Memjet adds a longer-life printhead, enhanced printhead durability, and expanded colour gamut to its second-generation, modular print technology.

Memjet today announces new enhancements to its second-generation printing technology called DuraLink. Based on feedback from current and future OEM partners, DuraLink XL enhancements include a more robust printhead, four times the printhead life and an expanded colour gamut. These features augment DuraLink’s value as a vital printing technology that enables the rapid, cost-effective development of next-generation solutions in commercial, packaging and industrial printing markets.

“Since its introduction, dozens of OEMs from a variety of print markets have engaged with DuraLink technology,” said Eric Owen, general manager at Memjet. “As these partners enter into the lengthy development process, they provide valuable insight on how DuraLink meets their needs, and, more importantly, how we can make the technology even better. These enhancements reflect how Memjet works collaboratively with our OEM partners to ensure our printing technology — and the solutions created with it — has the features, functionality and growth potential to meet the demands of print markets today and well into the future.”

Meeting the Growing Packaging Opportunity

“Nearly 60 percent of DuraLink’s OEM engagements are focused on packaging,” said Owen. “To meet the needs of this large customer base, Memjet integrated new colour and durability features into DuraLink technology.”

Memjet has added orange, green and violet to DuraLink, creating a seven-colour option for OEM partners who need it. This expanded colour gamut means OEMs can create solutions that enable end users to accurately hit brand colours and produce more realistic images — capabilities that are critical in the growing food, fashion and packaged goods markets.

Further DuraLink enhancements improve print production in the corrugated market. When printing on corrugated, it is often difficult to position the media consistently under the printhead. This creates an irregular surface that tends to move during the printing process. While the media is being transported, it can often hit and damage the printhead.

To reduce the possibility of contact between the printhead and the substrate, DuraLink can now be positioned up to three-millimeters above the board. If there is contact, the nozzle plate of DuraLink’s proprietary hardened silicon surface is strike and damage resistant. This makes it difficult to damage to the nozzle plate and, due to the unique design, unlikely that the substrate will ever reach the printhead.

Robust Printhead Life

OEMs across all markets will benefit from the longer life of DuraLink printheads. Previously, the DuraLink printhead had a 50-litre head life. The enhanced DuraLink XL printhead is now four times that number, lasting for an average of 200 litres.

This longer printhead life provides lengthier uptime and improves efficiency for end-users. Unplanned downtime is virtually eliminated as end users can plan for printhead replacements to happen during normal maintenance or paper-roll changes.

These features are available to all DuraLink customers, regardless of where the customer is in the development process.

“Memjet is an innovator, continually striving to make our products better. We also ensure that all customers have access to this innovation,” said Owen. “So whether a customer has already built their system, or has a system in development, they can still incorporate and leverage the new features of DuraLink.”

Neopost, a global supplier of digital, mailing, graphics and shipping solutions and an Australian distributor of HP and Epson wide format presses, has changed its corporate name to Quadient.

The new branding strategy is designed to integrate the organisation with an aligned corporate brand platform so clients can better leverage the full range of solutions on offer and simplify and solidify customer interactions, a company statement about the name change says.

Quadient Australia managing director Stuart Macdonald released the statement to local customers in Australia, advising that an account manager will “be in touch soon” regarding the name change.

“As customer expectations continue to evolve to meet and match their always-on existence, building a strong connection with customers requires a focus beyond physical channels. The connected customer expects immediacy and simplicity. They want experiences that are personalised, readily-available, consistent, meaningful, convenient, and secure — regardless of the channel,” the statement from Macdonald said.

“Over the past 18 months, we have worked to unite our industry leading solutions – Quadient Customer Experience Management, Neopost Mail-Related Solutions, Business Process Automation, Parcel Locker Solutions and Graphics Solutions – under a unified brand. We are focused on delivering solutions that create relevant and personalised interactions. On Monday, September 23, 2019, we announced our new brand to the market.

“Your account manager will be in contact with you soon regarding this exciting change and to answer any questions you may have. ”

Quadient CEO Geoffrey Godot said the change represents the realisation of the new organisation announced in January 2019.

“In January 2019, we unveiled our new strategy aimed at growing our company and moving away from being a holding company to a focused, integrated organisation,” Godet said in a statement.

“It was critical to align our corporate brand platform with this new strategy, using a purpose-driven brand to help businesses leverage our entire portfolio of solutions to simplify and solidify interactions with their customers. This change comes at a defining moment in our company’s history and is instrumental in unifying our global organisation around a common aspirational brand.”

Together with Canon Inc., Océ has announced that it is changing the trading name of its Océ businesses globally to Canon Production Printing, effective January 1, 2020.

From next year, Océ – the production printing operation of the well-regarded Canon Group – will also integrate its products under the Canon brand name. For both organisations, the change creates brand unity across all areas of our printing business. By combining Océ’s legacy of excellence in unique printing technologies for over 140 years, with the power of the innovative Canon brand, it establishes a clear end-to-end, go-to-market approach.

Océ and Canon will continue servicing their respective ends of the printing market, and the transition ensures a congruous, ‘end-to-end’ capability across the companies’ entire print portfolio. This enables both brands to continue servicing a broad range of clients’ evolving needs, with industry-leading printing hardware and software that is customised for a range of industries.

