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Harper Corporation of America Wins Golden Cylinder Award

Global anilox roll supplier Harper Corporation of America is proud to announce that it has won a coveted Golden Cylinder award from the Gravure Association of the Americas (GAA) for its cutting-edge QDTM Ink Proofing Flat Bed Multi-Process Printing System. Companies from across the country submitted their best technology in the gravure industry for consideration. All entries were judged by an expert panel of designers, educators, publishers, and other professionals with extensive knowledge and experience in the industry. After two days of tough scrutiny and deliberation, Harper Corporation was selected as an award winner for meeting or exceeding the standards in its class.

The QDTM Ink Proofing Flat Bed Multi-Process Printing System is the most versatile flatbed lab printing system available. It is available in a standard 2.75-inch as well as a 5-inch print width and can simulate direct and offset gravure, imaged and full coverage, along with direct gravure laminating of two sheets. It can also provide full coverage and imaged ITR (in the round EPDM) and plate flexo printing processes. This versatile system has either a manual or motored flatbed table which can be configured with several different printing process heads. The gravure heads are supplied with Harper Corporation’s exclusive XDI laser-engraved ceramic cylinders custom engraved with the customer’s design.

Harper Corporation of America was honored to accept this prestigious award during the GAA Technical Forum in Charlotte, North Carolina, on September 18, 2014. Harper Corporation is committed to providing exceptional printing technology as a leader in the industry and is an active member of the GAA and supports its mission.

APR Partners with Nuova Gidue

All Printing Resources is excited to announce a technical partnership with press manufacturer Nuova Gidue, recent winner of The Award for Innovation at The Label Industry Global Awards 2014. This relationship includes the installation of Gidue’s revolutionary M5 UV flexo press at APR’s Technical Center located in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.

The M5 flexo press includes the latest innovations from Gidue, and fully automates the workflow, setup, and running of the press to achieve unsurpassed process consistency, efficiency, and cost reductions. This press, when combined with state-of-the-art expanded-gamut technology, allows flexo to compete on very short runs with digital presses.

APR is hosting the Gidue M5 17-inch-wide UV press in its Glendale Heights, Illinois, tech center, and the press will be ready for customer demonstrations beginning October 13th. APR is also offering technical support when needed to maximize the benefits seen from this revolutionary technology, including training and support for expanded-gamut printing.

“We are very excited to have the M5 press in our facility and really feel this is a way for flexo to cost-effectively compete with digital technology for short runs while still offering all the advantages of flexo printing. We look forward to having customers visit our facility to see for themselves the benefits of Gidue’s technology and believe our Technical Support Group (TSG) can add value to assure customers a return on their investment in Gidue,” says Dave Nieman, CEO, All Printing Resources.

APR is hosting, along with Gidue and their REVO partners, an Open House at their Glendale Heights facility on November 12th and 13th. Live demonstrations of the M5 press will be presented, along with other innovative technologies.

First edition of The Inkjet Conference exceeds expectations Impressive line-up of industry leaders reveal innovations in inkjet technology for industrial markets to 300+ attendees

As fast-paced developments in inkjet printing technology are opening traditional industrial applications to digital printing such as packaging, textile, plastics and many more, ESMA is staging ‘The Inkjet Conference’ (www.theijc.com), sponsored by enabling partner drupa, for the very first time at the Swissôtel in Neuss (Düsseldorf), Germany, on September 30 and October 1 2014.

“The interest in inkjet for industrial applications has been overwhelming." says Steve Knight, Founder of Digital Direct, who runs The Inkjet Conference on ESMA's behalf. "An impressive line-up of industry leaders will share their insights with over 300 attendees - all interested in the further opportunities this great technology has to offer. We anticipated that our conference fills a void in the market today but are extremely happy with the buy-in and confidence of these great firms - 37 exhibitors have registered ranging from well-known names in print to totally new players entering this market. The two conference days are well filled with 41 speakers so the rooms will be buzzing with ideas and propositions on inkjet. ”

Steve Knight further comments: “Inkjet is the fastest growing area of print. The rapid evolution of core technologies is driving cross market adoption of digital imaging with huge economic benefits, and while some market sectors are still in the 10’s of machines, others are in the 1000’s. Digital print in automotive interior is to be expected next year and so is direct printing on beverages and secondary packaging. Furthermore, labels, ceramics, textiles and packaging are all fast-growing sectors and represent a multi-billion euro business that is expanding rapidly.”

