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During the period of planned economy, the aim of China’s printing industry was meeting the need of domestic market, the precondition of China’s printing technology and equipment industries was meeting the need of domestic printing, and the responsibility of printing equipment manufactories was finishing the schedule task. In the late 1970s, China began to adopt the policy of reform and opening up, and transformed gradually from planned economy to market economy, so some fundamental changes have taken place in China’s economy situation. In the market economy, printing technology and equipment industries expanded domestic and oversea market constantly, also adjusted itself to the market variations in time. During the same period, printing equipment manufactories improved product quality continuously and expanded their product market constantly, whose aim was meeting the need of continually changing market. Enterprises inevitably join market competition and follow the law of market economy, which is survival of the fittest.

Over the past 30 years, many ideas got renewed, the most important one was reform and opening up. Under the guide of these new ideas, a series of changes occurred in China, which promoted fast and steady development of national economy, also made people’s material and cultural life get improved greatly. At the same time, important changes also occurred in China’s printing industry. Mr. Fan Muhan came up with the opinion of the whole printing industry, which means that printing, printing equipment and printing material can be regarded as an organic whole and they formed an integrated industry chain. Guided by this opinion, a revolution was caused in China’s printing and printing equipment industries----abandoning letterpress printing and beginning to use laser technology and electronic technology, entering the era of digitallization and networking.

Printing technological transformation plan of the Sixth Five-year Plan and the Seventh Five-year Plan

In 1982, Mr. Fan Muhan was appointed by Central Propaganda Department and the State Economic Commission to organize printing technology and equipment coordination group of the State Economic Commission, and undertook the leader. The members of this coordination group consists of the leaders of the State Economic Commission, Ministry of Machinery Industry, Ministry of Electronics, Ministry of Chemical Industry, Ministry of Light Industry, Ministry of Culture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and so on. Under the leadership of coordination group, printing technological transformation plan of the Sixth Five-year Plan and the Seventh Five-year Plan was drawn up and implemennted, including 23 technological transformation projects for printing machinery in 19 important enterprises, 13 technology import projects, 28 model machine import projects, 38 technology tackling projects, trial-producing 78 new products and upgrading 49 old products. More to the point, Chinese character information processing and laser phototypesetting (748 program) also were listed in printing technological transformation plan.

Printing technological transformation plan promoted all-round development of China’s printing technology and equipment industries. More than a hundred kinds of new products were invented, such as automatic or semiautomatic filmsetter, overhead or horizontal programmatic camera, color scanner, various developers & fixers, and various plate copying apparatuses; web offset press for book and newspaper printing, monochromatic or color sheet-fed offset press with different specifications, copperplate press, flexographic press, screen printing press, and so on; folder, assembler, various book sewers, automatic binding production line, blocking press, die cutter, cutter, three sided trimming machine, and so on. In addition, the experiment for producing model machine of Chinese laser phototypesetting was finished during the period of the Sixth Five-year Plan and the Seventh Five-year Plan, it was gratifying achievement.

tional technology awards, 1 national gold award, 5 national silver award and 18 ministry-recognized goods.

Printing technological transformation plan of the Sixth Five-year Plan and the Seventh Five-year Plan promoted great development of China’s printing and printing equipment industries, also provided a favourable environment for the second printing technology revolution and laid a good foundation for development of China’s printing digitalization and networking.

The second printing technology revolution

In 1992, Chinese laser phototypesetting led by professor. Wang Xuan was developed successfully, then CCD computer digital separation was applied widely，both of image processing and word processing adopted computer composition for offering fully digital file. The second printing technology revolution broke out successfully in China----digital composition was realized and created preconditions for whole printing process digitalization. During the period of the second printing technology revolution, type and letterpress printing were abandoned; many old models quitted the arena of history, such as caster, composing machine, stereotype press, color scanner, automatic and semiautomatic filmsetter, programmatic gallery camera, and so on; every editorial department began to undertake composing work, and composing department of printing factory was cancelled gradually, at the same time, many equipment manufactories related to type and camera composition had to closed or changed the line of production, such as Xianyang Caster Factory, Jilin Optical Instrument Factory, Chongqing Printing Machine Factory, Wuxi Camera Composition Factory, Shanghai Printing Material Factory, Shanghai Optical Instrument Factory, Taixing Instrument Factory, Beijing Instrument Factory, and so on.

Printing technology revolution caused by laser phototypesetting was far from over, it made compositing digitalization develop to whole printing process digitalization.

