Print Innovation Asia October 20

Print INNOVATION

Asia

Magazine

Serving the Printing, Packaging and Publishing Industries across Asia Pacific since 1985 Issue 10 2020

Meet The New Building Blocks of Opportunity Get to know our latest innovations and the new possibilities and opportunities they could create for you.

Read more about the VersantÂŽ 3100i Press and VersantÂŽ 180i Press inside.

Asian PrintAwards 2020 th

PACKAGING EXCELLENCE AWARDS: 2020

2020

_018 020 ONLINE - November Contents Page 4

6 8 12

16 18

20

24 26 28

30 32

34

36 38 42

44

46

48

50 52

54 56 58

Fuji Xerox Boosts Growth of Printing Businesses with Versant 3100i Press / Versant 180i Press The Pandemic's Impact on Print India’s Printrove installs Kornit Storm HD6 Platypus Maximizes Security, Productivity and Efficiency Xeikon introduces 7 colour label press Why in-house label printing can prove beneficial for SMBs Digital Textile Printing Equipment Market to Witness CAGR Of 14.9% Scodix has developed the Ultra Press Series Superwide Acuity Ultra yields high-quality results Frozen food package polluted by living coronavirus could cause infection Japan’s Daido Shiko installs HP Indigo 7900 Large format and industrial print in Asia Pacific showing signs of recovery Leader in the European market of luxury rigid boxes for perfumery Qiaokun Color Printing: Prevailing in a specialized field "Remote Fitness Check" helps Chinese customer Secure and Intuitive Solutions Canon’s New ColorWave & PlotWave Series Nestlé intensifies its sustainable packaging transformation journey Research Study Showcases Trends in Digital Printing Enhancement New gravure printing press for flexible materials: the EXPERT RS 6003 RGB Printing – And It Does Work!

A specialty chemicals supplier in the innovative and challenging printing industry Raising the bar with embossing EcoLeaf – The New Technology for Finishing Options News from around Asia and the world

Issue 10 2020

Print INNOVATION

Asia Magazine

Published by Asian Print Awards Management Pte Ltd 65 Chulia Street #46-23 OCBC Centre Singapore 049513 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 10 2020

4

Fuji Xerox Boosts Growth with Versant 3100i Press

New Air Suction Feeder Enables Stable Transportation of Thick/Long Paper fo Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. launches two new production printer models: Versant 3100i Press and Versant 180i Press in the production color market. The two new models will be launched from midOctober in China and the Asia-Pacific region, and on October 30 in Japan.

Fuji Xerox introduces the Air Suction Feeder as an add-on capability to both Versant 3100i Press and Versant 180i Press. With this new feeder, the printers can handle a wide range of paper including thick and long paper, which enables stable transportation of various types of paper and improve productivity. Users now can create a wider variety of printed materials and further evolve on-demand printing capability.

- Enhanced Paper-handling Capabilities Through Air Suction Feeder The newly developed Air Suction Feeder utilizes three types of air to

achieve stable paper feeding. First, air is blown inside the tray through the side blower to separate papers. Next, with the suction of the shuttle head, which uses technology that is unique to Fuji Xerox, the paper is secured strongly. Any unnecessary paper is then separated using an air knife to transport the paper sheet by sheet.

The Feeder can handle paper of different thicknesses ranging from thin paper at 52 g/m2 to thick paper*1 at

400 g/m2. The new paper tray is also compatible with various paper sizes for printing, from small sized paper to long paper up to 330 x 1200 mm (simplex)*2. Paper which typically cause stress in paper feeding—such as paper containing a concentrated amounts of paper dust, uneven paper, cohesive coated paper and preprint paper for offset printing that uses powder— can now be transported in a stable way.

Air Suction Feeder Technology 2 Air knife

2 Shuffle head

Enlarged

1 Side blower

Air Suction Feeder

Paper feed Air direction 1. Seperate paper with side blower

2. Absorb paper with shuttle head

2. Unnecessary paper seperated using an air knife

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

h of Printing Businesses / Versant 180i Press

5

or Higher Productivity

Versant 3100i Press

Versant 180i Press

- Media Expansion for Long Paper Printing Long paper can now be continuously fed from both the Air Suction Feeder and the conventional manual feed tray. This enables the printer to load 100 sheets of paper*3 at 1200 mm (simplex) and 800 sheets of paper*3 at 864 mm (duplex), delivering high productivity. Printing speed has been improved by approximately 2.5 times*4 for the Versant 3100i Press, which can now print 23 pages per minute, while the Versant 180i Press can now print 19 pages per minute at an improved printing speed of 2 times*5 as compared to their earlier models.

Furthermore, printer’s re-adjustment time is greatly reduced to just a few seconds when the printing mode is switched from regular to long paper.

- Minimized Operational Load through Proven Capabilities The Versant 3100i Press can print 100 pages per minute*6 with 2,400 dpi fine resolution. With its Full Width Array function, the image quality correction process before printing is automated for color calibration, and front and back registration adjustment. The Versant 180i Press, which can print 80 pages per minute*7 with 2400 dpi fine resolution, automatically corrects image quality through Fuji Xerox SIQA (Simple Image Quality Adjustment) technology.

With Versant 3100i Press and Versant 180i Press, users can now handle a wider variety of paper for printing with high quality via automated process checks and correction, and boost productivity in the printing business.

*1 When using paper up to 330 x 488 mm.

Paper up to 330 x 1200 mm is applicable at a weight of up to 256 g/m2. *2 Applicable to paper up to 330 x 864 mm when printing on both sides *3 When using 90 g/m2 paper and tray of the Air Suction Feeder C1-DSXL or the Chained Air Suction Feeder C1-DSXL.-L *4 When using 300 g/m2 paper up to 660 mm *5 When using 220 g/m2 paper up to 660 mm *6 When using 52 to 300 g/m 2 A4 noncoated paper *7 When using 52 to 220 g/m2 A4 noncoated paper

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

6

The Pandemic's Impact on Print

The pandemic has accelerated the pace of change in many industries, including print. As printers struggle to make sense of what the future holds, industry analyst Marco Boer shares insight into what he believes a post-pandemic print marketplace will look like.

In a recent interview, Boer highlighted some key developments he sees waiting ahead for the print industry.

Relevancy is Key For many years, the print industry discussed the importance of creating relevant, personalized communications.

The pandemic – and its attendant economic crisis – has accelerated that need. Today, relevancy is not just a nice thing to have; it’s a requirement in printed communications.

One reason for this shift is the cost of paper. Boer says that the pandemic has increased the number of paper mills closing – either temporarily or permanently.

“This will make the delta between offset-printed pages and inkjet-printed pages that much smaller. In this environment it no longer makes sense to mail 100,000 pieces at 1% and 2% response rate. Whatever gets mailed must be more relevant,” says Boer.

Look at direct mail, for example. Boer reports that there were 120 billion inkjet-printed pages in 2019. That number is projected to grow to 201 billion – a CAGR of 11%. So, while direct mail printing overall is declining, the portion printed on inkjet is rapidly rising.

The Decline of Offset Boer expects that as we recover from the pandemic, print will continue to be healthy. But, he notes, the pandemic will hasten the demise of offset printing.

“As we come out of the pandemic, we may need to be patient for a little while, but print will continue to be strong,” says Boer. “However, we predict that offset will disappear two years faster than we originally thought. The pandemic has accelerated that decline.”

Labor is another factor driving printers away from offset. Boer predicts that printers in the middle of the market (the $20 million to $75 millions shops) will do very well after the pandemic. That’s because these printers have enough capital to reinvest into automation, thereby reducing the high labor costs associated with offset.

accepting of this because they aren’t losing tons of money on wasted inventory,” says Boer.

Boer suggests that for many mid-size printers, the transformation is already underway. Many printers are using the time of the pandemic to get rid of their offset presses and move their operations to digital printing.

Inkjet printers and presses can easily create the types of targeted, relevant communications Boer says are needed in today’s communications. Whether it’s customized packaging, personalized direct mail, or targeted labels, inkjet can cost-effectively produce the short runs of output needed for printers to succeed.

A New Look at Color Boer says that as the use of offset diminishes, so too will reliance on specific Pantone colors. He says that while color consistency will still be important, print buyers won’t care if it matches the exact Pantone number.

These buyers care about creating relevant, targeted communications that meet the goal of what the piece was intended to do.

“If the printer doesn’t hit the color on the first round, they’ll get it on the second round. Clients are increasingly

The Value of Inkjet in a Post-Pandemic World At Memjet, we are committed to working with OEM partners to deliver printing solutions that provide the speed, simplicity, profitability, and beautiful precision printers need to succeed in a post-pandemic world.

By developing modular printing technology, we give our OEM partners the resources they need to create printing solutions that come at an affordable cost of ownership. Moreover, because these inkjet-powered presses are easier to operate and maintain, the labor cost is much less than offset.

And while these solutions may be affordable, they deliver a quality level that rivals that of offset printing.

With 1600 x 1600 dpi, printers have the confidence of knowing output from their Powered by Memjet printer delivers a superior level of quality that rivals offset.

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

7

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 10 2020

8

India’s Printrove in Storm HD6 The print-on-demand, drop shipping fulfillment company installed its first Kornit machine. By Sha Jumari.

Based in India, Printrove has installed the Kornit Storm HD6. The Kornit Storm HD6 is a direct-to-garment (DTG) printing system that includes six colour channels (CMYK, Red, Green) plus white, for a wider gamut and improved spot colour matching.

First globally launched in 2018, the Kornit Storm HD6 provides a nonstop production workflow that enables garment loading while printing.

“We mainly chose the Kornit Storm HD6 because of the one-step process.

We’ve always believed that anything that can be automated, should be automated. We focus more on efficiency and effectiveness. Kornit fulfilled that criteria for us in which, we didn't need to have a lot of people to carry out the same amount of production. That was the major factor why we chose Kornit

over other machines,” said Madhur Chauhan, Printrove.

The Kornit Storm HD6 does away with separate pre-treatment, as this is the only wet on wet digital printer on the market at this time. It is also capable of printing almost all type of fabrics. As this is a non-contact printing process, it can print finished garments, over buttons, zippers, pockets, and much more.

a beast. Every time we print on other machines where you have to do the pre-treatment – and I really shouldn't be saying this, but the Kornit makes all of the other machines look like fools!” Chauhan quipped. “You could have just integrated everything in just one step, why are you doing so many other things? That was the main thing, one person can carry out the entire production, you just have to load a T-shirt.”

The company has had the machine in working production for about one month now, with installation completed in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Even though we’ve only put the machine into production for only 25 or so days, it has been an amazing experience. Looking at the way Kornit is working, it stands there like

Taking care of the behindthe-scenes With the tagline: “You design, we print.

You sell, we dropship.”, Printrove is a drop shipping business in a B2C capacity. Thus far, it is the only DTG fulfilment supplier in India that has integration with e-commerce platforms such as Shopify. Drop shipping is a

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

nstalls Kornit

form of retail fulfilment business in which the seller accepts customer orders, but do not store the product in stock.

Printrove’s main clientele are e-commerce sellers and merchants who can be designers, entrepreneurs, marketers, artists and even social media influencers. The company prides itself on simplifying print-on-demand drop shipping, making it easier for its customers to start and run their own brand. Printrove takes away the hassle and technical aspect of manufacturing, inventory, and logistics, so that their customers can just focus on building their brand.

customers create that brand experience for their customers? From there we added more customisable products and getting them fulfilled at very affordable prices. Especially with India, it’s a very difficult market to do such fulfilments at those prices,” Chauhan continued.

For now, Printrove’s clients are located in India, although Chauhan revealed that they have been getting enquiries from other countries: “But we just want to make sure we have our systems right first, before we open up to the rest of the world.”

The Beginning Printrove was first established in 2016 in Chennai by friends Chauhan and Pankaj Bokdia.

“Back then, we got started in the drop shipping business for phone cases.

We had a laser cutter and we thought we’ll just cut on phone cases and try to promote vector art on phone cases, because no one was doing that at that time. So that was the first thing we had in mind,” said Chauhan.

“When someone starts a brand and sells products based on their brand, some of the things that they have to think about include: I have to invest on the stock and the machine, I have to market and sell, I have to design – there are so many things to consider just to start a brand. The traditional model for t-shirts was to get into screen printing, print, start trying to sell. We take away all that hassle,” said Chauhan.

“We focus entirely around answering the question: how can we help our

Your own print factory and customer fulfillment service, right at your fingertips. Bring out your artistic and entrepreneurial flair, and leave the rest to us. Shake hands!

9

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

10 “In wanting to make the phone cases, it led us to sublimation. We went into sublimation and got hold of this concept of print-on-demand and drop shipping. People started using our services; they liked the way we were working, the support and the kind of technology we were trying to build at that time. After a while, a lot of merchants began enquiring about T-shirt printing, because no one was doing T-shirt drop shipping in India,” said Chauhan.

“That led us to getting our first DTG printer. We started off with a Chinese DTG printer, but that didn’t work out.

After 7 to 10 days, we were not able to print on that at all,” said Chauhan. “We still wanted to carry out this idea of printing on demand for drop shipping, and make this print technology accessible to everyone. We went ahead and got an Epson printer.”

Printrove started getting more orders and could easily turn about 25 to 50

orders a day within just a couple of months. Soon after, they manage to scale up to about 100 orders a day, and Printrove got its second machine.

Eventually, the company managed to ramp up production to accommodate four to five machines.

Kornit was always the goal Before investing in Storm HD6, Printrove only had Epson printers in its DTG arsenal. However, Kornit machines were always on Chauhan’s radar.

“We first got to know about Kornit machines in the initial days when Printrove was looking at DTG printers.

Back then, we were inquiring about the prices and learned that it’s quite out of our range at that time,” said Chauhan. “We thought that hey, probably someday when we have those kind of volumes, we can get the Kornit machine. It was never a case of “we’re not buying Kornit”, it was more of a matter of us reaching those volumes

SELL YOUR DESIGNS ANYWHERE Sell online with your own brand on your own shipping business without any upfront cost. first before it makes economical sense to invest in a Kornit machine.”

