Brussels bonanza for digital labels

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Digital printing and newshort-run finishing systems made a big impression at the Labelexpo exhibition in Brussels. Simon Eccles was there.
Two years ago the Labelexpo show in Brussels was shaken up by a new generation of narrow-web digital printing systems. Digital had arrived with a bang, although in reality Indigo and Xeikon have been selling into this market since the 1990s.

At September’s Labelexpo, again in Brussels, digital was now deemed so important that it got one of the ten halls to itself, filled with an interesting mix of production printers, proofers, software and finishing kit. There were digital systems scattered through the other halls too.

The digital hall also had a small open forum area called the Digital Label Experience, where suppliers and printers could reinforce the radical new message in a series of free presentations.

Even so the whole concept of digital is a bit too revolutionary for some hide bound players, and there were tales of the digital category being booed at a previous awards ceremony.

However, it seems that digital is carving out its own niche now, just as it is doing in the commercial sectors. As with commercial digital, it’s evident that finishing systems designed for fast-turnaround, short runs are just as vital as the printers themselves, and label conversion developers are starting to respond to this.

Francois Martin, graphic arts division marketing manager for HP EMEA, reckons that the labels sector isn’t all that sceptical about digital. ‘There are about 1,000 big label converters in Europe. There are Indigos in 24% of them already and this is convincing the others to go digital to match the same services,’ he said. However, the issues are different than for commercial printing. Labels are all about brand identity, he points out, so customers will only accept digital if quality and colour is a match for conventional processes.

Around the stands
HP had the largest of the stands in the Labelexpo digital hall. It was launching its fast Indigo WS6000, a single-sided reel-fed machine designed for labels and flexible packaging, running at 30 metres per minute (four colours– it’s a 7-colour machine but slows down the more colours you use). It also showed the earlier ws4500, which it continues to offer to customers who don’t need such high capacity.

In line with the WS6000 there was a Digicon laser diecutter from AB Graphics, forming an all-digital production line with no plates, films or dies required. AB Graphics has also developed the Digicon Lite laser diecutter to complement lower-volume digital label systems.

Xeikon was another early entrant into digital labels in the 1990s, when it built a few machines for Nilpeter. In recent years it has been successful with its simplex 300 label press, but at drupa last year it introduced the faster, higher resolution simplex 3000/3300, which use the latest print engine technology for a 330 mm web. It can print CMYK + white at 1200 dpi on PET and PP labels, unsupported film, paperboard or normal paper, without coatings or pre-treatment. This year Xeikon has cracked the problem of printing heat transfer labels too. There’s an opaque white toner for use with clear materials. A new jumbo unwinder has now been introduced, to take 1-metre diameter rolls.

“We are here to stay in labels and this is going to be one of our top markets,” predicted Filip Weymans, Xeikon’s business development manager for labels and packaging. At the show the company was talking about applications including self-adhesive and heat transfer labels, corrugated cartons and folding cartons. It ran a 3300 inline with a GM finishing line for cutting and stripping self-adhesive labels. Its show demonstration was to produce display packs for the popular Leffe Belgian beer, with personalised labels, neck tags and a recipet booklet.

EFI’s Jetrion operation made a big splash at the last Labelexpo Europe two years ago when it introduced the 4000 digital label press, a 165 mm wide UV-cured printer with Xaar 1001 greyscale heads. This year it announced the wider 4830 UV Inkjet System, with a wider 21 cm print width that can print pairs of standard 10 cm labels side by side, doubling the throughput. It has improved tension control and introduces a new opaque white ink for printing on clear film or self-coloured media.The 4000 will continue to be available.

Agfa and Edale announced a partnership to work together, based around the existing relationship where Edale supplies a chassis for the Agfa Dotrix Modular UV inkjet that can also take standard flexo and finishing units inline. There was no Dotrix at Labelexpo, but samples and support material were available. Agfa has just announced a 6-colour option for Dotrix, which should increase its appeal in the packaging and label sectors.

Nipson was showing Digiflex, a new version of its VaryPress 200 high speed web fed monochrome toner engine, configured for labels. Its flash fusing lets it handle self-adhesive label stocks or clear films at speeds from 81to 104 meters per minute.

French company MGI started by making sheet-fed printers for laminated and plastic cards, but in recent years has adapted them for commercial colour use too, with the Meteor DP40 then the faster DP60 launched at drupa. It was showing a DP60 plus the production version of the JetVarnish, a 52 cm widesheet-fed inkjet variable image UV coater. It was announced at drupa and is now in production, with 15 delivered in France.

Epson has been showing prototype labelling presses at exhibitions for a couple of years now, but the one at Labelexpo is close to the production model. The European launch will probably be at Ipex next year, with a projected price around Euro 200,000. Currently called the Digital Label Press, this will be the company’s first ‘industrial’ printer, as opposed to its consumer and graphic arts models.

The printer has a maximum reel width of 330 mm. It will use newly formulated water-based inks that will work with many standard non-porous labelling substrates without special coating or pre-treatment, said Marc Tinkler, Epson Europe’s senior business development manager. This is a six-colour machine offering CMYK plus orange and green, but so far with no mention of a white ink.

Unlike most narrow webdigital inkjets, the Epson machine is not a single-pass configuration. Instead the 17 heads build up a high quality image in multiple passes over 914 mm sections, then advance the reel to print the next section.

Dutch manufacturer Storkprint introduced a fast and sophisticated high speed narrow-webinkjet labelling line called DSI 4330L. This can run at 35 metres per minute. The company says costs will be competitive for runs from a few to 100,000 labels of typical size, using standard label stocks with corona treatment.