Peter Buttiens, CEO of ESMA comments: “Technical advances in inks, printheads software and electronics are being aided by a growing integration know-how. In turn, improvements in image quality are being driven by further research in inks and surface treatments, curing and drying. As a result, this improved image quality is driving further market adoption.”

The inkjet conference brings together industry and academic leaders in their fields to speak about the latest advances and future developments driving digital print and offers a great networking opportunity to meet both the presenters and the market leaders from their respective industries. The two-day, multi-subject educational conference has been developed specifically for inkjet equipment manufacturers. It includes:

• A focus on inkjet engineering and the placing of a million drops that will feature hardware and software aspects of equipment design and manufacture. Areas touched on will include fluid systems, precision engineering, printheads, digital asset management, RIPs, colour calibration and workflow.
• A review on fluid and ink components such as nano particles, conductive, aqueous and UV inks.
• An academic track open to all universities and non-commercial research institutes to present their work.

Sabine Geldermann, Director of drupa: “The conference supports precisely our “Touch the Future” focus, theme and claim of drupa 2016. It is responding to the rapid market changes and is stimulating new and important visitor target groups with state-of-the-art technologies and new solutions.”

Martin Stegelmeier, Senior Project Manager for PEPSO (Printed Electronics Products and Solutions) of Messe Düsseldorf, points out that “PEPSO connects seamlessness with inkjet technology. Many new materials and application developments are connecting with this upcoming conference and are a springboard towards drupa 2016!”

The conference consists of over 30 different presentations with topics as varied as:

• Membrane Pumps in Inkjet Printers – a success story, Andreas Hauri (KNF Flodos)
• UV-LED Systems and Integration, Patrick Montali (PrintabLED)
• Piezo Inkjet for Precision Dispensing of Functional Materials, Steve Liker (Trident)
• System Integration: an Ink Point of View , Frank De Voeght (Chemstream)
• Improving Inkjet Industry by Implementing Intelligent Sensors, Martin Kurtz (Balluff GmbH)
• Industrial Inkjet for Packaging- Beyond the Box, Holly Steedman (Indujet GmbH)
• Limitations and Benefits of Industrial Inkjet Printing, John Corrall (Industrial Inkjet Ltd.)
• Utilizing the Full Power of the Computer Hardware, Frédéric Soulier (Caldera)

The academic track also displays the latest in inkjet technology:

• Advanced Drop Watching (iPrint Institute, University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland)
• Carbon Nano-Forms Suspensions for Inkjet Printing Energy Applications (Department of Chemistry, University of Torino)
• Silver micro size distribution and printing technique influences on coatings for flexible electronics
• Inkjet printing of functional materials for energy applications
• Inkjet printing and sintering techniques of functional layers for electronic applications

iSys Label announces partnership with Konica Minolta

iSys Label, Canadian developer and manufacturer of short to mid run digital label printers, is pleased to announce a new partnership with Konica Minolta through their North American distributor, IntoPrint Technologies.

Beginning in the Fall of 2013, iSys Label and IntoPrint Technologies worked with Konica Minolta to broker a deal to add the IntoPrint EDGE 850 and IntoPrint digital finisher to the Konica Minolta product portfolio, starting in North America with plans to expand on a global front in the future. Randy Rickert, Director of iSys Label, states “I can’t tell you how excited we are to have Konica Minolta representing the Intoprint EDGE 850. By using Konica Minolta’s existing vertical markets, we will be able to reach a larger demographic with our short run label printers in a more effective and efficient way.”

The EDGE 850 digital label printer was developed for the short run, on-demand label market. Compact enough to sit on a desk, it can print at speeds up to 9.14 m/min. and makes light work of printing on self-adhesive label stock, tag stock, approved films and synthetics with a media width range of 6.0” up to 8.5” and print lengths up to 700 feet. Designed for in-house production of labels, users will be capable of printing 2000 labels in less than 20 minutes and have the finished roll ready for finishing equipment. And because the EDGE 850 is renowned for printing single-pass, die-cut label labels, you can also go from printer to applicator in one step.

