The Jetrion 3025 UV-inkjet system was just the ticket to advancing Paxinos, PA-based National Ticket's variable-imaging capabilities. Because the company's ticket and visual identification products are made on a wide range of substrates, synthetic and traditional paper, it wanted greater flexibility and productivity in its variable-imaging operations. National Ticket previously had been using toner-based printers.

“Digital UV-inkjet technology was the solution we were looking for,” says Ed Ludes, vice president of production.

Jetrion (www.jetrion.com) did an extensive pre-installation survey of the press equipment that the 3025 printheads would be installed on and designed a custom printhead mount for the press. Five printheads were installed in January, which enabled National Ticket to print variable images across a 12-in. area of the web. The 3025 can print up to 316 x 526 dpi on gloss and matte papers, polypropylene, polyethylene, vinyl and other films. The new printheads also allowed the company to increase its press speeds. “On some products, we have seen running speed increases in the 10 to 15 percent range,” Ludes says. “That's a significant productivity gain.”

For enhanced image durability, Jetrion also worked with National Ticket to determine the best UV-ink formulation for the company's operations. The UV inks also contributed to the decrease in startup time because the UV inks stay wet. “We're able to shut the system down over a weekend, come back on Monday morning, do a quick purge and be up and running in minutes,” Ludes explains. Although National Tickets chose to use UV inks, the 3025 printheads can also use solvent-based inks.

NATIONAL TICKET CO., 570/672-2900, fax: 570/672-2999, www.nationalticket.com

JETRION, 734/641-3062, fax: 734/641-3065, www.jetrion.com

About seven years ago, Prestige Label Co., Inc. (Burgaw, NC), a converter of pressure-sensitive labels, tags and flexible packaging, noticed more customers requesting lower-volume runs. These jobs tended to be for just a few thousand labels—sometimes with different versions within the run.

“We didn't want to have to turn these customers away, so we looked for a way to add an economical, low-volume color capability to our existing services,” says president Elisha Tropper. “We wanted it to operate as a business within a business, functioning as a separate profit center.”

The solution came in Prestige Label's early adoption of the then-new HP Indigo digital-offset press (www.hp.com). “It caught our attention because it output incredibly high-quality labels,” Tropper recalls. “We pride ourselves on adopting new technologies as they emerge, because it results in us having leading expertise by the time the technology becomes mainstream.”

That was in early 2001. Since then, Prestige has upgraded to the HP Indigo ws4000, a higher-speed press which doubled throughput, and most recently added a ws4050. That system has seven color stations and supports four- and six-color processes, including an opaque white and HP Indigo's Indichrome process colors. “(The ws4050)'s seven-color capabilities enable us to print on a wider range of substrates including clear, textured and colored variants,” Tropper says.

Since integrating the digital presses, Prestige has opened up more business opportunities and provided a low-cost alternative for small- and mid-sized quantities of labels.

Editor's Note: At press time Converting learned that corporate parent Central Financial Group recently sold Prestige Label. Although Elisha Tropper remains an advisor to the company, he is no longer president. The company retains its name.

PRESTIGE LABEL CO., INC., 877/277-3784, fax: 718/485-4403, www.prestigelabel.com

HEWLETT-PACKARD CO., 800/289-5986, fax: 404/648-2054, www.hp.com

Promotional magnets maker Magnetic Attractions (Durham, NC) has set its sights on the digital label market. The new label division, Digitalabel, will be fully operational by the end of the year, producing pressure-sensitive digital labels for high-end niche markets.

“In the production of our promotional magnets, we employ the latest in digital-print technology and high-quality flexographic printing, featuring CTP capabilities. Standard runs are from 500 to millions of pieces with four-color process printing and spot colors with laminating or UV varnishing,” says John Dowling, Magnetic Attractions general manager. “When we decided to expand our digital printing and finishing capacity and expand into the label market, a thorough survey was conducted on (digital presses) available. When we saw the high level of integration AB Graphic International has accomplished with the HP digital printhead, our decision became obvious.”

Magnetic Attractions was drawn to the Omega Digicon S digital printing and converting system with sheeting capability (www.abgint.com). The line enables single-pass printing and features servo-driven web tension control, electronic web guidance with splicing table, hot-air drying/UV curing and waste matrix stripping. All these functions can be controlled via the touchscreen panel. The HP ws4000 digital print engine performs four-color printing.