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

11

n store or marketplace. Start your drop

Today, the DTG segment takes up about 70-80% of Printrove’s entire order volume. Chauhan added that

their other offerings such as phone cases are still an essential part of their business as it provides a good range of products for their customers.

were quick to respond as well, and in completing installation of the machine, especially in Covid-19 times. So entirely, the experience has been very good.”

“DTG is a major segment, we will also look at getting into all over sublimation, printing all-over-print (AOP) products on demand, stitching on demand; basically other areas that could help give artists and designers more flexibility on what you can do without having to invest on things.

We want them to be able to take their art and reach their audiences, without having to pay attention on all of these machineries, printing operations, fulfilment, etc.,” said Chauhan.

“We are trying to scale up capacities in terms of DTG, and at the same time building out sales so that we can match that kind of capacity. With DTG we would like to explore other machines as well like the Kornit Avalanche and Atlas in the future,” said Chauhan. “For now, we are still excited as to how we are going to operate the Kornit Storm HD6 on an everyday model. And we are looking forward to add more Kornit machines as well in the future.”

In India, Kornit’s DTG offerings are sold through Arrow Digital Pvt Ltd. Chauhan lauded the pleasant purchasing experience: “The installation has been working great for us. Arrow Digital has helped us, we had a few issues and Arrow Digital were quite quick to help us with resolving those. They

The Kornit Storm HD6 is specifically engineered for 24/7 non-stop industrial use. It is equipped with an advanced machine controller that enables multifunction operational efficiency and increases production speed. It features dual-pallets, fully automated processes and an advanced user-friendly frontend.

color your process

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

12

Platypus Maximizes Security, Productivity and Efficiency Platypus Print Packaging, an Australian based printer specializing in carton production for food and beverage and pharmaceutical applications, recently became the first in the APAC region to upgrade to Kodak’s new cloud-based printing workflow platform PRINERGY On Demand.

By upgrading from an on-premise PRINERGY Server to a cloud environment, Platypus is free from the costs and constraints of system administration because Kodak now monitors and manages their system 24/7. Platypus is also protected with multi-layered security as PRINERGY On Demand is backed by Microsoft Azure’s $1B+ investment in security and R&D. Virtual machines and workin-process data are automatically replicated to a second data center allowing for quick recovery of businesscritical prepress software if needed.

“After dealing with cyber security threats in the past, we wanted a

workflow system that had all the power of our on-premise system, with even more powerful security,” said Aaron Lusch, General Manager at Platypus. “Switching to PRINERGY On Demand means we no longer have to deal with upgrading our operating systems, buying and maintaining servers or fearing a security breach.

Instead, we can put much more attention into ensuring we’re creating the best products for our customers.”

about their business that can reveal opportunities to cut costs, streamline processes, and reduce waste.

In addition to increased security and automatic updates, PRINERGY On Demand also provides Decision Analytics that allows printers like Platypus to access information

“Choosing new cloud-based PRINERGY On Demand means choosing peace of mind,” said Todd Bigger, Vice President of Print at Kodak. “Thanks to PRINERGY On Demand, Platypus no longer has to worry about hackers, losing their data, costly downtime, or unexpected catastrophic events that can compromise their business.”

PRINERGY On Demand also creates flexibility for employees to work from home, with a Virtual Desktop capability that removes the barriers associated with remote operations so prepress professionals can work from anywhere, regardless of their location and local infrastructure.

Aaron Lusch (General Manager) and Lucas Wong (Pre-Press Manager) of Platypus Print Packaging in Australia

DIGITAL PRINTING SOLUTIONS LIKE NO OTHER Ready for the next turn.

Just like you.

As truly direct and dedicated printing technology specialists, we believe you should deal with your challenges in your very own way. That is why we offer a wider range of digital technologies for a wide range of applications. From wine labels to wall decoration; from toner to inkjet – how can we help you to make your business ready for the next turn? www.xeikon.com

Direct. Dedicated. Digital.

EXPERIENCE iX AN UNCOMPROMISING EXPERIENCE

Are you ready to experience digital print without compromise? Imagine what the quality of offset, the flexibility of digital, and zero compromise on cost and productivity could do for your business!

Now you can have it all. An uncompromising experience.

Meet the varioPRINT iX-series sheetfed inkjet press. It combines stunning image quality and a wide media range with the high productivity and attractive costefficiency of inkjet. So you can say “Yes� to virtually any job, based on the agreed turnaround time and price. Then print it for more profit and more business.

Experience iX. More profit. More business.

 







  

 



 



  



      

   



  

        

  

   

 

   

 

  

 

   visit - https://asia.canon/en/business

email - cspl_reg_cp@canon.com.sg

contact - (65) 6799 8888

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

16

Xeikon introduces 7 colo Xeikon has announced the addition of a high-end label press to its Panther portfolio to meet a need in the market and extend the company’s comprehensive offering, broadening the application reach Providing high productivity levels, the Xeikon PX30000 is equipped with 8 printing stations, two of which are used to achieve high opaque white layers at maximum speed. This UV inkjet label press is driven by Xeikon’s unsurpassed X-800 digital front end with exceptional capabilities, all geared to maximise digital print manufacturing.

The Xeikon PX30000 UV inkjet press offers a cost-effective and fast time-tomarket solution for short to medium run flexo jobs. It provides the label printer with maximum opportunities to produce the widest range of digitally printed labels with a glossy tactile look, optimum durability and high levels of resistance against scuffing and scratching.

The press is designed to appeal in particular to label printers working in the high-end markets of health and beauty, chemicals and premium beers. Label printers looking for faster turnaround times, reduced production costs and lower complexity will be able to explore new business possibilities offered by digital printing. Xeikon’s PX30000 is now available for demonstration at Xeikon’s Global Innovation Center and is commercially available in Europe and North America.

Filip Weymans, VP Marketing at Xeikon, states, “The addition of this high-end, digital production label press is an important step in the Xeikon strategy. Adding the Xeikon PX30000 to our portfolio enhances the Xeikon offering that already was the most comprehensive in the market. Label printing companies can now opt for a dry toner press or an inkjet press, for an entry-level solution or a fully geared high-end production press, from a 5 colour engine up to a 7 colour engine.

We are convinced that the appropriate and ideal choice a printing customer makes depends on their business strategy and their choice of end-use applications”.

Weymans continues, “We are recognised as a ‘go-to’ trusted advisor and solutions provider. Throughout the years, Xeikon has developed a suite of the most relevant services available, supporting its customers in developing and selling new applications, helping them with the integration of digital printing within their existing environments, and also assisting them in automating their complete label production.

Apart from integration capabilities, the X-800 workflow enables further automation for complete label production. Making use of its intelligent imposition algorithms to position the labels on the web can help reduce costs by optimizing production times. There are no challenges too great for this powerful workflow – even the most demanding variable data jobs or labels where the track and trace functionality is required – Xeikon's X-800 workflow is unsurpassed.

Xeikon has the long-standing expertise and deeper understanding to help label printers with all aspects of running a successful digital label print business, from choice of equipment to workflow integration and expert colour management services. Xeikon helps the label printer transform to a digital manufacturer.”

The Xeikon PX30000 digital press is a highly versatile solution offering an impressive range of capabilities

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

17

our label press

and features. As for all Xeikon digital printing technology, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) can be optimised using the available Xeikon Premium Services. The Xeikon PX30000 UV inkjet press is a proven press platform driven by Xeikon’s X-800 workflow, which can be easily integrated into any existing workflow environment.

For flexibility and a wider range of applications, the press has extended

colour gamut capability, it comes with a choice of 2 configurations – 6 or 7 colour – and full colour management controls. With a maximum speed of 70m/min (229ft/min) and using opaque white, the press is designed for maximum efficiency and industry leading productivity. This roll-to-roll, full rotary press prints on substrate widths up to 340mm (13,4”).

label printers working with high-end products to provide brand owners with unique, creative and durable, highquality labels. Importantly, working with Xeikon means ease of mind, knowing not only that they can provide the widest range of digital equipment, but that they will also advise on the best choice of product for specific business needs.

Weymans adds, “The addition of the Xeikon PX30000 high-end label press to our portfolio immediately gives Xeikon a broader reach. We are committed to our vision of a digital future for Labels and Packaging. We are the only company dedicated to a true consultative approach, offering both dry toner and inkjet technologies and therefore the most comprehensive choice of digital solutions.

Weymans concludes, “We have continued to build and structure our comprehensive portfolio so that our customers can find everything they need from Xeikon. We believe it’s not just about finding the right digital equipment, it’s about working with a trusted partner who can offer the appropriate digital solution for any business model. We will continue to be on hand at all times to give confidence and continued support to our customers on their digital journey.”

An investment in the Xeikon PX30000 high-end label press with high productivity and extended colour gamut will ensure an amazing opportunity for

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

18

Why in-house label printing can prove beneficial for SMBs Exploring the three main benefits of digital label print management for small to medium businesses From hair care products to food and beverages, checking product labels is almost always a step prior to making purchasing decisions. To truly thrive in a competitive landscape, businesses cannot remain impervious to the marketing and operational value of quality product labels.

A core feature of marketing for many businesses, quality labelling levels up product differentiation in a market flooded with goods and services. Not only does the label provide consumers with information about the product, it also helps market your brand and sets you apart from your competitors. A digital printer will open up new business opportunities With advantages in shorter turnarounds and greater cost-savings, moving digital label printing in-house can be a gamechanger for small to medium businesses (SMBs) up against larger corporations. Improved sustainability practices are an added benefit. Enhanced personalisation, lowered costs and environmentally friendly, digital printers are well worth the investment for small business owners.

1. Redefining Personalisation with Variable Data Printing As big brands like Amazon use data mining for personalised product recommendations, leveraging a more targeted approach can be a window of opportunity for SMBs to compete on a bigger scale.

With 71% of consumers feeling frustrated with impersonal shopping experiences, variable data printing shifts that dynamic by creating avenue for personalisation by simply changing: - Header information - Text and images Full variability printing allows businesses to change everything on the document, whether it’s a brochure, poster, catalogue or product promotion. According to Cap Ventures, variable data printing allows small businesses to compete with Fortune 500 companies, returning up to 30 times the Return of Investment (ROI) of a static piece.

With personalisation as a key driver, variable data printing can bring a business’ branding to the next level.

Konica Minolta’s AccurioLabel 230 provides both productivity and efficiency - components necessary for SMBs to thrive in current competitive markets.

2. Increasing Cost-Effectiveness Compared to traditional printing, digital printers are relatively inexpensive and easy to set-up without requiring plates.

With greater flexibility to zero in on quantity and speed, SMBs can opt for small and medium runs, test concepts and push out presses on a tight deadline.

Consequently, a reduction in waste and manpower costs allows these businesses to remain viable without sacrificing quality in printing labels.

Perfect for SMBs and those looking to expand, the AccurioLabel 230 is a digital label printer that meets all key operatives - flexibility, operability and quality at reduced costs. The capability to churn out high quality label stickers in small and large batches seamlessly anytime can open up the business to new markets.

3. Reshaping Sustainability Moving print capabilities to on demand is not only efficient, but also environmentally friendly.

With flexibility to print on demand, less paper is used. Likewise, a reduced setup, capabilities for short and medium runs and lowered fulfilment costs equate to cost-savings and scrap reduction.

Simply switching printing techniques can eliminate 10% of paper waste and the AccurioLabel 230 does just that with speed and flexibility.

Small businesses need not skimp on benefits afforded by digital variable data printing - not only can product labels be customised, there is also zero excess.

Consumers today desire personalised, quick returns but also care about the impact of their choices. With a small business, it can be difficult to ascertain which services to outsource and to bring in-house. Considering the varied benefits of digital label printing and its projected global growth of US$8.3 billion, small businesses have a gateway here to pivot for greater efficiency, productivity and application.

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

19

RETHINK LABEL PRINTING WITH ACCURIOLABEL 230

10

GOOD REASONS

PERSONALISE YOUR OUTPUT

HANDLE MULTIPLE SKUS

MINIMAL FOOTPRINT

COMPLEMENTARY TO YOUR EXISTING PRESSES

FOR MORE INFORMATION: (65) 6361 2800 enquiry@konicaminolta.sg Please scan QR code for more information

to change from an analogue workflow to digital label printing with the AccurioLabel 230.

SHORTEN YOUR LEAD TIMES

IMPROVE CONSISTENCY

QUICK AND EASY EXCHANGE OF MEDIA ROLLS

LOWER YOUR COSTS

SIMPLIFY YOUR OPERATION

GET ON THE INSIDE TRACK OF INNOVATION

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

20

Digital Textile Printing Equi CAGR Of 14.9% Rise in Value A new market study has revealed that the digital textile printing equipment market is expected to have a CAGR of 14.9% rise through to 2028.

The study by Persistence Market Research (PMR) titled “Digital Textile Printing Equipment Market: Global Industry Analysis 2013–2017 and Opportunity Assessment 2018–2028”, includes a deep-dive analysis of the market.

The report on the digital textile printing equipment market evaluates the dynamics along with key macroeconomic factors. It also discusses the trends in the global digital textile printing equipment market as well as analyses opportunities across the value chain of the digital textile printing equipment market.

The EFI VUTEk 3r+ is a superwide LED roll-to-roll digital textile printer.

The “plus” platform, which also includes the 204-inch wide VUTEk 5r+ model, drives greater value for signage and graphics professionals in high-volume, premium-quality close viewing applications. The 3r+ and 5r+ models deliver high-end imaging with superior ink coverage, high colour density and a wide colour gamut. Users also gain improved white printing with up to 30% faster throughput compared

to the original VUTEk 3r/5r models.

The global market of digital textile printing equipment is estimated to be valued at US$563.0 million in 2018. It is further projected to grow at a value CAGR of 14.9% and attain a value of US$2,255.4 million by the end of the forecast period. Moreover, the digital textile printing equipment market is expected to create an incremental opportunity of US$1,692.4 million between 2018 and 2028.

