Print Innovation Asia August Issue

Print INNOVATION

Asia

Magazine

Printing, Packaging and Publishing Industries across Asia Pacific since 1985 Issue 8 2021

WELCOME THE NEW

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Revoria Press™ PC1120 FUJIFILM and FUJIFILM logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of FUJFILM Corporation. Revoria is registered trademark of FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.

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Asian PrintAwards 2022 th

PACKAGING EXCELLENCE AWARDS: 2022

_018 022 Contents Page 4

FUJIFILM Business Innovation Launches New Brand

for Production Printers

6

Wallpaper Renaissance with Xeikon’s CX500

dry toner press

10

The Arizona Advantage with Arizona 135 GT

14

The time is Now for the print industry

16

Arna Marketing Expands Digital Presence with

Canon's Production Inkjet Presses

20

DKSH partners with Creative Edge Software in Asia

22

CGS ORIS unveils latest versions of

Color Tuner and Flex Pack

26

Dual Lithrone G44s enables double imposition

with minimum paper waste

30

Malaysian packaging printers invest in Heidelberg

technology made in China

34

Premium print shop Buroform invests in Speedmaster

CX 104 from Heidelberg

36

Upgrade gives Lianchuang Xingsheng Packaging

a path to success

40

HP Unveils PageWide Corrugated Innovations to

Drive Scaled Volume Digital Production

44

KODAK FLEXCEL NX System sets NS Digital Flexo

on the path to flexo pre-press success

46

Label Printing and the Rollers in your printing press

50

Expands Large-Format Business with

EFI Pro 16h UV LED Printer

52

News from around the world

Issue 8 2021

Print INNOVATION

Asia Magazine

Published by Asian Print Awards Management Pte Ltd 65 Chulia Street #46-23 OCBC Centre 049513 Singapore Print Innovation Asia Labels and Packaging Innovation Asia Asian Print Awards Packageing Excellence Awards Label and Packaging Conferences Publisher

Paul Callaghan paul@printinnovationasia.com

Editorial

Elizabeth Liew elizabeth@printinnovationasia.com Editor Sha Jumari sha@printinnovationasia.com Packaging Sales

Elizabeth Liew elizabeth@printinnovationasia.com

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

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FUJIFILM Business I New Brand for Produ Introduces Two Revoria Press Series, the Revoria Press PC1120 and the Revoria Press E1 FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp. launches two production printer models under its new Revoria brand: Revoria Press PC1120, a production color printer for the high-end professional printing market, and Revoria Press E1 Series, a monochrome production printer for on-demand printing both for professional and office use. The two new models will be sold sequentially ( Note 1 ) from July 27 in the Asia-Pacific region.

The new brand name Revoria is derived from the blending of “revolution” and the suffix "-ia" which means country or land. By revolutionizing the production printing business, the company aims to cultivate new “lands” and create unprecedented value.

The brand name also incorporates “reborn,” “renew” and “refine,” thus spelling Revo”r”ia with an “r” rather than Revo”l”ia with an “l”; illustrating the company’s determination to reborn to a new stage. The brand logo illustrates a bird soaring across the fertile land towards a rising sun and this signifies our customers’ continuous flight to success with FUJIFILM Business Innovation.

Under the new Revoria brand, FUJIFILM Business Innovation will provide customers with a suite of production printing solutions that encompasses production printers,

associated print servers, and print workflow software.

Introducing the Revoria Press PC1120 Helping printing companies in their business expansion and increased productivity with new applications, AI and automation technology.

backlight exposure, correction of skin tones, and bringing out the hues in blue skies.

TM

• The Air Suction Feeder ( Note 2 ) and Static Removal Device ( Note 2 ) provide highly stable paper feeding for a wide variety of paper such as paper containing concentrated amounts of paper dust, cohesive coated paper, and film.

•The image data is automatically divided into five colors of cyan, magenta, yellow, black (CMYK) and pink. The fluorescent colours of the pink toner expands the colour gamut significantly, thus resulting in vibrant printouts especially on people images showing vivid colours and with smoother skin tones.

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) enables automatic image corrections for photo images. Each photo image will be automatically enhanced based on its existing lacklustre condition such as image being too dark/too bright,

• Prints at a high speed of 120 pages per minute (A4 horizontal) while achieving high definition, high resolution prints of 2,400 dpi with its Super EA-Eco ( Note 3 ) toner, which boasts the smallest toner particle size in the industry.

• Equipped with a one-pass, six-color print engine, up to two special toners such as gold, silver, clear, white, pink, and custom red ( Note 4 ) can be used in addition to the basic CMYK toners.

These toners enable high-value, highquality printing such as metallic colors and natural skin textures.

• The feeder can handle paper of different thicknesses ranging from thin paper at 52 g/m2 to thick paper at 400 g/m2, and the paper trays are compatible with various paper sizes for printing, from small sized paper of 98 x 148 mm to long paper of 330 x 1,200 mm ( Note 5 ) in simplex mode and up to 330 x 729 mm for duplex printing.

Revoria Press PC1120

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

Innovation Launches uction Printers

5

Revoria Press E1

• A versatile in-line post-processing lineup that can be used for paper folding, saddle stitching, three-way trimming, and saddle stitching with square back finishing.

• The high-performance print server— the Revoria Flow PC11—performs RIP processing at 1,200 × 1,200 dpi and 10 bits per color (1,024 gradations), generating high-quality image data.

Introducing the Revoria Press E1 Series Bringing monochrome applications to the next level with excellent image quality and wider range of application.

TM

• The Air Suction Feeder ( Note 3 ) enables high-speed, stable continuous output for a wide variety of paper types such as paper containing concentrated amounts of paper dust, preprint paper that uses powder, and cohesive coated paper.

• Prints at a high speed of 136 pages per minute ( Note 5 ) while achieving high definition, high resolution prints of 2,400 dpi output resolution with its EA-Eco ( Note 3 ) LGK (Note 6 ) toner with extremely small toner particle size.

• The feeder can handle paper of different thicknesses ranging from thin paper at 52 g/m2 to thick paper at 350 g/m2, and the paper tray is compatible with various paper sizes for printing,

from small sized paper of 100 x 148 mm to long paper ( Note 2 ) of 330.2 x 660.4 mm.

• A versatile in-line post-processing lineup that can be used for paper folding, saddle stitching, three-way trimming, and saddle stitching with square back finishing.

• Simple Image Quality Adjustment (SIQA) automatically corrects image quality by scanning a calibration chart, which improves the efficiency of image quality corrections (Note 7) • The printers are equipped with copy and scan functions for office works (Note 7)

• Note 1 Please check with your local FUJIFILM Business Innovation office on the availability of the models • Note 2 Optional • Note 3 Emulsion Aggregation (EA) • Note 4 Only available in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam • Note 5 Revoria Press E1136/E1136 P, A4 horizontal • Note 6 Low Gloss Kuro (LGK) • Note 7 Excluding printer models for mission-critical data printing (Revoria Press E1136P/E1125P/E1110P)

https://www.fujifilm.com/fbglobal/eng

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

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Wallpaper Renaissance with Xeikon’s CX500 dry toner press Perswall, part of the Embellence Group and a pioneer in digital wallpaper construction is leading a wallpaper renaissance supported by the installation in 2020 of a Xeikon CX500 dry toner digital colour press.

The company today is described as a lifestyle brand for the career minded who wish to improve their individual and genuine self-expression. Perswall was rebranded and re-launched in March 2021 and at the same time released a new collection of designs called ‘Serene Beginnings’ signed by celebrated designer Sarah Widman with 11 wallpapers in Scandinavian tones with bohemian elements.

Fredrik Larsson Larsson, COO of public held Embellence Group states, “With our 115 year heritage of wallpaper production, our company has the experience, understanding and knowledge to create unique designs to suit today’s consumer requirements.

After years of paint playing a leading role in interior decoration, it is time for the wallpaper renaissance.

With digitally printed premium wallpaper, a self-developed e-platform and fast delivery service, Perswall is attracting design interested and quality conscious customers around the world.

With our new Xeikon printing press we can now produce around 2000 sq.m

(21,000 sq.ft) of designer wallpaper every day.

Moving forward with Digital In 2020, Perswall installed the Xeikon CX500 dry toner digital colour press for digital wallpaper production to increase capacity. Replacing a previous Xeikon press, they chose the CX500 as part of Xeikon’s highly productive Wall Decoration Digital Production Suite, to not only increase capacity but to increase their capabilities to compete in a growing marketplace. Larsson explains, “Our ambition is to grow and fill the Xeikon machine with more and more jobs.

The competition in the digital wallpaper production arena is growing but our strength and advantage is in having been early into this market. Also, we now have a seamless workflow from web order to printer. With the efficiency, quality and flexibility of the Xeikon CX500 machine, this eco-friendly solution will enable us to quickly and simply produce fully finished rolls on the broadest range of substrates in short runs with fast

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

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OWN THE FUTURE.

EFITM VUTEk® h5

Next-generation technology for the next generation of leaders. The EFI VUTEk h Series — an entirely new hybrid LED superwide platform invented to not only lead today’s market, but everything to come. There’s just nothing else like it. You’ll deliver higher quality,

with a Fiery® proServer, make it part of the EFI workflow and productivity ecosystem, and let the new h Series help launch your business forward — and beyond.

To find out more, contact us at go.efi.com/contactus-media

LET US BE THE FUEL

Nothing herein should be construed as a warranty in addition to the express warranty statement provided with EFI products and services. EFI, FabriVU, Fiery, the Fiery logo, and VUTEk are trademarks of Electronics For Imaging, Inc. and/or its wholly owned subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or certain other countries. ©2020 Electronics For Imaging, Inc. All rights reserved.

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

8 for both the Perswall and Boråstapeter brands. 50 of those staff cover production and design at the Borås headquarters facility. 80 per cent of production goes to the Nordic market while the rest is distributed around the world, from North America to New Zealand.

Niche Products In production other methods are represented apart from digital. At Perswall they utilize gravure, screen, flexo and collagraphy. Defining the two brands one could say that Boråstapeter approaches the broader market while Perswall serves the niche and ‘on demand’ markets. The company group also comprises an Italian production unit focused on exclusive products under the Wall & Deco brand. These products can be used outdoors and in sanitary rooms and are printed using inkjet technology. Larsson comments, “So what is popular right now? changeovers and minimal waste. Our designer wallpapers use a non-woven material, a cellulose-based paper with polyester fibers.”

Perswall creates designer wallpaper to attract style conscious consumers looking for high quality and unique interior design environments. Perswall produces wallpaper ‘on demand’ for both the Perswall and Boråstapeter brands. Customers are able to upload their own pictures or design and define the precise size of the final result Delivery can be done within four days of ordering. It is also possible to order through a reseller, where customers can go to collect the final product. The Perswall brand is geared to be ‘right in time’ with the company communicating directly with its customers to build relationships based upon cooperation and the development of creative and interesting wallpaper products.

What motifs are most liked by the consumers today? The answer is – all kinds of flowers, small and large. Among the bestsellers we find romantic large flowers and a pruning pompous greenhouse, wallpaper with a world map and images of Central Park and New York skyscrapers.

