The easy way to find print solutions

Xerox, Calypso Systems, large format systems Roland DG and the German-based industrial inkjet specialist CSAT are among the companies that have taken stands at the easyFairs quartet of packaging exhibitions to be held simultaneously this year. Konica Minolta, Epson and Xeikon are some of the other big names that will be found in this specialist zone.

The new zone makes its debut at the four packaging shows that are dedicated to packaging innovation, sustainable packaging, outsourcing and technology, all taking place at the NEC exhibition centre.

It will be an opportunity for visitors wanting to check out the latest developments in digital print within the packaging industry. In particular, Xerox and Calypso Systems will be focusing attention on their toner-based and inkjet solutions for cartonboard and corrugated applications, respectively, while CSAT, in conjunction with its partner iDi Pac, will be running its integrated short-run digital inkjet line for pharmaceutical packaging solutions, on show for the first time in the UK.

As well as its Late Stage Customisation skills, iDi Pac will be explaining how it has worked with its sister company DigiLeaflet Technologies to develop uses for DLTL’s novel folding and finishing technology to produce both pharmaceutical information leaflets and an extensive range of booklet formats. At the show, iDi Pac will be coupling the DigiLeaflet roll and fold technology with the ‘state-of-the-art’ Kallik Automated Artwork Generation software and the CSAT ITS600 DOD print systems.

‘Joined-up thinking’ offers clients a wide range of benefits, says iDi Pac director and Fellow of the Institute of Packaging, Geoff Giles. “We work closely with many industries, especially pharmaceutical and healthcare,” he says. “Over the past few years it has become apparent that technology advances, particularly digital, in the print and converting sector, has the potential to create significant improvements. When effectively ‘tied together’ with other solutions there is the potential to cost effectively produce and deliver leaflets, labels and other packaging components where significant graphic quality is required to satisfy market demand and product authentication.”

Digital printing

Epson will be demonstrating the new Stylus Pro WT7990 inkjet printer, which makes it possible to proof packaging designs and produce 3D mock-ups on transparent and metallic foils using what it claims is ‘the world’s first water-based white ink for inkjet technology’.

Claes Jeppsson, senior business manager, EMEA, professional graphics, at Epson, explains: “We have developed this printer specifically for the packaging production industry. Until now this high level of clarity and accuracy has been a costly and time consuming process using other technologies.”

On the Konica Minolta stand, visitors will be able to see the bizhub PRO C65hc colour digital press with new High Chroma toner technology. The press is capable of printing at 65 colour or mono pages a minute, and the High Chroma technology it employs has been developed to meet the graphic design needs of the packaging industry.

Pauline Brooks, group product manager, production print for the company says: “The new Print for Packaging Zone is the ideal platform for our new High Chroma technology. It allows commercial printers to produce high-impact quality colour work, for example point of sale.

The bizbub PRO C65hc will be demonstrated with applications from Konica Minolta’s Solutions portfolio. This includes a number of ‘best in breed’ solutions produced by third party developers and applications developed by Konica Minolta such as the Printgroove POD suite. Developed to manage the entire digital production print process from job submission and shipping to invoice generation, Printgroove is said to provide a seamless link between the various print systems.

Costly printing errors avoided

EyeC will be at the exhibition within the Print Zone to promote its Proofiler, which can assist the press operator by comparing a scan of the first repeat against the customer signed proof. This is especially useful when there is a lot of small text involved, but it also finds the more obvious but sometimes unnoticed errors, says Keith Hill, of EyeC. It works well on labels, cartons, patient leaflets (ignoring show-through), flexible packaging and foils. Optional featuresare available for checking barcodes, data matrix and Braille.

The Profiler can find missing parts of letters (as small as a missing dot in a 5-point font); filled in letters; smudges in text area; missing ink; spots; colour deviations; and errors in graphical objects. Prepress related problems can also be detected, for example, wrong font; undesired bolding or italicising; missing special fonts; incorrect character spacing; and missing special characters or accents.

Roland DG will use the exhibition to showcase its 30 inch UV-curable VersaUV LEC-330 and its prototyping capabilities to the packaging market. With its ability to print onto almost any substrate and the white ink capability, the inkjet printer/cutter is available at a ‘highly competitive price’, according to print product manager Mat Drake.

The VersaUK LEC-330 is said to offer a cost-effective proofing mechanism for specialist packaging mock-ups. The system prints CMYK, cuts and creases, and uses both gloss and matte spot UV varnish to produce doming and embossing for use in creating effects such as faux animal skin and Braille.

Roland DG will be demonstrating the potential of the LEC-330 and its integration with standard workflow solutions such as EskoArtwork Visualiser software and GMG’s ColorServer, ensuring that design and prepress processes flow seamlessly with the LEC-330.

EskoArtwork is one of the big names at the show, and wiill be promoting its Dynamic Content, a new plug-in for Adobe Illustrator to dynamically link text files with package designs.

Managing the textual content of package artwork during the design and production process is error-prone, and time consuming, according to EskoArtwork. Each change to the text copy has to be entered to the text file, applied to the package design file and needs to be verified through an approval cycle. Last minute changes to the text by the designer don’t always make it back into the content management system.

Dynamic Content effectively separates the package’s textual content from its layout. Text editing and approval can now be handled separately with all references and changes maintained outside of Adobe Illustrator.

EskoArtwork also recently announced a ‘breakthrough’ product for shrink sleeve design. The Studio Toolkit for shrink sleeves is said to allow fast, accurate 3D preparation of shrink sleeves for round and asymmetrical shapes, as well as multipacks. This is scheduled for release as a component in the second quarter of this year.