When You’re Hot, You’re HOT

Digital technology is rapidly changing the way consumer packages are conceptualized and proofed. Digital drop-on-demand (DOD) proofing using color-calibrated large-format inkjet devices (typically 24˝ to 44˝ in width and roll-fed) has made significant headway in packaging environments. This is because manufacturers continue to develop aqueous, solvent, and UV-based solutions capable of precise color accuracy and increased substrate flexibility at higher speeds and lower costs than ever before.

Are there limitations? Of course, and for higher-end, color-critical applications, a digital halftone proof may be preferable, but the quality gap is closing. Digital wide-format flatbed inkjet devices up to 100˝ in width are also finding a place in packaging environments for proofing, comping, package prototypes, sample runs, and the production of short-run point-of-purchase (POP) displays where the first copy is also the proof.

Digital large-format is said to be well suited for package proofing because of its high-quality output, flexibility, and relative affordability. Unlike their brethren in publication and commercial printing that focus on color and imposition, packaging printers aim to create a color-accurate mockup of the final product—a much more difficult challenge than anything in commercial printing.

In many cases, package printers and brand managers want to see the proof on the actual substrate that the final product will be printed on. Wide-format printers—especially those based on UV inks—offer the flexibility to output on a wide variety of substrates that can be folded, scored, wrapped, heat sealed, etc., and are therefore especially well suited for the production of comps. Some also have the ability to add opaque white to their assortment of proofing colors.

Better all the time

Widely installed in design houses, packaging converters, and trade shops, large-format digital inkjet proofing engines continue to improve in terms of both quality and productivity. According to Deborah Hutcheson, senior marketing manager, digital solutions for Agfa, “With proofing resolutions approaching 2880 x 2880 dpi, inkjet has now reached imagesetter/platesetter resolutions. In addition, the introduction of greyscale printheads in UV printers continues to expand the quality level even further. Finally, color management really has opened the door for wide-format inkjet, enabling users to produce high-quality color proofs that accurately predict what the final jobs will look like on press. No longer do users have to compromise on color.”

Finally, says Hutcheson, “I think the most interesting evolution of wide-format inkjet is the integration into the workflow. No longer does proofing stand alone in production. It is an integral part of the workflow and proofs using the same digital data that will make the final film or plate. Data integrity is guaranteed.”

Agfa’s :Sherpa proofing devices offer flexible speeds, resolutions, and inks that allow for high-powered throughput and enhanced productivity, and a QMS (quality management software) system that helps pinpoint and correct variances between the proofer and press for consistency and reliability.

The :Grand Sherpa 50˝ and 64˝ digital proofers have 1440 x 1440 dpi resolution, variable dot size, 8-color capacity, and 2-minute print speeds to produce quick, high-quality contract proofs, easy press okays, and an accurate transition from proof to print.

A turnkey solution

“The packaging world is gaining digitally,” says Lionel E. Layton, N.A. product manager-digital systems, DuPont Color Communication. “We still have some large-format customers, primarily corrugated, who are analog and still dependent on very accurate spot colors. There also are still some constraints in terms of color space with these inkjets. The larger you go, the more expensive they get, so it’s necessary to weigh cost-effectiveness against color accuracy. On the other hand, I can’t imagine what a 44˝ halftone system would cost.”

Inkjet can be as color accurate as a digital halftone proof when working with process colors, Layton says. In contrast, while digital halftone technology does enable the user to add nonprocess colors, that capability comes at an “exponential” cost for every additional donor color. “One of our strengths with the Largo family of products is in our higher trap values, in the pigmented inkjet,” he says. “Our ink acts more like packaging ink in terms of adherence than some of the newer systems with photographic-type ink sets. In addition to getting the color right, you get the right opacity as well.”

When DuPont rolled out its 6-color Cromalin Largo inkjet in 2006, it aimed to deliver a plug-and-play solution designed to reduce turnaround times and increase proof-to-press accuracy. The pigment-based (six plus one) Cromalin Largo uses DOD inkjet technology with roll-fed proofing substrates. Two versions are available: the 24˝ Largo 2406 and the 44˝ Largo 4406.

Tailored for flexo

EFI VUTEk recently launched EFI Colorproof XF for flexo, a large-format production solution designed specifically for customers in the packaging industry. Available in M (up to 17˝), XL (18˝-24˝), and XXL (25˝-44˝) output options, Colorproof XF for Flexo is said to create halftone screened inkjet proofs based upon the actual imaging engine used to create proofs. Unique to Colorproof XF, this feature allows customers to achieve the most challenging dot proofs possible in inkjet to simulate virtually any packaging scenario.

“There still are some compromises involved with inkjet technology,” acknowledges VP of Marketing Chuck Dourley. He adds that while “very few” packaging houses use superwide-format (SWF) inkjet systems for proofing, the fact remains that the ability to print directly on the substrate, the use of UV-curable inks, and the affordability of SWF inkjet makes the technology suitable for many short-run applications like POP and promotional items, where the first copy off the printer also serves as a contract proof.

Epson America is targeting the flexo printing market with a line of wide-format printers that use Epson’s 8-color UltraChrome K3 ink technology. Newly enhanced with Vivid Magenta, UltraChrome K3 inks can simulate a wide range of colors and provide an accurate proof of what the final package or label might look like when printed on a flexographic printing press.