Trends in interior decoration have changed throughout history. Through time wallpaper has had glory days and difficult days. Painted walls dominated 20 years ago and the norm in construction was to deliver white painted walls – a non-choice that gave a rather sterile environment.”

Planning for growth Perswall has a vision to grow its

market share and is leaning on its long history and the diversity of skills of the company plus its partnerships with leading designers. Perswall’s new collection ‘Serene Beginnings’ signed

by Sarah Widman follows an ongoing strategy. Every year the company releases and presents between five and ten different collections. The launch plans can span between two and five years and at present there are more designer co-operations in the pipeline.

The Embellence Group has set a target of doubling its turnover to 120 million euro in the next five years. The target to be reached is planned with a continued focus on the premium end of the markets plus growing turnover in international markets – also through acquiring other international players. Founded in 2006 by Irene and Christofer Gimmersta, the company was one of the pioneers in digital wallpaper production. Earlier called WallVision, the Emballence Group has a turnover of € 57million. In March the Group was listed on Nasdaq First North Premier.

Larsson concludes, “Today wallpaper is back in vogue and interior decorators are looking out for unique and exceptional creative designs for walls and other surfaces. More and more people are now seeing that it’s not boring anymore to put up wallpaper, but rather a simple way to improve their standard of living and stimulate their personal environment. At Perswall, we demonstrate our wallpapers as an exclusive design product, not as a construction piece. Xeikon’s CX500 digital wall decoration press is a key asset in our plans for the future.”

Covering the whole of the Nordic region, the Perswall production facility is situated in Borås, a city, one hour into the country from Gothenburg, Sweden and famous for its textile tradition.

The factory in Borås still uses old techniques for printing wallpaper, such as the original glue printing technique Collagraphy. 150 staff in total work

https://www.xeikon.com

https://www.flintgrp.com

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The Arizona Advantage with Arizona 135 GT Access new, profitable business opportunities with stunning applications on a vast range of media with the Arizona 135 GT UV true flatbed printer Canon launched the new Arizona 135 GT flatbed printer, offering sign makers and print service providers a smart technology investment to fulfil new business opportunities.

Whether you are starting out in the rigid applications large format graphics industry or are looking to diversify into new applications, the Arizona 135 GT delivers the proven benefits of the award-winning Arizona series – high image quality, impressive productivity and reliability, application versatility and excellent total cost of ownership – at a smart investment level.

Manufactured in Poing, Germany, with the same industrial-build quality and heritage as other Arizona models, the Arizona 135 GT further demonstrates its value by being able to create impressive applications across an extensive range of not only rigid media but, with its Roll Media Option, of flexible media too.

Designed for outstanding productivity and application versatility, the easyto-use Arizona 135 GT produces exceptional image quality. This is due

to its VariaDot greyscale printing technology, which uses advanced drop size selection techniques to deliver photo-realistic images. With the ability to handle substrates of up to 125 x 250 cm in size and up to 50.8 mm thick and to print at speeds of up to 34.2 m2/ hour, the Arizona 135 GT is a smart investment for customers with a print volume from 2,000 m2 per year.

The productivity of the Arizona 135 GT is enhanced by its easy-touse functionality, including nesting, batching of complex jobs, step and repeat, mirroring and re- assignment of print modes. With accurate print registration, errors can be avoided and valuable time can be saved, with the ability to make last-minute adjustments at the printer.

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With uptime being crucial to any print operation, the Arizona 135 GT incorporates a number of service features to maximise availability: Automated Maintenance System provides hands-free printhead maintenance and selectively restores nozzle function in seconds, while On Remote Service allows the user to authorise remote assistance by experienced service technicians, ensuring the highest possible uptime.

Access High-margin Applications on Huge Media Range Thanks to Arizona flatbed technology and its UV-LED curing, a vast range of durable applications are achievable on rigid or flexible media with standard or porous surfaces, including glass, aluminium and other metals, canvas, wood, MDF, cardstock, ceramic tiles and plastics.

The optional Arizona Static Suppression Upgrade Kit also enables the Arizona 135 GT to print on hard plastic materials, such as acrylic, polycarbonate and styrene, while the Arizona Classic high-pressure vacuum system provides extremely reliable media hold-down during printing, even for warped rigid media.

Even more opportunities are accessible with the flatbed printer’s fieldupgradeable Roll Media Option. This allows users to produce flexible media applications up to 220 cm (86.6 inches) wide or 50 kilograms (110.2 pounds) in weight, including thin and heat-

sensitive media, and to run roll-to-roll jobs unattended overnight.

Elevate Creativity with Arizona Xpert Prepress Software The Arizona 135 GT comes with Arizona Xpert prepress software, enabling the design and production of high-value applications with ease.

Including ready-made “recipes” for easy-to-create applications, the software allows users to exchange “recipes” directly with customers, so that designers can preview the end product with a 3D view in the Arizona Xpert Extensions, minimising design errors.

The Arizona approach to first-timeright printing leads to less waste and fewer costly mistakes which, in turn, leads to better overall margins and faster turnaround times. Arizona Xpert also offers further high-margin opportunities for elevated printing functionality – the ability to print applications with layers that total up to 0.4 mm.

Access a Sustainable Flatbed Printing Solution The Arizona 135 GT’s VariaDot technology uses variable drop sizes from 6 to 30 picolitres. On top of producing pin-sharp images, the Arizona printing process consumes as much as 50% less ink than regular flatbed printers, making the Arizona 135 GT environmentally friendly and cost efficient. The device’s environmental credentials also include the use of UL

GREENGUARD Gold certified inks for any indoor applications, such as in schools, hospitals and retail stores – and the low emissions make for a healthier printing environment too.

Additionally, the Arizona 135 GT features low-energy consumption as a result of its Instant-On functionality and minimal warm-up time due to its LED lamps. Other energy saving features include its standard voltage power supply, energy-efficient curing process and power-efficient vacuum pumps. Finally, the new Arizona will, in time, be included in the Arizona Remanufacturing Programme, giving a second life to a very sustainable flatbed printer.

“As a family of flatbed printers, the Arizona has become renowned for its image quality, productivity, reliability and application versatility, achieving multiple awards and resulting in over 7,500 installations worldwide. As the latest member of the fifth generation of Arizona printers, the Arizona 135 GT offers users the same core technology and benefits of its mid-volume siblings at an attractive investment level and we’re confident that it will again prove to be as popular as its predecessors with customers,” said Steve Ford, Managing Director, Production Printing Asia, Canon Marketing Asia.

For more information on the Arizona 135 GT, visit: https://asia.canon/ arizona135gt

ACCESS THE ARIZONA ADVANTAGE

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The new Arizona 135 GT This Arizona true flatbed printer is a real gamechanger that has been specifically designed to help you accelerate your business and increase profits by accessing the exciting growing market of Large Format Graphics flatbed applications. With a low Total Cost of Ownership, this new Arizona is the smart choice if you are looking to access the next level for your business. https s://a asia.canon/arizona135g gt

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Today, as concerns about the environment grow even more significant, consumers, brands, and businesses are paying increased attention to the impact their choices have on the planet.

This demand for more sustainable options has many companies focusing on reducing waste by actively participating in a circular economy. The time is now for the printing industry to embrace this circular economy and improve its impact on a changing marketplace.

What is the Circular Economy?

A circular economy requires us to think differently about how we define sustainability.

When most people think of sustainability, they think of recycling.

While recycling is necessary, in a circular economy, it is the least desirable solution. That’s because recycling relies on materials that are “one-and-done” or single-use. Even when products are described as bio-based materials and biodegradation, it may not be the correct endpoint. After all, landfills are still full of one-time-use products.

This kind of indiscriminate waste is terrible for the environment and a company’s bottom line.

The principles of a circular economy, on the other hand, provide a new way to think about material use. In this economy, the best way to eliminate waste is to eliminate excess material consumption. In other words, if you don’t want waste, don’t create it in the first place. For a mechanical system, this may include continual maintenance, upgrade, and repair. In a materials sense, this may consist of new ways to reuse or repurpose a resource.

EU Circular Economy Framework — legislation targeting ways to increase recycling and reuse throughout a product’s lifecycle while making waste creation more costly

A circular economy’s goal is to keep materials in use for more extended periods without disrupting the environment.

Maine and Oregon have added legislation to impose recycling fees on manufacturers that include benefits

A Call for Action Increased attention from NonGovernmental Organizations (NGOs) is forcing governments around the globe to take proactive steps toward a circular economy. Initiatives that include legislative action, penalties, and prevention incentives that address waste creation, including: EU Single-Use Plastics Ban — one of the first pieces of legislation to pass in the EU

Quebec bans shrink-sleeves NGOs are pushing for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging — this will force paying fees into a scheme to collect plastics packaging

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

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for packaging reduction — a dozen more states are considering this type of legislation The Impact of Change Recent legislative incentives are designed to encourage short-run or on-demand printing to significantly reduce the creation of waste. Such legislation often includes public education efforts in part to encourage consumer participation in accepting new packaging materials or methods.

Many forward-thinking companies are already working to move to non-plastic alternatives like paper bottles and Pulpex, which are pulp-based materials.

The EU’s single-use plastic ban, and

implementation of a plastic recycling “tax” has already started to raise the cost of plastic (especially single-use materials), which will drive supply chains to less wasteful solutions.

printers and converters can reduce inventory and the inevitable scrap of unused packaging that happens today when using traditional analog technology.

Packaging that can’t be eliminated or reused must be collected, sorted, and recycled. A responsible design for packaging end of life (EOL) is monomaterial design, making recycling more straightforward and effective. Producer take-back programs will be vital in driving high-purity materials streams for reuse.

As a company focused on our environmental impact and that of our customers, Memjet strives to design the safest inks possible without compromising performance – and it starts with water.

Digital Printing and the Circular Economy For brands and print providers who want to actively participate in the circular economy, Memjet technology and inks provide the solution they need.

Rather than scrap their existing printing solutions to purchase a separate digital print solution, the modular design of Memjet technology enables customers to upgrade their current, traditional printing techniques with digital printing capabilities.

In addition, the use of digital printing allows brands to address the increasing need for smaller manufacturing runs while reducing waste. Packaging

Memjet’s all water-based ink portfolio is free from toxic and reactive chemistries, making them safer for the earth and human health than other ink alternatives. Additionally, Memjet’s water-based inks can potentially cut environmental costs (permits and disposal fees) in half.

Memjet’s inks intentionally do not contain any of the substances commonly used in other printing ink technologies that are of particular concern to recycling operations, municipalities, state and local regulators.

Memjet’s printing technology features allow businesses to promptly implement environmental sustainability measures while making the production of their packaging and products more sustainable and cost effective.

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Arna Marketing Expands Digital Presence with Canon's Production Inkjet Presses Arna Marketing Group, the first East Coast company to install two ProStream production inkjet continuous feed presses and two varioPRINT iXseries sheetfed presses, has strengthened its competitive edge and further established itself as an elite variable data print partner with a robust set of print technologies and solutions.

