Inkjet & Digital Printing
Speed Counts in Digital Age, says Domino
Thursday 16. July 2009 - Labelexpo 2009 Brussels, Parc des Expositions September 23-26, 2009 Stand no. 7K95
Labelexpo will provide the platform for Domino to deliver a master class in the deployment of ink jet printing in label and narrow web applications. From installations in-line on narrow web presses to near- or at-line applications, a wide range of solutions is available for the labelling and packaging industries. Domino will demonstrate how its portfolio of binary, continuous, Drop on Demand and thermal technologies deliver added value and high quality at real-world speeds.
And, according to Philip Easton, Product Director, Commercial Printing at Domino, speed is the real enabler. As line speeds in the rapidly-advancing digital press market increase, so the percentage of the market for which it is viable grows in proportion.
“Part-personalisation, via hybrid systems utilising complementary digital and analogue technologies, has come a long way in recent years and its now a valued and highly-sophisticated element of the marketing mix,” says Easton. “With that sophistication has come the demand for print of a quality that is indistinguishable from pre-print, to be applied at maximum line speed.” Applications include digitally printing language variants for short run production, where the digital black text makes flexo printing of the multi-language product economically viable. Other applications are in the security label sector, typically printing numbers, barcodes or 2D, Data Matrix or QR codes.
Dominos K-Series Drop on Demand ink jet printer consistently reproduces reliable variable data and graphics onto multiple substrates at twice the speed of competing systems. With variable print settings, a multiple print nozzle configuration option and a choice of UV or solvent-based inks, the K-Series prints barcodes, 2D codes including QR Codes, numbers, graphics, logos and personalised data in a range of different image sizes and up to a resolution of 520dpi (speed-dependent). Its ability to reproduce complex graphics at high speed – up to 90 metres/minute – has fuelled the popularity of the K-Series in
narrow web hybrid printing applications.
The A-Series CP, from Dominos market-leading A-Series continuous ink jet (CIJ) family is the low cost printer of choice in VDP applications for pharmaceutical back-number printing of self-adhesive labels as well as unique codes for anti-counterfeit and tracking requirements. Printing at speeds up to 325 metres/minute, the flexible A-Series accommodates integration of remote printing heads on high speed rewinders as well as on presses.
The L-Series Thermal Ink Jet Printer features twin nozzles to ensure consistently high quality print at resolutions up to 600dpi through high volume print runs. The unique L400s bulk ink system provides a proven and cost effective solution for commercial printers in the direct mail market. The L400 printer runs 30% faster than the market leading system whilst at the same print resolution.
The Bitjet+ v4.5 binary printer is Dominos fastest, most versatile in-line printing system. Running at speeds of up to 15m/second with ultra-fast drying solvent inks suitable for every substrate, the Bitjet+ v4.5 is capable of printing barcodes and 2D codes as well as traceability data.
Many of these print technologies will feature in a collaboration between Domino and A B Graphic International GmbH, which, via its Flytec rewinder range, is fast making its mark in the highly regulated pharmaceutical sector through the supply of complete systems for label numbering and inspection. At Labelexpo, the companies will team up to demonstrate a Flytec 150 rewinder with interchangeable Domino print head technology. This will enable users to select the most appropriate printer for the job at hand, based on speed requirements and the substrate to be printed.
“Labelexpo will be the opportunity to demonstrate the speed and versatility of our digital ink jet portfolio,” affirms Philip Easton. “The technology really has come of age and its gratifying for Domino – as one of ink jets pioneers – to see it being deployed across such a wide range of VDP, creative and security applications.”