Leading the companies in the region are Dave Yoshida, Managing Director of Canon Oceania and Craig Nethercott, Managing Director of Océ Oceania (soon to be Canon Production Printing Australia).

Commenting on the name change, Craig Nethercott shares: “Océ Australia has always been a proud part of the Canon family, so it’s great to see that the Océ brand has been brought in line with the global Canon Group. This is testament to our demonstrated success in the production printing space in a dynamic environment.

Nethercott acknowledges that the change may surprise some here in Australia, as it comes after a 22-month period of strong focus and the creation of a unique market approach, under the Océ Australia brand. Over this time, Océ has established a strong consultative relationship with its customers across Australia and New Zealand, based around accessibility, understanding and meeting each business’ unique requirements with effective technologies. In light of this, he emphasises that the change is in name only.

“Apart from the name change, it’s really business as usual. We’ve built a solid workforce, culture and operations, so none of this changes. The continuing development of the innovative technologies Océ is renowned for, coupled with the strength and market leadership of the Canon brand, puts us in an even stronger position to deliver some of the best customer solutions on the market,” confirms Nethercott.

Commenting on the collaboration with Océ, Dave Yoshida shares: “This advancement signals a strong message globally about Canon’s long-term commitment to the production printing market. Our customers have always been at the heart of everything we do, so we welcome the opportunity to work closely with Craig and his teams to deliver impactful solutions that accelerate the growth of our customers and Canon in the region.”

AstroNova has launched the TrojanLabel T2-L, which, according to the company, is the world’s first narrow web digital flexible packaging press. Customers will have the opportunity to see and test the new T2-L for the first time at Pack Expo Las Vegas and Labelexpo Europe 2019.

Designed to accommodate both short-run and high-volume digital printing, the T2-L can provide flexible packaging products for brand owners, manufacturers, and commercial printers to efficiently scale and grow their businesses. Using Natura inks, which are formulated with nearly 70% water, the T2-L delivers excellent print quality onto flexible packaging using inks that are safe for food labels. The product is designed to create savings for customers over the lifetime of the printer.

To support the growing digital print for packaging business, AstroNova has partnered with Sihl for digital print substrates. In addition to offering Sihl’s environmentally friendly ARTYSIO brand packaging product portfolio for the T2-L, AstroNova is partnering with Sihl to develop a range of new flexible packaging materials. Independent auditing firm Intersoh recently awarded the highest rating for recyclability to Sihl’s ARTYSIO materials, which include metalised ultra-high barrier and pure polypropylene versions.

“Its high-quality, recyclable, flexible packaging materials make Sihl a perfect partner for AstroNova in providing a total solution that is environmentally friendly, food-friendly and sustainable,” says AstroNova president and CEO Greg Woods. “We are proud to partner with Sihl on this initiative, offering our customers what we believe will be the flexible packaging solution with the highest return on investment in the industry.”

According to research firm Smithers Pira, total worldwide sales for flexible packaging are expected to grow to $269 billion in 2024 from $228 billion this year. “Our T2-L plays directly into strong secular trends driving the growth of the flexible packaging industry, including increased urbanisation, a greater consumer focus on sustainability and the growth of e-commerce,” Woods adds. “Our technology helps to create lightweight, durable packaging that reduces waste, lowers transportation costs, and is safer for the environment.”

DTM Print, an international OEM and solution provider for specialty printing systems, has added the new FX510e Foil Imprinter for finishing and highlighting product labels. With the FX510e, printers can add brilliant, shiny metallic or laminated highlights to blank or already pre-printed labels, whether they have been produced by inkjet, laser, offset or flexo printing.

As the imprinting process is completely digital, virtually any design elements like borders, graphics, fonts and backgrounds can be printed. A fast and efficient, one-colour personalisation for POS or POI applications is possible, as well.

The FX510e differs far more than in mere appearance from the previous model, the FX500e. Besides a new chassis, the printer contains an internal multifunctional roll holder, allowing the use of rolls with a core of up to 3”. An external passive label unwinder mounted on roller bearings is included as well. It supports label rolls with a maximum size of 4.5" (114 mm), a core of up to 3" (76 mm) and an outer diameter of up to 10" (254 mm).

Metallic foils in gold, silver, blue and red are available for the FX510e, as well as various spot colours and clear foil. With the clear laminating foil partial glossy add-ons, comparable with a UV coating, can be applied to the product labels for logo design or graphical areas, for example.

As a special highlight, DTM Print offers a new thermal transfer label substrate for the FX510e: DTM Poly Clear Gloss TT. This substrate enables the production of crystal-clear product labels with imprinted elements.The new foil imprinter is available in two versions. Next to the standard model, the FX510e, there is the FX510ec, featuring a built-on guillotine cutter, which allows horizontally cut die-cutting, reflective and continuous label stock. Fast print speeds and a low purchasing price  allow users to quickly and cost-efficiently produce labels on-demand in the amount that is actually needed.

The FX510e is easy to set up and operate. Besides the passive label unwinder, the printer driver for Windows 7/10 is included along with the design software NiceLabel Free 2019 DTM Edition (for Windows) and four colour ribbon starter rolls (gold, silver, red and blue metallic).