Over the last several years, this Canon Solutions America, Inc. client has continued to expand its production inkjet fleet, by investing in the latest innovations to remain efficient and

ahead of competitors. By upgrading its equipment to PRISMAproduction with Advanced JDF Processor (AJP), Arna continues to impress its customers with its fast turnaround times, flexibilities in

finishing, and quality of output. With the latest addition of these production presses, Arna continues to lead the print industry as the “concierge” of print production.

Canon varioPRINT iX-series

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Canon ProStream Press

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constantly looking for opportunities to upgrade. Canon Solutions America just gets it and has been an exceptional partner,” said Hegna. “With their continued support and innovative edge, we are able to target new markets and applications, including one-off book production.”

Reflecting the companies’ customerfirst mindset when it comes to service,

“We’re continuously evolving our business model to fit the needs of our customers, and Canon Solutions America has been a great partner, helping amplify our competitive edge.

We’re more confident than ever in the direction we’re heading in the variable data space, and we’re willing to invest now to be prepared for the future,” said Mette Hegna, owner, Arna.

“We expanded our footprint to fit all the new technologies we have acquired; it’s quite remarkable to see it all in action. The PRISMA workflow is driving an entire fleet of Canon inkjet presses, including two ProStreams, two ColorStreams, three VarioPrint i300s, and now the two varioPRINT iX-series presses. No ask is too large or too small. We feel unstoppable. The two new iX presses will be housed in a new, expanded, premier state-of-the-art space that is now under construction at Arna.”

Arna Marketing’s mission and purpose go beyond just providing high quality products to its customers. By transforming its print shop and investing in state-of-the-art inkjet technology and workflow, Arna Marketing is equipped with an array of print manufacturing solutions, from the front-end workflow to the production and finishing of the application, enabling a concierge-like end-to-end solution.

“We’re always on the hunt for efficiencies and speed. We are the place that can go from the 6x9, to the fivefold, to the tri-fold, to the Z-fold, and

our finishing equipment has supported our ProStream presses perfectly,” said Hegna. “We’re equipped for extremely fast turnaround times for utmost convenience and are prepared to handle ancillary requests. We know that everything needs to be personalized, customizable and catered to any obstacle our customers may face.”

Hegna comments, “It would be unjust not to also tout the phenomenal service that Canon Solutions America provides. The company’s technicians are bar-none the best in the business, and just one of the reasons why we are still up-and-running and continue to invest in their products and solutions,” said Hegna.

Beyond its high-quality offerings by the production inkjet presses, Arna Marketing also streamlined and automated its book manufacturing workflow process with the installation of Book Smart Suite. This solution couples the ProStream press with PRISMAproduction Advanced JDF Processor workflow automation software and adds a Muller Martini Presto II booklet maker to produce 8-page, 16-page and 24-page signature saddle-stitch booklets.

“We are so grateful to be backed by such an attentive, supportive team like Canon Solutions America. One call resolves any and all issues we face, and we have access to the entire Canon production team. It’s a great partnership, and we only see things getting better and stronger.”

The Book Smart solution enables metadata XML files to be dropped into hot directories where they are automatically batched for job-tojob efficiency gains, imposed and released for print and finishing using 2D barcodes and JDF/JMF communications. Book Smart is part of an effort to further expand Arna’s offerings in one-off book production beyond its current 4-page signature booklets produced on the varioPRINT i-series sheetfed printers and CP Bourg saddle-stitchers.

“At Arna Marketing, we continue to invest our time and money into the technology and equipment that we run,

“We are only as successful as the achievements of our customers, and we continue to work efficiently and meticulously to pioneer innovative products and solutions to our customers,” said Francis A. McMahon, Executive Vice President, Production Print Solutions, Canon Solutions America, Inc. “Arna is a shining example of what it takes to thrive in today’s business environment and we are proud our technology helps significantly expand their capacity which helps them stay competitive and better serve their customers.”

For more information on how production inkjet solutions and our PRISMA software solutions can help your business, please visit pps.csa. canon.com.

https://cpp.canon

See it online, the best from Asia

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

https://www.printinnovationasia.com

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DKSH partners with Creat DKSH has signed a strategic agreement with Creative Edge Software to promote their leading 3D visualization software in key Asian markets.

This partnership is in line with the strategic focus of DKSH Business Unit Technology to solidify its position as a leading integrated solutions provider for the packaging, printing, and converting market.

DKSH Business Unit Technology has entered into an partnership with Creative Edge Software, a leading manufacturer of real-time, all-inone packaging design software, headquartered in Minneapolis, USA. DKSH will provide sales, marketing, and after-sales services in selected markets across Asia, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand.

Creative Edge Software’s product iC3D is the first real-time all-in-one package design software that lets customers generate live 3D virtual mockups onthe-fly. Whether for carton, glass, cans, flexibles, or shrink-wraps, iC3D enables real-time visualization and validation throughout the design process from concept to production.

using a simple Illustrator file or PDF can generate photorealistic results.

No specialist programs, hardware, or outside assistance are required during the process. Just a single application

“DKSH has unique regional coverage, in-depth knowledge and strong sales and marketing capabilities. We are

DKSH will help promote the products to end users including brand owners of consumer package goods, design agencies, packaging and label printers, pre-press trade services, converters and contract packers.

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

tive Edge Software in Asia

convinced that DKSH is the right partner to help us expand our coverage and meet our aggressive growth goals,” said Mark Hardaker, Vice President, Sales, Creative Edge Software.

Suhas Kulkarni, General Manager, Business Development Asia Pacific, Printing Packaging & Converting commented: “Due to the growth of eCommerce, the business of packaging mock-ups in Asia has been expanding rapidly. The partnership with Creative Edge Software allows us to connect with the packaging buyers besides the pre-press designers and packaging converters. We are confident to grow the market with the Creative Edge Software and excited to introduce this leading solution to our customers in Asia.”

ideation, design and production for the packaging, labelling & graphics markets.

We supply OEM's, distributors and resellers around the world with our award winning iC3D technology. www. creativeedgesoftware.com About DKSH At DKSH, our purpose is to enrich people’s lives. For more than 150 years, we have been delivering growth for companies in Asia and beyond across our Business Units Healthcare,

Consumer Goods, Performance Materials and Technology.

As a leading Market Expansion Services provider, we offer sourcing, market insights, marketing and sales, eCommerce, distribution and logistics as well as after-sales services. Listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, DKSH operates in 36 markets with 32,450 specialists, generating net sales of CHF 10.7 billion in 2020. www.dksh.com

About Creative Edge Software Creative Edge Software is a world leader in creating and developing innovative 3D software solutions for the packaging industry. iC3D is the first real-time, all-in-one packaging design software that lets our customers to generate live 3D digital mockups on the fly! iC3D enhances and speeds up

https://www.dksh.com/ppc

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CGS ORIS unveils latest versions of Color Tuner and Flex Pack Colour management and proof specialist CGS ORIS announced new software versions of Color Tuner and Flex Pack, with clear added value and additional focus.

The wide range of new functions focus on the key areas of spot colour management, proofing on original substrate, expansion of cloud-based technology, as well as industrial printing.

BigTIFFs, new printers and additional ink sets CGS ORIS proofing applications now support and process photoshop documents or big TIFF files, which

are often utilized within the industrial printing market. This new support further enhances the software to enable ease of use and offer greater flexibility.

“Our software is increasingly used by companies within the industrial printing industry. We are closely working together to integrate new functionality that is specifically designed for the industry’s needs to help improve their business even more,” commented Marcus Brune, product manager at CGS ORIS. Another very important area of focus for CGS ORIS over the last few months has been “direct-to-substrate proofing”. Through great customer feedback, a second Mutoh printer is now supported in FLEX PACK: The Mutoh ValueJet 1628MH with a maximum media width of 1625mm.

Both devices, the Mutoh ValueJet 628MP and the Mutoh Value Jet 1628MH, are leveraging newly developed resin-based XG INKS, which are also made available in LightCyan, Light-Magenta, Light-Black and White.

In addition, the Roland TrueVIS VG2640/540 with CMYKOGW (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key, Orange, Green and White) ink set is now supported by FLEX PACK. Simple and effective spot colour management Advancements have been made in

CGS ORIS CT Spot Color Gamut Viewer

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

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Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

24 BigTIFF

respect to spot colour management.

New features that are now available include a simple to use visual control solution for quickly analyzing which spot colours are in and out of tolerance based on the real time colour gamut of a printing device. This feature fully complements the ability to generate detailed spot colour reports, which is an pre-existing tool.

“With this new capability our customers will have a very easy to use and fast method to analyze target and measurement values of a spot colour.

It’s our goal to continually provide software which is simple and intuitive”, said Brune.

Particular attention was paid to the continued development of the cloud technology.

“As an early development adopter CGS ORIS Color Cloud

in this area, we already have many powerful tools available in the market, which we have optimized and expanded continuously. All our applications have a seamless connection to our COLOR CLOUD, where brand and spot colours can be saved and shared easily, quickly and securely. Enabling a central location with global access,” Brune added.

With the additional option to work with *.scgx files, the exchange of colour data has become even more essential for many companies. This is seen in many large multi-site companies that use the technology to share up-to-date colour data within their entire organization.

Companies are also using the COLOR CLOUD to communicate their colour with their external partners throughout their entire supply chain.

Process control and automation The cloud technology is an integral

part of the quality and process control process as well as workflow automation.

One new feature optimizes the control of spot colours. This enables additional report that shows which manner a spot colour can be reproduced and serves as basis for further automation processes.

The function “time-controlled printing” has been expanded with the ability to show automated signals when inks may require attention or maintenance. This function supports an optimized print device management and sustainable working environment.

In addition, features were integrated that optimize the print job editor as well as the ICC profile viewer. They help to optimize the profile adjustment and make the production environment more flexible to support efficient and sustainable workflows.

COLOR TUNER is the gold standard for thousands of companies worldwide when it comes to professional, colouraccurate proofing.

In addition to "classic proofing", CGS ORIS has worked intensively with the packaging industry to offer FLEX PACK, which was specially developed to create colour accurate packaging proofs and packaging samples in a simple and efficient manner.

More details are available on CGS ORIS´ web site: https://bit. ly/2WLonZg

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

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Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

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Dual Lithrone G44s enables double imposition with minimum paper waste Ningxia Jinshiji Packaging & Printing Co., Ltd. was founded in 1998 and has been engaged in the package printing industry for 23 years. The company is a comprehensive package printer integrating product development with design, production and manufacturing.

The main product is paper packaging, and the main business categories include fine packaging of Chinese Baijiu (white liquor), and cardboard cartons for daily consumables such as food and milk and colored boxes.

Ningxia Jinshiji General Manager Wu Bin says, "Jinshiji is committed to being the premier packaging print provider in western China. Yili, Daliyuan, Qingdao Beer, Snowbeer and other famous domestic brands are our main customers. 'Offering customers highquality printing' is our motto, and these well-known brands have very exacting print quality requirements."

The pursuit of high print quality Print quality is crucial to the value of packaging products, and a high-end press is a fundamental guarantee of stable production and cost-efficient performance. "In 2005, we introduced our first Komori press, a four-color Lithrone S40. In more than 10 years of use, we have become very confident of the quality, stability and operability of Komori presses."

The pressure of competition in the packaging industry has only intensified in recent years, so the application of offset printing in packaging must develop in the direction of larger

formats. Only in this way can efficiency be improved and costs reduced.