According to Mark Radogna, group product manager, Epson Professional Imaging, the image quality and dot accuracy of Epson’s new printers are limited only by the front-end RIP. “Whether it’s a rosette or a true linescreen halftone, we can do it. We now have a true contract-quality inkjet proofing system for the flexo-type printing process,” Radogna says. “The printer gets a device that’s very easy to use at an extremely low cost. They may use an Epson for a lot of the early proofing and make one dot proof at the end, rather than five or six dot proofs that slow down the process. It reduces the turnaround time dramatically.”

Epson’s variable drop-on-demand piezo Stylus Pro 4880, 7880, 9880, and 11880 machines—now in beta testing in North America—use the manufacturer’s UltraChrome K3 pigment inks with Vivid Magenta for improved image processing. “Our 8-color inkset including light cyan, light magenta, and three different levels of black is far more suitable for proofing than other extended inksets,” Radogna says. “Now, our new Vivid Magenta-enhanced UltraChrome K3 ink can be used to simulate quite accurately, most of the flexo printing process as well.” Epson expects to begin shipping its new family of inkjet proofers in October.

The big picture

HP ScitexVision’s FB6700 flatbed industrial digital inkjet press prints directly to rigid sheets up 63˝ x 126˝ and up to 0.79˝ thick. It also uses a 6-color, drop-on-demand piezoelectric inkjet printing process and water-based pigmented inks that are fast-drying, abrasion-resistant, and waterproof. The HP Scitex FB6700 prints at true 600 dpi with throughput of up to 1,614 square feet per hour.

MacDermid ColorSpan’s 5400uv series of 1200 dpi, 45˝ UV-curable inkjet printers have a 54-inch print width and feature a set of integrated tables that fold up and can extend outward to accommodate rigid media in excess of 8 feet in length.

According to Bruce Butler, director of marketing, “UV-curable flatbed inkjet printers are best suited for package proofing because they are capable of printing on an almost unlimited selection of media, meaning they can typically print on the target media used in high-volume production. It is possible to print one or 10 just as easy as 100. There is no set-up, transfer, or clean-up as there is with other traditional methods. The inks cure instantly, which means there is no dry time and the proof can be used immediately, greatly speeding up the process.”

Mimaki USA

Mimaki promotes its piezo-electric, drop-on-demand inkjet UJF-605RII Roll-to-Roll Flatbed UV Inkjet Proofer as the “perfect tool” for gravure and flexographic printing. It creates a durable solid ink color that adheres to a variety of untreated plastic materials like PET and polycarbonate, and provides realistic, high-resolution package proofs (up to 1200 x 2400 dpi) using 4-color-plus-white durable opaque ink.

Caveat emptor?

Packaging converters and trade shops need to consider the real cost of a prospective proofing system before relying on it to go to print. In this respect, the affordability of some inkjet systems can be a double-edged sword, says John Cross, general manager, prepress consumables, Kodak.

“Say you spend $200,000 coming up with a new package design. Before you go any further on it, do you really want to trust that to a $25 proof off a $4,000 inkjet machine?” If the answer is no, it may be best to stick with a traditional halftone proof. He adds, “Proofing is really a balance between the cost of the job and the implications of the job going wrong. While we all say the proof is critical, we all know that it’s a lot less critical on a newspaper than on an elaborately designed box.”

What’s the matter with color that’s just a little “off”? Derek Case, worldwide packaging segment manager for Kodak, counters, “What does it cost the brand owner if you have three pallets of cartons delivered to the filling line just in time, but the color is wrong? They aren’t going to shut down the filling line because they don’t have packages; they’re going to take these packages and ship them off with inaccurate color based on poor proofing, and at the end of the day, the consumer’s perception of the brand goes down. So the question becomes, sure it’s cost-effective, but does it deliver security to the brand?”

Inkjet’s popularity notwithstanding, digital halftone proofing solutions continue to be widely specified for many high-end packaging applications, where the aim is to achieve spot-on-spot color-accurate proofing on the brand owner’s substrate of choice.

Kodak promotes its Approval NX Digital Color Imaging System as the ideal proofer for the packaging industry. Featuring Kodak’s GATF award-winning Recipe Color technology, the Kodak Approval NX system reportedly can accurately produce millions of spot colors in a fraction of the time it took previous Kodak Approval systems. By laying down up to four densities each of CMYK and spot colors simultaneously, instead of one at a time, Rapid Recipe Color technology reportedly also allows the Kodak Approval NX system to accurately respond to brand owners’ needs, as well as dramatically increase proofing productivity and turnaround times.

Another halftone proofing option is Latran’s Prediction solution. The Prediction 4600 over-sized 22˝ x 30˝ automatic digital halftone proofing system offers 10 media trays for preloading of combinations of pigmented ink sheets and actual proofing substrates for maximum flexibility and productivity. The system can be programmed to automatically select the appropriate ink sheets and substrates to produce optimum results during unattended proofing operations.

Whether or not one agrees, inkjet is suitable for both interim and final contract proofing, even with its inherent limitations. “While it’s definitely growing, it’s hard to say how much packaging ultimately will move toward inkjet proofing,” Cross says. On the other hand, “We have plenty of very satisfied customers using our Matchprint inkjet solution for packaging.”

Layton thinks there is room for multiple platforms. “There will always be a need to utilize a lower-cost option. It’s just good business to have multiple platforms and to price them appropriately. If the market will bear it, then you have to offer that service.” pP