Early Installs of Inkjet Web Presses
Two early adopters push the possibilities for inkjet printing and with automated finishing.
By Graphic Arts Online Staff -- Graphic Arts Online, April 29, 2009
Innovative investments in automated finishing integrated to cutting edge digital inkjet printing lines are pushing the envelope on transpromo and mailing printing. One2One Communications, Bolingbrook, IL,
, a full-color production inkjet system to replace the imprinting of supplied web offset preprinted rolls. The 90 ft. long printing device is equipped with dynamic, inline Lasermax perforating system. One2One says it is the first U.S. operation to offer perfing on the fly in an inkjet color web line. The feature allows the company to print and perf coupons right on printed billing statements.
In Deerfield Beach, FL, Wilen Direct became the
Kodak’s cutting-edge Stream Printhead a continuous inkjet for inline printing on offset presses. Wilen Direct will install four monochrome Stream heads to personalize marketing materials that boost clients return on marketing investment. The heads offer higher print resolutions on a wide range of substrate and allow for variable-data printing.
“Our investment in advanced technologies such as Kodak’s new Stream Printheads enables us to stay highly competitive,” says Kevin Wilen, executive VP. Wilen clients include: Time Warner, Charter Communications, Comcast, the New York Islanders, Tribune, ESPN, HBO, Sony, and Papa John’s.
The high-speed Stream Printhead features flexible mounting options, and can be integrated to web offset presses and various third-party transports and printing towers to add variable data to offset printed materials at at 600-dpi resolution at speeds up to 1,000 fpm. Stream has a print width of 4.16 inches and uses unique pigment based inks said to be fade, scratch and water resistant.
One2One's InfoPrint 5000 can print at speeds up to 209.9 fpm or 916 full-color, two-up tandem duplex letter-size ipm. The system has a 20.4” web with up to 19.96” print width and offers a resolution of 720 x 360 dpi, with a compact fixed array printhead, low drying temperatures and water-based pigment inks. The system uses a piezo-electric drop-on-demand inkjet print head, which only jets ink when it's needed on the paper—ink isn't recycled or reconstituted. The device was nominated for a Must See 'em at Graph Expo.
One2One targets customers in the telecommunications and automotive financial industries who require large monthly statement and bill mailings, often up to millions of pages, company sales VP Travis Howe, says the device was chosen base on its speed, print quality, reliability, ease of use and total cost of print.
“Our clients are looking for easier and lower cost ways of printing, which is why we’ve had such momentum with TransPromo,” he says. “The InfoPrint 5000 with its high-speed and full-color capabilities is a perfect fit for the TransPromo space.”