In 2019, Jinshiji established Gansu Jinshitai Packaging & Printing Co., Ltd. in Wuwei City, Gansu Province, and the new plant implemented an eco-friendly smart factory. Wu Bin says, "In the new factory, we are introducing more smart equipment. The Lithrone G44 is the first offset press we've installed here.

Ever since it was put into production, it has exceeded all of our goals, such as cost-performance and quality. As the scale of our operations in the market

Wu Bin, General Manager

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Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

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continues to expand, we believe that our cooperation with Komori will grow even deeper."

Lithrone G44's 840 x 1,150 mm maximum sheet size just right for double-imposition jobs Wu Bin says: "The reason we introduced two Lithrone G44 presses at one time is that the maximum sheet size is just right for milk cartons. Our previous 40-inch press could only handle a single imposition, but the 44inch Komori press can accommodate two, which nearly doubles overall productivity from printing to postpress.

The use of plates is very economical, and the press's power consumption is the lowest of its type. All these make the enterprise more competitive in the market in terms of cost and efficiency."

Wu Bo, plant manager of Gansu Jinshitai, says, "The press is the core production machine for packaging printers, so we are very careful in the purchase of equipment. For this reason, we chose the Lithrone G44 press after taking into consideration and carefully analyzing the characteristics of the entire industry that we serve and our own product structure."

"At the beginning, our company used presses with a maximum sheet length of 1,060 mm, and all milk cartons were printed with a single imposition.

Customers came under pressure each year to reduce costs and boost efficiency, so it was necessary for the printing industry to change from conventional single-imposition to double-imposition presses, and our

existing equipment was not able to meet our requirements. For printers, there were only two options: one was to choose a large-format 1,450 mm press to perform double-imposition printing.

The other was to install the 44-inch Lithrone G44. Our existing products were concentrated mainly in the 800 x 1,000 mm format. The Lithrone G44 press, with its 840 x 1,150 mm maximum sheet size, was a perfect fit for the size requirements of our double-imposition carton printing."

Lithrone G44: economic benefits very substantial Wu Bo used the actual output of one of his products to illustrate the huge changes in production efficiency brought about by the Lithrone G44: "Take the carton for 16 packs of 250 ml mini drinks as an example. The press can print this product with three impositions due to the 840 x 1,150 mm maximum sheet size. In the past, when other models were used for doubleimposition printing, we output 90,000 sheets that produced 180,000 cartons.

Now with three-imposition printing, the 90,000 sheets produce 270,000 cartons. Productivity has been instantly increased by 50 percent. In addition, paper waste has also been reduced by 50 percent due to smaller margins, making the economic benefits quite substantial!"

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Malaysian packaging printers invest in Heidelberg technology made in China Malaysia’s packaging market has been projected for strong growth at an annual rate of 3.8% for the period 2019 to 2024, with folding carton set to be a key growth driver.

This growth has led packaging printers in Malaysia to invest in cutting-edge production technology and state-ofthe-art sheetfed offset technology from Heidelberg – especially presses manufactured at the Heidelberg site in Shanghai.

Complete system for Percetakan Konta Percetakan Konta is based in Perai, in the northern state of Penang, and has been a loyal Heidelberg customer for many years, having been won over by its reliable technology and exemplary services.

Around six years ago, Percetakan Konta replaced an older Speedmaster CD 102 with a new four-color Speedmaster press with coating unit from the Heidelberg plant at the WieslochWalldorf site in Germany. In 2017, this press was joined by a Speedmaster CD 102-5+L manufactured in China. The next investment came just one year later in the form of a Speedmaster CD 102-4+L, also manufactured at the Chinese plant in Shanghai.

In parallel to this third sheetfed offset press, Percetakan Konta also ordered a Diana Eye 55 offline inspection system. This system inspects the quality

of finished folding carton blanks at a speed of 300 meters per minute. In addition to identifying printed image and typeface errors, high-resolution camera technology analyzes the gloss levels of coated packaging, blind and foil embossing, and holograms. An OCR (optical character recognition) function also detects incorrect characters, punctuation marks, accents, and decimals. In 2020, the Diana Eye 55 from Masterwork was joined by a second, identical inspection system and a Suprasetter 106 CtP platesetter with Prinect Production Manager packaging workflow.

Folding carton manufacturer Tiong Tat Printing Industry has a production area of 82,000 square meters and a total of seven Speedmaster presses, three of them manufactured in China.

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Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

32 Vivar Printing is making use of Heidelberg technology to achieve its ambitious growth targets in the folding carton production segment.

Vivar Printing invests in packaging printing Vivar Printing Sdn Bhd (Vivar) was founded in 1985. For the first oneand-a-half decades of its existence, the company’s main specialty was book production. In 2010, Vivar recognized the opportunities offered by the rapidly growing packaging market. It initially invested in the flexible packaging segment and then moved into folding carton production, which involved creating an official packaging division and investing in a Speedmaster CX 755+L from Heidelberg.

This five-color sheetfed offset press with coating unit provided Vivar with a robustly built printing system based on a design principle that was equally

Book production has remained a key cornerstone at Vivar, but Kok Wai insists moving into the rapidly growing folding carton market was the right decision. Although his company’s sales fell significantly last year due to COVID-19, he is optimistic about 2021. “As we see it, packaging production offers a great deal of growth potential that will shape our company’s development in years to come,” he added.

suited to commercial products and high-quality packaging.

“Key features of the Speedmaster CX 75-5+L include quick and easy job changes, outstanding print results, and high net outputs,” said Kok Wai, Managing Director of Vivar.

Barely a month after the Speedmaster CX 75 started operating, Vivar made its next big investment and ordered a Speedmaster CD 102-5+L from Heidelberg. The contract for the five-color press in the 70 x 100 sheet format with coating unit, which was manufactured in Shanghai, was signed in November 2020 and it started operating in March 2021.

Packaging company Percetakan Konta in Perai, in the state of Penang, has been a loyal Heidelberg customer for many years and has been using Speedmaster technology manufactured in China in its production operations since 2017.

Seven Speedmaster presses at Tiong Tat Printing Industry The pressroom of Tiong Tat Printing Industry (Tiong Tat) has six Speedmaster CD 102 presses and a Speedmaster XL 105. In the interests of productivity, the majority are elevated presses. The latest Speedmaster CD 102-5+L – the company’s third Speedmaster press to have been manufactured at the Shanghai plant – entered into operation in July 2020. Prinect Production controls the workflow based on volumes and Tiong Tat uses a Suprasetter 106 for CtP operations. Two Easymatrix 106 CS (cutting and stripping) die cutters from Masterwork Machinery have been operating in the postpress section since 2018.

“We very much appreciate the equipment’s reliability and the teamwork with Heidelberg, so we opt for technology from this manufacturer time and again,” said Managing Director, Tan Jock Hong.

Tiong Tat started out in 1993 with a single pre-owned press and a production area of around 130 square meters. Today, this has grown to a total area of close to 82,000 square meters, which makes the company one of Malaysia’s largest packaging printers.

Packaging for hygiene gloves is its principal market.

Tiong Tat prides itself on being a market leader and demand is growing, as confirmed by Tan: “In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, we decided to expand our sheetfed offset capacities,” she reveals, referring to this step as the right decision at the right time and emphasizing that the company once again obtained excellent advice and support from Heidelberg.

https://www.heidelberg.com/global/en/

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

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Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

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Premium print shop B Speedmaster CX 104 • Massive increase in net productivity • Speedmaster CX 104 replaces two medium-format presses • Highly automated workflow control with Prinect Belgian print shop Buroform was founded in 1982 and is based in Mechelen. In recent years, co-owner Jesse Marynen has turned the company, which currently has 40 employees, into a supplier of premium print products.

In addition to customers from Belgium’s fine dining and cultural scenes, Buroform works for international businesses in sectors such as the automotive and gaming industries. Publishers also have their art books printed there.

The print shop also has its own web platform called designcards.be to market its gift, birthday, and wedding cards. The BAAS (Buroform as a Service) platform enables customers to edit standard print products in a private online shop and place print orders. A third platform will be going live next September. Ensuring the company keeps moving forward is very important

to Marynen. “I’m always looking to initiate new projects and develop new products,” he says. Buroform uses Prinect Production Manager from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) for its highly automated production workflow.

Pressroom revamped At the end of 2020, to further boost net productivity, Buroform replaced two older medium-format

presses and invested in the new Speedmaster CX 104 from Heidelberg as one of its pilot users. This fourcolor press in the 70 x 100 format is equipped with Push to Stop technology for autonomous printing and an LE UV drying system. It has provided Marynen with exactly the right solution to produce Buroform’s wideranging, high-quality job spectrum with exceptional flexibility and costefficiency.

Massive increase in net productivity “Thanks to the new Speedmaster CX 104, we’ve significantly increased our net productivity,” confirms Marynen. “On average, we’re producing our print jobs 20 percent faster than before and completing up to five job changes in the space of an hour,” he adds. This enabled Marynen and his team of print engineers to change 184 plates in a single shift – a new in-house record.

Investing in the new Speedmaster CX 104 from Heidelberg quickly paid off for Buroform co-owner Jesse Marynen.

Overall, the Speedmaster CX 104 has more than halved the time Buroform requires to set up a job compared with the presses previously used. The print

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

Buroform invests in 4 from Heidelberg

shop achieves an average production speed of around 14,500 sheets per hour, which is close to 90 percent of the maximum speed possible. “Fast setup and a high production speed make the Speedmaster CX 104 the perfect press for short and long runs alike. We have print runs ranging from 300 all the way up to 100,000 sheets,” continues Marynen.

What the printers at Buroform appreciate most is how easy it is to operate the press using the Prinect Press Center XL 3 and the fact that intelligent assistance systems take care of routine tasks for them. Thanks to stored air settings, the Preset Plus feeder and delivery quickly adjust to all kinds of substrates. Air-cushioned sheet transport in the delivery means

even very thin printing materials are deposited cleanly on the pile. With up to 50 items listed in the job queue, the Intellistart 3 assistance software makes intelligent decisions about which makeready sequences are needed during a job change and provides operators with the best possible support.

LE UV drying speeds up job processing as a whole With the new Speedmaster CX 104, Buroform is also benefiting from LE UV technology from Heidelberg.

For example, it has been able to speed up job processing all the way through to the finished product and improve process reliability at the postpress stage.

Thanks to LE UV, even the uncoated papers many customers are requesting are ready for postpress as soon as they leave the press.

According to Marynen, the switchover

from a printing process with conventional inks to LE UV went very smoothly due to three factors – outstanding instruction and training from Heidelberg Benelux, Buroform’s highly qualified staff, and the use of appropriate consumables from the Saphira portfolio.

Florian Franken, Head of Product Management Speedmaster CX 104 at Heidelberg, provides further details: “The Speedmaster CX 104 at Buroform went into operation back in late January 2021 and demonstrated its capabilities during the pilot phase, even before series production started. Heidelberg has seen a significant increase in the net productivity of all users.”

https://www.heidelberg.com/global/en/

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Upgrade gives Lianchuang Xingsheng Packaging a path to success Caidian District, located in the western suburbs of Wuhan and in the east of Jianghan Plain, enjoys tremendous advantages in geography and transportation, as it borders Han River in the north, Tongshun River in the south, Yangtze River in the east, and Xiantao in the west.