At Labelexpo Europe 2019 (stand 9A34, Brussels Expo, 24 - 27 September), Fujifilm is showcasing a range of new products designed to help label converters optimise their existing flexo presses, under the slogan "Protect the planet and your profits". Consisting of enhancements to the company's water-washable flexo plate and processing systems, together with new LED UV curing and imprinting solutions, Fujifilm will be highlighting just how efficient and eco-friendly the production of high quality labels can be.

On show for the first time will be Flenex FW-FP, Fujifilm's new water-washable plate for flexible packaging, joined by the upgraded SB-938 FLW water-washable plate processor and the brand new Aquarius Water Treatment System. New Sericol JJ LED UV flexo ink and JF indirect food packaging compliant UV cured inks are also being displayed alongside Fujifilm's established Illumina cold cure LED UV system and additional new ACTIV LED UV system, while a new industrial imprinting system will also be showcased at the exhibition.

Nills Gottfried, Segment Product Marketing Manager at Fujifilm Graphic Systems Europe says: "This year's Labelexpo promises to be an exciting one for Fujifilm. We're delighted to be presenting a range of new products for the labelling market, alongside established products many visitors may still wish to learn more about. All are designed to ensure the highest quality label production achieved in the most efficient, profitable and eco-friendly way possible.

Water-wash plate and plate processing equipment Fujifilm's new Flenex FW-FP plate features all the quality benefits of the established FW-L2 plate as well as added solvent resistance, reduced curling effect and a thicker polyester base of 188µm.

SB-938 FLW is Fujifilm's easy access, all-in-one, semi-automatic water-washable plate processor designed to provide efficient plate handling. In combination with Fujifilm's Flenex FW plates, the SB-938 FLW processor offers the fastest platemaking times in the industry - under 40 minutes. This is 3 times faster than leading solvent systems and 1.5 times faster than current thermal and water technologies. Says Gottfried: "Our upgraded SB-938, with its best-in-class waste water capabilities, is a prime example of Fujifilm's desire to manufacture products that support the ever evolving environmental requirements demanded by the industry. It has an array of new features, including a washing section which minimises water use during rinsing, a liftable brush frame providing easier access for cleaning and a unique remote diagnostic service, to name a few."

Rounding off Fujifilm's new flexographic equipment is the new Aquarius Water Treatment System. Used in combination with either the C-Touch or SB-938 water-wash flexo plate processors, Aquarius reduces water usage, prolongs the bath life and reduces waste water and processor cleaning times.

In combination, Fujifilm's newest Flenex plate, processor and water treatment system can help label converters reduce water use while also ensuring that their equipment functions effectively for as long as possible.

LED UV systems and inks

Fujifilm is also launching a new LED UV retrofit curing system called ACTIV, which allows any traditional UV flexo press to be converted to LED UV curing, bringing major improvements to label production. "ACTIV takes advantage of the very latest LED UV curing technologies, along with Fujifilm's ink expertise, to deliver an industrial, reliable curing system with none of the disadvantages of higher power and higher temperature conventional UV lamps," says Gottfried. "ACTIV accelerates productivity, as well as offering quality improvements, greater application versatility, cost and material savings, and reduced environmental impact."

This new LED UV curing system will be demonstrated alongside the established Illumina LED UV curing system, presented at Labelexpo in 2017.

Launched in tandem with ACTIV is Fujifilm's new high performance, Sericol JJ LED UV flexo ink and Sericol JF indirect food packaging compliant UV cured ink. Both are designed for use with the Illumina and ACTIV LED UV curing systems, as well as most other LED UV curing systems. The Sericol JF flexo UV ink is formulated to comply with Swiss Ordinance SR 817.023.21 and Nestle Guidance Note on Packaging Inks 02-2014 and EC Regulation on GMP 2003/2006, making it suitable for indirect food packaging, in accordance with EuPIA guidelines.

Finally, as a technical preview, Fujifilm's new Industrial Imprinting System offers variable data printing at industrial production speeds. In an era of mass customisation, imprinting provides a great opportunity to add value and help to increase the range of solutions companies can offer. Fujifilm's new imprinting solution is highly productive and can be fully integrated easily into existing packing or filling line equipment. Using Fujifilm's inkjet technology, the imprinting system can print images or information as text, logos, QR or barcodes, or any other customised data.

Gottfried concludes: "If label converters want to find out more about how they can optimise their existing flexo presses with the latest innovative solutions, we recommend they visit the Fujifilm stand at Labelexpo. With new products across the stand, Fujifilm will be demonstrating how label production can be made more flexible, efficient, profitable and ultimately more eco-friendly."

Konica Minolta has announced the 450th global installation of its AccurioLabel presses at Labelexpo Europe.

Providing excellent local service and support, along with delivery of parts and consumables, Konica Minolta’s digital toner-based technology has reached another label printing milestone after beginning successful trials less than four years ago. 

The 450th installation milestone has been marked by live demonstrations of the AccurioLabel 230, the newest model in the toner label press family from Konica Minolta, which is a central feature on its stand.. Important enhancements include a 73% speed increase, improved productivity, an option for overprinting, no warm-up required between jobs, less waste and more accurate print registration.