The digital cutter is a label finishing system that delivers accurate single point registration cutting with lamination, waste matrix removal, slitting and rewinding. Built for the short run, on-demand label market, the digital cutter complements the EDGE 850 and allows for a complete workflow solution. “The demand for finishing equipment has intensified, especially in the digital environment. Pairing iSys’s label printing technology with the latest technology in finishing equipment results in a label that looks great but is also protected from the elements and has extra durability for repeat handling,” said Mark Hopkins, President of iSys Label.

The official launch will take place in the upcoming weeks, with Konica Minolta showing both products in booth #1231 at the upcoming Graph Expo show taking place in Chicago, IL, from September 28th to October 1st at McCormick Place.

3rd Specialty Films and Flexible Packaging Global Conference meets a resounding success

The Two day, 3rd Specialty Films and Flexible Packaging Global Conference 2014 was held at Hotel Grand Hyatt in Mumbai on 25^th, 26^th September 2014. The conference was organised by Elite Plus Business Services (EPBS) & The Chemicals & Petrochemicals Manufacturers Association (CPMA), with over 750 participants representing 340 companies from over 21 Countries in attendance.

Flexible packaging and speciality Films consumes approximately 3 MMT of polymers per annum and valued at approximately US $ 8 Billion. The sector is growing at over 10% CARG and likely to grow even at higher rates as the retail way of life is setting in India. The Global packaging Industry is valued at approximately US$ 695 Billion out of which Flexible plastic packaging accounts for US $ 138 Billion. Other forms of packaging are Board, Rigid plastics, Metal and Glass.  North America, Western Europe and Asia each have approximately 25% share of Flexible packaging.

The Conference brought the Leaders from Leading companies across the world, to share the latest innovations driving the market.  They highlighted the emerging technologies in the packaging industry that are expected to increase shelf life, reduce cost and are lightweight.

Opening session Keynote speakers were doyens of Indian and International packaging industry. Machinery and raw material suppliers , such as Peter Steinbeck, Managing Partner, Windmöller & Hölscher ; Laurence Fraser Jones, Vice President, Marketing Centre - Film & Fibre, Borouge Pte Ltd. ; Harpreet Singh Tibb, Director, Marketing, India & South Asia, Kellogg and Atul Bhatia, Director- Research, Development & Quality, Mondelez International.

The key note address by them covered diverse topics such as Expanding Role of Plastics in Packaging World ; The Trends in the Converting World ; Technological Innovations for Economical Film Production ; Trends in Flexible Packaging;Packaging and the New Age Consumer; Emerging Technical Challenges for Flexible Packaging Applications; Challenges and Opportunities for the Flexible Packaging Industry; Responsible Growth; The Story of Haldiram, its Growth and the Relevance of Packaging in this Journey and FMCG Challenges & Role of Packaging.

A Lively Panel Discussion on “End User and Convertors – Two Sides of the Same Coin” was one of the highlights of the conference. The panellists were the leading convectors and the end users of the industry.

The presentations were thought provoking, generated lots of ideas and take away for the participants. The topics covered included:  Polyolefins in Flexible Packaging; Developments in Speciality & Barrier Polymer; Developments in Film Processing Technology; Property Enhancement and Converting Technologies; End Users’ Perspective; Film Applications for Specialized Retail; Package, Printing & Converting; and Special Packaging Processes & Applications

The conference brought together under one roof, all sectors connected to the Speciality Films and Packaging sector from resin producer to end users. Niche segments of Commodity polymer, Specialty Polymer, Functional additives, Primary processing machinery, Secondary processing machinery, Lamination and Printing, Cutting and slitting Machines, sustainability Experts, Brand Managers of FMCG and Food & Dairy Products, and End consumers etc., all participated in huge numbers.

Global giants in the manufacture of plastic converting machinery were present in full force and demonstrated new range of high throughput machines, which are now available. These machines conserve energy and provide better tolerance to the finished product. Advances in digital printing were showcased. Digital printing enable constant online change on batches to have shorter runs of a few hundred meters of film as well as reduces considerably time required to prepare sample output and are ideally suited for test marketing of packaging with very small runs of end product packs.

Dr. Devdutt Patnaik, Management Guru addressed the important Issue of “Organisation Culture as Key to Success” in the evening speech. Dinner speech by Mr Ashok Chaturvedi, Founder Chairman and Managing Director, Ulfex Ltd. was the special highlight. He dealt in detail on how an entrepreneur struggles in the beginning to establish himself. Survival is the priority over R.O.I. After a certain point, innovations, CSR and resource utilisation takes over. He talked about recyclability of plastics and how his company is making innovative products from recycled plastics. He was very optimistic about the growth of Indian Economy.