That's where you can find the national-level Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone. And it's also the site of Wuhan Lianchuang Xingsheng Packaging Co., Ltd. Wuhan's strong industrial support, bustling economy and thriving consumer market, coupled with the sound development strategy of Central China, allowed enterprises like Lianchuang Packaging to grow and prosper. Lianchuang Packaging specialises in designing, printing and processing of large-format packaging products including corrugated cardboards, cartons and color boxes.

Founded in 2014, Lianchuang Packaging quickly made a name for itself. The company’s general manager, Mr. Liu Qi, is a native of Chaoshan, whose traditional values of "courtesy, righteousness, peace, harmony and governance" could easily be seen in him.

Service-oriented Lianchuang Packaging speeding into the fast lane Since its establishment, Lianchuang Packaging has positioned itself in the structural design of industrial products, with focus on customised packaging services. With its professional designers and versatile packaging R&D and design, the company became popular in the advantageous industries including the ones of 3C and auto parts in Hubei. Furthermore, with its advanced

The two founders of Wuhan Lianchuang Xingsheng Packaging Co., Ltd. Liu Qi is on the left.

printing equipment and rigorous management, Lianchuang Packaging provides customers with one-stop service -- from design, plate making and printing to postprint processing.

the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It had to invest its limited strength and resources in the production of auto parts. Because of this, its demand for cartons increased by 200%.

Service is the cornerstone of Lianchuang Packaging. In Mr. Liu's point of view, this is also a key reason why the company has maintained an annual growth rate of about 30% in recent years. The service capabilities of Lianchuang Packaging are reflected in its process design competence, guarantee of product quality, as well as on-demand and on-time delivery.

However, the pandemic caused a shortage in various resources and drove up the price of raw materials. On top of that, the skyrocketing customer demand and all the safety measures required for the resumption of work and production put Lianchuang Packaging under tremendous pressure.

"For Lianchuang Packaging, service means responsibility," says Mr. Liu, who proceeds to provide an example of how the company goes out of its way to help customers. One of Lianchuang Packaging’s customers in the automobile industry, which has an annual sales of 100 billion RMB, could not operate as usual due to

"At that time, the cost of paper had already increased by 60% plus the force majeure or the pandemic. We had sufficient reasons not to receive these additional orders. However, we need to keep our promises and shoulder the responsibilities as a qualified supplier," says Mr. Liu. From Mr. Liu's point of view, this is not only a matter of honoring a contract

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

Connect to Grow

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Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

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-- it is also about showing Lianchuang Packaging's reliability and earning the confidence of customers. During the entire overtime production process, the Lianchuang Packaging team worked so hard to overcome various difficulties with great passion. The result: timely delivery of a huge order of cartons and packaging for auto parts.

In another case, the printing color restoration degree was not enough due to the problem of the paper provided by the customers. The customer was getting very anxious when the delivery time was approaching. Lianchuang Packaging’s pre-press technicians tried their best to modify the plates and colors to ensure on-time delivery.

Touched by the gesture, the customer told Mr. Liu: "Not many companies could solve the problems like you do."

With its credibility, Lianchuang Packaging won the hearts of customers and boosted the development of the company. Product upgrade -Manroland helps Lianchuang Packaging move to the next level At present, Lianchuang Packaging’s annual carton output exceeds 2 million square meters.

The company’s overall scale has begun to take shape. However, Mr. Liu has a bigger vision.

Lianchuang Packaging has two options for the future: one is to continuously expand the business of the traditional carton products with its accumulated customer base and enhanced reputation; the other is to implement a product upgrade and offer more exquisitely printed color cartons and color box packaging.

After an in-depth analysis of the future outlook of the large-format packaging market, Mr. Liu chose the second option. "In the future, the largeformat packaging market will become more distinct and customers will also need more personalized services," he says. "We must respond to the trend of small-batch, diversified and highquality product orders."

The second option required improvements in the production capacity, specifically an upgrade from the original watermarking equipment to offset printing machines. After considering the performance, price and after-sales service of printing equipment from different suppliers, Mr. Liu's attention was caught by the brand-new Manroland ROLAND 900 six-color large format sheetfed offset.

In the past, the large-format packaging market in Central China was dominated by the four-color sheetfed offsets. Even the five-color machines were hard to find. Lianchuang Packaging filled the gap in the Central China market by introducing a large-format six-color sheetfed offset. Although it took risks, Lianchuang Packaging embraced better market opportunities at the same time.

Before the introduction of the ROLAND 900 six-color large format printing machine, the local large format packaging customers seldom ordered the six-color printing products.

However, the arrival of ROLAND 900 six-color large format sheetfed offset changed all that; it brought more choices to the Hubei printing market six-color printing can now be completed in one run. This saves a lot of secondary printing costs for the customers who have more color needs -- and it provides more color choices too! For the customers, choosing Lianchuang Packaging means richer color reproduction and stronger brand expression. On top of that, anticounterfeiting function is available.

Thanks to the larger format, the packaging printing range has grown.

Some printing orders that used to go to East China and South China have also begun to return to the Hubei market.

As for the previously unmet color box printing needs of some old customers, Lianchuang Packaging can now take

care of those needs with its one-stop solutions. With its professionalism, multi-dimensional approach and improved technical capabilities, the company provides the customers with more value-added services.

Lianchuang Packaging’s business scope has significantly grown since the installation of its ROLAND 900 six-color large format sheetfed offset.

More importantly, product quality is guaranteed. It has become more efficient too in production, saving both time and cost. Understandably, it has been receiving more job orders.

As the Chinese economy recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the market demand has soared in a short period of time. Packaging orders have risen rapidly, particularly since the fourth quarter of 2020. The ROLAND 900 six-color large format sheetfed offset helped Lianchuang Packaging to meet the rapidly increasing demand with ease.

"In the future, the large format packaging market will come across many changes: one is the trend of centralization, and the other is the trend of specialization," Mr. Liu says.

According to Mr. Liu's projection, the centralized production of varieties and small batches will become the mega trend. During this process, the market will foster an environment for labor division and collaboration. The concentration and specialization of each company in their segments will also continue to improve during the market collaboration, building a positive cycle of corporate development. The introduction of ROLAND 900 sixcolor large format sheetfed offset is a great boost for Lianchuang Packaging in hitting its development goals.

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

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Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

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HP Unveils PageWide C to Drive Scaled Volume

HP Inc. announced a new wave of innovation for its HP PageWide corrugated soluti help drive scaled and profitable production of digitally printed packaging applications The innovations were unveiled throughout SuperCorrExpo, which occurred from 8 – 12 August 2021. HP was not physically present at the event, and instead conducted virtual product demonstrations throughout the event.

The company continues to prioritize the health and safety of its employees, customers and prospects, and chose not to have a physical presence at this year’s conference.

HP PageWide corrugated packaging converters continue to lead digital production in the corrugated market with the highest production volume worldwide, recording a growth rate of more than 60% in 2021 compared with 2020.

“Supply chains are facing pressures never experienced before, with market trends accelerated by the pandemic requiring converters to deliver faster and flexible packaging solutions.

Digital packaging can fundamentally transform the corrugated supply

chain for brands in high-volume and mainstream production, especially for e-commerce, food and household products,” said Carles Farre, Vice President and General Manager, HP PageWide Industrial. “Time-to-market can be reduced from weeks using analog methods to only days with HP digital, in addition to sustainability advantages of reduced waste, and higher shelf impact with greater design versioning.”

Using HP Thermal Inkjet technology and true water-based inks, HP PageWide serves the corrugated market with both preprint liner and post-print direct-to-board digital presses.

The preprint HP PageWide T1195i Press and HP PageWide T470S Press and post-print HP PageWide C500 Press all deliver vibrant graphics, offset-quality and food-compliant applications.

Improved economics and paper handling capabilities for digital preprint corrugated HP continues to advance its corrugated technology to create new opportunities for packaging converters and brands to benefit from the analog to digital transformation.

HP unveiled the HP PageWide T1195i Press for preprint corrugated printing featuring new printhead technology.

New HP Thermal Inkjet printheads on the 110-inch wide HP PageWide T1195i Press are designed to deliver more robust and economical production for roll-fed presses, to drive mainstream production and enable converters to move more jobs from flexo preprint and litholam to digital.

The printhead technology incorporates thermal control features to enhance preprint system performance and help reduce operational costs, while delivering consistent high quality at high speeds. Using these printheads, the press features improved paper

SM CX104 ink mist HP PageWide T1195i

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

Corrugated Innovations e Digital Production

ions portfolio to s.

handling capabilities to support a wider range of liners and applications.

Georgia-Pacific’s Hummingbird, a U.S. integrated packaging solutions provider, will be the first to deploy the new HP PageWide T1195i Press at a new Phoenix, Arizona site opening later this year.

“With the purchase of the second HP PageWide T1100 Series Press for installation in Arizona to better serve the west, Georgia-Pacific’s Hummingbird operation will be able to scale its digital print solutions for packaging to offer customers greater flexibility nationwide and meet the increasing demand for shorter turnaround time.

The new printhead technology on the HP PageWide T1195i Press is expected to further enhance the productive capacity and reduce operational costs.

As a strategic customer, Hummingbird, together with HP, will validate the

Sustainable corrugated boxes printed on HP PageWide Presses

improved system performance that will expand Hummingbird’s ability to enter new markets and applications,” said Robert Seay, Vice President, digital print solutions, Georgia-Pacific.

Hummingbird provides a range of digitally printed corrugated packaging solutions for consumer-packaged goods, electronics, and food and beverage brands across North America.

Hummingbird’s digital offerings include

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Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

42 corrugated shelf-ready packaging (SRP), food trays, large-format boxes, e-commerce solutions, and volume displays (POP).

EuPIA. The inks contain no UVreactive chemistries, requiring no additional barriers for food packaging applications.

Boost sustainability profile with compostable digital packaging To extend the HP PageWide sustainability offering, HP announced digital corrugated packaging inks for the HP PageWide C500 have completed tests and received certification for compostability in home and industrial systems.

CompanyBox of the US, operating two HP PageWide C500 presses, said its brand customers are increasingly concerned with sustainability.

Din Certco of Germany, a leading global independent certifying body for compostable products, certified the HP PageWide C500 CV150 HP inks with a “mark of conformity” for the composting process, confirming the inks are “additive harmless to the composting process.”

Compostability certification for HP PageWide C500 allows converters and

“The water-based ink is one of the big reasons brands are choosing us.

This is one of our differentiators.

They know we are taking care of the sustainability for them so they can take care of the environment. It’s the feeling of being comfortable that what you’re ordering is not going to pollute the planet,” said Kyle Dejesus, president of CompanyBox. New HP PrintOS applications boost production efficiency HP PrintOS helps customers to get the most out of their presses, simplify and automate production, innovate

of production-status and job-costing data such as substrate usage and time invested, to a management system (MIS or ERP), to understand the true cost of completed jobs for more accurate quoting.

• PrintOS Supplies and Inventory Management App – allows customers to optimize inventory levels.