Konica Minolta is showing one of its AccurioLabel 230s with a flexo station for printing white inline for the first time, as well. Offered by Grafisk Maskinfabrik (GM), its development and manufacturing partner in Europe, this option will be available in the near future. Existing users can also have their systems retrofitted to enable inline white printing.

Konica Minolta is also highlighting software enhancements using augmented reality (AR), as well as displays of embellishment and finishing workflow with MGI technology on the joint stand. A special focus is on the MGI JETVarnish 3D WEB Color+ embellishment for label and flexible packaging.

Konica Minolta visitors have the chance to win personal fitness trackers by guessing how many meters will be printed on the two Konica Minolta AccurioLabel presses at Labelexpo over the four days of the show.

Konica Minolta’s overall theme for Labelexpo Europe 2019 is “Around the world, around the clock.” This underlines how Konica Minolta AccurioLabel presses help print providers around the world to move their business forward.

Edoardo Cotichini, team manager, Industrial Printing, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe, says, “Labelexpo is a perfect opportunity for us to involve customers in industry-first insights and synergies to inkjet printing and AR solutions, as well as demonstrating practical ways of growing business opportunities.

“In a true collaborative approach as a relationship-oriented company, we actively source expertise from customers and partners for inkjet and toner-based printing solutions. This enables us to develop with our customers, using their inputs for future developments of our world-class technology, not just pushing out what we think is best for the markets. One example is how we work with IIJ (Industrial Inkjet Ltd), which has developed its print engine concept further to include a range of standard press-adaptors for common flexo label presses,” he adds.

Kurz is presenting a new stamping foil series for rotary label printing at this year's Labelexpo Europe. The company has also been demonstrating the effective combination of digital web-fed printing and integrated metalisation.

The KPW XU cold foil grade, a versatile go-to for narrow-web printing, has been displayed for the first time at Labelexpo. According to Kurz, this cold foil is ideally suited for overprinting and delivers optimal decoration results, both for large-area and fine designs.

A further development is the availability of Lumafin, a semi-transparent stamping foil specifically for web-fed printing. It allows under-printed designs to shine through, covers them with a shimmering gloss, and creates an extraordinary depth effect. A variety of labels decorated with Lumafin and the combination of colour printing and Lumafin decoration are on display at Labelexpo.

A focal point of the Kurz stand is digital finishing using the DM-Jetliner. There are live demonstrations of an HP Indigo 6900 digital printing machine with an integrated DM-Jetliner finishing module, which can be used to metalise web-fed labels and overprint them in a single pass at full printing speeds.

Show visitors can observe the integration of the DM-Jetliner into the printing process and the creation of metallic colours, decorative, personalised elements and holographic effects.

Mark Andy is highlighting four product releases at Labelexpo Europe, including a new flexo press. Mark Andy has introduced the Evolution Series to its suite of flexographic offerings.

A simple-to-operate platform powered by proven Mark Andy engineering and technology, the Evolution Series provides converters a scalable production solution designed to serve their business needs today while providing adaptability to the needs driving future business growth.

The Evolution Series, demonstrating live at the show, is available in 13” and 17” (330 and 460 mm) web widths with production speeds up to 750 fpm (230 m/m) and is available for immediate order.

Tom Schelmbauer, chief business officer, Mark Andy Flexo, says the Evolution Series is a strategic addition to the company’s flexo solutions by providing full servo technology previously unattainable to this wide of a range of the market. “Full servo flexographic printing is now within reach for all converters,” explains Schelmbauer. "This technology, with the highest possible quality and engineering, has been a longstanding – and noticeably absent – request in the industry. Building on the success of our existing technology, we’re able to bring the Evolution Series to market as a solution for converters that need a label or film press with the capability to grow as their business grows. “

In addition, Mark Andy’s Digital Pro line is making its European debut. This modular entry- to mid-market digital system is running live at the stand– specifically the Digital Pro 3, the advanced inline converting model fitted with semi-rotary diecutting.

The roll-to-roll configuration, Digital Pro 1, is also on display on stand 8A60, extending Mark Andy’s presence to the “Digital Hall” for the first time. Printing at 77 fpm (23.4 m/m), the new product line provides production-level speed for all applications in addition to a low cost to print, giving companies priced out of production systems the opportunity to benefit from digital.

Digital Series HD, a 7-colour UV inkjet press with QCDC-SR, Live VDP and StitchAI, is making its first appearance in Brussels since launching in spring of 2018. Mark Andy’s full-production true hybrid digital inkjet system is now available in 17” (430 mm) web-width, and is being demonstrated four times daily, with special demonstrations highlighting its high-speed shrink sleeve capabilities. 

Representatives from Mark Andy Print Products Europe are on-stand during the show, as well. Mark Andy Print Products, now supporting European converters and customers, offers all essential flexo pressroom consumables, including, plate mounting tape, doctor blades, anilox rolls, splicing tape, pressroom chemistry, and more.

Meteor Inkjet Ltd, leading supplier of electronics, software tools and services for industrial inkjet, further expands its product portfolio with the launch of the HDC‑ES3200 driver card for Epson S3200 PrecisionCore printheads. 
 
Announced by Epson in May at the FESPA Global Print Expo, PrecisionCore printheads embody differentiated technology that enables outstanding image quality, productivity, durability and printhead scalability.
 
