Labelling Blog

Komatsu General Print Company in Nagano, Japan, is the latest company in the sheetfed market to offer the benefits of a hybrid inkjet-offset printing solution with its installation of the KODAK PROSPER S5 Imprinting System. Ryobi integrated PROSPER S5 Imprinting Systems into a RYOBI 750 sheetfed press for Komatsu to efficiently produce personalized direct mail and other high-value applications in a single pass.       Inkjet printing inline with offset printing delivers a number of significant benefits, including faster job turnaround time, lower costs and higher productivity for imprinting applications when compared to roll-fed laser printing. The typical production process involves printing direct mail shells on an offset press, letting the shells dry, and imprinting them on a laser printer. Hybrid printing eliminates drying time and enables imprinting on the sheets as they pass through the offset press, saving up to two days in production time.         “The PROSPER S-Ser

Converters and binders of spiral bound stationery can now customize their products using Bekaert combined colors wire. The new and unique polymer-coated wire can be printed with any color to match. Bekaert will be at drupa 2012, in hall 11 at booth C55. Visitors can find out more about the new combined colors wire, as well as the company’s wide range of coated bookbinding wires.     Adding a design color touch to bound stationery Bekaert combined colors wire opens a raft of new options for designers, allowing them to enhance the character of bound stationery by adding an extra dimension of color:   · Complementing a brand by incorporating company colors e.g. for whitepapers or annual reports · Mirroring the colors of a sports team or other event e.g. using team colors on bound products like scrapbooks, calendars and notebooks  · Reinforcing the character of a product line e.g. using green shades to underline an eco-friendly notepad · Making a product more recogniza

Presstek, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRST), a leading supplier of digital offset printing solutions to the printing and communications industries, today announced that it will be offering a wide range of new capabilities for its flagship 75DI digital offset press at drupa 2012. Presstek will be located in Hall 4 Stand 4B03 at the show, where the company will also have on display its broad range of thermal digital plates. During drupa, Presstek will feature a five color 75DI with an inline aqueous coater equipped with its new Virtuoso Print Quality System. “We continue to enhance our flagship product, the 75DI digital offset press,” said Stan Freimuth, Presstek’s Chairman, President & CEO. “This breakthrough press, with its digital file to printed sheet in 6 minutes and 300 lpi/stochastic screening print quality, is already the most efficient digital offset press in the world. By continuing to expand its capabilities, Presstek is demonstrating its commitment to growing our portfolio to meet t

Presstek, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRST), a leading supplier of digital offset printing solutions to the printing and communications industries, today announced that research firm InfoTrends has released an extensive white paper analyzing the market impact, benefits and competitive advantages of the Presstek 75DI digital offset press. The white paper is available as a free download at www.presstek.com/75DIreport . “Our in-depth look at the Presstek 75DI revealed a number of advantages this 29” (B2+) press has in today’s highly competitive and rapidly evolving print market,” said Jim Hamilton, Group Director of InfoTrends’ Production Printing & Media Consulting Services. “Its six-minute job-to-job turnover is impressive, and the fact that this time includes imaging of chemistry-free plates on-press should not be overlooked. Presstek’s 75DI makes a compelling argument for cost-effective, offset-quality, print automation with a workflow that allows last-minute changes and opens up a range o

Presstek, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRST), a leading supplier of digital offset printing solutions to the printing and communications industries, today announced the sale of a Presstek 75DI digital offset press to a large North America based packaging converter. This six-color 75DI with an inline aqueous coater marks one of the largest Presstek 75DI press orders to date. “This is a very exciting sale for Presstek,” said Stan Freimuth, Presstek’s Chairman, President & CEO. “The 75DI is a strong fit for packaging converters and we’ve been focusing attention on this segment. It is very satisfying to see these efforts come to fruition,” Freimuth adds, “as this order continues to validate the Company’s growth strategies of expanding up-market and into new segments.” The Presstek 75DI is a highly automated 29” (B2+) digital offset press that is available in 4- to 10-color configurations. It has a full range of productivity enhancing options, including an inline aqueous coater. The 75DI features