Simplifying digital preprint with industry collaborations HP digital preprint offers significant advantages to the corrugated market with its ability to produce a mix of both long and short run jobs in a single roll with consistent, offset quality.

To help drive the analog to digital transformation with HP digital preprint, HP is developing end-to-end solutions that simplify and accelerate the digital business growth of customers.

HP C500 press

brands to improve their sustainability profile for corrugated packaging and contribute to a circular economy, in addition to printing on-demand quantities, reducing inventory waste, and lowering overall environmental impact.

and grow. HP announced the release of a new set of cloud-based PrintOS applications for HP PageWide C500 owners to improve their overall site efficiency and to optimize the management of their production floor, including:

The successful testing verifies HP PageWide C500 press prints can be used as packaging recoverable through composting and biodegradation in accordance with leading standards, such as EU regulation EN 13432.

HP PageWide corrugated inks were also tested and found recyclable by Papiertechnische Stiftung (PTS) of Germany using standard processes.

HP’s true water-based inks can be used for food and sensitive product packaging and meet leading global food safety and environmental guidelines, such as USDA FDA 21 CFR, Nestlé guidance, Swiss Ordinance, and

• PrintOS Mobile App – a tablet or smartphone app that tracks real-time status and updates of job status and production improvements, such as daily count of printed square feet and press availability.

• PrintOS Print Beat – an optimization app that delivers press and consumables historical and near real-time data for better, faster decision-making and improved print operations.

• PrintOS Jobs – provides jobs data including consumables, substrates, print time and more. Enables streamlining

HP digital preprint is a proven solution running on a range corrugators worldwide. Today, HP announced a collaboration with industry leaders Fosber and Erhardt +Leimer (E+L) to enable the synchronization of digital preprint to corrugator job changes within a roll with solutions that can be part of new corrugators or retrofitted onto existing corrugators.

As a result, converters can better respond to market demands dynamically with fast turnaround time, any Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ), and a reduction in waste and inventory to increase market competitiveness without impacting the corrugator’s performance.

Learn more about HP’s corrugated packaging at www.hp.com/go/ corrugatedpackaging.

https://www.hp.com/gp/corrugatedpackaging

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Learn more

New solution for direct-to-substrate proofing on uncoated packaging media - now available for FLEX PACK!

www.cgs-oris.com

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KODAK FLEXCEL NX Sy Flexo on the path to flexo “I think flexo is both the most challenging industry, and the most rewarding.

The more you put in, the greater the benefits.”

for example — can improve efficiency without additional investments or press set-ups, because if we can work with the available resources, we save customers time and money.

“Next, we explain the further improvements and enhanced benefits achievable with FLEXCEL NX plates — how we can change anilox rollers and inks, reduce impression and generally introduce better control into the press environment.”

For Shyam Sundar, partner at Hyderabad-based flexo prepress specialist NS Digital Flexo, meeting the challenges — and helping customers reap the benefits — started in March 2020, when the company opened for business with a new KODAK FLEXCEL NX System, supplied and supported by Miraclon.

Sundar describes NS Digital’s service offering as “all things flexo — wide web, labels, folding cartons, corrugated.” A notable feature of the company’s philosophy is the effort and time it puts into building relationships with customers and showing them the potential of the FLEXCEL NX System.

Explains Sundar: “We really engage with each customer, so that we can see things from their perspective, and truly understand their current capabilities and practices. Then we show them how simple adjustments to their production practices — fingerprinting the press,

Efficiency made easy With the FLEXCEL NX System it’s relatively easy for NS Digital to help customers become more efficient, Sundar continues. “The biggest benefit for us is the simplicity of making FLEXCEL NX plates. The flexo process can have many variables, but the FLEXCEL NX System either eliminates them or makes managing them really simple, which yields substantial savings throughout the whole packaging printing process. So as a service provider we can be totally confident we can provide customers with consistent, repeatable results.

It also makes it easier to solve any print issues that arise, because we can eliminate the plates as a cause

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ystem sets NS Digital o pre-press success

straightaway. With other solutions, the investigation is more complex — is it the file, or the software, or processing, or exposure, or the press?”

As an example of a customer who benefited from the NS Digital approach and the FLEXCEL NX System, he describes a reverse-print packaging job. “We discussed how FLEXCEL NX plates could improve the overall print quality, especially on the whites.

Then we worked with Miraclon — who are always supportive at all stages and a delight to work with — on the fingerprinting. This approach gave the customer confidence to proceed — and the 20% reduction in ink consumption was very persuasive too!” He adds that across all types of work customers report faster makereadies, lower white ink consumption, reduced start-up waste — down from 50 metres to 20 metres, in some cases — and varnish savings as high as 20% on many jobs.

Mohan Rao, partner at NS Digital Flexo, singles out two features of the FLEXCEL NX Technology as especially valuable. “KODAK TIFF

Assembler Plus software — TAP 5.0 — is a really fantastic product that makes our life easier, from layout optimization to automating job settings. And DIGICAP NX Patterning is a huge advantage. We can use it to create a ‘micro anilox’ on the plate, which produces efficient ink transfer and overcomes the usual challenges of maintaining ink density and controlling dot gain. Used in conjunction with press fingerprinting, it makes it easy to select the best pattern for each job.”

Offset-to-flexo transition is ‘booming’ NS Digital Flexo is part-owned by Mumbai-based prepress solutions provider Numex Blocks, who also provide technical expertise. Asked what NS Digital regards as the most noticeable trends in flexo at present, Sundar replies: “Gravure-to-flexo conversion, of course, but there’s also a big opportunity for flexo to take label work from offset. This is booming already, and there’s more growth to come, with more offset label players looking to have at least one flexo label press. For a tradeshop like us, this is

good news on two fronts. First, there’s the challenge of helping many small label players produce complex jobs, which will keep the market engaged and growing. And second, there’s the demand for faster turnarounds, which is only possible with the FLEXCEL NX System.

“Put these capabilities together, and by providing a high-quality service and products we’re in a good position to respond to the price pressures that are common in the packaging printing space.”

Part of a journey Looking ahead, Shyam Sundar speaks eloquently of his expectations for NS Digital and the flexo industry in general.

“It’s great to be part of a journey that’s transforming flexo into a modern, standardized manufacturing process through technology such as FLEXCEL NX. This will always be my passion — to work with the latest, most advanced technologies, and to continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible with flexo.”

https://www.miraclon.com

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Label Printing and the Rollers in your printing press There are many types of rollers in your printing press and they all have unique functions and uses. Let’s take you through the various roller types, what they do, the coating of the roller surface, shore hardness and other functions.

Path rollers The most common and widely used roller is the path roller. It’s responsible for transporting the substrate through the press.

It’s important to keep these rollers unsoiled with regular cleaning and free of any dents or scratches. If you dent or scratch your path roller it can lead to scratches and dents in your web requiring replacement.

There’s a coating on all path rollers to help sustain their long life required.

It’s advised not to use sandpaper, steel wool or even a Scotch-Brite pad or similar abrasive pad as they will remove the coating.

Using box cutter knives (used daily as a printer) is a definite no when removing dried ink or even from a wrap around on a web break as they will scratch and ruin your roller. Even when there’s pressure to get the job running, it’s worth a few extra minutes to save your roller.

A good way to clean metal rollers is by using acetate and water to safely remove ink and paper dust, especially if you’re using a paper-backed self-adhesive substrate. A weekly schedule should be made for cleaning rollers and the press. For the impression roller, regular maintenance will help eliminate any issues with marking or poor printing.

Teflon coated path rollers are usually only used in the turner bar part of the press and sometimes swapped in and out when needed. These rollers have a non-stick coating for when you do de-lam/re-lam work and now have the adhesive side of the substrate touching the path rollers.

If you do not use a Teflon coated roller you will get wrap around and will be unable to run with a regular path roller. I’ve seen printers use the backing of the plate mounting tape; this can also create issues, so it’s best to have sufficient Teflon coated rollers available.

Nip rollers Usually there are two nip rollers with adjustable pressure - some machines have three. They’re located at the unwind after the edge guide, and on the last print station towards the rewinder after the die and matrix stripping unit.

Nip rollers can also be added to the lamination/cold foil unit and turner bar for re-lam/de-lam work, which provides the substrate and backing

film or paper to re-join. These provide tension in the press by a driven, infeed roller and rubber roller along with the braking system and load cells on more modern presses.

As they’re made from rubber, it’s important not to cut on these rollers and damage them. For older machines that don’t automatically release the pressure during press shut down, make sure to lift them before you shut down or flat spots can occur causing instability and tension problems.

Impression rollers The impression roller has the substrate that passes over the impression roller/ cylinder and the printing plate is set to this to transfer the image onto the substrate. This happens on all print stations.

A driven impression roller can act as a nip roller if the printing plate has too much pressure. An MPS press has a free-running impression roller

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www.cgs-oris.com

Quality improvement Environmental resistance Faster drying Eco friendly

Ink Saving is so much more than just reducing costs: It helps optimizing the entire production process. How?

Learn more

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48 which eliminates this problem and gives good registration with low web tension. This is especially helpful in flexible packaging where film or poly can stretch and be too long with too much pressure on the unit. Overall web tension can also affect this.

It’s important to keep the impression roller clean and free of ink, paper, dust, or any damage. As a critical part of print quality, utmost care and caution must be taken when cleaning.

A method I’ve found to work well for cleaning your impression roller is Ethyl or NP acetate and water. Acetate cleans the ink and water removes the paper dust. Cleaning is effective, quick and does not affect or damage the surface.

If you have a damaged pan/duct roller and need to send it out to be re-rubbered, it’s best to use a reputable company.

Ask the machine manufacturing company for required specifications of diameter and shore hardness for best results. This information might also be in the machine manual.

The impression roller on a hot foil unit, along with correct heat, is a crucial factor in the release of foil during the foiling operation. These rollers are usually around a 95-shore hardness for durability, though this can also depend on the operator’s knowledge.

The printer sometimes applies pressure when the foil is missing or picking, but this can be a temperature issue resulting in damage. Training and job experience

for the desired web width used for primers applying adhesive in lamination and doing flood coats of colours. The diameter of the roller does not matter with continuous print. These offer the advantage of no visible plate gap.

Depending on the condition of the roller it may not print as well as a flexographic plate. Proper care of these rollers is essential.

The other type of continuous roller is one that will have an image on it (same as a flexo plate) and made to the size of the print cylinders e.g. Z128 or 128-tooth. These can either be an engraved rubber roller or a special photopolymer sleeve that requires an adapter.

These continuous rollers also offer a no-plate-gap solution, are more expensive and only used for special job requirements. When storing your continuous roller, never lay if flat or it will develop flat spots and be ruined.

Cover it to protect the image.

The new MPS E-Sleeve enables printers to generate predictable results at increased speeds, with guaranteed quality tolerances and more reliable production cost calculations_

Rubber rollers The nip roller is not the only rubber roller in your printing press; others can include pan/duct rollers for ink to anilox transfer and impression rollers on hot foil units. For optimum performance, shore hardness is important, as is the diameter of these rollers.