The organizers also presented Lifetime Achievement Awards to Peter Steinbeck, Managing Partner, Windmöller & Hölscher recognising his contributions globally to Innovations in Flexible Packaging machinery. W&H has a 145 years long history of innovation and excellence. Overall, 32 speakers , 11 panelists and 9 session chairpersons addressed all aspects of this vibrant industry and provided tremendous insight into the bright future for sustained growth of this industry.

This 3rd Specialty Films and Flexible Packaging Global Conference – 2014 was a resounding success. Delegates were delighted with the presentations content and the opportunity it provided to network with industry peers. All look forward for the 4th edition in 2015.

Telrol Group chooses Xeikon for the third time in a row

Xeikon announces that Telrol Group, one of Europe's largest producers of labels, has commissioned a third Xeikon 3300. The new machine is equipped with ICE toner. Telrol Group's head office is in Almere in the Netherlands. Over the years, Telrol has grown into a group of companies (Peha Labels, Biolabel, HACCP Label, LMG Ribbons, Kolibri Labels en Q-Tronics) by means of suitable acquisitions. Telrol was partly taken over in August by Hansol Paper, a conglomerate quoted on the stock exchange. The group, with a turnover of 150 million euros, continues to be run by its joint owner and CEO Hoessein Hadaoui.

Telrol produces a broad range of labels for various sectors, such as food, retail, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, household and personal care, logistics and chemicals. The group has more than 70 printing presses and finishing machines. Its state-of-the-art machines consist of equipment for digital, flexographic, screen, offset, book and rotogravure printing, among others. Telrol serves its clients throughout Europe from various distribution centers in different countries.

The company installed its first Xeikon 3300 press, equipped with QA-I toner, in 2009. A second one followed in 2011. A decisive factor in choosing these machines was that QA-I toner, just like ICE toner, is suitable for food packaging applications according to FDA standards and also meets European packaging standards. A major part of Telrol's turnover comes from labels that are used in the food sector.

Hoessein Hadaoui explains why Telrol has bought a third Xeikon press: "We are very satisfied with the performance of the Xeikon 3300 machines. We have therefore started a process for installing Xeikon digital printing presses. With the installation of the third machine, which is equipped with ICE toner, we have additional capabilities in comparison with QA-I toner for expanding our use of Xeikon technology in other locations in our group."

“That a leading company such as Telrol, the benchmark in Europe, has chosen Xeikon for the third time in a row, shows that our solutions satisfy the needs of this market", says Filip Weymans, Xeikon's Director of Segment Marketing Labels & Packaging. "This also confirms that we have made the right choices so far, and that motivates us to raise the bar even higher."

Global Vision joins Enfocus Crossroads programme to provide quality control tools for Enfocus customers

Global Vision and Enfocus announced that Global Vision has joined the Enfocus Crossroads programme as a Technology Partner. The partnership kick-off is marked by the introduction of the Global Vision BarProof PDF barcode verification module, an off-the-shelf tool that smoothly integrates with the Enfocus Switch workflow automation solution.

"Global Vision is a renowned provider of industry leading prepress quality control tools for artwork, text, Braille and barcodes. We're very pleased to welcome them as a complementary technology partner. With the launch of the BarProof configurator, we will be able to offer significant time savings to Enfocus Switch users when it comes to barcode verification in prepress workflows." says Angelo Manno, Global Accounts Manager Partners & OEM, Enfocus.

Global Vision provides automated quality control solutions designed for prepress and printers to verify artwork, barcodes, Braille and text to ensure accuracy of components within packaging artwork. BarProof is the industry's first barcode verification module that automatically locates, decodes & grades barcodes in PDF files to provide detailed reports on barcode quality, including bar width reduction and magnification values.

Enfocus Switch is a modular and open software solution that is built to give organizations of all sizes a seamless way to manage the documents they need to support their business. Switch easily integrates with an organization’s existing systems and connects the third-party applications they use to create, produce, and share documents. Once connected, Switch becomes the glue that seamlessly pulls these applications together into a customized production workflow. No matter who creates the document, what format it is in, or how it will be output, the workflow connected by Switch ensures users can process it in less time, with less effort and at less cost.