The printer uses Xaar 1001 greyscale heads combined with Stork’s Veco technology for single-pass CMYK printing of Stork’s own UV cured inks on webs from 220 to 300 mm. The 360 dpi resolution is said to be visually equivalent to 1000 dpi thanks to Xaar’s greyscale technology. The front end is from EskoArtwork. The 3440L is modular and can be configured as a hybrid with options for inline flexo, diecutting, slitting and matrix removal. The first machine has already been installed, at Kolibri in Holland.

The Stork system looks like a competitor for the Caslon inkjet line developed by FFEI for Nilpeter. This also uses Xaar 1001 heads and can be wound up to 50.7 metres per minute at a lower 180 x 360 dpi. At the show it was demonstrated as part of a long hybrid production system with inline flexographic print units, as well as cutting and stripping systems.

Durst has been building high-end flatbed inkjets for the sign and display sector for a decade now. At Labelexpo it announced its move into labels with a narrow-webinkjet called Tau 150. This uses Durst’s Quadra print technology with Xaar greyscale heads, to give 720 x 360 dpi (1000 dpi equivalence is claimed), on web widths from 10 to 16.5 cm. The print speed is 48 linear metres per minute, or 2880 metres per hour. This is a 5-colour printer, with CMYK plus opaque white.

The company has also developed an accompanying short-run finishing system, Rotoworx 330. This is built by Rotoworx Systems in Canada, which Durst acquired earlier this year. It combines semi-rotary diecutting with a lamination station and optional UV coating, plus slitting and rewinding. This will be available in two speed options, for 25 or 50 metres per hour.

Completely new at the show was a reel to reel inkjet from CSAT, a German manufacturer which has formerly specialised in laser printers for the foils of pharmaceutical blister packs. This is a 4-colour 600 dpi printer, notable for its stainless steel construction, so it’s potentially suited to food and pharmaceutical use.

Primera, a specialist in compact desktop label printers and applicators, showed upgrades to its euro 18,995 CX1200e colour laser printer, announced in March. It reckons this is now the best seller in its class. These include an improved reel tensioning system and new firmware and software to improve the density of black print.

Wide format inkjets are now being adapted as short run proofers and sample makers for flexible packaging and label work, with the ability to print on either genuine substrates or a pretty close look alike. Epson, Roland Digital Group and Mimaki all demonstrated current models printing on clear media, though with different inks: Epson is aqueous, Roland with UV and eco-solvent, and Mimaki with eco-solvents. Roland and Mimaki have been able to print white and clear inks for a while, but interestingly Mimaki was printing a forthcoming silver ink on a CJV-30-60 inkjet.

Epson was also showing a good, dense white on its new Stylus Pro WT7900 packaging proofer,which is remarkable given that it’s an aqueous ink.
US developer Allen Datagraph has been adapting Epson Stylus Pro 4xxx series 17-inchinkjets into short-run Cypher label printers for some years, adding feeders and on-line or offline finishing systems. At Labelexpo it introduced a new euro 25,000 system based on the small but fast Epson B-500DN high quality colour ‘business inkjet,’ plus an offline laminator/cutter/stripper and optional sheet cutter. ‘The quality of this printer just blew me away!’ said Mark Vanover, VP sales and marketing. Finished labels will cost about 4 Euro cents each, he predicted.

Screen demonstrated an interesting 2400 dpi, seven colour Wax Thermal Transfer printing system, saying it is testing market reaction before deciding whether to sell it in Europe. It’s about a metre high and a metre long, and prints onto 150 mm wide reels. It works with paper or plastic films including PET, PP, PVC and synthetic papers. It’s relatively slow at 1.5 metres per minute, so it’s seen as a proofer or short-runs ample maker.

The standard colour set is CMYK plus orange green and violet, but with the option of a mirror-finish silver metallic, similar to hot foil stamping. This can be overprinted with other colours to give gold, bronze etc.

Inkjet developer Xaar’s 1001 print heads are used in a lot of the new narrow web label machines: they featured on ten makes at the show. Other inkjet specialists present were Atlantic Zeiser and Domino with new productson show, and Industrial Inkjet Ltd, the Cambridge based European agent for Konica Minolta heads, with just samples and brochures.

Atlantic Zeiser was launching Delta 105, a new series of high resolution 600 x 600 dpi piezo print modules that will replace its earlier Alpha series. There are two UV and two water based ink models, with two speeds for each. The aqueous based models manage up to 75 or 105 metres per minute and the UV models print at either 60 or 120 metres.

Domino previewed a new 4-colour drop on demand system as part of a complete label printer it will launch next spring. At Labelexpo it was configured as a reel-to-reel label printer for 220 mm full-width print. The commercial system will be 330 mm, with 108 and 220 mm models also planned. This is a fast system, offering 1200 dpi at 50 metres per minute (and a max of 75 metres), and the ability to run at 1700 dpi at slower speeds. There will be UV and aqueous ink versions with appropriate in-line curing/drying systems.

EskoArtwork is the dominant supplier of professional design and production systems for labels and packaging, so virtually all digital printer makers work with it to some extent. At the show it was introducing its new Platform 10 (to be called Suite 10-editor) software architecture and previewing new products. The Studio Toolkit extends its 3D packaging design software to labels, with previewing on bottle and can shapes –Esko will sell a library of 3D shapes on-line in a way similar to the iPhone app store. A version of this will be available for shrink sleeves that can pre-calculate the distortion of the materials so users can compensate in the graphics.

The lesson of Labelexpo 09 is that, whether the established converters acknowledge it or not,digital is going to play a big part in labels from now on. Less obviously, digital lowers the cost and skills barriers to every one else. Just as commercial printers are trying out wide format to capture a share of the sign and display market, maybe soon they’ll look seriously at short run label printers too.

 Simon Eccles is Editor of Digital Printer magazine in the UK and also covers digital photography, imaging and pre-press topics for a variety of publications.

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