The pan/duct roller shore hardness is important for ink transfer from the rubber roller to the anilox. If this roller is too large in diameter or the distance between the pan/duct roller is too small or even touches - allowing for no adjustment to get the optimal ink transfer – ink starvation to the anilox can occur. This will be evident once the doctor blade is applied. If this was not noticed when the anilox was applied to the plate and impression set, you will see the starvation results.

is the key to the longevity of the impression roller.

Re-ordering an impression roller may be a better option than re-rubbering, depending on the quality and company you deal with. This consideration is due to past experiences of getting rubber rollers out of spec and too soft; these are almost instantly damaged.

If you don’t have a spare this can be costly and cause job delays. If you do have a spare and need to change, it’s one of the harder rollers to change depending on which unit you are using.

It may require a maintenance person or even a trained supervisor to take care of the roller change.

Continuous rollers A continuous roller can be a solid roller

Print cylinders The print cylinder is one of the most important parts of your printing press.

They’re available in different types of plastic, composite, steel, and aluminium. It depends on what your requirements are, what came with your machine, if it’s a second-hand or new machine, and what the manufacturer offers.

There are important factors to take into account such as the total indicated runout (TIR), the roundness of the cylinder. This is how true and concentric your cylinder is and, depending on the quality or the material, will it stay this way.

The E-Sleeve offered by MPS offers perfect concentricity and high dimensional stability, yielding perfect register on multiple images. The result is a more consistent and sharper print with a free-running impression roller.

It also offers the benefit of not needing to re-mount the plate if mounted the wrong way; transferring a locking key in the opposite direction is all that’s necessary. It’s also fantastically strong and lightweight with improved adhesion of mounting tape.

https://www.mps4u.com

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Expands Large-Format Business with EFI Pro 16h UV LED Printer Franchise print shop aims for growth and offers new, innovative products for its seacoast and Boston Metro-West region customers

Looking to grow its large-format business among growing post-COVID market demand, the AlphaGraphics® franchise in Portsmouth, New Hampshire has invested in an EFITM Pro 16h UV LED wide format printer manufactured by Electronics For Imaging, Inc. Purchased from authorized EFI dealer Nazdar SourceOne®, the hybrid roll-to-roll/ flatbed inkjet printer bolsters the services that the premier marketing and printing shop offers to its local clients operating in a wide range of vertical markets, including food, medical manufacturing, real estate, government and education.

Co-owners Chris Carrier and Chris Oberg purchased the business in October 2019 and brought the AlphaGraphics franchise brand to the previously independent shop. Carrier and Oberg brought a vision with them to grow the business and had the idea to invest in a hybrid machine that could bring more efficiency and greater variety and capabilities than what the shop’s existing roll- to-roll printers offered.

Working closely with their Nazdar sales contact, Carrier and Oberg researched the EFI printer and were impressed with its performance. Strategically designed with a comprehensive package

of features to assure the lowest total cost of ownership, superior image quality and an ability to handle a wide range of substrates, the Pro 16h printer promised a growth in possibilities that Carrier and Oberg were looking for. “We try and push our customers toward creative thinking, but people equate creativity with higher costs,” said Oberg. “The Pro 16h gives us the ability to push creative boundaries at a lower cost.”

The availability of local service from the EFI display graphics operations located a short distance from AlphaGraphics Portsmouth – and valuable input and feedback from a network of other AlphaGraphics owners – helped convince Oberg and Carrier of their decision. “We are active in our network of other AlphaGraphics owners who use a lot of different flatbeds,” said Carrier.

The duo is also able to bounce ideas off their AlphaGraphics colleagues who are experienced with the same printer and handle similar customer projects.

“Having that additional network of support goes a long way,” Carrier said.

Leveraging efficiencies and lowering TCO with the Pro 16h Prior to installing the Pro 16h printer, printing rigid-substrate jobs was a

multi- step process at AlphaGraphics Portsmouth, involving a roll-to-roll machine and the manual mounting of printed sheets to boards. “Every rigid material job involved cutting, applying vinyl, rolling through twice, and trimming everything,” said Oberg.

“That multistep process is no longer needed for a majority of our orders, simplifying around 90% of our orders.”

The Pro 16h printer’s powerful UV LED technology is capable of printing directly on a wide range of substrates that cannot withstand high heat required for curing or drying with traditional UV or latex printers.

AlphaGraphics Portsmouth’s new printer features an EFI Fiery® proServer Core digital front end with FAST RIP acceleration technology that helps get work prepped and printed faster than before. The team was familiar with Fiery, having used it on its cut-sheet digital printers. Training helped the team adapt quickly to the new hybrid large-format device. “After install and training our staff really took to it,” said Carrier. “They saw the efficiencies and elimination of extra steps.”

Four hours of labor savings daily The shop has already started to benefit from higher throughput and more reliable production turnaround.

Printing at resolutions up to 1,200 dots per inch, the EFI Pro16h prints at a production speed of up to 311 square feet per hour in four colors, and it includes a high-quality, highly opaque white ink that gives AlphaGraphics Portsmouth more options to produce vibrant, full-color work on projects printed on clear or colored substrates.

For more information on EFI’s advanced technologies for digital printing, visit www.efi.com.

https://www.efi.com

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52 Premji Invest acquires a significant stake in SB Packagings, a leader in flexible packaging for Hygiene Segment Delhi-based SB Packagings (SBP) has said Premji Invest has invested for a significant stake in the Company.

The transaction primarily involves partial stake sale held by the existing shareholders in SBP and infusion of primary capital for capacity expansion and for inorganic acquisitions to enable faster scaleup of its product portfolio for both domestic and International markets.

Founded in 1989, SBP is a leading manufacturer of flexible packaging materials in India, supplying to major players in the Hygiene and Food industry including P&G, J&J, Unicharm, Kimberly Clark, Nobel Hygiene, Walmart, Future Group, PepsiCo, Dabur, and Tata among other leading brands. SBP has won various awards and global accolades for its innovation & printing excellence and is at the forefront in providing sustainable packaging solutions. SBP was founded by Mr. O.P. Banga and is currently managed by his son Mr. Amit Banga, who has been in the business for the past 30 years.

Post transaction, Amit will continue to remain a significant shareholder in the company and would continue to drive the business, supported by a professional management team further bolstered by the financial and strategic support from Premji Invest.

Commenting on the deal, Mr Amit Banga, MD of SBP said, “We have grown steadily over the last decade, winning the trust and market share with our marquee global customers who have a very high threshold for quality and consistency. Innovation and Sustainability have been the core pillars of SBP’s business model. With the backing from Premji Invest, one of India’s leading PE investors, we look forward to further expanding our capabilities through organic and inorganic routes thereby strengthening our position in the Indian flexible packaging Industry."

Mr O. P. Banga, Chairman Emeritus stated that the seeds sown four decades back have become a big tree now and this partnership with Premji Invest has my best wishes and blessings towards our vision of building a business around the needs of the society.

Premji Invest is the investment arm of Azim Premji's endowment and philanthropic initiatives. It has been active in investing in the Indian markets for over ten years with large investment corpus.

The focus of investments has been to grow medium-sized Indian companies into large companies that can compete globally. Investments of Premji Invest is across sectors like consumer, financials, technology, and manufacturing and to name a few include, Fab India, Hygienic Research, ID foods, Lenskart, Policy Bazaar, Flipkart, Gold Plus Glass and Shubham Housing. Premji Invest is excited to partner with SB Packagings to help them scale to the next level of growth.

EY and Khaitan & Co. acted as advisors to SB Packagings on this transaction.

Media Contact: Kornit Digital Acquires Voxel8, Expanding Additive Manufacturing Technology Portfolio for Next Generation of Sustainable OnDemand Textile Production

Amit Banga

Kornit Digital Ltd, a worldwide market leader in digital textile production technologies, announced

today the acquisition of all associated assets of Somerville, Massachusettsbased Voxel8.

Voxel8’s advanced additive manufacturing technology for textiles allows for digital fabrication of functional features with zonal control of material properties, in addition to utilizing high-performance elastomers adhering to inkjet technology.

“Voxel8’s innovative technologies and talent will help us accelerate the execution of our 4.0 strategy to digitize sustainable, on-demand textile production,” said Ronen Samuel, Kornit Digital Chief Executive Officer. “With this advanced and proven 3D technology, we will disrupt the business of fashion, empowering completely new creative decorative concepts and never-before-seen functional textile applications, while exploring new lucrative opportunities in the functional apparel and footwear markets.”

"By integrating Voxel8’s technology into Kornit’s product roadmap, we will be able to transform numerous market segments and verticals, accelerating our collective visions and technology advancements," said Kobi Mann, Kornit Digital Chief Technology Officer. “Voxel8 offers

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SPEED UP YOUR PROCESSES with optical systems for UV curing and drying

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54 “Voxel8 shares Kornit’s vision of transforming the textile industry and couldn’t be more excited to be part of the journey to build the operating system of sustainable fashion on demand. We look forward to working together to embed Voxel8’s technology into Kornit’s customer offerings, which will collectively provide endless possibilities of enhanced applications and solutions.” direct 3D print-on-part capabilities, advanced design software that can be easily integrated with any production floor software workflow, and versatile chemistry enabling on-the-fly formulation of high-performance elastomers to change the material properties of the resulting printed structures by multiple orders of magnitude.

TriState Container Corporation steps into digital production with Xeikon IDERA

This means reflective, high-density, silicone and metallics, as well as compression elements for sports and therapeutics, protection elements like cushioning and impact resistance, and functionality applications like anti-slip, waterproofing, and other qualities combining form and function that are key to Kornit’s vision of digitizing production in every conceivable manner.”

TriState Container Corporation is an independently owned third generation manufacturer located in Bensalem Pennsylvania. TriState provides a wide variety of corrugated solutions from shipping containers to custom high graphic corrugated requirements through two divisions, TriState Container, and ProCorr Display and Packaging.

“Voxel8’s innovative and sustainable technology—tested by some of the world’s leading global fashion and footwear brands, such as Hush Puppies, which is part of Wolverine Worldwide, enables the digital creation of unique decorative and functional applications, while eliminating time and waste from the manufacturing process,” said Fred von Gottberg, Voxel8’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

Xeikon and TriState Container Corporation today announced that TriState has become the first print provider to acquire IDERA, a brandnew digital printing solution for corrugated packaging converters.

IDERA was created to bring easy, flexible, and sustainable packaging to the corrugated packaging industry. The IDERA architecture and specifications provide speed, flexibility, and agility to corrugated converters, delivering new opportunities with customers, and internal productivity gains to the converter.

To make this happen, IDERA prints on coated and uncoated corrugated sheets up to 63 inches wide x 110

inches long, enables variable printing speeds between 196ft/min and 393ft/ min flexibility in terms of in-line priming, varnishing and drying, and peripherals such as automatic prefeeding and stacking.

Allen Friedman, President, TriState Container Corporation commented, “I saw my first single pass digital press in a corrugated converting operation about five years ago. What struck me was the potential impact this technology could have on addressing limitations of current analog technologies, and the requirements converters place on packaging buyers to maintain internal efficiency and cost. As an independent, we are always looking for how we can create greater value for our customer, while building competitive advantage for ourselves.

We believe the IDERA digital press positions TriState to achieve both.