Label Summit Latin America reached new heights as it attracted a record breaking 729 attendees and 70 exhibitors. Held in Guadalajara for the first time between 17-18 April, it was the fifth Summit to be held in Mexico.  The Summit boasted its highest ever number of exhibitors with 70 international and local suppliers including: ARclad, Avery Dennison, Green Bay Mexico, HP, Industrial Papelera Venus SA de CV, Max Daetwyler de Mexico, Sun Chemical Mexico and UPM Raflatac taking part in the table-top format exhibition. Global markets and the changing role of the label converter dominated the first morning. Proceedings were opened with a keynote presentation from Avery Dennison’s Darrell Hughes. Titled ‘The Innovation Imperative’, Hughes highlighted the case for change in Latin America as well as touching on several key issues facing the global marketplace such as growing demand for shorter runs and brands actively targeting emerging market countries and economies. ACOBAN’s Edgar Mar

UPM Raflatac announces the opening of its new specialty products factory in Fletcher, North Carolina. The facility, which began full-scale production in April 2012, will provide UPM Raflatac with the expertise, narrow-web coating capabilities and capacity to develop specialty labelstock solutions for demanding end-uses and allow the company to deliver on its promise of becoming a full product line supplier to its diverse industry customer base. The specialty products factory will supply labelstock products for end-uses such as security, pharmaceutical, food, tire and durables labeling and ultra removable applications; provide coat-to-order services; and run small orders. This factory is located just a few miles from UPM Raflatac’s existing labelstock manufacturing facility in Mills River, North Carolina, allowing the company to streamline its logistics processes, accelerating production and order delivery. “With our new label solutions center, UPM Raflatac achieves its vision of of

At drupa, Kodak introduces high-speed turbo mode, larger sheet size, ICS3 and a host of other enhancements for the KODAK NEXPRESS Platform GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, April 26—During drupa 2012, Kodak will unveil additional enhancements for the KODAK NEXPRESS Digital Color Platform. Meeting the needs of commercial printers, direct mail houses, photo service providers, in-plant printers, and transactional printers, the NEXPRESS Platform offers exceptional quality and productivity. The newest enhancements, which include a new turbo mode, 36″/914 mm-long sheet option and KODAK NEXPRESS Intelligent Calibration System (ICS) version 3 software, are designed to help printers improve image quality, application flexibility and production speed. Visitors can learn about these latest upgrades at the Kodak stand (Hall 5, F09-1). “Kodak understands the challenges that printers face to remain competitive. Our ongoing innovations and upgradeability to the NEXPRESS Platform will undoubtedly help these

Commercial printers, publishers and data centers have new options for high-quality black-and-white printing: the KODAK DIGIMASTER HD Digital Production Platform. The DIGIMASTER HD Systems will replace the current DIGIMASTER EX Systems and feature greater productivity and operating efficiency, enhanced image quality and exceptional reliability. The DIGIMASTER HD platform includes three robust and reliable models: the HD125, HD150 and HD300, with respective rated speeds of 125 ipm, 150 ipm and 300 ipm. The new systems are available immediately. “The DIGIMASTER HD introduction reinforces our commitment to monochrome cut-sheet printing and continual enhancements to image quality, modularity, productivity and reliability,” said Doug Edwards, Kodak’s President, Digital, Packaging and Functional Printing. The new HD Series features the following innovative enhancements: · A smaller toner particle size and improvements in the imaging components and software that result in enhanced ren