East Asia to remain attractive with a CAGR of 20.3% The future outlook of the digital textile printing equipment market is expected to remain lucrative, owing to the healthy growth of the textile industry in various regions. The textile industry is a prominent industry in terms of historical growth outlook.

The East Asia digital textile printing market is pegged to be attractive, with a CAGR of 20.3% over the forecast period. Countries in East Asia include China, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Additionally, China, India and Bangladesh are three emerging countries in the market witnessing healthy growth in terms of investments and adoption rate of digital textile printing equipment.

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

ipment Market to Witness

e Share During the Period 2028

Mass Personalization driving demand for Digital Textile Printing Digital textile printing enables precise reproductions irrespective of design complexity. It also allows flexibility in production setting, and optimization of economic and environmental impact. These advantages facilitate the move from mass production to mass personalization and, in turn, are expected to propel the demand for digital textile printing equipment in the future.

The Canon Océ Colorado 1650 enables game changing matte and gloss flexibility without changing inks or paper. The 64” production printer incorporates Canon’s Océ FLXfinish technology, a new approach to LED curing which allows the user to choose between matte or gloss modes for each individual print. In addition, it works with a new version of Canon UVgel ink designed for maximum flexibility by increasing the ‘stretchability’ of

each cured ink droplet. This results in output optimal for applications that require cutting, bending, creasing and folding without risk of cracking, such as in soft signage.

Digital textile printing equipment reduce textile waste as well as power consumption. Further, water wastage and ink consumption are also reduced by the use of digital textile printing equipment.

DTG and Sublimation segment to Remain Attractive on Basis of Printing Type and Consumable Ink, Respectively By printing type, the direct to garment (DTG) segment is pegged to be lucrative in the global digital textile printing equipment market and account for significant demand over the forecast period. This can be attributed to the growing penetration of customerspecific product offerings in the digital textile printing equipment market.

21

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

22

Mimaki’s TS55-1800 is a 76.3-inch dye sublimation textile printer that offers industrial scale production. It includes high-speed one-pass printing at a high-resolution and high inkdensity, unattended printing with the new Mini Jumbo Roll and Mimaki’s Nozzle Check and Recovery System for continuous operation. It prints at a resolution of 480x600 dpi with a high ink density using one-pass printing at 140 square meters per hour.

The segment is projected to grow at a value CAGR of 16.7% and reach a value of US$1,114.2 million by the end of 2028.

The Kornit Vulcan Plus is the nextgeneration system for DTG mass customization. It is able to deliver more than 2,000 retail-quality impressions in a 12-hour shift, and is an eco-friendly system. It represents the highestcapacity DTG print system in Kornit’s product portfolio and the broader marketplace.

It also utilises Kornit’s single-step process; depending on the job types and working hours involved, this

translates to anywhere from 550,000 to more than one million impressions annually. Achieving approximately 50% higher throughput than Kornit Atlas, Vulcan Plus does compromise on application flexibility, requiring all eight of its pallets to be of the same type.

By consumable ink, the sublimation segment is projected to hold a prominent share in the global market for digital textile printing equipment, owing to the enhanced quality of the printed products and longer log life.

Sublimation can only be used with polyester, which limits its usage for other materials.

The segment is expected to create a total incremental opportunity of US$1,068.8 million in the global digital textile printing equipment market by the end of 2028.

Digital Textile Printing Equipment Market: Competitive Landscape The global market for digital textile printing equipment is highly consolidated and is a competitive landscape. Seiko Epson Corporation is a prominent player with nearly a 25% share in the global digital textile printing equipment market.

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

23

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

24

Scodix has developed the Ultra Press Series New Scodix Ultra Series engineered to deliver fast growth opportunities for businesses of all sizes and markets Scodix, a provider of pioneering digital enhancement solutions for the graphic arts industry, today announces the commercial launch of the next generation of its Ultra Digital Enhancement Press Series, consisting of six presses, each targeted to a specific market segment.

Having demonstrated its expertise in equipment for the commercial, packaging and W2P markets, Scodix has developed the Ultra Press Series to fully address the needs of each sector.

Scodix CEO, Eli Grinberg, elaborates: “As the world’s most innovative and experienced company in digital print enhancement, with over 400 presses installed around the world, we’re now launching one expanded product line that’s been designed to meet the needs of all of our customers across all of these industry sectors. Whatever the application, enhancement, or budget requirement, we have a solution within this series. Print service providers can choose the press that will best support the future growth of their business.”

Web-2-Print Aimed at the W2P market, the Scodix Ultra 3000 and Ultra 4000 presses both incorporate Scodix Studio W2P software. Developed with the success of companies such as Shutterfly and District Photo in mind, the Ultra 3000 focusses on Web2Print, whilst the Ultra 4000, allowing larger format substrates and pallet feeders and stackers, is aimed at Web2Pack printers.

Commercial & Speciality Offering the same print areas and range of substrates, the Scodix Ultra 1000 and 2000 presses are distinguished by the number of applications available – and consequently are offered to the market at different price points. The Ultra 1000 delivers accessible digital enhancement whilst the Ultra 2000 offers all Scodix applications on one platform, including automatic polymer switching for superior productivity.

Packaging The Scodix Ultra 5000 and 6000 both allow the thicker substrates required for packaging applications – up to 2mm –

and incorporate industrial pallet feeders and stackers. Whilst the Ultra 6000 offers a larger format, it comes with a simplified range of enhancements.

The six new presses in the series succeed the Ultra 101 and 202, whilst the Scodix E106 press is still available for B1 folding carton applications.

Grinberg adds, “By incorporating digital enhancement, print providers can expand their service offerings with attention-grabbing applications, improving customer retention rates in these notoriously fickle times, whilst boosting margins and ultimately profitability. Whether the products are purchased traditional or through Web2Pack or Print channels, Scodix enhances products from premium business and greeting cards, folders, head-turning book covers, audienceengaging brochures to stand-out labels and packaging, folding cartons, rigid boxes, point-of-display and security markings always with a focus on fine detail and high quality results.

“By launching this segmented product portfolio, we are increasing the number of customers that can employ Scodix, and we are offering Scodix value to more brands, print buyers and consumers of print. This is truly the next era for the Scodix business.”

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

25

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

26

Superwide Acuity Ultra yields high-quality results The German company highlights the Acuity Ultra’s speed and versatility as being essential to operations, while providing a future-proof solution for the ever-changing market One of Germany’s leading providers of large format photographic printing, as well as screen, digital and textile printing, Fokina GmbH is a full service provider for a range of sectors, including point of sale, retail, public facilities and exhibition stands. Based in the town of Eppingen, just north of Stuttgart, the company has a proud history dating back more than 30 years.

Its innovation, dynamism, high flexibility and reliability has helped to shape the company since its founding.

Over the years, Fokina has built up a diverse portfolio of print and production machinery to produce the high-quality products it is renowned for. And one installation in particular is helping to drive quality standards even higher – Fujifilm’s superwide 5m Acuity Ultra, which was installed in March 2020.

“Our investments in high-tech machinery, qualified employees and intelligent management systems are paramount to our success as a business,” says Sven Breiter, CEO of Fokina. “Companies from all over Germany, the EU and around the world are supplied with our products, so being highly efficient and putting the customer at the top of our priorities is our motto.”

Fokina’s high quality banners, textiles and wallpapers are some of the company’s most popular products.

When Sven noticed demand increasing in 2018, he knew that adding more printing equipment would be necessary to meet these requirements and ensure the company could fulfil its customer’s needs.

It was then that he was introduced to Fujifilm’s Acuity Ultra, and he never looked back. “We first noticed the

Acuity Ultra at a trade fair in 2018,” Sven continues. “We were immediately impressed by the print quality and the speed, so we kept in contact with Fujifilm after the event. We even visited their Advanced Print Technology Centre in Brussels where we saw the Acuity Ultra first hand. Witnessing its print quality for ourselves reaffirmed our initial view that it was the right machine to add to our already impressive production portfolio.”

For Sven and his staff, the Acuity Ultra is fitting in very well at Fokina. “The team working with the Acuity Ultra are very impressed by the quality it produces as well as its high speed. It’s also incredibly versatile, ink consumption is low and its 5m width has provided us with new business opportunities that we would otherwise not have been able to secure. The combination of the high quality and productivity that it offers is exceptional.

“We are a family-run business always looking to future-proof ourselves. The print market is highly competitive, and at Fokina we always want to provide the best products at the fairest prices;

the Acuity Ultra allows us to do that.

It fits in perfectly with our other print equipment here, and has become the heartbeat of our business.”

Sven also has high praise for the Fujifilm team: “The sales and support staff at Fujifilm have been excellent from day one. They are very knowledgeable and always available to talk to us. We’ve always felt in good hands, which is essential when you’re purchasing new equipment. The Acuity Ultra was our first ever purchase from Fujifilm, and we envisage it won’t be the last.”

Nils Gottfried, Segment Product Marketing Manager for Wide Format Inkjet Systems at Fujifilm Graphic Systems Europe says: “Fokina has a varied range of customers in the large format market – the excellent services it offers as well as top level products means it will attract both new and returning customers. We’re delighted the Acuity Ultra has so quickly assumed such a pivotal role in the business and we look forward to working with Fokina as their business develops and grows in the years ahead.”

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

27

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

28

Frozen food package polluted by living coronavirus could cause infection China's disease control authority said on Saturday that contact with frozen food packaging contaminated by living new coronavirus could cause infection.

The conclusion came as the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) detected and isolated living coronavirus on the outer packaging of frozen cod during efforts to trace the virus in an outbreak reported last week in the city of Qingdao, the agency said on its website.

Italy’s largest airport in Rome is now trialling a rapid 30-minute test of every passenger before boarding to eliminate coronavirus during international travel.

The finding, a world first, suggests it is possible for the virus to be conveyed over long distances via frozen goods, it said.

Two dock workers in Qingdao who were initially diagnosed as asymptomatic infections in September

brought the virus to a chest hospital during quarantine due to insufficient disinfection and protection, leading to another 12 infections linked to the hospital, authorities said last week.

However, the CDC's latest statement does not show solid proof that the two workers in Qingdao caught the virus from the packaging directly, rather than contracting the virus from somewhere else and then contaminating the food packaging they handled, said Jin Dong-Yan, a virology professor at the University of Hong Kong.

The CDC said no instance had been found of any consumer contracting the virus by having contact with frozen food and the risk of this happening remained very low.

Nonetheless it advised that workers who handle, process and sell frozen products should avoid direct skin contact with products that could possibly be polluted.

Staff should not touch their mouth or nose before taking off work garments that could possibly be contaminated without washing their hands and should take tests regularly, the agency said.

Prior to the CDC's latest findings genetic traces of the virus had been found in some samples taken from frozen food or food packaging, but the amount of virus was low and no living virus was isolated, the agency said.

Only living virus can infect people, while samples containing dead virus could also test positive for virus traces, Jin said.

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

29

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

30

Japan’s Daido Shiko installs HP Indigo 7900 Daido Shiko Printing CO., LTD., a leading Japan-based speciality printing, has upgraded its digital printing capabilities with a high-performance HP Indigo 7900 Digital Press.

“We produce original items printed on PP and PET sheets with offset and silk printing using die-cut and special paste processing. We started using the HP Indigo 7900 digital press on short run orders of our current products and for proofreading, but in the longer term we intend to leverage its capabilities to help us create different kinds of products — namely, more unique and specialized items that will help us stand out in the market,” said Yasuteru Kawase, CEO, Daido Shiko Printing.

Daido Shiko serves leading global retail brands demanding high-quality colour printing on plastic sheets. With the Indigo 7900, the company is gaining the flexibility to personalize more of the goods it produces, from office folders to souvenirs, trade show marketing solutions and more. And as its new press is powered by HP’s PrintOSX advanced technologies, Daido Shiko will also be able to automate more production processes and so deliver more jobs faster, with maximum efficiency.

The company installed its new press in July at its Nagoya site, where it prints to order over 250 types of specialty goods and products.

Currently, Daido Shiko offers uniquely designed products by combining digital printing technology with diecut processing and other sophisticated techniques. With the HP Indigo 7900,

however, it can widen its application range and draw on a broader array of special effects using specialty inks and HP SmartStream Designer Mosaic.

This will allow the company to fulfill more creative and complex requests from those customers that value specialty services.

“When we first invested in the HP Indigo 7900, the most difficult challenge we expected it to help us solve was using ink adhesions on a film surface. However, its capabilities have exceeded our expectations, thanks to the efforts of HP and our partner.

For example, we’re currently receiving multiple orders for antibacterial mask cases on PP. Using the HP Indigo, we can produce 3,000 or fewer mask cases in a single batch. As a result, we’re seeing many individual and retailers approach us for orders via our website.

So, I am confident that the HP Indigo 7900 digital press is the right solution for our needs and that our investment has been timely, despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.”

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

31

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

32

Large format and industri showing signs of recovery A new generation of the Rapida 76 from Koenig & Bauer has just been released onto the market. The B2 press (standard sheet format 530 x 750 mm; special format 605 x 750 mm) impresses with its extraordinary level of automation, a minimal footprint and peak printing speeds of up to 18,000 sheets per hour.

Boasting a fully revamped and particularly aesthetic appearance, it also stands out visually from its predecessors, and presents itself in the new, award-winning Koenig & Bauer design.

New and proven automation functions characterise the Rapida 76 as an extremely efficient, high-performance sheetfed offset press. Key features are the DriveTronic dedicated drive components, which eliminate complicated gear systems and provide for both simple handling and parallel processes during job changeovers and make-ready.

The full preset capabilities of all press components are a further valuable benefit. In addition to the ErgoTronic console with wallscreen, the Rapida

76 possesses further decentralised touchscreens for maximum ease of operation. For users who are at home in the B2 format class, the Rapida 76 is an ideal means of production.

