PRINT 09: Digital Converting
Packaging premedia and converting and digital printing technologies include high-tech coatings and on-press print-quality inspection. (Photos)
By Mark Spaulding, Editor in Chief, Converting Magazine -- Graphic Arts Online, June 18, 2009
Several dozen new printing technologies that will be seen when PRINT 09 opens Sept. 11 include package-printing systems and software. Breakthroughs include prepress software, and digital-inkjet printing systems, high resolution flexography, and high-tech metallic coatings incorporated into highly automated sheetfed offset printing press lines with flexo chamber coaters. Among the announcements:
The Xerox iGEN Automated Packaging Solution (shown) unites digital printing with coating and diecutting (plus foil stamping in a second pass) for cartons. Incorporating a Kama diecutter and Epic flood coater, it was developed by paper and board company Stora Enso, which sells it as the
Gallop in European markets. Linked to a Xerox iGEN Automated Packaging Solution3, APS runs 6,600 sph, 14.33x22.5 in. sheets, and prints in four colors. It is fed by output from the Xerox iGEN3 digital printing press and can UV- or aqueous-coat varnishes or apply cold foil to materials up to 18-pt paperboard. Xerox is marketing it to converters as well as commercial printers to serve primarily the pharmaceutical and high-end cosmetics carton and labeling markets.
Kodak Graphic Communications Group’s ColorFlow software is said to assure consistent color quality no matter the output device: halftone or inkjet proofer, scanner, monitor, digital press, flexo plates or offset press. Kodak’s Stream inkjet technology is now branded as the Prosper S10 for marking engines. A press platform is due for release in Q1 2010. The highly successful Flexcel NX digital flexographic-platemaking system (left) for label, carton and flexible-packaging printing has new environmental benefits with low-solvent washout solution with lower VOCs.
Presstek’s DI-UV digital-offset press in 52- and 34-cm-wide models fit the label, POP and short-run packaging markets for film, foil, vinyl and lenticular printing. The press has UV-waterless output that dries instantly, 300-dpi resolution, FM screening, low dot gain and speeds of 8,000 sph in four-color mode, says co. Two Beta test sites for package printing include Taishin Inpack in Korea and LSD G.Neumman GmbH in Hamburg, Germany. Neumann (at left) prints HBA and cosmetic packaging for Procter & Gamble. Also new at
PRINT 09 will be the
52DI-AC digital-offset press with aqueous coating in flood and spot modes
. It will be ready for delivery in 2010. On the printing-plate side of the business, Presstek’s new Aurora Pro chemistry-free CTP offset plates will debut in a newer version next year with 300-dpi direct-imaging method and 10-min processing time.
The EFI Jetrion 4000 digital UV-inkjet printer for p-s labels now has applications on six continents with strong interest in Latin American countries such as Colombia, Chile, Brazil and Mexico. New capabilities will be announced at Labelexpo Brussels. The EFI Commander Workstation 5 software won a packaging design award at the PacPrint show in Australia earlier this spring. Fiery XF PSI Flexo workflow software for labels and packaging augments the company’s PACE product line.
MGI’s US launch of its JetVarnish digital-inkjet spot UV coater system will take place at PRINT 09. It handles 20x29 in. sheets for folding-carton packaging applications vs. using screen/offset UV-coating methods. The unit (left) runs at 3,600 sph to serve the high-end cosmetics, perfume, liquor and consumer-goods packaging markets. JetVarnish recently won awards at Grafitalia from the European Digital Printing Assn. and the Oscar de l’Emballage at Emballage 2008 in Paris. While it runs offline now, custom inline units tied to digital-offset presses are said to be possible.
DiMS!’ ERP/MIS systems dedicated to printing will launch a new .NET version. The totally Web-enabled application will feature data automatically going to the right production person, workflows that are more graphical, intuitive navigation for easier learning, and access via the mobile Web. Currently, 28 plants of Mayr-Meinhof Packaging are using DiMS! for carton-package printing.
Henkel’s MiraFoil® foil coating is UV-curable, overprintable with no primer, contains no VOCs and is said to be as brilliant as vacuum-metallized paper substrates. It is applied in a flexo or offset coating station on press and thus allows spot coating, doesn’t interfere with EAS-tag and RFID-label functionality and can be united with holographic patterns to boost brand security or package decoration. MiraFoil reportedly cuts material costs by 15-35 percent compared to cold or hot foil stamping and can applied to paper, board or plastic. While it can replace foil-laminated materials in appearance, it has no barrier properties like foil.
Lake Image Systems’ IntegraVision online print-inspection unit checks text, linear and 2D barcodes and pharmacodes on labels and packaging at press speeds. On a label rewinder, it is being used by a South African apple grower to confirm readable barcodes for UK grocery Tesco. Only 3 errors are allowed per million labels. At PRINT 09, Lake Image Systems will demonstrate ANSI code grading, ePedigree label tracking, ERP job tracking and inline inkjet printing. The IntegraVision PQ will debut specifically for print-quality control on press with PRINT 09 press partners.
Konica Minolta’s new bixhub PRO color-print engine will be on the market in mid-2010. Offering high-speed digital print targeted to specialty-printer markets, the new engine is based on a new polymer toner that fuses at lower temperatures, a new developer and new algorithms to get the color right. Read more about package converting systems at www.convertingmagazine.com