Kufstein, Austria-based commercial printing company Druckerei Aschenbrenner GmbH has enhanced its eco-conscious reputation after switching its printing plate production and print process to the new KODAK SONORA XP Process Free Plate.       The adoption of the KODAK SONORA XP Plate is Druckerei Aschenbrenner’s latest step towards creating a highly sustainable production process. The FSC- and PEFC-certified sheet-fed offset printer only uses eco-conscious print additives, mineral oil-free printing inks and water-based enhancement coatings. Such initiatives helped Druckerei Aschenbrenner win the Austrian Environmental Label in November 2011. Reducing footprint and improving efficiency For the past five years, Druckerei Aschenbrenner had been using a simple process plate made by a Kodak competitor, which required a separate clean-out process after the CTP imaging. “The motivation for switching to theSONORA XP Plate was to further reduce the environmental footprint of plate product

At drupa 2012, a significant amount of emphasis is being placed on innovations in printing technologies across the board, ranging from digital to offset, flexo and gravure. But what is a printing press without substrates? And even the best presses aren’t shown off to their best advantage with less-than-optimum paperboard. That’s why many exhibitors at drupa have selected Sappi’s Algro Design premium paperboards for their showcase printed applications in packaging, commercial print and publications. “We are very excited to have such a broad presence at drupa 2012 with our superior paperboards, “comments Lars Scheidweiler, Business Manager SBB Cartonboard. “We believe visitors to drupa will be able to clearly see the difference Algro Design makes across the packaging, publishing and commercial print segments, and we are proud to have been selected by these partners as the substrate of choice for these stunning applications.” Packaging Many consumer buying decisions are ma

Brands are finding success through partnering popular cultural icons from movies, music and books with their products to reach consumers who already have established relationships with these icons.   U.S.  beverage maker Brisk Iced Tea recently unveiled its new, limited-time one liter bottle of iced tea.  The label celebrates the new Kinect Star Wars game, which is available for the Xbox 360, Labels and Labeling reports .  The label also features a scannable Microsoft tag that allows users to unlock new information about the Xbox game.     The new bottle has a gold cap and a label featuring iconic Star Wars characters such as R2-D2 and C-3PO, the website writes.  Once users scan the M-Tag, they will be able to race with Anakin's Podracer on the new Xbox game.   "To expand upon our successful partnership with Star Wars, Brisk will offer artist-designed packaging that features innovative on-pack technology to deliver exclusive content to a passionate fanbase,&qu

FUJIFILM Corporation (President and CEO: Shigetaka Komori) today announces that it will launch a digital inkjet web press at drupa 2012 as a technology showcase.  Fujifilm’s new digital inkjet web press is unique in that it enables duplex printing within a single tower design, resulting in an extremely compact footprint, while retaining a maximum printing speed of 127 m/min.   The press uses Fujifilm’s new high performance VIVIDIA ink, developed specifically to facilitate superb image quality. The VIVIDIA ink used in Fujifilm’s digital inkjet web press allows high density images to be printed at high speed, with less ink transfer from sheet to sheet, with high quality reproduction possible even on thin paper. A variety of ink types, including both pigment and dye-based inks, have been developed for use with this press which, when combined with the ultra-compact footprint, maximise the application flexibility and versatility of the machine. There are two great advantages o

MGI Digital Graphic Technology, the French manufacturer of digital printing and finishing solutions, will premiere the new JETvarnish 3D® inkjet spot UV coater with increased production speed and dynamic new 3D spot embossing capabilities at drupa 2012 (Düsseldorf, May 3-16). With the introduction of the JETvarnish 3D, graphic arts professionals no longer have to choose between production spot UV coating speeds or enhanced UV coating thicknesses, as the new JETvarnish 3D handles both with ease.     The new JETvarnish 3D pushes the limits of traditional spot UV coating with a new 3D effect that varies in thickness depending on application requirements, providing a unique advantage to finished documents not only in appearance but by its unique and tactile feel.   With a dramatic increase in speed of up to 3,000 sheets per hour (52x105 cm / 20x42’’), the JETvarnish 3D can spot UV coat up to three times faster than the original JETvarnish, complementing both offset and digita

