Inkjet & Digital Printing

Xeikon continues to define its Leadership in Digital Labels at Labelexpo Americas 2012

Wednesday 12. September 2012 - Vectorizor (patent pending) and award winning VariLane provides flexibility and efficiency to converters and proves Xeikon's dedication to market

Xeikon, an innovator in digital color printing technology, announced today that the company is further extending its leadership position in the worldwide digital labels markets at Labelexpo Americas 2012 by showcasing several new products, technologies and solutions designed to make digital label production more profitable for converters.
A global pioneer in digital label printing offering the widest range of digital presses, Xeikon will show products, technologies and solutions which enhance Web-to-label integration and improve production workflow, while helping printers reduce their printing costs and diversify into new applications and services.
Xeikon will host a press conference on Sept. 11, from 1:15 to 1:45 p.m. CT, at the Labelexpo Americas press office, to explain the new product offerings and technologies being showcased. Labelexpo Americas, located at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, is the nation’s largest event for the label, product decoration, web printing and converting industry. Xeikon will be exhibiting at Booth 6135, Hall F.
Bob Leahey, associate director of InfoTrends, said that with Xeikon’s new ThermoFlexX digital platemaking technology along with the wider media width of the Xeikon 3000 series of digital label presses, Xeikon is emerging as a resource for all converters, whether they are using digital or flexo presses or both.
“Xeikon’s technologies and products make up a versatile portfolio,” Leahey said, “one that will help label and packaging converters be more productive and responsive to customers.”
He added that many label and packaging converters are still using just analog presses, and that support for digital platemaking from Xeikon, a leading digital press supplier, makes sense. “Xeikon wants to support label and packaging converters, whatever stage they’re at in terms of print technology. Digital platemaking is a key help to the conventional printing that most of them use,” he said. “It also makes Xeikon a partner to the analog-only shops that someday will adopt digital presses.”
At Labelexpo Americas 2010, Xeikon introduced its 3000 Series of digital label presses, which can handle the entire gamut of digital label production, and support an unrivalled range of substrates. At this year’s Labelexpo Americas, Xeikon will be showcasing the following product offerings, solutions and technologies offering more opportunities for label and package printers to profit from digital printing:
o Xeikon 3300: At its booth, Xeikon will be demonstrating the Xeikon 3300, its main narrow web-fed digital color press. The press will produce label applications in a roll-to-roll configuration. The labels will be finished offline on a Delta converting unit.
o Xeikon X-800 Vectorizor (Patent Pending): In the technology corner, Xeikon will demonstrate how the Xeikon X-800 Vectorizor is creating new opportunities to further automate label production. This software tool enables a Web-to-label-production integration which will be demonstrated live in cooperation with Hybrid Software.
o ThermoFlexX: At the Xeikon booth, the company will demonstrate, for the first time in North America, its new ThermoFlexX flexographic platemaking solution, which gives customers a total solution for either digital or conventional label and packaging printing. This will include a demonstration of Kodak’s Prinergy workflow, which automates prepress processes.
o Offline Workstations: Also at the Xeikon booth, the company will have offline workstations that will show the following:
§ The capabilities of the Xeikon X-800 Digital Front End
§ The InterTech Award-winning VariLane software add-on, which allows label printers to combine labels of different sizes and different SKUs within the same print job, thereby increasing productivity
§ The new Vectorizor software tool
§ Xeikon Color Control, which is a cloud-based color management and optimization software tool for label and packaging applications
o Package Printing Zone: Within the show’s Package Printing Zone, Xeikon will be showcasing a Xeikon 3500 digital label press with inline finishing. This configuration will be used to produce in-mould labels, heat transfer labels and folding carton planes ready to be folded and glued.
o Technology demonstrations: Xeikon will also be showing technology demonstrations:
§ Compact inline finishing/ converting equipment, including digital spot varnish capabilities for folding carton applications
§ Digital IML (in-mould) technology demonstration for thick material objects such as pails (buckets)
Wim Maes, CEO of Xeikon NV, said that Xeikon’s newest innovations for the labels and packaging markets being unveiled at Labelexpo Americas are the result of years of research and development, driven by the company’s intimate knowledge of its customers’ challenges and opportunities.
“At Labelexpo 2010, we planted our proverbial flag in the ground and made a strong statement with our Xeikon 3000 Series of label presses. We demonstrated that we were committed to the labels and packaging space,” Maes said. “Now, we’re amplifying that message with a set of technologies, solutions and products to give label and packaging converters even more choice, opportunities for greater productivity and more business opportunities.”