Print progress on parade in London

Visitors to the Epson stand (F089 in Hall S1) will be shown how exceptional print quality and accurate colour reproduction on a wide
variety of standard label substrates can be achieved with the SurePress L-4033AW 7-colour, inkjet digital label press with white ink. High quality, short run label printing is said to be made easier and more efficient, even on clear and metallic substrates, "whichenables label converters and commercial printers the opportunity to expand their service offering and improve profitability".

Digital inkjet production for label applications will be the focus of Fujifilm's stand (E330 in Hall S4), with the new Graphium digital label press making its UK debut at the show. The Graphium, a UV inkjet press developed and manufactured by FFEI, will be used to
highlight how production costs can be reduced and how the right digital press can be a viable solution for both short and long run label conversion jobs. Combined with Fujifilm's new Uvijet Graphium ink, developed specifically for label printing applications, it is said to "raise the bar in terms of the performance that can be achieved from a digital label press".

On stand E29 in Hall S3, Goss International will highlight the broad scope of applications and opportunities made possible through its ongoing development of web offset technology and support capabilities, including flexible packaging, labels and folding carton production. Since Goss last exhibited in the UK, it has installed the "ground-breaking" Vpak web offset presses in the packaging market. Key advances in the development of Vpak technology include the launch of the company's first packaging technology centre in the USA, for demonstrations, testing and educational programmes.

In Hall S3, on stand H250, Hybrid Software will launch new products in its Cloudflow suite, a web-based portal that enables companies to easily create local and private cloud-based environments in which to operate with safety. Supported on Windows and Mac OSX, it interacts with external systems. Hybrid's new Packzflow provides sophisticated automation of prepress functions based on native PDF files. Features include backend processing for the PACKZ engine, plus the ability to trap on the server and add job information panels, sluglines, bearer bars etc. Packzflow includes advanced step and repeat functionality, as well as comprehensive flattening technology and the ability to modify page boxes. The lack of conversion steps simplifies the workflow and improves productivity further. The functionality of Packzflow can be expanded greatly by integrating it with PACKZ, the professional PDF editor for packaging and label workflows. The software can be used to import CF2 diecut files and can define separation files. It has a built-in barcode scanner with support for all packaging barcodes. (See also Thermoflexx entry.)

Inkjet Solutions (Hall S3, stand F272) offers monochrome or CMYK inkjet print engines and industrial inkjet solutions for retrofitting to existing narrow and mid-web printing presses. The company's partnership with KPG Europe enables it to supply complete CMYK printing solutions including all standard converting options, the simplest version being roll-to-roll production. Customised printing solutions can include UV flexo varnish and diecutting, coupled with many proven processing and converting features.

WH Leary's recent technology advances include high speed glue valves, quality inspection cameras, and cloud-based remote monitoring and data collection - all of which will be on display at the company's stand C301 in Hall N3. LearyView intelligent camera systems detect print and registration surface defects as well as color monitoring, glue inside/outside the target area, Braille, code verification, insert/PIL and more. LearyView Print for TaskMaster is claimed to be the only complete carton print inspection system offering portability and retrofitting to most existing folder gluers. Leary's iQ cloud-based technology provides remote monitoring and support capabilities as well as secure data collection and reporting of overall machine performance and CTQ measurements.

Primera (stand D290 in Hall N3, and D310 in Hall N4) offers inkjet-based label printers for short to medium runs using colour laser technology. Designed for in-house production of product labels, the CX1000e is the first laser printer to print on pre-diecut labelstock. With 2,400dpi print resolution, it delivers "professional full-colour print quality" at a speed of 5m/min. Pantone-approved spot colour support is included. New to Primera's extensive range of label materials is the Vintage Textured Paper Material, which comes with a plain paper surface, a water-soluble adhesive and an unbleached liner. Even though this biodegradable label material is not waterproof because of its composition, the printing results are outstanding. If finished rolls are needed, the FX1000e Matrix Removal System is the perfect accessory to the CX1000e Color Label Printer. In a single automated process the FX1000e removes the waste label matrix while slitting and rewinding the printed labels to finished rolls. Finished label rolls are tightly wound and ready to be applied either manually or by most label dispensers or automated label applicators. The FX1000e is available either with a single or double rewinder mandril.

On stand C330 in Hall N4, Screen's new Truepress Jet L350UV digital label press will be printing a range of products to demonstrate the multiple business opportunities available to print specialists and label converters. Visitors will also see customised gifting, cartons and promotional packaging products, all printed on the B2 Truepress JetSX digital inkjet press. The Truepress Jet L350UV is
an "easy-to-use" inkjet label press said to deliver "photo-realistic quality", fast job turnarounds and stable, colour consistent, output. It prints widths up to 322mm at a top speed of 50m/min. The press uses Screen's wide gamut high definition UV inks with optional opaque white - said to produce tremendous colour vibrancy while enhancing application versatility by allowing users to print on transparent film and metallic foil. A resolution of 600 x 600dpi combined with very small droplet size gives sharp, well defined images and text.

New additions to the Shuttleworth print and packaging industry MIS portfolio on display (Hall S3, stand E292) will include the Supply Chain Management software, a claimed 'first' for the print and packaging industry. This web-based tool is designed to enable manufacturers to quickly get prices from their suppliers, so they can respond immediately to customer needs. Hosted byShuttleworth it requires no infrastructure investment to take advantage of the functionality. It is all delivered over the web.

Visitors to stand E090 in Hall S1 will be able to see demonstrations of a ThermoFlexx 30 imager online to Hybrid Software's new Cloudflow, a ground-breaking 'workspace' concept for the web-enabled production environment, following a recent worldwide agreement between the two companies. "Combining leading software and hardware in this way has resulted in a unique opportunity for flexographic printers and trade houses to handle their prepress needs with a degree of quality, versatility and output that is unrivalled," states Christophe Lievens, director sales and marketing for basysPrint and ThermoFlexx. The agreement with Hybrid Software also includes the new PACKZ editing software for packaging and labels, providing "enormous flexibility" in the editing and processing of digital files prior to imaging the plate. The ThermoFlexX 30 has a maximum plate size of 635mm x 500mm and is aimed at the label and folding carton sectors.

Xeikon, on stand E090 in Hall S1, will be demonstrating its Folding Carton Suite, producing personalised short run folding cartons. Combined with solutions from Xeikon's Aura Partner Network, the Folding Carton Suite enables a highly automated short run
manufacturing process, covering the entire flow from design to finished box. It includes dedicated workflow and software components,
application-specific toner and consumables and a full library of approved conventional and speciality cartonboard without any pre-coating required. The company will also be demonstrating its digital printing creativity at Ipex's new Future Innovations Zone.

On stand B235 in Hall N3, Zünd will display its S3 modular digital cutting system designed for 24/7 operation, offering high productivity and enabling processing of an extensive range of materials up to 25mm thick. Print service providers can choose
different levels of material handling automation to meet their specific needs, and a variety of tools to deliver precise cutting and accurate jobs. At Ipex 2014 Zünd will show an automatic sheet feeder to further enhance the S3's performance. Increased productivity and a fully automated workflow are the main benefits that this new device will bring - ideal for high volume production.
The tandem vacuum system enables efficient loading/unloading of materials on one side of the cutter while production continues on the other.

www.ipex.org
www.epson-europe.com
www.fujifilm.eu/eu/products/graphic-systems
www.gossinternational.com
www.hybridsoftware.com
www.inkjetsolutions.co.uk
www.whleary.com
www.primera.eu
www.screeneurope.com
www.shuttleworth-uk.co.uk
www.thermoflexx.com
www.xeikon.com
www.zund.com