Durst, the leading manufacturer of industrial digital printing equipment after the initial launch of the UV inkjet based label press Tau 150 8C at Labelexpo 2010 in Chicago, followed by multiple installations in Europe and Nord America, announces the launch of the new Tau 330 at the upcoming DRUPA 2012 (Hall 6, Booth C60) where the new press will be showcased first time.   The new Tau 330 features a print width of 330 mm and a printing speed of max. 48 linear meters (157 lin. Ft) per minute, reaching thereby an industry-leading hourly production capacity of 950 m². Its standard color configuration CMYK can be completed with optional white and two optional process colors Orange and Violet (availability late 2012), essential for label applications that require precise pantone color matching. Furthermore, the standard configuration also includes industry-leading RIP software with built-in substrate management and color management.   Tau 330 is available in 2 print width: Tau 330 w

      Profecta Labels Inc, Canada’s label experts today announce the acquisition of a new HP Indigo WS6600 Digital Press. The most productive, flexible, cost-effective, high quality printing solution for high-volume labels and packaging production.   About Profecta Labels Inc. Established in 1992, Profecta Labels Incorporated is a privately owned Canadian Pressure Sensitive Label manufacturing company serving Canada and the United States. Profecta Labels has evolved sighificantly over the years to become the most respected, recognized Canadian provider of custom printed pressure sensitive labels for all types of industries. Profecta Labels is also a specialty promotional on pack coupon provider for some of Canada's major Corporations. Source:  http://www.profecta.com

Malek Factory , important label company based in Jordan has invested in Nuova Gidue Master M5 8k fully servo controlled. Since 1976 Malek Factory supplies market for hot foil label and ribbon with a particular interest in food and confectionery labels.       From right  to left Mr. Malek Sabbahg with his brother Mr Moutaz with Cristina Toffolo, Gidue Sales Director and Ermes Casanova, Gidue printer. "The new machine is the answer to increase demand of quick deliveries and short set up times" states Mr. Sabbahg , general manager and owner of Malek Factory. "In fact Master M5 is the best solution for label’s production and unlimited packaging with digital printing quality".   “We selected Master M5 because it seems to us the best choice with regard to the current label market and our strategy. We expect that the new machine is able to increase the capacity, add value to product and satisfy our customer demands.” continues Mr. Sabbagh.   To accom

Rexam Beverage Can has worked in partnership with Mack Brewery to celebrate their 135th anniversary by creating a new anniversary beer in an eye catching designed can. Mack, the northern most brewery in the world, has created an original Czech pilsner named Mack 1877. Mack chose Rexam’s 50cl can to package the anniversary beer and have taken advantage of Rexam’s advanced printing techniques to optimise the traditional design of the can. Eva Johnsen, Manager of Planning & Purchasing at Mack, commented: “We are really excited to be able to offer this special beer not only to our faithful fans, but to all beer lovers. Rexam consistently creates unique and effective packaging for us so they were a natural choice for Mack 1877. The can's design, which features a photo of the brewery's founder Ludwig Mack, has a nostalgic feel, but Rexam’s can ensures it still looks exclusive and stands out from our competitors.” Christian Nilsson, Sales Manager for the Nordic region at R

POLYART PUSHES THE LIMITS WITH SYNTHETIC PAPERS New solutions for digital and iridescent synthetic papers unveiled at DRUPA 2012   Arjobex, a world leader in the production of synthetic papers, is pleased to confirm its presence at DRUPA 2012 in Düsseldorf in May 2012.  Arjobex will take this opportunity to present its latest pioneering solutions with Polyart, its range of synthetic papers designed to takeover where paper and plastic reach their limits.   Polyart Digital range for commercial prints and labels Polyart Digital certified for HP Indigo With Polyart Digital, Polyart synthetic papers can now be used for short, customised and just-in-time runs. Optimal for prints requiring high resistance, you continue to benefit from all the advantages of the superb print finish of a matt-coated paper Polyart Digital: -  Resists wear and tear -  Resists humidity, grease and chemicals -  Has a perfect print finish for good readability -  Converts easily -