Broad diversity of configurations To cater for as many different applications as possible, up to 11 printing and finishing units can be combined to configure a Rapida 76 which is tailored precisely to individual production needs. That could mean a ten-colour press with an automatically convertible perfecting unit for 5-over5 production – possibly together with an additional coating tower to allow the printing of covers, for example – or packaging presses with doublecoating facilities for the production of pharmaceutical packaging and the like. Further variants incorporate

raised foundations to accommodate higher piles with board substrates, or various delivery extensions for coating applications. Ink duct dividers can also be chosen to enable rainbow printing.

Thanks to a comprehensive range of measuring systems and optional facilities for inline sheet inspection, the Rapida 76 is ideally prepared for a diversity of special applications, including even the production of security documents.

The half-format press is no less flexible when it comes to compatibility with different ink and coating systems. It handles both conventional and UV inks and coatings with equal ease. Beside IR/hot-air drying systems, various UV, HR-UV and LED-UV systems are also available.

Specialities “Made by Koenig & Bauer” As if that were not enough, the Rapida 76 offers further special features which benefit users in their daily work but are still far from commonplace in this format class:

In addition to blanket washing, the Rapida 76 possesses a conveniently accessible impression cylinder washing system

as on all Rapida presses, inking units which are not required for a particular job can be disengaged from the press drive. This reduces roller wear and cuts

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

ial print in Asia Pacific y

make-ready times. When production is to be resumed, the units concerned are re-engaged at the press of a button.

The times in which plates had to be bent before loading onto the press are similarly over. On the Rapida 76, unbent plates can also be mounted, irrespective of whether an automated or simultaneous plate changing system is in use.

The ColorTronic ink ducts, with the bleed-free ink metering which is typical of all Rapidas, guarantee high repeat accuracy. This is achieved with individual ink keys and a special mechanical design which ensures that they are always set to the duct roller with an identical force. With this system, ink duct foils are rendered superfluous. Thanks to the EasyClean duct plate coating, extremely fast ink changes are possible nonetheless.

With simultaneous plate changing, all the plates on the Rapida 76 can be changed in just 45 seconds. In combination with CleanTronic Synchro, the blankets and impression cylinders – and optionally also the ink rollers – can be washed parallel to plate changing. This shortens make-ready times dramatically and leaves much more time for actual production. The

same applies to automated coating forme changes.

as the basis for uncompromising quality.

Wide range of measuring and control systems Application-orientated measuring and control systems contribute to faster make-ready, reduced waste, and a consistently high and stable print quality. The Rapida 76 can be configured with systems for register measurement and control, colour control and sheet inspection. All inline systems operate with a common camera, which reduces maintenance requirements and simplifies handling.

Digital services at the press of a button A multitude of digital services surrounding the Rapida 76 helps to reduce unplanned downtimes, facilitates convenient and barrier-free maintenance of the press, and permits anonymous comparisons of important performance parameters with other presses in identical configurations.

In a full-featured setup, ErgoTronic ICR controls the register by way of a single sheet placed on the console, while QualiTronic ColorControl provides for convenient colour adjustment. The camera system installed after the last printing or coating unit or after the last unit before perfecting automatically determines the optical densities and controls the ink keys without further intervention. As an option, the system can be expanded to implement colour control according to grey balance (QualiTronic InstrumentFlight).

QualiTronic PDFCheck carries out inspection of the printed sheets and comparison with the customer’s PDF

The options range from PressCall for optimisation of communication with remote maintenance engineers and VisualPressSupport to enable a better description of the reason for a remote maintenance call using photos (with extensive commenting functions), texts, videos and audio, via Performance Reports and Press Inspection Reports, through to the first instances of predictive services based on methods of artificial intelligence.

In this context, the Customer Community is a central point of contact bringing all service offers together under one roof. Users and the manufacturer have access to an identical information database, meaning that they are all on the same page when working together.

Semi-automated technology also permits fast coating forme changes on the Rapida 76

33

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

34

Leader in the European market of luxury rigid boxes for perfumery ISEM Srl, the leader in the European market of luxury rigid boxes for perfumery, cosmetics and champagne, has recently invested in a new 8-colour ROLAND 708 LTTDLV UV Evolution Ultima Founded in Vigevano, Italy in 1949, ISEM initially started its business by producing boxes for shirts, accessories, linens and toys. Relying on the world’s advanced printing technologies, the company kept growing steadily for decades. Its business became diversified too. ISEM was one of the first in Italy to import new machinery to improve the quality and speed of their processes.

ISEM has always considered technology key to achieving the best efficiency, as well as enhancing its market competitiveness by investing in process automation in the warehouse to drive greater efficiency, accuracy, visibility and cost savings throughout their processes.

The new investment in the ROLAND 708 LTTDLV UV Evolution Ultima® is part of the company’s industrial strategy as it continues to upgrade ISEM's technology.

"In an unpredictable market like ours, it is essential to choose a reliable manufacturer who has invested in technology in order to improve quality and efficiency," Mr. Pintucci, CEO ISEM, says. "We need to meet our customers’ expectations, offering them top-quality products but without compromising the economic aspect“.

The new ROLAND 700 Evolution Ultima® has a tailor-made configuration, unique to the Italian luxury packaging market, designed in partnership with ISEM. For example, the double coating units avoid double print runs to enable print on a wide variety of materials with different colours and varnishes. The TripleFlow Inking Unit discharges the correct inking amount by intelligent integration of ink flow redirection modes. This significantly reduces make-ready times and waste.

Thanks to its many technical innovations, the new ROLAND 708 LTTDLV UV Evolution Ultima® will enable ISEM to play a major role in the constantly changing printing market.

Innovation is one of the core values of ISEM, and the new investment reflects this.

Together with the new press, this attractive package includes various printcom® print consumables including lubricants, blankets, dampening and inking roller, and glyco for the inking unit cooling device.

Innovation for ISEM also involves operational processes. In the early 2000's, the company implemented a very efficient turnkey solution; a perfect combination of production and logistics. Products (perfumes, creams, gadgets, etc.) are inserted inside the boxes directly by ISEM sent to the customer without any other intermediate steps.

With more than 160 staff members in Italy and France, ISEM, as one of the key players in the luxury goods sector, is the partner of more than 40 international brands.

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

WHY PRINT JUST PACKAGING WHEN YOU CAN PRINT THE WHOLE PACKAGE. 35

Personalized High Quality Graphics

1600 DPI For Exquisite Detail

Revolutionizing the Package Using Memjet modular printing technology, OEMs can build solutions to print amazing packaging corrugate, flexible, label, and folding carton - bringing the power of customization, personalization, and shorter runs to every brand.

See our packaging solutions at memjet.com/packaging

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

36

Qiaokun Color Printin specialized field Efficiency is the 'royal road' these days, a time when markets change in the blink of an eye, and only by mobilizing every advantage is it possible to meet customers' expectations.

Kunshan Qiaokun Color Printing is indeed such a company. The printer's ideals stress stability, creativity and innovation throughout its operations.

The company is passionate about providing the absolute best service and value for customers.

share technologies with its five plants in Asia. In packaging printing, the company is working with all its heart, continuing its efforts to reach the top, and implementing the flexible delivery service and quality improvements that customers demand.

Founded in 1998, Qiaokun has been working in the package printing field for 20 years, serving many top 100 companies. The company's product lineup consists mainly of packaging items such as gift boxes, handmade cartons, manuals, stickers and tags.

Steady progress by working together on the technical side In addition to pursuing high quality, Qiaokun strives to find new technologies for its business.

Mobilizing the customer management and ordering system, Qiaokun has dispatched a number of veteran engineers from Taiwan to factories in China and other countries to manage

Over the past 20 years, Qiaokun has gradually built a system to link and

quality and respond quickly to the needs of customers who place regional orders.

No matter how severe the trading environment, the printer selects factories in different regions, arranges production, and delivers products on time in accordance with quality requirements, an important advantage that supports the growth of Qiaokun.

Twenty years have passed, and the scale and influence of Qiaokun grows day by day. To further enhance customer satisfaction, Qiaokun set out a clear plan for corporate growth, and as an important part of that, expanded its production equipment lineup, which now comprises five Komori presses.

"The superiority of the Komori press is very clear. The operation screen is simpler and reliability is truly exceptional," says Press Manager Joy Han. "The two new six-color Lithrone G40s with coater are equipped with high-end options to further improve operating efficiency. You can print six colors at a time and also add a coating varnish.

The ink control system is very easy to operate, and the density stability function makes color control simpler, effectively increasing quality. Features such as the semi-automatic plate changer, automatic ink roller cleaning

From left: Roger Liao, Senior Technician; Chris Wu, CEO; Joy Han, Press Manager

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

37

ng: Prevailing in a

system, automatic blanket washing system, automatic scanning and automatic drying significantly reduce operation time in daily production and also effectively ensure product quality. " Working hand in hand, Qiaokun and Komori will drive the future Qiaokun's first Komori press is still operating stably, and it enabled a qualitative improvement in Qiaokun's productivity. According to Qiaokun CEO Chris Wu, "Qiaokun planned to invest in another Komori press at the end of 2020. However, a difficult situation began in early 2020.

Even though this was a year in which difficulties were inevitable, Qiaokun was steadfast in joining forces with Komori and chose to aim for growth by overcoming adversity. This was, of course, due to our very high opinion of Komori and also expectations of growth in the package printing industry."

Regarding future growth, data-based intelligent management is the route that large printing companies must take, and this is Qiaokun's next objective. Mr. Wu says: "To make production visible and data intelligent, the Qiaokun Group believes that Komori's KP-Connect is a promising production collaboration platform.

KP-Connect provides the company with detailed press operating data and production information for each phase by using services in the secure environment of the cloud. In the future, if our company is able to introduce KP-Connect, it will raise our automated production standards and step up our production capabilities, allowing us to be among the first to enter an era of data-based intelligence."

Looking back on the Qiaokun Group's 20 years of growth, printing technologies were constantly evolving, printed products were becoming ever more sophisticated, the obsession with

From left: Tony Wu, Chairman, Chris Wu, CEO quality had intensified, and customer needs had invariably raised the bar for performance. The only constant was the passion of Qiaokun people for package printing and their boundless trust in Komori quality.

Aiming high Of his expectations for the future, Wu says: "Packaging plays a very important role. Qiaokun knows very well that it is the final step in the customer's branding. Going forward, the Qiaokun Group will continuously advance digital processes in our five factories.

In addition to quickly responding to the business needs of customers who order regionally by building groupbased data centers, we will ensure that the quality of deliverables is a standard for growth. In global markets, where conditions change with bewildering speed, Qiaokun aims to be a package printing supplier that provides customers with a sense of security."

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

38

"Remote Fitness Check" helps Chinese customer In the business world today, there are endless challenges from external and internal factors such as; shifting market trends, government policies, pressure to meet production capacity, daily operations, the list goes on.

Therefore, it is extremely important to have a long term and reliable business partner who can assist you to overcome the challenges together in keeping business sustainable and achieving success. The partnership of Heidelberg and Masterwork is an excellent example.

Masterwork Machinery Co. (MK), Heidelberg’s worldwide partner of choice for post-press packaging equipment was founded in 1995.

MK has been focusing on both manufacturing and innovative R&D for die-cutting, hot-foil stamping and carton gluing equipment. The factory is based in Tianjin with a 90,000 sqm facility, employing approximately 900 staff and producing over 500 machines annually.

The Easymatrix 106 C,

The ever-developing technology enables MK to provide comprehensive and professional solutions to customers in tobacco, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food and electronic packaging industries.

In 2015, the strategic partnership between Heidelberg and MK in the post-press packaging market segment took off with immediate success, selling and installing 10 machines at customer sites in the first 6 months. The market has benefited from the partnership which offers high quality products with a very attractive price-performance ratio, produced by MK and sold and serviced by the Heidelberg global sales channel.

“Together and better” is the partners’ slogan for a winning team. In the first 18 months, the close collaboration of the two companies saw the development of the Easymatrix and Promatrix die-cutters as well as the

Diana Smart folding carton gluing machines. Heidelberg also shared a substantial area of their DRUPA 2016 booth with MK, showing new products for the first time. Subsequently we have participated in many events such as Heidelberg’s Packaging Days and numerous local exhibitions.

Fighting the COVID-19 crisis, early in March 2020 with great work from the innovative R&D and production

We print your world

We combine inks and substrates, so that ingredients become an experience.

Because printing is our world.

Contact your agent to learn more.

Koenig & Bauer (SEA) Sdn Bhd +603 7885 8860 digitalsalescenter@koenig-bauer.com

koenig-bauer.com

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

40

Diana Go 85

teams, MK successfully launched the Maskmatrix 200 automatic mask making machine.Capable of producing between 50-140 masks per minute, the Maskmatrix 200 was immediately successful with sales in many countries.

During the same period, MK also donated 100,000 disposable masks to Heidelberg offices to ensure the employees of their business partners were protected.

MK, as the top packaging equipment manufacturer in China and second biggest manufacturer internationally, has further strengthened the partnership with Heidelberg by acquiring an 8.5% stake in Heidelberg, making it the largest private shareholder. We strongly believe that the partnership of the two manufacturers will benefit our customer’s needs for reliable, safe and affordable equipment.

Rapid change in the graphic arts industry has seen reduced run lengths per print job. A lot of short-run jobs of today’s commercial printers must be processed with very tight deadlines.

Most commercial printers have for many years utilized old Heidelberg Cylinder or Platten presses for cutting and creasing.

This is no longer an effective and costefficient way. With commercial printers also looking into producing packaging work the logical answer is the purchase of an Easymatrix Diecutter.

The Easymatrix 106 C, Heidelberg’s best-selling postpress packaging machine from MK, is a highly flexible die-cutting machine which accepts a wide range of substrates from 90 gsm – 2,000 gsm and up to 4mm corrugated board. It can process sheets between max. 750 x 1060 mm and min. 360 x 400 mm or – optional - 300 x 350 mm.