“The addition of the Omega Digicon S, with its many capabilities and productivity, enables us to better serve our customers and further grow our business,” Dowling says. “As it happens the Omega Digicon can also convert magnet, so on that premise, we also get a two-for-one situation.”MAGNETIC ATTRACTIONS, 919/598-3995, fax: 919/598-3996, www.magneticattractions.com

AB GRAPHIC INTERNATIONAL, INC., 909/230-6640, fax: 909/230-6650.

Label converter Etikon Deutschland OHG (Rodersdorf, Germany) has come a long way since opening its doors in 1989. What began as an old sheep farm with three 25-year-old presses has transformed into a modern label-converting plant, with state-of-the-art equipment.

Etikon installed its first Mark Andy 2200—a 6-color, 13-in. UV-flexo system—(www.markandy.com) in September 2001. The company also invested in a 13-in. Mark Andy DCR 100 unit to run blank labels. The leap of quality from the ones produced on the old presses to that on the Mark Andy's were “breathtaking,” according to Etikon Deutschland owner Alex Maree. By the end of 2002, Maree had invested in a second 2200 (2-color, 13-in.) and DCR 100 unit, which he retrofitted with Vectra and KTI turret rewinders, and a waste extraction unit, to allow for faster running speeds.

“We run the 2200s at 330 fpm and up to 475 fpm if the substrate permits and the DCRs at 800 fpm,” Maree explains. “By extracting the waste, we are not limited to the speed of the matrix rewind, which on complex jobs can be slow because of its poor stability.” The result was a 2- to 3-percent savings on substrate costs and running speeds of 30- to 100-percent faster.

By October 2005, demand had risen beyond capacity and a third 2200 press (2-color, 17-in.) was installed. At this point it was obvious that further expansion was needed, Maree says. He invested nearly US$4 million in a new facility. That plant opened this summer, adding 3,280-sq-ft to the current plant.

“The long-term plan is for four or five new machines, including a Mark Andy LP3000, and an expanded workforce of about 100,” Maree says. Etikon currently employs 65 people, and Maree hopes to double the size of the company by 2010.

ETIKON DEUTSCHLAND OHG, 49/39426-867-0, fax: 49/39423-867-111

MARK ANDY, 800/700-MARK, fax: 636/532-1510, www.markandy.com

Sedalia, MO-based Convertible Brands was formed when Inter-State, a school portrait and yearbook company, decided to personalize its sales flyer to increase order rates. The two photos, along with the person's name, were digitally printed on a flyer using HP Indigo presses. A converter then had to affix an envelope to the paper, which was quite time-consuming.

The new sales flyers increased sales by about 30 percent. However, the finishing portion of producing the flyers by the millions created time delays and waste. To be more efficient, the company approached a converter to create stock already converted with the proper perforations and adhesives. This enabled Inter-State to print the variable information directly on the flyer/envelope stock with Xeikon digital presses and then fold the flyers using traditional folding equipment.

Along with solving the efficiency issue, the company also realized that it tapped into a new market for its business. “There were no suppliers of this type of pre-scored, pre-glued paper. We believed that others would find value with pre-converted paper,” says Convertible Brands manager George Fry. Thus, Convertible Brands and the Fold-N-Go paper stock were born. This stock, in standard or custom templates, is delivered to commercial printers pre-converted with all the necessary adhesives and perforations already on the paper.

“We realized we had to be the experts and fine-tune the procedure,” Fry says. However, the people at Convertible Brands are experts in the field of commercial printing and offset presses, not converting and flexo. To ease the transition, the company hired a consultant to help it find the appropriate press for the procedure. “It is a unique application, and we wanted to find (a supplier) that would step up,” Fry adds. “We wanted the best.”

The consultant recommended Gallus (www.gallus.org), and after testing out the press, Convertible Brands chose the Gallus EM 510. With a maximum speed of 492 fpm and web widths up to 16 in., the EM 510 can handle substrates from paper and board to monofoil and pressure-sensitive label materials. It comes with rotary and flatbed diecutting, length slitting and hot-melt units, among other optional features.

The press was installed Sept. 18. “Gallus provided training on a Tuesday and by Friday, the operators were (running the press) by themselves,” Fry says. “We want to completely understand glues and how to produce roll-to-roll or cut sheets. We have a lot to learn, but we'll figure it out.”

CONVERTIBLE BRANDS, 866/832-0217, fax: 660/829-0590, www.convertiblebrands.biz

GALLUS, INC., 215/677-9600, fax: 215/677-9700, www.gallus.org