We envision internal and external benefits for TriState. Internally, we can move jobs to the digital press that are better suited to digital technology.

Externally, we see this as a perfect fit for customers with emerging or proliferating brands. These types of jobs may be too small for flexo runs and too large for multi-pass. In the past, these brands were afraid of the associated time and costs when they wanted to improve print quality or make a design step change. Many have indicated a desire to change their order behaviour. We also see an opportunity to develop design capabilities for our customers.”

Friedman concludes, “We’re looking forward to promoting IDERA’s high print quality to our customers and being able to print short and long runs with all the benefits of a digital

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CANON SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.

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56 print-on-demand solution, including reduced waste. Even more importantly, we have kicked off a long-term partnership with Xeikon as I believe they are one of the few providers with the competences, resources and approach to succeed in the digital corrugated box market.”

To develop IDERA, Xeikon combined its long established in-house digital expertise with the experience and manufacturing footprint of its parent company, Flint Group. As the number one supplier of inks for corrugated packaging, Flint has a deep understanding of the corrugated market.

Sebastien Stabel, Market Segment Manager, Carton Packaging for Xeikon notes that “Xeikon is, of course, excited about digital potential in the corrugated market, but it’s critical to successfully implement this reference installation. Together with TriState we have developed a business model as well as a technical solution to kick-off digital production.”

Stabel concludes, “IDERA is backed up by Xeikon’s own food-compliant IDERA AT inks, industrial inkjet and workflow know-how. We have worked closely with Flint Group, our partners, and most importantly our customers, to customize hardware and ink sets to address the changing needs of the corrugated market.”

Large format digital enhancement press brings new market growth opportunities Carlson Print Group is well-known for its eye-popping customized print pieces, produced for many of the most recognizable brands in the world.

With the Scodix Ultra 6000 press addition, CPG broadens its offering of high-end, tailored enhancement for new and existing clients in this market. The new 41” large-format digital enhancement press will also see the company actively promoting the growth of its market share in the packaging sector.

Darren Carlson, Carlson Print Group President and CEO, says, “We’ve developed a well-earned reputation in the industry for designing and

producing some of the coolest and most inventive work for our nationwide clientele, many of whom appear in the Fortune 100 to 500 lists.

They represent a variety of businesses, who want to stand out and are willing to invest in award-winning attentiongrabbing projects. The new Scodix Ultra 6000 press with its 41” sheet size and diverse enhancement capabilities provides our clients with bold, unique products as we continue to expand our specialty print and packaging business.

In addition, this press provides us the ability to transition to a complete Scodix finishing workflow solution immediately impacting our business productivity.”

Carlson Print Group has partnered with Scodix on the purchase of the Scodix Ultra 6000 Digital Enhancement Press, which is set to be installed at CPG’s Eden Prairie, Minnesota location immediately. The capability of the new press allows for more highly-detailed, shortrun and data-variable personalized projects with tactile applications such as embossing, foil, metallic effects, glitter, and specialty finishes.

A clear advantage with the Scodix Ultra 6000 is the size of the press which accommodates 29 x 41 inch sheets. Earl Guinter, Carlson Print Group Sales Manager, comments,

“Having the Scodix Ultra 6000 press is revolutionary because it allows us to use a common, large-format sheet size across all our presses. This saves our customers time and money, while increasing the enhancement design possibilities dramatically.”

Jason Rollo, Scodix President of North America, continues, “We are delighted that CPG has joined Scodix and will lead the adoption of digital print enhancement in the specialty and packaging markets. Carlson Print Group’s leadership in trading cards is a perfect product for digital enhancement application just as a starting point. We’ve seen so many innovative projects come from this company, we can’t wait to see how they will put digital enhancement into effect – especially in large format.

Their vision to increase brand awareness capabilities sets the bar at a new height and pushes creativity even further. Together, we are excited to be at the forefront of the large format digital enhancement movement.”

10-15 production orders produced daily within weeks of installation Boxes Inc was the first company in the USA to install the flagship Highcon® Beam 2C digital finishing system for corrugated earlier this year.

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The Future of Flexo Plate Making

+

Improve plate print quality and consistency

+

Reduce handling errors

+

Lower total cost of ownership

+

Higher productivity

www.xsysglobal.com

info@xsysglobal.com

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58 The company added the Beam 2C to their digital workflow primarily to support their online, customized packaging web-to-pack site, Xceed but is now also expanding usage to support other more traditional parts of their organization. Describing the install as its easiest ramp-up ever, Boxes Inc. benefitted most from the increased speed-to-market afforded by Highcon’s digital finishing technology.

With a clear commitment to excellence, this industry leader, together with subsidiary Mid America Display, has been producing industrial shipping and packaging products, POP displays and signage for over 40 years.

According to Jason Mueller, Sr. Vice President, General Manager, “We have installed a number of new machines over the last few years, and this was by far the easiest ramp-up I have had the privilege of being part of. … within weeks we were routing and running 10 to 15 production orders a day on the Highcon.”

Boxes Inc. is currently running 2 shifts, substantially improving their overall efficiency, Jason Mueller adds: “If I had to pick one benefit as the “key benefit” I would have to say that we have benefited most from the speed to market improvements the Highcon system has provided. We no longer have the delay from ordering tooling. We have reduced our delivery time by more than 40%” The Highcon Beam 2C digital finishing system is available in 2 configurations: pallet-based and a nonstop version with nonstop feeder, nonstop stacker and waste removal.

It has been engineered to meet the stringent market requirements for corrugated packaging; non-crush process, customizable to enable rightsizing and light-weighting of packaging; strong enough to allow product to be shipped in its own box; and at the same time providing a positive unboxing experience that supports brand owners. For more details: https://www.highcon.net/ product/highcon-beam-2c/

UV silver coatings offer a range of sustainability and premium quality benefits ACTEGA, manufacturer of specialty coatings, inks, adhesives and sealing compounds for the print and packaging industry, today reveals the latest coatings to be incorporated into the extensive ACTEGA portfolio.

Five WESSCO® POLAR UV silver coatings, comprising four WESSCO® POLAR UV flexo silver coatings and one UV offset silver coating for use from the ink duct, deliver, in combination with highly transparent overprint varnishes, highly reflective properties and brilliantly glossy effects. Additional benefits include outstanding flexibility, efficiency, overprint ability with UV offset inks, and a strong sustainability offering.

Addressing the growing importance of sustainable printing, the solventfree WESSCO® POLAR coatings provide businesses with a highquality alternative to traditional hot or cold foil stamping and metallized board. In addition, the use of these new coatings eliminates plastic waste and streamlines the recycling process, providing a performance and efficiency boost to users as they remove the additional foil application step from the printing process.

Andreas Käfferlein, Product Manager Metallics, comments, “With demand for premium, high-value print

products still on the rise, our UV silver coatings capture the attention of the consumer due to their luxurious quality. This makes them highly attractive to our customers in paper-based packaging, commercial applications, and book and magazine printing. Add to this the incredible environmental advantages of the WESSCO® POLAR range and the economical savings to be made, and the appeal of these UV coatings speaks for itself.”

The WESSCO® POLAR UV Silver coatings are well-suited to a range of paper-based print and packaging applications including food and other sensitive packaging types, thanks to properties such as low migration and compliance with Swiss Ordinance and Nestlé requirements. Customers also benefit from reduced lead times and improved cost efficiency due to the avoidance of time-consuming material ordering and extended delivery periods. The high costs associated with metallized or TransMet boards are also eliminated.

Andreas Käfferlein concludes, “The efficiencies and environmental benefits of the WESSCO® POLAR range strongly support ACTEGA’s companywide goal to support advances towards more sustainable print production.

With this new range, we can offer yet more coatings that will support our customers’, and their customers’, sustainability objectives, while det

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021

59 to get the optimal ink transfer – ink starvation to the anilox can occur. This will be evident once the doctor blade is applied. If this was not noticed when the anilox was applied to the plate and impression set, you will see the starvation results.

Swiss direct mail and brochure printer installed Contiweb equipment to achieve maximum productivity and minimize production costss Contiweb, a specialist in state-of-theart technologies for advanced drying, web-handling and web-processing, announces today that Swiss print service provider, Druckerei Kyburz AG, has invested in a Contiweb Digital Fluid Applicator (DFA) and CDN non-stop unwinder for its Dielsdorf facility. The company had previously invested in 5 other splicers from Contiweb.

A family-run business, Druckerei Kyburz AG has been operating for 49 years to provide Switzerland and its neighbouring countries high-quality print products including self-mailers and brochures. Druckerei Kyburz AG started as a sheet fed and web offset printer and added later multiple web-finishing lines and digital print technologies. As part of the company’s ongoing aim to expand and stay ahead of the competition, the team is now installing a digital print production line in conjunction with Contiweb and Canon, including inline i-Web US finishing equipment.

This line is created with a length of 2 x 40 meters over 2 floors, setting new standards in digital printing.

The new production line enables Druckerei Kyburz AG to start with a blank roll of paper and finish with a ready product, without having to stop, with the aim of meeting the growing demand for heavily personalized, low to mid volume, high quality mailings.

Patrick Kyburz, CEO, Druckerei Kyburz AG states, “Our long-standing partnership with Contiweb, as we own five splicers, and our positive previous experience with Contiweb splicers that we use in our web offset printing lines and with the CDN, meant we were sure the machines

would be a worthwhile investment.

So much so that we didn’t even look at other options! We like how it has been built, and it looked sturdier to have the DFA and non-stop unwinder from Contiweb alongside our Canon ProStream 1800. As we started to prepare our unique line, the aim was to develop a tailor-made system to be able to efficiently implement our customers’ extraordinary ideas.”

Mr. Kyburz continues, “The looming pandemic last year accelerated our designs on improving the business in any way we could. We essentially wanted to stay in front of the competition by making bold decisions, early. From the beginning of this process, we believed that we were not going to have a manual unwinder, we knew we needed a non-stop splicer.

It is very common for digital printers to perform manual reel changing. For us – being a web offset printer – this looked very traditional.

“If you finish online, it is very important that the line doesn’t stop. At every stop you have the risk of a web break. Many printers coming from sheet fed are anxious and ask us if we are not afraid for web breaks using automatic splicers, but the risk of them occurring is much higher if you do this manually. Contiweb systems

are extremely modern and reliable.”

Druckerei Kyburz AG uses Contiweb winding solutions in combination with the Contiweb Digital Fluid Applicator with the silicone application option included, to prevent the printed matter from damages in their own finishing line as well as in the sorting centres of postal providers. The DFA is a Plug’N’Play standalone remoistening applicator for digital web presses that works with a sleeve system, applying a very precise amount of water and (optionally) silicone to the web.

The system has been developed to significantly improve and repair basic paper properties, and to increase the smoothness of the run through the press and finishing equipment.

Mr. Kyburz continues, “If you finish inline, the paper gets stressed.

We believe remoistening will help especially with the Canon ProStream 1800 press. It has a huge dryer (up to 180 degrees) so there is a lot of heating energy. The paper becomes wet one side due to the ink, then it is dried, following that the process continues on the other side of the paper. Remoistening will help us to apply more folds and prevent it from breaking and let the press line run faster.

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