Quick adjustment of feeder head, central adjustment on feed table, Quick-Lock and fine adjustments on both cutting and stripping station make the Easymatrix the ideal solution for short run jobs, while non-stop feeder and delivery allow non-stop operation for medium and long run production.

Stripping functionality is an option which is often ordered by customers with a considerable share of folding carton production.

With its sturdy design the Easymatrix runs up to 7,700 sheets/hour production speed. Equipped with registration system it continuously delivers high production output without compromising quality. The optional suction belt on the feed table enables smooth transfer of thin substrate while the motorized pressure setting ensures precise cutting pressure for high quality production and longevity of tooling.

The Diana Go 85 with its working width between 70 to 850 mm, is a highly flexible folding carton gluing machine which allows processing of substrates between 200 gsm – 600 gsm into straight line or lock-bottom boxes.

With optional attachments, applications such as mailing envelopes, CD sleeves, double-wall cartons or straight-line cartons with a minimum blank width of 45mm are also possible. By means of the touch screen system that stores job data and setup parameters, make ready times are greatly reduced.

The Diana Go 85 is compact, less than 10 meters long. The strong side frame and feeder design ensures a stable maximum production speed of 250m/min or optional 300m/min. The Jagenberg-design folding section uses left before right folding principle hence leaving no room to lose control of the blank, even at high speed. Before the delivery, the variable speed pulley with lever ensures the final fold is accurate.

MK equipment sold by Heidelberg is GS-certified and built to last. The user-friendly operator interfaces of the Easymatrix 106 and the Diana Go 85 make both machines easy to handle.

High productivity can be achieved after a short operator training period which is provided by the proven Heidelberg service organization.

5th INTERNATIONAL PACKAGING AND PRINTING EXHIBITION FOR ASIA

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

41

22- 25 SEP 2021 BITEC • BANGKOK

www.pack-print.de

325

National Pavilions and Groups

leading exhibiting companies from

from Germany, Taiwan, Thailand, China and Singapore

30

countries and regions

International Visiting Delegations

More than

19,000

from the Philippines, Myanmar, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Korea, Japan and many more, as well as local group visits from Thailand's printing and

trade visitors from

63

countries, making up a 30% overseas participation Supported by:

I

Messe DUsseldorf / Organizer of:

packaging industries

For enquiries:

Within Thailand:

Exposis Co., Ltd Tel (66} 2559 0856 _ Fax (66} 2559 2893 info@exposis.co.th

Overseas:

Messe DUsseldorf Asia Tel (65} 6332 9620 _ Fax (65} 6332 9655 ppi@mda.com.sg

Jointly organized by:

8* au1Aumsuss,il'irurllna

THE THAI PACKAGING ASSOCIATION

The Thai Printing Association

f Messe Diisseldorf Asia

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

42

Secure and Intuitive Solutions & PlotWave Series Canon announced the launch of its updated ColorWave and PlotWave wide format printer series.

Comprising five monochrome PlotWave models (3000, 3500, 5000, 5500 and 7500) and one ColorWave model (3800), the series has been designed to support and encourage creativity in all organisations at every stage of the design process - from the visualisation of ideas, through the developmental process to final designs.

Built on trusted Canon technology, both upgraded series offer enhanced security benefits and improved ease of use. For creators looking to meet tight deadlines, protect their data and print right first time in any office or production environment, ColorWave and PlotWave printers offer the ideal solution.

An end-to-end solution Integrating optional finishing and scanning solutions, ColorWave and PlotWave printers now offer an all-inone solution that makes the automated production of wide format prints easier than ever. With a range of fully compatible stackers and folders, any printer in the series can be configured to meet specific requirements and easily produce finished documents – all on one printer.

Users can now upgrade printers without the need to update finishing equipment; they can simply retrofit

folders for a complete end-to-end, compact and productive solution.

Compatible with both series are scanning solutions for every requirement – the Scanner Express, which can be integrated on top of the PlotWave and ColorWave printers for walk-up prints, and the Scanner Professional, a stand-alone production scanner for maximum quality and productivity that can be integrated with one or more printers.

From corporate workspaces, to copy shops and production environments, the printers in these series are designed as sustainable, compact and ergonomic solutions to fit any environment, while also operating quietly to minimise distractions.

Technology you can trust From R&D departments printing confidential prototypes, to building sites printing confidential designs for buildings, companies need to be assured that their data is protected.

This updated portfolio offers that peace of mind – meeting the highest security standards.

With SMARTshield integrated printing security, the new printer series offers safe submission to protect data and user credentials when users send files to the printer. It provides safe storage, protecting print data from theft or accidental data leakage; authorisation to restrict access to confidential files, and hack prevention which ensures no one from outside the organisation can access the printer’s files. Whether print data is in submission, in storage, or being authorised – SMARTshield ensures that it remains secure.

Intuitive and user friendly The intuitive new ColorWave and PlotWave interface is easy to use and can be operated by anyone, whether or not a trained operator.

Using ClearConnect software, the printers provide a streamlined workflow for any individual print job or complex multi-file document set. By providing active operator warnings and accurate print previews, the software also enables users to make necessary corrections before printing, and to submit prints with ease, from any location or device. The POWERsync controller also allows any of the ColorWave and PlotWave series to be easily integrated into a network running uniFLOW technology for secure printing and accounting.

Designed to save time and speed up the design process, Publisher Select, part of the ClearConnect software suite, eliminates misprints and wasted materials with a ‘what you see is what you print’ preview on your computer desktop. Improving productivity, the

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

s - Canon’s New ColorWave software offers dual printer support for ColorWave and PlotWave printers, with the functionality to assign specialised media templates to print jobs or individual files within a multi-file print job.

Steve Ford, Managing Director, Production Printing Asia, Canon, concluded: “Building on the success of the Colorwave and Plotwave series, we are excited to offer our customers the perfect all-in-one solution with our updated portfolio. We understand the importance to our customers, when it comes to data security and getting high quality prints right the first time.

The new series brings about an intuitive end-to-end solution, which integrates scanning, printing and finishing, with enhanced ease-of-use and improved security features. Along with our long heritage in the wide format printing market, Canon is dedicated to continuously developing innovative technology to support our customers’ evolving needs.”

FOR THE CREATORS

FOR EVERYONE CREATING SPECTACULAR DESIGNS

Mixed Drawings

Printing reimagined with the All New ColorWave and PlotWave Series

GIS Maps

Pop Up Banners

Technical Drawings

Canon South & Southeast Asia https://asia.canon/en/business CSPL_REG_WF_Marketing@canon.com.sg (65) 6799 8888

43

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

44

Nestlé intensifies its susta transformation journey Unveils new actions, progress in shaping a waste-free future Nestlé is intensifying its actions to make 100% of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025 and to reduce its use of virgin plastics by one-third in the same period. Today the company announced a series of new initiatives that include a USD 30 million investment to increase food-grade recycled plastics in the US, a refillable system for pet food in Chile and first-of-its-kind recyclable paper packaging for Maggi bouillon cubes in France. 87% of Nestlé's total packaging by weight and 66% of its total plastic packaging is already recyclable or reusable.

Véronique Cremades-Mathis, Global Head of Sustainable Packaging, Nestlé, said, "We have made strides in our transformative journey towards a wastefree future, but we know that we have more work to do. As the world's largest food and beverage company, we're

committed to putting our size and scale to work to tackle the packaging waste problem everywhere that we operate."

Even as COVID-19 has presented more challenges, the company's commitment to sustainable packaging remains the same. Nestlé continues to play a leading role in helping solve the issue of plastic pollution through its three-pillar approach launched in January 2019: Pillar 1: Developing new packaging Transitioning to paper packaging across various formats. For example, Smarties sharing block, a popular color-coated chocolate confectionery product, is available in a recyclable paper wrapper in the UK.

designed to increase recycling value.

Nespresso introduced new capsules made with 80% recycled aluminum, an important step towards circularity.

Nestlé's water business has doubled the amount of rPET used since 2019 across its still water portfolio in the U.S. to 16.5%.

Gerber and Piltti baby food use a first-of-its-kind, single material pouch

Pillar 2: Shaping a waste-free future In August 2020, Nestlé Philippines

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

ainable packaging

reached plastic neutrality. That means Nestlé collected and co-processed the equivalent amount of plastic as contained in the products sold and prevented the further flow of plastic into landfills and oceans.

Together with Project STOP, Nestlé creates a sustainable waste management system and helps reduce ocean plastic pollution in Indonesia.

Nestlé embarked on a trial to collect, sort and process soft plastics in Australia.

Nestlé is scaling up reusable and refillable options for its Petcare and soluble coffee products, for instance, through collaboration with the start-up company MIWA in Switzerland.

Nestlé advocates for the design and implementation of affordable and effective mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility schemes. It has identified 20 countries, accounting for 50% of the company's plastic usage, where the company will support recycling rates and waste management infrastructure.

Pillar 3: Driving new behavior Nestlé is rolling out a sustainable

packaging education and training program for over 290'000 employees, to accelerate behavior change and help the company meet its packaging objectives.

Nestlé introduced a digital platform to help consumers dispose of their packaging waste appropriately in Italy.

Nescafé Dolce Gusto launched a consumer education campaign to promote recycling in Germany and in Mexico.

Nestlé is driving positive change through school programs, like the Tunuyan Verde project in Argentina.

The Algramo (Chile), MIWA (Switzerland) and Loop (France) pilots of refillable and reusable packaging solutions offer a new shopping experience.

Additionally, the company announced that it is seeking to identify and support innovative solutions through the Nestlé Creating Shared Value (CSV)

Prize, which launches 30 September.

In partnership with the non-profit organization Ashoka, the Nestlé CSV Prize will award CHF 250 000 in grants for system change innovations in areas such as alternative delivery systems and ground-up solutions to tackle plastic waste.

The development and testing of new, more environmentally friendly packaging materials is driven by the Nestlé Institute of Packaging Sciences, the food industry’s first such enterprise.

The institute has around 50 scientists who conduct cutting-edge packaging research to ensure the safety and applicability of new materials. Research outcomes include new refillable or reusable systems, simplified materials, high-performance barrier papers and the introduction of more recycled content to Nestlé's packaging.

The institute collaborates closely with more than 180 packaging experts embedded in Nestlé's global R&D network, as well as with research institutions, start-ups, and suppliers.

Nestlé will continue to introduce alternative packaging materials and new delivery systems, invest in infrastructure and work with consumers to help solve the packaging waste challenge.

45

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

46

Research Study Showcases Trends in Digital Printing Enhancement Print service providers venturing out in new sectors is a topic we have talked about in our latest history of drupa Global Trends Reports, especially when it comes to ways to expand printers’ business profitability in the future One of the measures that has proven to be successful in boosting profit margins and differentiate their offerings over the past few years, in all print sectors, is expanding their services to include print work embellished or enhanced with special effects, produced on digital presses or finishing equipment.

While many types of embellishments, such as extended-gamut colours, specialty colours, embossing, foiling, textures, and specialty coatings, aren’t brand-new inventions, the ability to produce them affordably on digital devices however is, which makes them uniquely attractive to marketers and brand owners now. A NAPCO Research study is now emphasizing customer demands in exactly that area.

Adding Value to Digital Print NAPCO Research recently published a study, Adding Value to Digital Print,

looking into those same developments in the print community in an attempt to document the actions printers are taking to offer enhanced print capabilities. For this study, they surveyed print providers as well as marketers and brand owners, focusing on trends, demands, challenges, and requirements of brand owners and marketers in specifying special effects in their print applications.

Their findings show that especially marketers display a growing interest in incorporating special effects and techniques that enhance the visual appeal of their products. Digital print enhancements can transform their simple printed materials from commodity, price-sensitive offerings to higher value products that command premium.

And they appreciate the effort: Marketers clearly value providers that offer ways to enhance print and allow them to let their product stand out – 56% of the 600 surveyed marketers and brand owners said it is highly important that their print providers offer unique ideas to enhance the print they purchase. Only 6% claimed it to be “not important at all”. Seems like going with digital print enhancement has become a safe bet these days!

Utilising Inkjet Technology While a number of today’s digital printing devices and finishing solutions already support special effects and embellishments to enhance print, it is important to keep an eye on technology innovations: In print enhancement, equipment manufacturers are already adding capabilities and feature sets to digital printing presses, digital enhancement presses, and finishing solutions to simplify processes even more and reduce production costs for special effects, making these types of offerings even more profitable for printers.

But they are not just widening the capabilities of existing options, they are also working on bringing the production of digital enhancements from digital printing presses to digital enhancement finishing devices that utilise inkjet printing heads.

These enhancement presses and devices don’t need plates, screens or dies to create texture, dimensional and foil effects, and are utilisable by print service providers of all sizes. Beyond that, innovations from this area not only have the potential to save costs, but also to contribute to sustainable production.

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

47

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

48

New gravure printing pr materials: the EXPERT Bobst announces the launch of the EXPERT RS 6003 a new generation gravure printing press Flexibility and productivity are the words for the EXPERT RS 6003, which can reach the maximum speed of 500 m/min and be configured with either shaftless or shafted printing cylinders.

Configuration options extend to the inking system choice, to ensure the best quality output according to production requirements. The standard MPI (Multi-Purpose Inking) or the optional HSM (High Speed Metering) inking systems, both deliver consistent repeatable high-quality printing under any conditions and with all ink and solvent types.

To make press make-ready and job changeovers easier and faster, BOBST has devised a new, innovative system exclusive to the EXPERT RS 6003.

Flex Trolley is a service-type trolley that can either stay onboard during printing or be removed after the print unit has been set-up. This reduces considerably the minimum number of trolleys required for press operation and allows maximum flexibility for the changeover operations.

The drying system integrates many of the technical hallmarks of BOBST drying technology that have been revisited to ensure the required drying efficiency with a shorter hood length.

This solution shortens considerably the web length in the press with a consequent waste decrease of about 30% at start-up and changeover compared to conventional drying chambers.