Great development of printing technology during 30 years

Since China adopted the policy of reform and opening up and market economy in 1978, printing, printing material and printing equipment formed a integrated industry chain, called printing and printing equipment industries. In the meantime, printing technology and equipment developed greatly.

With the fast development of market economy, a large quantities of goods emerged in market. Attractive packaging, large-scale advertising, extensive and in-depth commercial promotion are needed by every good, so a number of private package printing enterprises, advertisement printing enterprises and business printing enterprises were established quickly. Market economy needs various modes of printing, therefore many modes of printing developed quickly, such as plastic printing, fabric printing, metal printing, ceramic transfer, indicator printing, magnetic card printing, security paper printing, office printing, file printing, business card printing, greeting card printing, invitation card printing, express mail printing, electronic circuit printing, and so on. At the same time, newspaper added editions, magazine added pages, and book began to publish advertisement, these promoted the development of printing industry and printing technology and equipment industries.

There were more than 600 printing equipment manufactories and about 100 thousand employees in China in 2008, the output value was 16 billion Yuan, the export value was 981 million dollars, and the import value was 1.73 billion dollars. At that time, only several printing equipment enterprises were state-holding enterprise, such as Beiren Group Corporation, Shanghai Electric Printing & Packaging Machinery Group, and most enterprises were private-owned. You can know China’s printing output value of last 6 years from the chart below.

From the chart upon, we can see that the output value of China’s printing technology and equipment industries in 2008 dropped by 8.6% as compared with 2007, the reason is the impact of international economic crisis.

In 1984, the output value of China’s printing machinery industry was 290 million Yuan, and that was 16 billion Yuan in 2008, increasing more than 55 times during 24 years, which has no precedent in the world.

China is making effort for world power in printing technology and equipment industries, nowadays, Germany, Japan, America and U.K are the great powers in this field.

hart upon, we can see that the export of China’s printing technology and equipment grew quickly; import value is more than export value and has not changed much. The export value was 150 million dollars in 2003, and till 2008, the export value reached 981 million dollars, which took 43% in the annual output value. During 5 years, the export value increased more than 6.5 times.

Most printing equipments that China exported are medium and low grade products, so China’s printing equipment manufactories should make effort to guarantee the quality and reliability of their equipments, also expand international market and increase export. Conversely, most printing equipments that China imported are high grade products with high price. In 2008, China’s import value of printing equipment took 75% in domestic output value of printing equipment and took 57% in domestic printing equipment market. Home printing equipment took 43% in China’s printing equipment market. China’s imported printing equipment has reached higher technological level with higher technological content, so it’s hard to achieve advanced technological level in short time for China’s printing equipment manufactories. However, China’s printing equipment industry can take a series of measures to improve high grade printing equipments’ design level and production level as quickly as possible, including introducing advanced technology; attracting investment and co-operative production; acquiring foreign printing equipment manufactory with high technological level and low economic efficiency to realize home production gradually.

As a developing country with huge population, China has advantages for developing manufacturing. China will be world power in manufacturing, also world power in printing technology and equipment industries.

The future of printing technology and equipment----digitalization

The second printing technology revolution caused by Chinese laser phototypesetting made digital composing come true. But the revolution is far from over and is expanding to the whole printing process digitalization. In fact, the second printing technology revolution is a digital revolution, and digital composing just is the beginning of the whole printing process digitalization.

With digital composting, traditional photo-electrostatic reproduction can makes use of the digital page to realize the whole printing process digitalization, without intervention by any human operator during the run, we called digital printing. Inkjet printing makes use of digital page to get developed quickly, and keeps developing, which was recognized as typical digital printing.

CTP technology is digital platemaking, which abandoned film and burning, also created conditions for the whole offset printing process digitalization. In fact, we can recognize offset printing as digital printing, when CTP (autoplate) technology is realized, and under the control of digital system, offset printing process completed automatically also without intervention of any human operator. Nowadays, other modes of printing also are developing to digitalization. In a word, the digital printing revolution from digital composting is in progress.

Digital technology just is a kind of information processing and control technology. Digit can’t convert energy and do work, it just can combine printing machinery to complete printing process. In a set of printing equipment, digital system is the counterpart of human’s brain and nerve, and mechanical system is the counterpart of human’s limbs and organism. Mechanical system completes printing process under the control of digital system.

We are in the digital revolution for printing technology and equipment, and entering digital printing ear without any human operator.