INX International Ink Co. today announced two important appointments involving longtime organizational veterans. John Hrdlick was promoted to Chief Operating Officer as George Polasik continues transitioning his operational management responsibilities and now begins his role as Senior Consultant. “George and John are two titans in the industry and we’re fortunate to have them working at INX International,” said Rick Clendenning, President & CEO. “George gradually eased back on the reins a little more than a year ago when John took over as Chief Operating Officer of our Liquid and Metal divisions. I’m very confident that as our new COO, John will lead us forward in his new position. “As Senior Consultant, George will continue to support John and our manufacturing facilities with various initiatives and projects. Although George resigned his Board of Director position as of April 1, I don’t expect him to slow down too much. He will be providing us with advice on any new large man

Alongside successful sales and service subsidiaries in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Australia, at the end of last year KBA set up a new subsidiary, KBA Korea Co., Ltd. in Seoul, to cater to a further key industrial growth market in the Far East. Users of KBA presses are reaping the benefits, since they now have a direct line to the German manufacturing plant, a broader choice of service offerings, local spare-parts accessibility and the services of highly trained local personnel for installations and trouble shooting. There are also plans for a remote maintenance facility. Initially KBA Korea will handle all activities relating to sheetfed offset, commercial web offset and digital presses for the German parent. Sales of newspaper presses will continued to be handled from Germany or by German staff in China.   With effect from 15 April the managing director of KBA Korea is Kenneth Hansen, who looks back on 35 years of experience in sales and

New ACRYLAC water-based coatings are now available from the huber group, one of Europe’s leading ink manufacturers. Thanks to improved versatility of the formulations, this upgraded product range satisfies all market demands with an even bigger selection of low-migration and low-odour coatings than before.   The dosing unit of the modern coating production is able to handle 79 components with highest accuracy This new coating series will help printing houses better manage their stocks and enable them to reduce the number of changes and press wash-ups thanks to its 'multi-purpose' character. More versatile products mean a smaller number of products are required – a benefit when it comes to printers' cash flow. New product names and codes underline these improvements and make the products easily identifiable. The fully automated mixing vessels in the factory near Munich guarantee consistent quality and cleanliness for the manufactured aqueous coatings Newcom

Visitors attending drupa 2012 will experience a dramatically expanded version of Kodak’s live presentation theater, the K-Zone. As a main event at the Kodak stand (Hall 5, F09-1), the popular K-Zone features dynamic, unscripted discussions with industry experts, product representatives, customers and strategic partners. With more than 60 live sessions scheduled during the trade show, this year’s K-Zone includes interviews with Kodak’s Lighthouse Customers, who will share their successful business strategies in the transition to digital printing. Also scheduled for the K-Zone are panel discussions on commercial, publishing and packaging applications, product presentations, and guest speakers representing some of Kodak’s 40+ partners.       “Attendees at drupa are looking for ways to ultimately grow their bottom line, and they want to make effective use of their time. With the K-Zone, visitors to the Kodak stand will not only be able to learn about Kodak’s extensive portfolio of produc

Krones, the world’s market leader for beverage filling and packaging technology, remained on course for success in 2011 despite the challenging macroeconomic environment. Sales revenue increased 14.1 % year-on-year from 2,173.3 million euros to 2,480.3 million euros. With that, Krones has not only continued the strong growth trend from 2010 but also surpassed its previous sales level achieved in 2008 (2,381.4 million euros). Business picked up both in and outside Germany in 2011. Krones achieved the steepest improvement in sales in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Europe. The company was also successful in the emerging markets of Asia again last year. At 2,514.0 million euros, new orders at Krones were up 14.6 % in 2011 over the previous year (2,193.5 million euros). Demand increased for large portions of the company’s range of products and services. Complete filling lines were in high demand. In regional terms, Africa and the Middle East contributed a significant share o