The press handles high-speed printing with both solvent and water-based inks, and it is oneECG-ready. BOBST has pioneered the use of the Extended Color Gamut (ECG) in gravure with its oneECG solution, that is opening the doors of the digital world for gravure printing to step into a new mode of keeping the pace up with today’s market requirements.

“Technology directed to bringing equipment and process performance always a step forward to the market current and future requirements is always on the move at BOBST,” said Jonathan Giubilato, Gravure Product Line Manager at Bobst Italia. “The flexible packaging market demands increasingly short run production, packaging versioning, lighter, thinner, recyclable solutions, global color

consistency, then we are ready to support our converting customers with solutions delivering faster time to market, increased quality, productivity, agility and safety. Gravure technology is of course no exception.”

In line with BOBST vision where connectivity, digitalization, automation and sustainability are the cornerstones of packaging production, monitoring Apps and BOBST Connect are available for fully remote connectivity and support.

“With our latest developments in gravure we are reinventing the process and reviving the advantages of gravure in a way that gives a factual answer to the question whether gravure is capable of evolving in today’s market transformation to secure a future and sustainable growth to the users,” added Giubilato. “We have the tools in place – equipment, processes, digitalized workflows – that will change the industry mindset about gravure and pave the way to a solid future for our gravure printing customers.”

The packaging market is in a profound transformation. Brand Owners expect faster time-to-market and more sustainable solutions. To address these needs, BOBST announces the launch of the EXPERT RS 6003 a new generation gravure printing press, which will enable gravure converters to tackle today’s market challenges.

“Technology directed to bringing equipment and process performance always a step forward to the market current and future requirements is always on the move at BOBST,” said Jonathan Giubilato, Gravure Product Line Manager at Bobst Italia. “The

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

49

ress for flexible T RS 6003

flexible packaging market demands increasingly short run production, packaging versioning, lighter, thinner, recyclable solutions, global color consistency, then we are ready to support our converting customers with solutions delivering faster time to market, increased quality, productivity, agility and safety. Gravure technology is of course no exception”.

has devised a new, innovative system exclusive to the EXPERT RS 6003.

Flex Trolley is a service-type trolley that can either stay onboard during printing or be removed after the print unit has been set-up. This reduces considerably the minimum number of trolleys required for press operation and allows maximum flexibility for the changeover operations.

Flexibility and productivity are the words for the EXPERT RS 6003, which can reach the maximum speed of 500 m/min and be configured with either shaftless or shafted printing cylinders.

The drying system integrates many of the technical hallmarks of BOBST drying technology that have been revisited to ensure the required drying efficiency with a shorter hood length.

This solution shortens considerably the web length in the press with a consequent waste decrease of about 30% at start-up and changeover compared to conventional drying chambers.

Configuration options extend to the inking system choice, to ensure the best quality output according to production requirements. The standard MPI (Multi-Purpose Inking) or the optional HSM (High Speed Metering) inking systems, both deliver consistent repeatable high-quality printing under any conditions and with all ink and solvent types.

To make press make-ready and job changeovers easier and faster, BOBST

The press handles high-speed printing with both solvent and water-based inks, and it is oneECG-ready. BOBST has pioneered the use of the Extended Color Gamut (ECG) in gravure with its oneECG solution, that is opening the doors of the digital world for gravure

printing to step into a new mode of keeping the pace up with today’s market requirements.

In line with BOBST vision where connectivity, digitalization, automation and sustainability are the cornerstones of packaging production, monitoring Apps and BOBST Connect are available for fully remote connectivity and support.

“With our latest developments in gravure we are reinventing the process and reviving the advantages of gravure in a way that gives a factual answer to the question whether gravure is capable of evolving in today’s market transformation to secure a future and sustainable growth to the users,” commented Jonathan Giubilato, Product Line Manager Gravure at Bobst Italia “We have the tools in place – equipment, processes, digitalized workflows – that will change the industry mindset about gravure and pave the way to a solid future for our gravure printing customers”, he concludes.

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

50

RGB Printing – And It Does Work!

The Swiss artist and printer Lorenz Boegli developed a method to print RGB. With this revolutionary technology completely new opportunities open up for the printing industry.

We all know that RGB cannot be printed. This colour space is designed for screens and other self-lit systems.

For printing purposes, there’s CMYK and this is how the world works. But is this still true? What is when an artist and printer, named Lorenz Boegli, developed a way to print RGB? Because that is what he actually did! And the result is a fantastic and innovative new printing technology.

RGB vs. CMYK Until now, it has not been possible to bring the multi-faceted and luminous RGB colour space onto paper or other substrates in a single printing process.

As an additive colour system, RGB is reserved for luminous media such as screens or beamers. RGB are light colours, colour perception is created by mixing light. This is why it is also called an additive colour model. The more colour is used, the brighter the picture becomes. If you use all three basic colours 100%, you get white.

CMYK, in contrast, is the subtractive model. It is composed of the three colours cyan, magenta and yellow as well as the key colour black, which are printed on a (usually) white background.

The more colour is applied, the darker the result will be. The key colour is

necessary because 100% application of cyan, magenta, and yellow does not produce a true black, but only a dark brown.

An Innovative New Printing Method Boegli’s RGB print, however, is printed on black paper and blends into brilliant white. This is possible thanks to reflective pigments in the colours. „In 2013, by using red, green and blue Spectraval pigments from Merck on a black background, I succeeded in creating white by overprinting the three primary colours of the additive colour mixture. This succeeds thanks to reflective pigments in the colours,” Boegli stated.

In the meantime, Merck and Boegli have further developed the technology and made it available for common printers.

RGB printing with Spectraval™ works on conventional printing equipment, so it can be incorporated into standard screen, gravure, or flexo processes.

The four key work processes are: The image file is separated in CMYK and placed in the negative. In this way the colours red, green and blue are obtained.

For the screen production, a fine screen raster is chosen for maximum colour application.

For printing, the special colour pigments are mixed in high concentration in conventional screen printing varnishes.

During the printing process itself, a low printing speed is important to ensure the ideal alignment of the individual pigments.

For the presentation of the new RGB printing technology at drupa 2016 Merck cooperated with STAINER, which produced 3 mm thick 2750 x 1875 mm aluminium composite panels for an RGB exhibition wall. For this purpose, the aluminium panels were first pre-printed in black using screen printing and then printed with red, green, blue and silver-white using the RGB printing technique with the provided motif.

An increasing number of areas are now turning their attention to RGB technology as the impact of additive printing literally catches the eye of companies and customers.

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

52

A specialty chemicals s innovative and challen Printing is one of the most fascinating ‒ and also challenging ‒ of all industries. Print meets a fundamental need to convey a message to a broad audience in the chosen form, whether this is a magazine, a book, a label, packaging material or any other printed product.

The printing industry, like many others, will emerge profoundly changed by the coronavirus pandemic, but this might not necessarily be all negative.

It will certainly accelerate a digital transformation that was already foreseen and desired, and it will completely reinvent this industry.

We at SONGWON only recently started to look at the ink market from the specialty chemicals perspective.

SONGWON has long been wellknown for producing additives such as antioxidants and light stabilizers for

the plastics industry, which supplies many of the substrates that end up being printed. A few years ago, having expanded its range to the development and manufacture of specialty chemicals, SONGWON started to supply products to ink formulators and was confronted with the challenges and requirements of different types of innovation.

The growth of technologies such as UV curing and digital and ink-jet printing brought significant opportunities for SONGWON products, for

example photoinitiators for both UV stabilizers and antioxidants. These products are marketed under the brand names SONGSORB® CS and SONGCURE® CS. As a newcomer to these industries, it was important for SONGWON to involve the global application team and the R&D team of chemists to ensure development of the right sets of products to meet the needs of customers and the industry.

Both teams are based in Maeam, South Korea, in close proximity to SONGWON’s largest production site for antioxidants and various specialties and near to some of the largest printing markets in the world. SONGWON has a global network of sales managers and distributors as well as regional warehouses, enabling it to supply the same products everywhere in the world. In a global industrial world, this has proven to be a very important part of the whole equation.

With strong expertise in light and thermal stabilization as well as in photo-curing, the SONGWON team can supply customers with the best product recommendations for their needs and formulation targets. Large

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

supplier in the nging printing industry bulk and pilot production facilities allow SONGWON to respond increasingly to requests for customized products and to offer tailor-made solutions where specific limits apply to certain chemicals used in more demanding printing applications.

Recently, company experts also developed a whole range of water-borne products for ink applications and successfully introduced the products in the market after an initial testing phase. These products are marketed under the brand name SONGSORB® CS WB.

53

weather fastness are incorporated in the final ink or adhesive formulation, this greatly helps to deliver the right messages in the printed product.

Specialties or specialty chemicals such as the products mentioned above are clearly not familiar to the consumer world, but if thermal stability and

HI-THANE™

Innovative polyurethane ink binder solutions for printing inks

SONGWON is a leading specialist in ink binder technology for gravure and flexography printing inks used in flexible packaging laminates.

Our broad portfolio of HI-THANE™ polyurethanes enables us to design customized printing ink formulations.

Thanks to their excellent physical and technical properties, HI-THANE™ ink binders are widely used by printing ink manufacturers to produce high-quality print on plastic film packaging.

It’s all about the chemistry™

RZ02_SON_06_Cor_18_002_Flexo_and_gravure_global.indd 1

27.08.18 16:40

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

54

Raising the bar with embossing Embossing is one of many embellishment processes used in printing that gives labels a unique and appealing look with a raised image or pattern. There’s also the process of debossing that gives an opposite, relief effect.

Both applications can be done by rotary, semi-rotary and flatbed processes, with flexibility either online during printing or offline.

The processes explained Setting up the embossing plates is a very precise and critical step.

When you engage the male and female dies for the first time, you want to prevent damage, potential flattening of the edges, and a poorly embossed image. If the dies are damaged and have to be remade (die making is usually contracted out), the delivery date will potentially not be met and extra costs are added to the job.

When the two plates are engaged, the paper needs to be placed between both dies without being damaged. If the placement is incorrect you can get cracking on the edges or even a holepunching effect.

Dies are manufactured from a range of materials depending on a number of factors such as: Nature of material to be embossed Complexity of image Depth of relief Perceived productive life Requirements specific to product use, e.g. food or pharmaceuticals

Rotary embossing Rotary embossing can either use magnetic polymer dies (plates) used in a die unit, metal engraved solid cylinders dies used on longer running jobs, or polymer dies (plate) with an adhesive backing tape applied on a cylinder in a dedicated embossing unit.

Semi-rotary embossing Due to the nature of the web movement, semi-rotary embossing units use between 50 to 80% of the cylinder depending on the system.

It’s more common that the embossing plate is magnetic or made of a polymer die. Depending on the complexity, the job will determine the press speed, but semi-rotary is generally slower that rotary.

Flatbed embossing Flatbed is the oldest method of embossing; in the past, a hard-set plaster product was sometimes used.

This was premixed upon use and was called PragoPlast; it’s still used today not as common with current technology available.

The process only requires a top plate with a reversed image to press the image into the PragoPlast on the bottom plate. There are many types

and plate combinations for a flatbed, and if the unit is used for foiling it’s also possible to apply heat for longerlasting embossing.

To prevent plate damage, sometimes the bottom plate can be made from brass and the top plate a polymer or thin brass plate. Flatbed has the longest contact-with-substrate time and the possibility of fine adjustment provides a high-quality embossed image.

Choice of die depends on a number of factors: Sharpness and depth of required embossment Complexity of image Area of material being embossed Type of material being embossed Construction and power of the press Size and volume of the product expected to be produced R&D for best results As with choosing the die and other applications, it’s always good to do some R&D to determine what’s works best with your machine and types of jobs. The benefits of R&D outweigh any downtime of the press or other factors.

There are many benefits to having all the required information on what type of embossing plate to use, stepping information and anything else you may need to get the job running quickly and smoothly. Setting up a job only to discover something isn’t correct is costly and time-wasting. Therefore, especially when doing something new, R&D is critical.

Article by Kane Marsh Regional Printing Instructor Pacific with MPS Systems Asia.

Asia

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

55

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

56

EcoLeaf – The New Technology for Finishing Options ACTEGA Metal Print was founded in February 2017 with a mission to revolutionize the graphic industry with a sustainable metallization-technology for reducing the material, waste, cost, and time exposure. In order to achieve this goal, ACTEGA Metal Print bought the Nano-Metallgraphy – now known as EcoLeaf.

Launch of the New EcoLeafTechnology Since the concept was successfully proven at drupa 2016, the EcoLeaftechnology was submitting an industrialization-process. therefore the technology as well as the knockledge has got placed to Germany and the infrastructure to a successfully market launch was arranged. The first beta tests were installed from February 2020 to April 2020 and the first commercial systems are planned to be installed in January 2021.

ACTEGA Metal Print was founded in February 2017 with a mission to revolutionize the graphic industry with a sustainable metallization-technology for reducing the material, waste, cost, and time exposure. In order to achieve this goal, ACTEGA Metal Print bought the Nano-Metallgraphy that was first presented at drupa 2016 by Benny Landa, founder of the LandaGroup. Jan Franz Allerkamp, CEO of ACTEGA Metal Print, talked about the usage and its advantages of the new technology for finishing options.

For more information and the whole interview, head over to LinkedIn for receiving the whole article by EtikettenLabels.

A Sustainable Alternative to Traditional Metallization The EcoLeaf-technology is a sustainable alternative to the conventional film lamination or hot-

foil embossing for labels and folding boxes with decorative metal-effects.

EcoLeaf will be used for analogousand digital printing machines as well for processing frameworks. By creating a trigger-photo with different printingproceeds, different metallic-effects can be produced. The EcoLeaf-throughput is currently at a performance from 70m/min, which is planned to increase the throughput. EcoLeaf will support all kinds of metallic-colors. The first color, which will be commercially available is a silver pigment, whereby other colors are already in the development phase.