"With thousands of artwork files to be processed each day, time savings is of the essence for prepress and printers,” explained Reuben Malz, President, Global Vision. “With the BarProof configurator for Enfocus Switch, we are providing further automation capabilities to Enfocus Switch users to verify barcodes within PDF files and proofs as part of their prepress quality control while reducing overall inspection times."

Crossroads is a tight-knit network of Enfocus Switch users and vendors. Switch easily integrates and then automates functionalities derived from applications like Global Vision's BarProof. A visual flow editor assists users in easily creating automated workflows from scratch or import predesigned flows from the Enfocus Crossroads community website.

Global Vision will be releasing future configurators for other applications including ArtProof, the first Mac-based artwork inspection solution, to automate artwork inspection for prepress PDF files including booklets.

Global Vision and Enfocus will be showcasing the new BarProof configurator at Graph Expo 2014 in Chicago, IL September 28 - October 1, 2014.

Sun Chemical launches new SunGraphics Rubber Flood Plates for the Corrugated Market

In order to accommodate printers that need to print large sheets for POP displays and other applications without joining together multiple smaller plates, Sun Chemical introduced its new SunGraphics Rubber Flood Plates for the corrugated printing market.

The SunGraphics Rubber Flood Plates allows printers to use a one-piece plate and eliminate joining together plates to meet the larger sizes required by end users, while maintaining solid continuous uniform color throughout large displays or sheets.

“Corrugated printers have come to us needing to flood coat large sheets for corrugated displays, but wanting to remove the join lines that occur when two small plates are put together,” said Kreg Keesee, Vice President, Graphic Services, Sun Chemical. “Our new Rubber Flood Plates allow customers to meet that requirement and eliminate the need to join smaller plates together. Not only do they produce a better product that meet brand owner requirements, it also improves efficiencies and reduces lead times and costs for our corrugated printer partners by not having to outsource.”

The Rubber Flood Plates work with a conventional press set-up, requiring no special configurations for the press, and are a one-piece flood coat plate that can provide coverage up to 62” x 110”. A glue-free system that uses standard materials and normal mounting procedures, Rubber Flood Plates are recommended for water-based ink applications as they are made of natural rubber, which provide strength, resilience and abrasion resistance.

To learn more about Sun Chemical’s SunGraphics Rubber Flood Plates, visit booth #417 during Corrugated Week from September 28-October 1, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel & Long Beach Convention Center or visit www.sunchemical.com.

Alwan Color Expertise releases the latest version of its Multicolor PDF server and G7 Process Control solutions on GraphExpo

Alwan Color Expertise, a leader in color control and standardization technologies announces the release of version 5 of its color management & control suite of Software guaranteeing color accuracy and consistency across printing technologies. The interconnection of the complete software solution optimizes the print production workflow connecting Alwan ColorHub, Alwan PrintStandardizer and Alwan PrintVerifier. This optimized workflow now enables print buyers and printers to agree on aims and tolerances for each print job and make sure that visuals and brand colors are reproduced accurately and within agreed upon tolerances.

The new Alwan Suite offers numerous and unique advantages for each print application:

Packaging Printing

Consumer Products Companies can define their brand colors using CxF/X-4 spectral color definition. A description of the expected color for each printing process and media can be included in the CxF/X-4 metadata. Alwan Color Suite can carry this information throughout the workflow, color manage it for optimal proofing and printing on 4, 5, 6 & 7 color process HiFi output, and assess its reproduction conformance based on standard or custom tolerances.

Specialty Printing

Printing processes that are different from ink on paper such as textile, ceramics, etc. require specific color management. The new Alwan Suite embeds technologies that allow printers to calibrate, characterize and maintain the stability of any printing process using any colorant and any substrate with virtually no limit. All color operations performed by Alwan Suite are documented by PDF, XML as well as online reporting systems that can be shared among supply chain stakeholders.

Commercial Printing

Print Buyer's can choose printing aims from US CGATS TR.21 seven standard Color Reference Printing Conditions ranging from small (newspaper) to large (digital). They can also choose printing tolerances for a job from 3 levels of conformance, stringent (level A), normal (level B) or relaxed (level C). Once printing aims and tolerances are chosen, they will be used by Alwan Color Suite's Color Management with Alwan ColorHub, Process Control with Alwan PrintStandardizer, and Color Conformance with Alwan PrintVerifier, ensuring that agreed on aims and tolerances are achieved.