Duncan Ferguson, Epson Europe’s Vice President, Professional Printing & Robotics said, “Epson is keen to help as many customers as possible convert from analogue to digital printing.  We think the best way to ensure seamless adoption of our printheads is for our customers to engage with technically excellent companies that have significant experience in industrial inkjet.  Meteor’s long track record of offering robust, reliable printhead electronics and software gives me confidence that our customers will be in a safe pair of hands.”
 
Clive Ayling, Meteor’s Managing Director comments, “Meteor has enjoyed an easy relationship with  Epson in our development of electronics and software to drive the S3200 printhead.  We’re excited about the potential this printhead offers and we look forward to further opportunities to work with Epson on printheads to come.”

With the launch of the new jetscript Metal VPG 1018, Mitsubishi HiTec Paper has unveiled a metallic silver gloss inkjet paper, developed for water-based inkjet printing. It is particularly suitable for self-adhesive label applications, as well.

According to Mitsubishi HiTec Paper, the results on the metallic glossy inkjet labels were only previously possible using a metallic film. Jetscript Metal VPG 1018 is a pure fiber-based paper product with a metallic mirror finish and a transparent, microporous inkjet coating for excellent printing performance.

The main features are:
- 110 gsm
- metallic-silver mirror finish
- high print density
- fast drying
- suitable for water-based inkjet printing (dye and pigment inks)
- compatible with latex inks
- optimum performance in the self-adhesive production process (handling, labelling, matrix removal)

This makes jetscript Metal VPG 1018 suitable to produce eye-catching labels in the cosmetics, beverage or food industry, as well as personalised wrapping paper, high-quality advertising panels and displays.

Roland DG Corporation, a leading manufacturer of wide format inkjet printers and printer cutters, today announced the launch of the VersaUV LEC2-300 30" UV printer cutter.

Kohei Tanabe, President of the Roland DG Digital Printing Business Division, states that the LEC series printers are capable of creating unique special effects using UV ink and contour cutting printed images on demand. "Since they were introduced in 2008," he said, "the LEC series has been used by a broad range of printing businesses for countless applications, including printing adhesive decals, labels and stickers, novelty merchandise, and design prototypes. The newly released LEC2-300 builds on the best features of the series, while making it both easy and economical to produce high-value added prints in quantities as few as one. As the newest model in the series, it also comes packed with features, including a newly developed print head and LED lamps, and a host of updated functions for an even higher level of print quality in a compact and stylish design." 

The LEC2-300’s UV ink adheres to the surface of a diverse range of media, from adhesive sheets for stickers and labels to PET or PVC-based substrates, and even textiles, Japanese paper, canvas or tarpaulin, leather and more. In addition to CMYK ink, the LEC2-300 can be used with Clear and White ink configurations for exceptional, premium-value printing, including full-colour prints with matte or glossy finishes, simulated embossing and other custom-textured effects.

The contour cutting function has been further enhanced to cut out printed graphics to any shape with exceptional precision. The automated process eliminates the need for plate making and die punching for trimming adhesive decals, labels and stickers. A Perf-Cut function allows you to print out as many labels as required and then peel and apply as needed. Combined with the new Multiple Print function and a new precision media take-up system, high-volume lots can be printed efficiently without attended operation.

The newly developed print head and LED lamps now deliver exceptionally rich and vibrant print quality. The new print head has been optimised for precise ink delivery and control, while the new LED lamps are more powerful to make curing the ink even faster. This combination delivers stunning print finishes down to the finest level, from small text to elaborately textured patterns and gradations. White ink density has increased by up to 40% compared to the previous model, to provide much higher opacity and coverage.

"In so many industries, we are seeing the needs of consumers becoming more diverse and individualised," Kohei said. "The ability to create unique items with a superb sense of exclusivity at the right time is essential for customers involved in the printing business to keep ahead of the competition. We developed the LEC2-300 to provide our customers with the power to quickly produce creative designs in as many formats and methods as possible. With this new printer, we hope to contribute to further growth and development of the printing industry."

Sabre Graphics is a privately owned and operated Australian company, directed by Ryan Collins, that supplies and installs signage and graphics for marketing companies, architectural fit-outs, retailers, builders and many other types of event activations. Recently, after securing contracts with multiple, high-end, international retail brands, Sabre purchased two Epson SureColor S80600 high-quality signage printers.
 
Sabre Graphics GM Peter Briard explained, “After Sabre secured the contracts the main requirement our new clients had was that their brands’ colour profiling and colour management on all printable roll-to-roll media was not to be compromised in any way. It had to be of the very highest quality. Thus, it became an easy choice for Sabre to purchase the Epson SC-S80600 printers as they were the best fit for our customers’ needs, offering a superior print and more consistent quality than competitive printers. They are also very easy to operate and maintain.”
 
In the signage and printing world, cost efficiency and workflow reliability has never been more important as Briard added, “The SC-S80600 printers offered low ink costs, allowing us to provide competitive pricing to our clients. They also have special functions like remote status and error reports and attachments like auto take-up and drying units. These attachments were a mandatory purchase as they increase the machines run speeds, whilst still maintaining the superior print quality - saving everyone involved time and money.”