EcoLeaf has got no printing restriction and can support each kind of printing machines and procedure. Also the EcoLeaf-metallization-units will be providing all print ranges, including labels, folding boxes, flexible packages, job printing as well as publishing.

EcoLeaf enables significant improvements referring to sustainability, because using this new application-method, foilwaste will be reduced and packages without plastic foils are easier to recycle.

“EcoLeaf will affect positive on sustainability and conservation of resources.” – Jan Franz Allerkamp, CEO of ACTEGA Metal Print.

Jan Franz Allerkamp, CEO of ACTEGA Metal Print declares that at the start of EcoLeaf, a blend of direct sales and sales via sales partner is intended.

For optimizing the technology and ensuring the performance in commercial environments, EcoLeaf has to await the results of all beta tests. In addition to that, EcoLeaf will develop new applications and strengthen their company organization.

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

57

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

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

58 Canon introduces new Colorado ProCare After Sales Service Programme Targeted for Colorado 1650 users, the programme increases productivity with minimal downtime.

Canon has launched its new ProCare after-sales service programme in South & Southeast Asia, designed for users of the Colorado 1650 rollto-roll wide format printer series powered by UVgel technology. With the objective of offering a consistent service concept for customers with production in multiple region, Colorado 1650 owners can now benefit from maximised uptime through access to spare parts, preventive maintenance and remote software application support.

ProCare contracts are available on the basis of three to five years, with the option to extend support after the initial contract has ended.

Additional premium support options include next business day onsite response and print head replacement.

Colorado ProCare is available via Canon Appointed Partners or directly from Canon for customers across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Performance You Can Rely On Colorado series printers are designed for optimal productivity with minimal operator intervention and manual maintenance. The ProCare service programme extends this philosophy, backed by a skilled team of service

technicians, strong global logistics network as well as state-of-the-art communication and diagnostic tools.

This means print service providers can focus on what matters most - exceeding client expectations on quality, delivering within tight turnaround times, growing their business and increasing profits.

“With more than 1,500 installations of Colorado printers worldwide, it is clear that our customers see the benefits that UVgel technology brings to their business – the perfect balance of productivity and quality at a reduced Total Cost of Ownership.

With Colorado ProCare, we look to further complement the impeccable features of the Colorado printers, so our customers can experience the full value of their investment. They know they have a technology they can rely on and a solutions partner who will always be at their side to ensure that,” said Steve Ford, Managing Director, Production Printing Asia, Canon.

Kornit Digital Appoints Ilan Elad to Lead Asia-Pacific Regional Expansion Kornit Digital a worldwide market leader in digital textile printing technology, announced the hiring of Ilan Elad as incoming President of the company’s Asia-Pacific (KDAP) division.

Based in Tokyo, Elad has served Daimler Trucks Asia since 2013, most recently as Vice President of Sales— Africa, SAARC, Oceania. Previously,

he was Founder and CEO of Vision India, as well as Regional Managing Director NEU with telecommunications company Ciena. Elad has successfully spearheaded go-to-market strategy and execution across multiple continents, with a specific focus on Asia and Oceania in the past 12 years, accumulating vast market insights and leadership instincts that will serve Kornit’s commitment to growth and industry leadership in Asia-Pacific territories—particularly Japan, the world’s fourth-largest e-commerce market.

In recent months, Elad has served as a consultant to Kornit Digital in support of several expansion opportunities, allowing him to become acquainted with Kornit’s global business, in addition to giving Kornit full confidence in Elad’s qualifications as an executive leader.

“I’ve been aware of Kornit’s growing position as a tech leader for several years, and was genuinely moved by the opportunity to join such an inspiring and disruptive organization,” said Elad. “Mature and ready to grow, Kornit checked all the boxes for me.

It’s a creative brand that clearly invests in growth, offering precisely the kind of culture and diversity I’ve been looking for, and one where I’m certain I can create new opportunities from the first days.”

“Efficient, sustainable, digitized production capabilities are essential to businesses moving from traditional retail cycles to the web-driven, on-demand economy, and nowhere is truer than in Asia-Pacific, where a

WWW.MPS4U.COM

OPERATOR FOCUSED, RESULTS DRIVEN EFS The automated multi-substrate press

AT MPS, we put the needs of our clients first.

HIGHLY AUTOMATED

EF SYMJET The hybrid printing solution

Our focus is on you, your operators and your results.

We are driven, driven to improve your results.

We design our presses to enhance the talents of your operators.

DIGITAL

EXL-PACKAGING The mid web packaging press

MID-WEB

MPS Systems Asia Sdn Bhd Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia info-asia@mps4u.com www.mps4u.com

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

60

great deal of the global textile supply chain begins,” said Ronen Samuel, Kornit Digital CEO. “We could not ask for a more knowledgeable, capable, proven candidate than Ilan Elad to lead Kornit’s charge towards innovation leadership and market dominance in this critical region. His appointment reflects our high standards for giving fulfillers and brands the partner they need to generate new business, expand their operations, and elevate the textile industry to be the model of eco-consciousness, versatility, and profitable expression it’s capable of being.”

EFI unveils new suite of cloud applications EFI introduces EFI IQ, a new suite of free and paid cloud applications that enables smart, data-driven decisions for cut-sheet operations. EFI IQ is designed to operate with Fiery Driven™ cut-sheet digital printers.

To access IQ’s free applications, businesses can simply open an EFI IQ account online. Additional paid applications in the suite, including EFI ColorGuard and the new EFI Manage, extend users’ capabilities.

Driving value from data The free applications in this cloudbased suite help printing businesses extract value from data to minimize bottlenecks, optimize equipment utilization and increase profit.

EFI IQ Dashboard provides a personalized view of a user’s digital printing operation and is the launching pad for all EFI IQ applications. Users can monitor the status of any printers, consumables and job status on their Fiery Driven printers. Printer groups as well as role-based permissions allow for managing more sophisticated environments with many printers or users.

EFI Insight provides users with deep historical data in an interactive environment to help users transform print production data into actionable

analytics that drive business improvement. Insight displays trend analytics, including shift and other comparisons.

Print users can use this intelligence to make data-driven decisions to increase shop floor productivity, or import a job log to perform extensive analysis.

EFI Notify allows users to get production-blocking alerts, as well as establish timing for automatic distribution of production reports.

Customers can also get IQ capabilities such as dashboard metrics, notifications and more on their mobile phones via the EFI Go app.

Extended capabilities for in-depth quality and production control The suite has paid applications as well, including the EFI ColorGuard, a winner of 2019 SGIA Product of the Year Award for colour enhancement software. This cloud-based software helps automate and standardize colour verification and calibration processes to help ensure printers get the best colour output. By ensuring consistently accurate colour, users can win more business, reduce waste and eliminate rejected jobs.

Sites with many Fiery digital front ends will benefit from subscribing to the EFI Manage application, which remotely monitors Fiery DFEs to keep

production running at its best, syncing print devices and setting compliance targets for the best print production outcomes.

“Print operations generate an overwhelming amount of data, and it can be difficult to transform that volume of data into actionable business insights,” said Toby Weiss, senior vice president and general manager, EFI Fiery. “Our objective with the EFI IQ suite is to make data readily available in a form that makes it easy for users to take action. That way, customers can optimize production in real time with a goal of creating the most efficient and effective digital printing operation possible.”

A suite of applications, a wealth of benefits In summary, the EFI IQ Suite helps businesses of all sizes: • Make informed decisions to grow their businesses using EFI IQ data and analytics; • Leverage past production data to improve future performance with production analytics from EFI Insight; • Boost shop floor productivity with status alerts using EFI Go; • Satisfy colour-critical print buyers with consistent, accurate colour with EFI ColorGuard; and • Keep print production running smoothly with EFI Manage.

COLOUR DIGITAL PRESSES Reap the Benefits of Productivity, Versatility, and High Quality

The imagePRESS C910 Series is a true, light- to mid-volume production press that incorporates advanced technologies to help print establishments achieve amazing results—all in a small footprint.

Outstanding Productivity

Amazing Quality

Brilliant Versatility

• Production speeds of up to 90 ipm • Maintains rated speed on uncoated stocks up to 80 lb. Cover • 7,650-sheet1 feeding capacity with up to six different sources2 • Wide array of productive Canon and third-party in-line accessories2

• 2400 x 2400-dpi print resolution utilizing the unique R-VCSEL imaging technology • Intuitive calibration process that uses internal sensors to measure test patches • Translucent CV Toner produces vibrant images on a wide variety of stocks • Multi D.A.T. helps to achieve consistent color across long runs automatically

• Supports stocks up to 130 lb. Cover2 • Runs a variety of envelopes and long sheets2 up to 51.2” • Helps achieve highly accurate and consistent registration, even on large and heavy stocks • Meets ENERGY STAR® standards and rated EPEAT Gold

CANON SINGAPORE PTE. LTD. 1 Fusionopolis Place Galaxis #15-10 Singapore 138522 Tel: +65-6799 8888 | Fax: +65-6799 8882 | www.canon-asia.com | www.canon.com.sg

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

62 Future enhancements to the EFI IQ suite will bring many of its capabilities to wide and superwide-format inkjet printers as well. Fiery users can create an EFI IQ account or find more information at https://iq.efi.com.

Durst acquires digital printer manufacturer s Durst acquires majority stake in US printer manufacturer Vanguard Digital Printing Vanguard Digital is a leading manufacturer of printing systems for the signage, decoration, corporate, industrial and packaging sectors.

With the acquisition, Durst adds new printer classes to its large format portfolio while Vanguard now has a global distribution and service network and technical resources to continue developing robust solutions.

"Vanguard Digital Printing Systems is a rapidly growing and very successful company in a customer segment in which we are currently not active," said Tim Saur, President of Durst North America. "Through the combination of high-quality products, a strong management team and absolute customer orientation, both companies are a perfect match."

As part of the agreement, the new company will operate as Vanguard Durst Digital Printing Systems with effect from October 1, 2020. David Cich remains CEO while Jim Peterson continues to serve as Vice President of Sales.

“It is with great humbleness and excitement that Vanguard Digital

will now be a part of the world class industry leading Durst Group,” said David Cich, CEO of Vanguard Digital Printing Systems. “Becoming part of the Durst Group Family, provides Vanguard Digital the opportunity to expand its portfolio of innovative market leading UV Printers to the entire world."

"Vanguard's printing systems have rightly achieved rapid growth and high customer acceptance in the North American market," said Christoph Gamper, CEO and co-owner of the Durst Group. “Despite the global pandemic, we are positioning ourselves for the long term and are determined to invest in the large-format graphics market. In addition, with our technical expertise, Vanguard will continue to ensure that its products and services are industry-leading and a wider customer base will understand what it is like to be part of the Durst family. " Fuji Xerox’s online event focuses on navigating the ‘new normal’ Industry leaders and analysts share perspectives and solutions to build business resiliency post-pandemic Fuji Xerox Singapore presented the third edition of its flagship event; Innovation Re:Mix Forum Work Reimagined 2020. This year, the event took place online on IDC’s proprietary platform, IDC Arena.

With approximately 80% of organisations in Asia Pacific expecting a decline in 2020 revenue, the Innovation Re:Mix Forum is particularly timely as it explores the many facets businesses face in their accelerated digital transformation journeys to ensure business continuity in the current climate.

Aligned with Fuji Xerox Singapore’s corporate practice ‘Genko-Itchi’, a Japanese concept of walking-the-talk, Fuji Xerox Singapore leads this charge,

with the agenda of the three-day conference set by new Chief Executive Officer Koh Ching Hong, who assumed his role amid the pandemic.

“As Fuji Xerox innovate within to meet the new demands in the marketplace, we are also enabling our customers with new ideas in transforming how their processes work in new digital world, how their distributed workforce collaborate more effectively, and how they are able to re-connect and re-engage their customers and stakeholder as we go into the next normal,” said Koh. “This is emphasised in our annual Innovation Re:Mix Forum as we explore how organisations, big and small, can pivot their business and future-proof operational resiliency and customer engagements amidst current challenging times.”

A fireside chat with Sandra Ng, Group Vice President, Practice Group, IDC Asia/Pacific brought to focus the significance of redefining, rethinking and refreshing workplace collaborations to ease into the ‘new’ normal and enhance business outcomes with Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and a sturdy Application Programme Interface (API).

The Work Reimagined edition explored three themes with a lineup of business and thought leaders from sectors across banking and finance, insurance, healthcare, retail and logistics: ‘Reboot Your Workplace in the New Normal’, ‘Digital Disruption: Pivoting Your Business for a Strong Future’ and ‘Building Resiliency with Digital Acceleration’.

The Innovation Re:Mix Forum Work Reimagined 2020 concluded with an on-demand Solutions Showcase where delegates were offered various types of solutions tailored to their organisation’s needs to view and

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

63 experience at their convenience.

In addition to corporate motto of ‘Genko-Itchi’, Fuji Xerox Singapore believes in a bespoke approach in empowering their customers’ digital journey.

The company’s dedication is also reinforced as it launched 19 new models from its digital multifunction printer ApeosPort and DocuPrint series recently, to support customers in accelerating efficiency while enhancing security, document management and remote working capabilities.

Next generation in its 3D printing product line BCN3D, a leading 3D printer manufacturer, announced the next generations in its 3D printing product line, the Epsilon W27, the Smart Cabinet, and the Sigma D25. With the new product introductions, in addition to recent investment in the business and significant new appointments, BCN3D unlocks a new era in its growth and demonstrates its commitment to providing an innovative and expansive product portfolio, cementing its position as a major player in 3D printing.

At the height of the global coronavirus pandemic BCN3D succeeded in securing a funding round led by industrial Group Mondragon, CDTI (Centre for Industrial Technological Development) and Danobatgroug. The 2.8 million euros will allow the Spanish manufacturer to continue to innovate and expand its range of 3D printers further to help innovators and creatives.

