Digitally printed décor

In addition to digitally printing self-adhesive labels, Rhyl, UK, based Borble uses the same technology to manufacture a range of self-adhesive wall covering products. The company’s name, in fact, reflects the products by mixing “Border” with “Label”.

Managing director Gavin Scott says: “We saw digital presses becoming viable at an industrial scale while working in the gravure print and flexible packaging industry, and in 2004 we decided to write a business plan around the emerging digital printing process”.

At that time the concept was to digitally print a wallpaper border or long frieze. Instead of being printed with gravure cylinders that produce a small repeating design pattern, Borble wanted to digitally print continuously varied non-repeating designs such as an alphabet, story or scene that could be 5 m long and up to 300 mm wide.

Initially and in parallel, Gavin Scott and business partner Barry Griffiths explored the market and the technology. The market survey revealed a niche for this novel product, and in the technology survey they had files prepared that were digitally printed by different press manufacturers.

The Xeikon presses the company operates are in each case the first of their type to be installed in the UK. The first is a Xeikon 330 with all post-processing in-line, so it can print, varnish or over-laminate, slit and, if necessary, die cut and reel. Not only does the press print high quality labels, but also uninterrupted non-repeating wall border designs; and at pre-press, the Xeikon X800 front end rips these large files easily and quickly. Samples of some of the borders printed are displayed on the company’s website - www.borble.com.

More recently, Borble added a second Xeikon digital press – “the UK’s first and fastest” 3300 model. Again this has a GM post-processing line, and while printing at 1,200 dpi exceeds the resolution required by borders, it does open opportunities in labels - as does the 3x higher speed at just under 20 m/min. The new FA toner replaces Version 3 and suits the high resolution print, enabling a large process gamut.

Since its start-up in May 2005, the company has printed many border/frieze designs. Some are produced with specialist designers, some have been printed to designs supplied by customers and some Borble has produced itself, such as the Welsh Alphabet - Yr Wyddor. Recently, some 1,600 units were delivered to B&Q, which is running them in 100 stores.

There is no fixed specification; the company prints on self-adhesive paper or PP. In some cases the border is finished with a gloss or matt over-lamination as defined during the design and proofing stages. In other cases a natural finish is required. Occasionally, export friezes are printed on a form of reticulated ‘Antique Cream’ material where the toner is fused into the rough web surface and there is no over-varnish or other finish in order to achieve the designed fabric-like result.

Press manager Gwyn Williams has printed many different designs on the digital presses and comments: “The Xeikon makes easy work of this type of product; there is no die cutter registration to worry about on most parallel designs, and by recording settings for toner density and fusion settings we can quickly re-match a previous colour when the job is re-ordered”.

He describes finishing as “borders are slit to width then cut and reeled to single rolls that we shrink-wrap in house. Occasionally, if the roll is to hang on a clip strip, we attach an adhesive hook. A short printed tail in the design describes the particular border and application, and this is clearly visible through the shrink sleeve. We had just one customer try to hang the border using wallpaper paste, so we do emphasise where we can that the product is self-adhesive.”

Artwork is usually received on a disk – these are quite large files and Borble can assist designers by proof printing during the design stages.

“Just like we print press proofs of labels, because we don’t use plates, so we can make press proofs of just one or two borders on the production stock and finish, so the designer can fully assess and even install the border before committing to any quantities,” explains Gavin Scott.

“It is possible to personalise the borders by adding customer images into the border,” he adds. “Some of our sports borders lend themselves to personalisation or even dropping customer’s family, friends or pets into an alphabet – D is for David, for example. This has not happened much to date, but is possible; we will revise the website soon in light of our experiences.”

Borders are usually made using a permanent acrylic adhesive. “The difference between permanent and peelable is subjective,” says Gwyn Williams, “but we have examples installed for several years and our tests prove that on a suitable wall surface the adhesive holds well and is effectively removed. Obviously the laminated paper versions can leave some feathered paper on the wall; PP, on the other hand, is strong and does detach when required, in our experience. We can supply samples for people to test.”