Epson SureColor S80600 printers being used at Sabre Graphics


The benefits of the SureColor S80600 printers’ unique additional features didn’t stop there for Sabre Graphics.
 
Briard continued, “These additional features are a huge benefit to Sabre Graphics as they enable us to work remotely, whilst issuing reports advising the printers’ status. This, in turn, further enables us to print around the clock and guarantees our installers will receive the prints and install them on time for our clients’ launch dates.”
 




The prints generated from Sabre’s new Epson SureColor S80600 printers provide indoor and outdoor graphics and signage for windows, awnings, the tops and sides of buildings, lightboxes and many other works in a variety of environments, such as commercial office and retail fit-outs.  

The versatility and functionality of their new printers is not lost on Peter Briard as he concluded, “The SureColor S80600 printers ensure Sabre can provide our clients with a fast turnaround and the peace of mind that the print quality is superior to all others. This makes them easy for our installation team to work with. Sabre will continue to purchase Epson products and, in particular, the SureColor S80600, moving forward because these excellent printers are durable, efficient and easy to operate. Absolutely critical are the SureColor S80600’s low ink costs and the one-year warranty, with the option to extend to five years, which simply can’t be beaten.”

www.epson.com.au

To celebrate the recently announced TrueVIS VG Series FREE Upgrade, we are offering amazing runout specials on TrueVIS VG Series printer cutters.* 

With the upgraded TrueVIS VG Series printer cutters, you can now take advantage of a new generation of TrueVIS Ink and many of the advanced features of the recently launched VG2 Series, including a wider colour gamut, a new "True Rich Colour" preset, and increased print and cut functionality. All this at an attractive price: 

VG-540 - $22,000 (normal RRP $28,730)
VG-640 - $25,000 (normal RRP $30,730)

Inclusions: 
- Printer
- Take Up Unit
- Set of TR2 Ink
- 3 Year Heads ‘N All Warranty

Find Out More 

For more information, go to www.rolanddg.com.au, call 1800 500 119 or email sales@rolanddg.com.au. 

Esko, a leading provider of integrated technology solutions for packaging professionals, is giving users of its market-leading ArtiosCAD structural design software the opportunity to trial its innovative new preflight functionality in its latest release.

ArtiosCAD Preflight - ComputerArtiosCAD (18.1) users can now start using the breakthrough innovation for software-assisted quality control checks as a trial ahead of the full launch in early 2020. With unrivalled performance in CAD design for packaging and displays, the new preflight software delivers an even greater efficiency boost by saving users up to 15 minutes per design, eliminating the need for manual checks and standardizing design checks across a user group.

Specifically created to boost productivity for packaging structural designers, product development processes, virtual prototyping and die cut manufacturing operations, ArtiosCAD is a trusted tool with more than 23,000 users worldwide. “Best in class principles based on industry standards, including BOBST ABC guidelines, are now validated in ArtiosCAD to ensure accurate production-ready designs are established, reducing the iterative cycles between design and die making,” said Richard Deroo, Esko Product Manager. “Each design is checked to ensure it’s optimized for faster and more accurate waste removal during die cutting, and potential die cut production issues are now clearly identified earlier in the design phase.

“Delivering quality control at the touch of a button, ArtiosCAD Preflight automatically analyzes structural design files and flags quality issues to avoid downstream errors and save time for converters,” said Richard. “The patent-pending software alerts designers to potential design issues before releasing the file to estimating or production, reducing errors and rework and boosting operational uptime and efficiency.”

Users of ArtiosCAD Preflight now have the option to join an exclusive online user group for this new feature enabling collaboration with peers and directly with the Esko R&D team on the benefits of preflighting structural design files, as well as developing ideas for future modifications to the software.

“We are working with a number of pre-release customers from our broad user base to shape the full release,” he said. “But it is already clear that this new addition to ArtiosCAD 18.1 can make a significant difference to the efficiency and operational performance of the packaging and display community.” 

Graphic Packaging International has been a key pre-release customer for the software development. Elizaveta Roberts, Tactical and Manufacturing Design Senior Manager at Graphic Packaging International, said: “We’ve been running ArtiosCAD Preflight before a design goes to manufacturing. Some of the checks that are running have allowed us to save at least 10 minutes per design. Depending on how many designs we’re doing in a day that can really add up to big-time savings.”

New ArtiosCAD Preflight performs a number of quality control checks on structural design files including:

- Production checks to see if the design meets the requirements of the intended production assets
- Product quality checks to identify design features that can negatively affect the folding, gluing or stacking of the finished article.
- Die press performance assessments to assess any negative impacts on the operational speed of the die press
- File import checks to examine the structural integrity of imported designs to identify any anomalies that could impede production overall

Available to download from www.esko.com, ArtiosCAD Preflight is available as a trial until April 2020 for users who upgrade to ArtiosCAD 18.1. To find out more, please visit https://www.esko.com/en/products/artioscad/features/cad-preflight

Sydney based John Fisher printing have recently installed the latest Anapurna H1650 LED Hybrid printer. 

This long established Business provides quality printed products with high levels of service & flexibility, to support & achieve creative solutions for their clients. John Fisher Printing specialisation is within the POS, Packaging and short term signage sectors.