“With new integrated solutions in the both the desktop and workbench segments, BCN3D has a range of

products that will take the business to a new level. We are also working more closely than ever with an unparalleled network of sales and support partners to ensure the best possible experience for our customers on a local level,” explains Xavier Martínez Faneca, BCN3D CEO. With the new Epsilon Series, BCN3D provides industrial power for the seamless daily operation of applications such as low volume production, functional end-use parts, and manufacturing aids in the workbench segment.

The flagship model Epsilon, announced last November, is now renamed as Epsilon W50, and is joined by the new Epsilon W27, providing the same functionality but with a smaller build volume (50 liters vs. 27 liters) and competitive pricing.

The new Smart Cabinet completes the Epsilon ecosystem, offering seamless integration with the BCN3D Epsilon printer and boosting its performance.

Its filament humidity control keeps materials in optimal condition, and an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) protects the print job at all times, eliminating the risk of losing a print job due to power outages.

The Sigma Series now consists of the Sigma D25, the next generation of the Sigmax R19, replacing the acclaimed Sigma and Sigmax 3D printers.

Known for the IDEX (Independent Dual Extruder) system, unique to BCN3D desktop 3D printing technology, and large build volume, the Sigma D25 takes up the mantle of the Sigma series whilst offering improved functionality.

Re-engineered with state-of-the-art features, the new Sigma D25 provides full accessibility for easy workflow.

Developments include enhanced heat distribution, a refined calibration process, new embedded electronics, a refined extrusion system and reinforced axes. It is engineered to provide maximum productivity for applications such as design prototypes, functional prototypes, and for educational and research purposes.

“I see it as our job every day to make every aspect of the customer experience better. With the launch of this new portfolio, I strongly believe we have done just that. The new fully integrated product offering means customers can find the quality and productivity they need at the pricepoint they can afford, making it easier than ever for users around the world to innovate and create faster,” says Eric Pallarés, BCN3D CTO. The Epsilon W27 and Sigma D25 are available for pre-order now and will be available locally via BCN3D sales partners worldwide on October 19th, 2020. The Smart Cabinet will be available from spring 2021.

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

64 BOBST launches new gravure printing press for flexible materials: the EXPERT RS 6003 BOBST has launched oneINSPECTION, a set of quality control solutions to proactively meet the needs of brand owners and converters. The solutions aim to make zero-fault packaging a reality in the labels, flexible packaging, folding carton and corrugated board industries, while also providing value to packers, retailers and consumers as part of the packaging value chain. oneINSPECTION ensures an endto-end data driven quality process specifically tailored for each industry, which can be deployed in both new and existing production lines. It is a core enabler of the BOBST vision to shape the future of the packaging world and a core component of BOBST CONNECT, an open architecture cloud-based platform delivering solutions for pre-press, production, process optimization, maintenance and market access.

“Brand Owners and converters are faced with increasingly tight margins and timelines, which places huge amounts of pressure on quality control,” said Alexandre Pauchard – Group R&D Head. “We have launched oneINSPECTION to alleviate these pressures. Most companies no longer have the luxury of quality control personnel carefully checking their packing and filling processes. That is why our solutions are highly digital, automated, completely reliable, inline and offline. They offer peace of mind for converters and brand owners alike.”

The current solutions for each industry are as follows: Labels • Print Tutor Max – a system specifically designed to measure and control color for DigiColor.

• iQ 500 – a 100% inline quality control system checking each individual label for quality, color, codes, text and register.

Flexible Packaging • HAWKEYE – an optical density and pinhole detector monitoring system.

• Digital Inspection Table – a quality center that enhances the operator’s skills with augmented reality overlays while gathering photographic evidence for audit; ensuring trust and top production quality for flexible packaging production.

Folding Carton • New ACCUCHECK – a 100% inline quality control system checking each individual blank for quality, color, codes, text and register.

• iQ 400 – a 100% inline quality control system for web-fed folding carton production.

Corrugated Board • iQ 300 – a 100% inline quality control system for corrugated production • PREMIUM GAP CONTROL – a system controlling the folding process of all finished boxes at full production speed.

• Digital Inspection Table – a quality center that enhances the operator’s skills with augmented reality overlays while gathering photographic evidence for audit; ensuring trust and top production quality for corrugated

packaging production.

Ultimately, oneINSPECTION will provide a range of end-to-end quality control solutions, which will close the loop from artwork design to the final product through BOBST CONNECT, resulting in reduced production recalls and waste. “oneINSPECTION moves quality control into the digital age,” said Pauchard. “It perfectly reflects our vision to shape the future of the packaging world through four key pillars of connectivity, digitalization, automation and sustainability, in this instance by aiming at delivering a new range of equipment and solutions that leverage digital intelligence, software and cloud-based platforms.”

For converters, oneINSPECTION means complete peace of mind, enabling them to deliver the highest possible quality products to brand owners, while simultaneously improving efficiency and profitability.

It puts guaranteed quality control at their fingertips, making zero-fault packaging a reality.

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

65

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

66 is ready for installation as of this moment.

Agfa adds upgradable large format printer to Jeti Tauro range Agfa has added a new model to its Jeti Tauro large-format inkjet printer family.

The latest member of the Jeti Tauro family is called the Jeti Tauro H3300 LED S (S for ‘standard’). It is a favorably priced entry model that will enable an even wider range of printing companies to benefit from one of Agfa’s flagship large-format printers.

This new hybrid six-colour printer, with optional white and primer, boasts award-winning quality at a top speed of 302 m² per hour, which can be upgraded to the even higher speed of the Jeti Tauro H3300. It shares the latter’s short start-up times and quick and easy maintenance, while also featuring the same automation options.

That means it will be available in six possible configurations. Four of these are dedicated to board printing, ranging from manual to fully automatic. The 3/4 automated version makes use of an automatic board feeder, which is particularly convenient for shorter runs and a fast, efficient changeover between various media sizes or types. The two remaining configurations focus on roll printing, with a master roll-to-roll and a light roll-to-roll model.

The Jeti Tauro H3300 S LED is powered by Agfa’s Asanti workflow software, which controls and automates the entire printing process from prepress to finishing, while guaranteeing colour consistency and optimizing ink consumption. The smart Asanti Production Dashboard displays ink and media consumption and printing time for each job and printer.

The new Jeti Tauro H3300 S LED

“We are committed to inkjet printing and we aim to support our customers by offering them complete and perfectly matched solutions that make their operations more efficient and productive,” said Reinhilde Alaert, Product Manager Sign & Display.

“The new Jeti Tauro H3300 S LED is built on the same platform as its bigger brother and marks another step in the expansion of our high-end large-format inkjet printer family. It covers a wide range of media sizes and types – for boards and sheets as well as rolls – and supports all print jobs with fitting automation options that ultimately enable operators to tend to multiple jobs and printing engines simultaneously.

The printer’s upgradability to the speed of the existing Jeti Tauro H3300 model makes it an ideal starting point for print service providers’ further growth in sign & display printing.”

Outstanding Innovation Award in Production Print Keypoint Intelligence, the world’s largest business intelligence and testing provider for the digital imaging and business communications industries has awarded the revolutionary Tonejet Cyclone with an Outstanding Innovation Award in Production Print to reflect not just its innovative and unique design but the environmental value it brings users by replacing plastic shrink sleeves and labels.

The Tonejet Cyclone is an environmentally friendly alternative to shrink sleeves and pressure sensitive labels, a direct-to-shape, fully variable digital can printing system, decorating 60 cans per minute with the same feel and higher quality than traditionally printed cans.

“We’re delighted that the Cyclone has been recognized with an Outstanding Innovation award” comments Rob Day, CEO at Tonejet. “It’s important as it validates our mission to innovate and disrupt the status quo in beverage packaging, enabling craft brewers and global brands alike to

realise the benefits of direct digital print productivity and short-run agility, while reducing their overall environmental impact.”

“The Tonejet Cyclone uniquely addresses the booming customized and personalized marketing segment with a system that prints directly onto beverage cans, at a lower cost than traditional decorating methods,” notes Marc Mascara, Director, Color Digital Labels & Packaging at Keypoint Intelligence. “Just as importantly, cans produced on the Tonejet Cyclone are 100% recyclable, so there are huge environmental benefits compared to add-on labels or shrink sleeves.”

Also noted for its unique printhead technology, the Cyclone enables both mass customization and cost-effective short production runs.

Craft beverage producers like BrewBoard in the UK and Worthy Brewing in the USA are already reaping the additional marketing and branding opportunities made possible by direct-to-can printing technology from Tonejet. Tonejet pioneer SoluCan is doing some amazing things for their Canadian and US customers including Augmented Reality (AR) campaigns. The Cyclone technology is a truly versatile system that will benefit smaller craft beverage producers as well as larger global brands wanting to capitalize on shorter runs, limited-edition drinks, or marketing campaigns.

Printing Innovation Asia Issue 10 2020

67

Quality Printer?

Then go for GOLD The 2020 Asian Print Awa 3RD NOVEMBER 2020 ENTRY DEADLINE

* This Year due to COVID-19 the 2020 Judging will be done in Australia with the Awards held in December in Asia

16

th

FREE ENTRY FORM DEADLINE 5PM NOVEMBER 3RD 2020 3 Windy Hill Drive, Mulgrave,3170 Victoria, Australia

SINGAPORE - THAILAND - INDIA - MALAYSIA - JAPAN - HONG KONG - CHINA - KOREA - TAIWAN - VIETNAM - INDONESIA - SRI LANKA - PHILIPPINES - CAMBODIA - MYNAMAR The annual Asian Print Awards was founded to recognise outstanding achievement in the print and packaging industries across Asia.

With more than half the world’s population represented in this fast growing area, communication in the form of printed matter links Asia’s diverse cultures. It is imperative that such print achievements do not go unrecognised, especially among the population base that Asia enjoys.

The Awards are judged on a wholly quality-oriented set of criteria to ensure that fair play is enacted at all times.

The Independent Judging Panel comprises highly qualified personnel from within Asia and around the world. The independent judging panel has no knowledge of the actual entrants details. ALL ENTRIES ARE NUMBER-CODED. Entries must be commercially produced work.

The Asian Print Awards is the only regional print quality competition of its kind in Asia. Supported by leading industry-supply companies, any progressive quality print house should enter and prove that they are the best - by winning the Gold, Silver or Bronze award. Proving pride in quality awareness is what customers love to see. It’s not just empty words, you can prove it.

Categories 1-8 : Offset Printing Only

20. Digital Labels

1. Calendars – any format

21 Digital - Outdoor Billboard

2. Sheetfed Magazines

Categories 22-26 : Specialty Categories

3. Book printing – less than 4 colours

22. Multi–Piece Productions and Campaigns Any substrate or print process: Multi–piece Production must be 3 or more items such as folder, leaflets, ring binders, inserts, envelopes including their contents.

Campaigns must be 3 or more items with a consistent theme produced during the year by the same printer for the same client.

4. Book printing – 4 or more colours 5. Limited Editions & Artwork Reproductions (under 1000 print run) 6. Web Offset – Coated stock 70gsm and above 7. Web Offset –LWC (light weight coated) 65gsm or less 8. Offset Packaging products

Categories 9 - 21 : Digital Printing Only

9. Book Printing 10. Calendars 11. Personalised photo books – any format.

12. Posters 13. Showcards & Point-of-Sale material 14. Digital Magazines

23. Embellishment Any substrate – any combination - for example: embossing – diecutting – foil stamping –laminating coating.

24. Innovation / Specialty Printing The entry must exhibit any innovative and/ special application of machinery, process, substrate or finishing.

A short description must be provided for the judges, detailing reasons for entry into this category.

25. Company Self Promotion Any item printed to promote a product or company involved in the graphic arts industry. Self promotion cannot be entered into any other Category.

26. Judges Special Award (A job that catches all the Judges’ attention)

15. Gold, Silver and Special colours 16. Restaurant Menus 17. Limited Editions & Artwork reproductions (under 500 print run) 18. Digital Proofing (must supply the digital proof and the prinnted product)

Best in Digital Award

19. Digital Packaging Best in Offset Award

* This Year due to COVID-19 the Judging will be done in Australia The Awards will be held in December in Asia

Best Use of Colour Award

FREE ENTRY FORM ASIAN PRINT AWARDS 2020

Deadline for Entries Submission: 3rd NOVEMBER 2020, 5pm Remember to submit 2 copies of each job! Why? - Just in case one is damaged.

SECTION A (This will not be shown to judges). Please fill the form in capital letters.

Entered by (company name): ______________________________________________________________________________________ Contact Person: ________________________________________________ Email______________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Telephone: __________________________________

Country________________________________

Category entered __________________________ Title of entry (ie: " Paul's Ice Cream" ): ____________________________________________________________ Printed by (Printers name): ________________________________________________________________________________________ Client name: ________________________________________________________ Designer Pre Press House: ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Brand of Printing Machine used: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Stock supplied by (Merchant’s name): ______________________________________________________________________________ Brand name of stocks Coated Uncoated: ____________________________________________________________________________ By signing here you accept the rules and conditions of the Asian Print Awards

Signature over printed name_____________________________ Name_____________________________________________________

SECTION B Production information to be shown to judges

( tape this securely to the back of your entries)

Category entered (Same as above): __________ Entry number (Administrative use only] ____________

Title of entry (ie: " Paul's Ice Cream" )__________________________________________Print method: _______________________

Number of ink colours (4-6-8 etc) ________

Any Embellishment (foil stamping etc) __________________________________

Quantity produced (Print run copies): ___________ Other technical details (finishing processes etc) ________________________

This Year due to COVID-19 the Judging will be done in Australia

The Awards will be held in December in Asia ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

16th Asian Print Awards 2020 ENTRIES SUBMISSION CLOSES 3rd NOVEMBER 2020, 5pm

Send all entries to: APAM Pte Ltd, 3 Windy Hill Drive, Mulgrave,3170 Victoria, Australia Email: paul@printinnovationasia.com Additional entry forms can be downloaded at www.printinnovationasia.com Please note that entries are non-returnable unless a self addressed courier pack is supplied.

www.xeikon.com