Your digital converting future

One idea that stood out at this week’s PRINT 09 Media Days seems to me to be the inevitable "digital future" of package printing and converting–especially when it comes to labels and folding cartons.

Honestly, I wasn’t paying strict attention to the Xerox presentation until they announced that the Xerox iGEN Automated Packaging Solution (at left) would be on display. Powered by the iGEN4 digital production press, it includes an inline Epic CT1-635 coating unit, stacking, conveying and a KAMA diecutter (plus foil stamping in a second pass) for paperboard cartons. Originally developed by substrate provider Stora Enso and branded the Gallop (of all things) in European markets, the system debuted at last year’s Interpack 2008 in Germany. The iGEN APS handles 14.33 x 22.5 in. sheets (6,660 of them an hour) and can UV- or aqueous-coat varnishes or apply cold foil to materials up to 18-pt board. Xerox is marketing it to converters as well as commercial printers to serve primarily the pharmaceutical and high-end cosmetics carton and labeling markets. The foil-stamped samples Xerox passed around were impressive.

Growing the Presstek lineup of DI digital-offset presses will be the DI-UV in 52- and 34-cm-wide models to 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, low dot gain and speeds of 8,000 sph in four-color mode, Presstek said. Two Beta test sites for package printing include Taishin Inpack in Korea and LSD G.Neumman GmbH in Hamburg, Germany. Neumann prints HBA and cosmetic packs for Procter & Gamble.

The EFI Jetrion 4000 digital UV-inkjet printer for p-s labels is hot, hot, hot in Latin America. Converters in Colombia, Chile, Brazil and Mexico have taken on the system shown around at drupa and especially at Labelexpo Americas in the Digital Label Experience last year. (Maybe that’s where they first saw it?) 

And the last example: MGI will present the US launch of its JetVarnish digital-inkjet spot UV coater at PRINT 09. It handles 20 x 29 in. sheets for folding-carton packaging applications vs. using screen/offset UV-coating methods. The unit runs at 2,500 sph to serve the high-end cosmetics, perfume and liquor packaging markets. While it runs offline now, custom inline units tied to digital presses are certainly possible through future development, MGI said.

And that’s the key word here…inline. Tying together digital inkjet or digital offset presses with downstream finishers that coat, laser- or platen/rotary-diecut to turn out carton blanks or p-s labels ready to rewind is the goal. There have already been notable installations of HP Indigoes linked to Omega Digicon digital diecutters for the label market. Now, the concept is extending into cartons, too. 

You’re right, the speeds of traditional methods aren’t there yet but just wait a few years.

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