	Sixty Years of Printing and Printing Equipment Industries of China (II)()

	were There 54 printing machinery factories in China in 1984, including 16 platemaker factories, 26 printing press factories, 12 binder factories, which located in 21 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. In the same year, 40300 employees serviced for printing machinery manufacturing and the total output was 46 thousand tons, the output value was 290 million Yuan. From 1978 to 1984, printing mechanical products had won 11 na Printing technology and equipment industries developed quickly in market economy During the period of planned economy, the aim of China’s printing industry was meeting the need of domestic market, the precondition of China’s printing technology and equipment industries was meeting the need of domestic printing, and the responsibility of printing equipment manufactories was finishing the schedule task. In the late 1970s, China began to adopt the policy of reform and opening up, and transformed gradually from planned economy to market economy, so some fundamental changes have taken place in China’s economy situation. In the market economy, printing technology and equipment industries expanded domestic and oversea market constantly, also adjusted itself to the market variations in time. During the same period, printing equipment manufactories improved product quality continuously and expanded their product market constantly, whose aim was meeting the need of continually changing market. Enterprises inevitably join market competition and follow the law of market economy, which is survival of the fittest. Over the past 30 years, many ideas got renewed, the most important one was reform and opening up. Under the guide of these new ideas, a series of changes occurred in China, which promoted fast and steady development of national economy, also made people’s material and cultural life get improved greatly. At the same time, important changes also occurred in China’s printing industry. Mr. Fan Muhan came up with the opinion of the whole printing industry, which means that printing, printing equipment and printing material can be regarded as an organic whole and they formed an integrated industry chain. Guided by this opinion, a revolution was caused in China’s printing and printing equipment industries----abandoning letterpress printing and beginning to use laser technology and electronic technology, entering the era of digitallization and networking. Printing technological transformation plan of the Sixth Five-year Plan and the Seventh Five-year Plan In 1982, Mr. Fan Muhan was appointed by Central Propaganda Department and the State Economic Commission to organize printing technology and equipment coordination group of the State Economic Commission, and undertook the leader. The members of this coordination group consists of the leaders of the State Economic Commission, Ministry of Machinery Industry, Ministry of Electronics, Ministry of Chemical Industry, Ministry of Light Industry, Ministry of Culture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and so on. Under the leadership of coordination group, printing technological transformation plan of the Sixth Five-year Plan and the Seventh Five-year Plan was drawn up and implemennted, including 23 technological transformation projects for printing machinery in 19 important enterprises, 13 technology import projects, 28 model machine import projects, 38 technology tackling projects, trial-producing 78 new products and upgrading 49 old products. More to the point, Chinese character information processing and laser phototypesetting (748 program) also were listed in printing technological transformation plan. Printing technological transformation plan promoted all-round development of China’s printing technology and equipment industries. More than a hundred kinds of new products were invented, such as automatic or semiautomatic filmsetter, overhead or horizontal programmatic camera, color scanner, various developers & fixers, and various plate copying apparatuses; web offset press for book and newspaper printing, monochromatic or color sheet-fed offset press with different specifications, copperplate press, flexographic press, screen printing press, and so on; folder, assembler, various book sewers, automatic binding production line, blocking press, die cutter, cutter, three sided trimming machine, and so on. In addition, the experiment for producing model machine of Chinese laser phototypesetting was finished during the period of the Sixth Five-year Plan and the Seventh Five-year Plan, it was gratifying achievement. tional technology awards, 1 national gold award, 5 national silver award and 18 ministry-recognized goods. Printing technological transformation plan of the Sixth Five-year Plan and the Seventh Five-year Plan promoted great development of China’s printing and printing equipment industries, also provided a favourable environment for the second printing technology revolution and laid a good foundation for development of China’s printing digitalization and networking. The second printing technology revolution In 1992, Chinese laser phototypesetting led by professor. Wang Xuan was developed successfully, then CCD computer digital separation was applied widely，both of image processing and word processing adopted computer composition for offering fully digital file. The second printing technology revolution broke out successfully in China----digital composition was realized and created preconditions for whole printing process digitalization. During the period of the second printing technology revolution, type and letterpress printing were abandoned; many old models quitted the arena of history, such as caster, composing machine, stereotype press, color scanner, automatic and semiautomatic filmsetter, programmatic gallery camera, and so on; every editorial department began to undertake composing work, and composing department of printing factory was cancelled gradually, at the same time, many equipment manufactories related to type and camera composition had to closed or changed the line of production, such as Xianyang Caster Factory, Jilin Optical Instrument Factory, Chongqing Printing Machine Factory, Wuxi Camera Composition Factory, Shanghai Printing Material Factory, Shanghai Optical Instrument Factory, Taixing Instrument Factory, Beijing Instrument Factory, and so