Managing Director Tony Fisher said – “At John Fisher Printing we provide unique solutions, for visual graphic displays & merchandising, in addition to general commercial printing, assisting small & large businesses, offering exciting solutions to increase ‘Brand Awareness’! With over 60 years of experience in the retail sector we have the capabilities and knowledge to meet the most demanding of applications and time restraints.

When we first started to investigate a new solution our main driver was machine availability, as we needed to fulfil a large order. However, quality, service & backup also was a major influence, indeed so too the cost of spare parts, added to the criteria. After a few weeks of investigation and bearing in mind the need to print in excess of 3000m2 in a short period of time, we decided to move forward with the latest offering from Agfa.

John Fisher Printing have purchased multiple platforms, but this was our first acquisition from Agfa. From the outset, Agfa’s support from on-the job training, through to return training have been important factors. Responsiveness to queries & assistance for relatively new or inexperienced operators have also been helpful. I was also impressed with the Anapurna’s ability to print saleable images in ‘Express mode’ which enabled us to meet our Clients demanding timescales”.

The latest edition to the Agfa family of printers, the Anapurna H1650i LED device is a 6 Colour Hybrid Printing Platform. Speeds up to 63m2 per hour and able to deliver Photorealistic images. Being able to switch swiftly from board to roll and by utilising the latest LED curing technology enables the operator to print Corflute, Composite Panel, Acrylics, Foam PVC, Banner, Paper, SAV and heat sensitive stock.

Tony continues – “Overall, we are equipped to run retail campaigns matching both traditional offset & wide format digital inkjet printed projects. Our technology allow us to offer custom design solutions for short run packaging & point of sale with all in-house facilities. We also provide additional fulfilment facilities, consolidation of promotional materials, packaged for retail distribution in standard or specialty made shippers”. 

Michael Culver, Inkjet Manager Oceania said – “When you are not the incumbent supplier it is always going to be a challenge. Tony and his Team are well rehearsed and understand the market they play in. Agfa look forward to growing this new partnership and will endeavour to expand our product assortment at John Fisher Printing”.

Please feel free to visit John Fisher Printing operations 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJC3OvioV1c 

Omet will launch XFlex X7, a 670mm (26in) width flexo press aimed at shrink sleeve and flexible packaging production, at Labelexpo Europe 2019.

The press features another new development being unveiled at the show: Omet’s High Value Rotogravure (HVR) print unit.

The new press is claimed to merge the best features of Omet’s XFlex X6.0 and VaryFlex V2 platforms. It gives printers the possibility to offer high quality, high value shrink sleeves and flexible packaging materials optimised to print for medium volume quantities.

XFlex X7 offers different possibilities of combination printing and special effects for high value final products, such as a new High Value Rotogravure unit, Soft Touch Flexo Vertical with longer drying tunnel and Rotary Screen with 670mm width. The High Value Rotogravure unit can be added in fixed position, with accessibility for the operator on center line, on both side. The printing cylinder and inking tray can be load on front side of the rotogravure unit. The unit can print front and reverse and it is equipped with integrated chill drum and doctor blade with front and reverse position. With direct drive motor on printing cylinder, the unit is automatic and easy-to-use thanks to different trolleys which help the operator in the management of the unit.

XFlex X7 is able to integrate several printing and converting technologies in-line and process all kind of substrates, in particular flexible packaging and shrink sleeves from 12 micron thickness. It offers automatic on-the-fly pre-registration of the plates to get them in position, automatic Multi-vision printing registration adjustment thanks to a multiple camera scanning system, automatic positioning of the printing pressures at every change of speed, substrate thickness and repeat lengths. 

X7’s modular design allows the combination of different printing technologies as well as special finishing applications and converting units. The X7 flexo printing unit is full motorised with the Zero Gears Solution which allows a high level of precision thanks to nine motors on each printing unit. X7 can be equipped with a new full servo Soft Touch Flexo Vertical unit for flexo front and reverse printing, with sliding and removable ink tray. The new Flexo Vertical has a long drying tunnel with two UV units for water- and solvent-based inks, and can work with soft touch applications, water-based or two UV. The unit disposes of an ink pump integrated on the inking trolley and allows different web path combinations.

The new Omet Twist is a special front and reverse die-cutting station web width 530mm designed for smooth changeover. Thanks to Easy Change Die system, it can minimise set-up time through the In&Out sliding system. 

‘Omet has the industry’s largest range of modules and attachments and with the new X7 we present our latest offering, the High Value Rotogravure-HVR, which we believe will disrupt the way printers achieve the special print effects on shrink sleeves and flexible packaging materials,’ said Amerigo Manzoni, director of R&D at Omet. ‘HVR will be on display at Labelexpo Europe at our stand 6C49,53 and we encourage all innovative printers of the world to come and experience it running live. Also available will be various samples printed with HVR allowing printers to see the new possibilities they can now achieve with much east with this innovation.’ 

FESPA Australia (formally SGIAA) has appointed Michelle Hunder to develop membership and communications under an ambitious plan for growth and services to support members.
 
The appointment is partly funded by FESPA’s ‘Profit for Purpose’ program, which channels profits from its international tradeshows into programs to develop member associations. FESPA Australia Association President Nigel Davies says the grant will enable many more initiatives to support members and to promote the industry.
 
