Tilting the Playing Field

By Noel Ward

Poised to Take the Field

In addition to those suppliers that have staked out digital ground in packaging operations, there are several others with less of a footprint—so far. Make no mistake, digital presses will be taking a larger share of the labels and packaging space, especially as their speeds increase. This is a repeat of what took place in commercial printing, where digital now complements offset and offers new paths to growth and profitability. Some of the major players with new presses are names familiar to converters, and all offer more ways to tilt the playing field, often with more speed. The real value this technology offers is only beginning. Take a look:

Domino (recently acquired by Brother) has the 13” 7-color N610i, presently the fastest inkjet label press at 246 fpm. (domino-printing.com)

The 16” Fuji Graphium UV press is another speedster, running at 164 fpm, printing CMYK plus white, and can integrate flexographic print modules before and after the digital print engine.
(fujifilmusa.com/products/graphic_arts_printing/digital-printing/packaging/graphium/index.html)

The Gallus DCS 340 is part of a collaboration between Gallus and Heidelberg using Fuji printhead technology to create a 7-color, 1200 dpi resolution press that runs at 164 meters per minute. (gallus-group.com)

INX International & Komori offer two narrow web presses (the NW 140 and NW 210-E), that can be configured with an inline laser cutter to provide rolls of ready-to-use labels right off the press.

Mark Andy’s Digital Series integrates a set of 6-color UV inkjet printheads on a version of its Perfomance line of flexo presses, enabling jobs to use either or both technologies at 250 fpm. (markandy.com)

Screen, a major growing presence in inkjet printing, offers the 164 fpm Truepress Jet L350UV, designed specifically for label printing. (screenusa.com)

SPG Prints takes modularity to a new level with its DSI UV inkjet label printer, which can be configured with up to six printheads, three widths, and inline and near line finshing. (spgprints.com)

His strategy was to be early.

For tech industry veteran and serial early adopter Josh Feller, adding an inkjet label press was a strategy for offering digital label printing ahead of other companies, keeping business in house, and bringing in more. And, he wanted to free up his larger equipment—EFI VUTEk flatbed printers—for work that better matched their size and capabilities.

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