on. Printing technology revolution caused by laser phototypesetting was far from over, it made compositing digitalization develop to whole printing process digitalization. Great development of printing technology during 30 years Since China adopted the policy of reform and opening up and market economy in 1978, printing, printing material and printing equipment formed a integrated industry chain, called printing and printing equipment industries. In the meantime, printing technology and equipment developed greatly. With the fast development of market economy, a large quantities of goods emerged in market. Attractive packaging, large-scale advertising, extensive and in-depth commercial promotion are needed by every good, so a number of private package printing enterprises, advertisement printing enterprises and business printing enterprises were established quickly. Market economy needs various modes of printing, therefore many modes of printing developed quickly, such as plastic printing, fabric printing, metal printing, ceramic transfer, indicator printing, magnetic card printing, security paper printing, office printing, file printing, business card printing, greeting card printing, invitation card printing, express mail printing, electronic circuit printing, and so on. At the same time, newspaper added editions, magazine added pages, and book began to publish advertisement, these promoted the development of printing industry and printing technology and equipment industries. There were more than 600 printing equipment manufactories and about 100 thousand employees in China in 2008, the output value was 16 billion Yuan, the export value was 981 million dollars, and the import value was 1.73 billion dollars. At that time, only several printing equipment enterprises were state-holding enterprise, such as Beiren Group Corporation, Shanghai Electric Printing & Packaging Machinery Group, and most enterprises were private-owned. You can know China’s printing output value of last 6 years from the chart below. From the chart upon, we can see that the output value of China’s printing technology and equipment industries in 2008 dropped by 8.6% as compared with 2007, the reason is the impact of international economic crisis. In 1984, the output value of China’s printing machinery industry was 290 million Yuan, and that was 16 billion Yuan in 2008, increasing more than 55 times during 24 years, which has no precedent in the world. China is making effort for world power in printing technology and equipment industries, nowadays, Germany, Japan, America and U.K are the great powers in this field. hart upon, we can see that the export of China’s printing technology and equipment grew quickly; import value is more than export value and has not changed much. The export value was 150 million dollars in 2003, and till 2008, the export value reached 981 million dollars, which took 43% in the annual output value. During 5 years, the export value increased more than 6.5 times. Most printing equipments that China exported are medium and low grade products, so China’s printing equipment manufactories should make effort to guarantee the quality and reliability of their equipments, also expand international market and increase export. Conversely, most printing equipments that China imported are high grade products with high price. In 2008, China’s import value of printing equipment took 75% in domestic output value of printing equipment and took 57% in domestic printing equipment market. Home printing equipment took 43% in China’s printing equipment market. China’s imported printing equipment has reached higher technological level with higher technological content, so it’s hard to achieve advanced technological level in short time for China’s printing equipment manufactories. However, China’s printing equipment industry can take a series of measures to improve high grade printing equipments’ design level and production level as quickly as possible, including introducing advanced technology; attracting investment and co-operative production; acquiring foreign printing equipment manufactory with high technological level and low economic efficiency to realize home production gradually. As a developing country with huge population, China has advantages for developing manufacturing. China will be world power in manufacturing, also world power in printing technology and equipment industries. The future of printing technology and equipment----digitalization The second printing technology revolution caused by Chinese laser phototypesetting made digital composing come true. But the revolution is far from over and is expanding to the whole printing process digitalization. In fact, the second printing technology revolution is a digital revolution, and digital composing just is the beginning of the whole printing process digitalization. With digital composting, traditional photo-electrostatic reproduction can makes use of the digital page to realize the whole printing process digitalization, without intervention by any human operator during the run, we called digital printing. Inkjet printing makes use of digital page to get developed quickly, and keeps developing, which was recognized as typical digital printing. CTP technology is digital platemaking, which abandoned film and burning, also created conditions for the whole offset printing process digitalization. In fact, we can recognize offset printing as digital printing, when CTP (autoplate) technology is realized, and under the control of digital system, offset printing process completed automatically also without intervention of any human operator. Nowadays, other modes of printing also are developing to digitalization. In a word, the digital printing revolution from digital composting is in progress. Digital technology just is a kind of information processing and control technology. Digit can’t convert energy and do work, it just can combine printing machinery to complete printing process. In a set of printing equipment, digital system is the counterpart of human’s brain and nerve, and mechanical system is the counterpart of human’s limbs and organism. Mechanical system completes printing process under the control of digital system. We are in the digital revolution for printing technology and equipment, and entering digital printing ear without any human operator.

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