“We have achieved a lot through the work of passionate volunteers and an active board, but we can do more,” says Davies. “We receive a continual stream of great news from our supplier and manufacturer members along with valuable knowledge and content from our international affiliations with FESPA and SGIA”. 
 
“FESPA Australia wants to position itself as an organisation that upholds best practice in the industry. We want businesses purchasing printing to associate FESPA Australia membership with a great sense of confidence and surety in quality, standards and exceptional work. Our members should feel advantaged in the changing marketplace”.
 
“We needed someone with expertise in communications and events to ‘spread the word’ and maximise the opportunities we have to bring our members and our industry together through a range of channels and events to their mutual benefit.”
 
 “We are pleased Michelle Hunder has joined FESPA Australia to take on this role. With a masters degree in communications, Michelle brings extensive experience supporting associations and organisations with communications, media, events, lobbying and market research. Michelle has also run her own business, so she understands what it is like to support small and medium enterprises.”
 
FESPA Australia (formerly SGIAA) represents companies who add value through graphic imaging of products and materials. Its members include leading digital printers, screen printers, signmakers and promotional products printers who manufacture a diverse range of products.

Prism Inks and Graphics One are pleased to announce the introduction of its new GO FabriMate dye-sub ink to cotton technology. GO FabriMate will be exhibited for the first time during the Printing United Show in Dallas, Texas October 23-25, 2019 in the Graphics One booth 2861.

According to Amir Ajanee, CEO and President, Prism Inks and Graphics One, “For many years sublimation has been limited to polyester substrates, with dye sublimation to cotton thought technically not possible. Over the past twenty-two months, we have been working to develop an innovative process for imaging dye-sub ink to cotton and have succeeded. The process uses standard dye-sub paper, is simple to use and is usable with virtually all EPSON piezo printers, including MicroTFP print heads. We are extremely excited to announce this breakthrough and to show it for the first time.”

Ajanee continued, “The feedback we have from our customers has been very exciting. We are expecting FabriMate applications to be wide-ranging and far beyond apparel to include automotive, interior decoration, furniture, soft signage, medical uniforms and much more. This technology offers incredible new capabilities.”

During the Printing United Show, Graphics One will be providing technology demonstrations on three different cotton and polyester systems including a complete letter-sized entry-level t-shirt system listing for $995, a complete 13”x 19” t-shirt system listing for $1,995 and a complete direct-to-fabric 24-inch for proofing purposes listing at $9,995.

FabriMate initial shipments are expected to start in November and will be available through the Graphics One distribution channel.

www.prisminks.com

French RIP and workflow software developer Caldera is set to release the latest version of its award-winning RIP software. Version 13 (V13) is coming to the market in October with a range of new features, and several improvements to existing features. The new version will be showcased at a number of upcoming print conventions including SGIA/Printing United in Dallas in October, CPrint in Lyon next February, FESPA in Madrid in March, and ISA in Orlando in April. 

A clear benefit of V13 is that users can expect to save significant amounts of time during prepress, reprinting, as well as saving on media in certain areas but also during mounting and installation in the field. The 5 main new features include Print&Cut Mirror, Tile Order, Caldera Jobs – Detailed View, Custom Annotations and Alpha-to-Spot. 

Print&Cut Mirror has been designed to streamline mirror workflows, when printing the back side of backlit applications and for print-to-cut dye sublimation transfer applications. It allows printers to manage the mirroring of the image, the cut marks and the cut file directly from the RIP interface, resulting in prepress time savings. Tile Order allows users to choose the printing order of tiles to reduce onsite mounting time for large tiling jobs. Printing can be started from a corner of choice and the feature can deliver time savings on mounting times for building graphics, blueback posters and building wrapping. 

Another new feature, CalderaJobs, makes managing large volumes of jobs and multiple printers more efficient. With the ability to archive, save or delete past jobs more effectively, users will save time spent searching for a reprint and have a clean view of all their work to date. The Custom Annotations feature allows printers to choose which information they print in the annotations, which results in saving media space and optimized data searching and pertinence. There is no more need to put the legacy Caldera standard or detailed information on textile applications and building wraps, saving both media and mounting time. The final innovation in this version is Alpha-to-Spot. This automatically converts files with transparent backgrounds into white channels in automated workflows, allowing for prepress time savings. 

As well as the new features, V13 boasts a number of improvements to existing features. InkPerformer now offers a choice of V2 (Legacy) and V3 engines. The latter delivers ink savings of up to 30 percent, maintaining color quality with improved grey neutrality printing. New version Light Installers save time, while OS support has been extended to MacOS Catalina 10.15. V13 itself can be downloaded directly from CalderaDock, as can new ICC profiles and printer drivers. The new version sees updated Pantone Libraries, including 210 swatches in Pantone FHI Cotton TCX, and there’s a new 2xCMYK Print Mode, for finer prints with duplicated heads. 

Vice President Marketing, Operations & IT Sébastien Hanssens says, ‘This new version of Caldera’s flagship RIP software has been developed to explicitly meet the needs of our existing users and to provide them with enhanced benefits across the full range of workflow and RIP functions. Printing with Caldera V13 is more efficient and cost effective than ever before, with a simplified user experience for valuable time savings.’


www.caldera.com