offering to open up digital printing opportunities for other publishers.

Variable content to create a stronger relationship with readers

Thanks to the digital printing technology, the newspaper of the future can be built on variable content to create a “new and stronger” relationship with readers and help rebuild circulation and advertising revenues, as well as improve interaction between print and new media. Some of the leading names in France are expected to sign up for the commercial operation. In future newspapers will still have the same core news and features, but readers can receive their own personal content according to their own specific interests or of their region of interest.

The new digital process for newspapers will offer a new economic model supporting “editorial innovation”, according to Christian Sirieix, the executive leading the project for Rivet Presse Edition. Central to the success will be using a cutting-edge production line consisting of integrated manroland and Océ equipment. 

Publishing digitally on demand offers more highly targeted advertising

Printing will be done on two new Océ JetStream 4300 color inkjet presses with 30 inch reel widths that produce offset-like-quality digital newspapers at speeds of 200 meters per minute. manroland, an established world leader in newspaper printing, has devised a groundbreaking format-variable newspaper folding device to create the fully automated newspaper production lines that can produce up to 40,000 newspapers in variable formats in five hours. Printing digitally on demand will offer publishers a new way of working and will enable costs of production and distribution to be reduced for publishers with a far greater flexibility in publishing practices, including the prospect of offering more highly targeted advertising.

The fully variable digital manroland pin-type folder VPF 211 offers the possibility to produce broadsheet or tabloid newspapers in long grain and short grain with different structures and ensures with that maximum utilization of the advantages of digital printing for newspapers, as well as commercial printing. 

At the same time Rivet Presse Edition will start complementary printing activities during the day shift, which will be commercial applications based on variable data to help balance the business model.