Business News
Slovenian printing specialist invests in Xeikon 3000 Series to expand its labeling business
Friday 10. September 2010 - Xeikon digital label press enables printer to meet growing demand for high-impact labels and deliver with just-in-time production
Xeikon, legendary for pioneering the first digital color presses, is pleased to announce that AS PRINT, a trade print specialist based in entjur, Slovenia, has recently invested in a Xeikon 3000 Series digital label press. Renowned for its superb print quality and ability to print on almost any substrate, the press will enable AS PRINT to offer its clients a new level of innovation and create labels that deliver true visual impact.
AS PRINT specializes in small print runs and offers its clients a full range of graphical art services ranging from consulting and graphic design to prepress, printing and binding. The company prides itself on providing the latest printing technology whereby the addition of the Xeikon 3000 creates new business opportunities for the company.
“The latest technology offered by the Xeikon 3000 opens up a whole new world of possibilities for us,” says Andrej Rojc, Director of AS PRINT. “The capability of handling an unlimited print length was also a key assessment criterion for us. It guarantees a steady production capacity independent from the amount of colors used nor the size of the labels,” adds Rojc. “This is another area where I believe Xeikon is far ahead of the competition.”
Reacting quickly to customer demands
The move to digital label production for AS PRINT has been driven by customer demand. “Customers are now looking to conduct real-life marketing tests to ensure specific colors are reproduced on their labels,” explains Rojc. “With its ability to handle short runs cost effectively, the Xeikon 3000 enables us to offer numerous trail versions followed by just-in-time production – as soon as we receive the green light. Because we go directly from design to print, we can react fast to inevitable last minute changes and offer the same day delivery. That’s a clear advantage of digital printing!” Rojc adds.
Finishing makes the difference
Labels play a crucial role in improving shelf impact of a product. But that extra special touch can be achieved by applying a unique finish to the label. The Xeikon 3000 is available with a DCoat finishing line included – delivering a total solution that streamlines production by printing and finishing labels in a single pass. “The choice to take the DCoat option was a simple one for us,” explains Rojc. “A printer without good finishing is simply not useful – especially in the field of self-adhesive labels.”
The DCoat finishing line is completely servo-driven and offers a range of finishing operations: UV-vanish, high gloss or lamination, semi and full rotary die cutting, slitting, matrix stripping and dual rewind.
The Xeikon 3000
Featuring a unique combination of true 1,200 x 3,600 dpi resolution and 4-bit dot density, the Xeikon 3000 delivers high-impact labels, rich in color depth and subtle contrasts for photorealistic images. The five-unit press features the ability to print the four standard process colors along with opaque white, spot colors or a security toner.
The Xeikon 3000 runs on Xeikon QA-I toner which combines the benefits of a chemically produced toner with the performance of a traditionally produced tone and is compliant with FDA-regulations for indirect and direct food contact. The press can print on scalable widths and an unmatched range of substrates from self-adhesive films including co-extruded film, paper, transparent and opaque foils, and paperboard with weights ranging from 40 to 350 gsm (27 lb text to 122 lb cover). The dry toner electrophotography imaging process enables the use of conventional substrates without coating or pre-treatment.
Featuring a top speed of 9,6m/min and a duty cycle of 350,000m/month, the Xeikon 3000 is the perfect entry-level label printer. If increased speed or higher productivity is required in the near future, the machine can easily be upgraded in the field to the Xeikon 3300 without having to compromise on the print quality. Boasting a top speed of 19.2m/min, the Xeikon 3300 is one of the fastest label printers on the market today.
The Xeikon 3000 can also easily be upgraded to the new Xeikon 3030 entry-level press recently announced.
For job preparation, the Xeikon 3000 comes equipped with the open, scalable and modular X-800 Digital Front-End (DFE), combining pre-press function, including a high-speed RIP, color management module and and step-and-repeat function. The system is also equipped to handle complex operations in a simple way, such as sequential numbering and barcodes which are frequently used in the label market.