Catherine Diamond, Associate Editor11.01.14
SPGPrints is a leading supplier of printing technology to the textile and graphics markets. It is best known for its supply of rotary screen and digital printing systems. It serves the textile, graphics, décor, packaging, wallpaper and industrial printing markets, with total solutions for rotary screen, UV digital inkjet processes and imaging solutions for flexo, dry offset, letterpress and rotary screen processes.
Since 2008, it has provided digital inkjet systems to the narrow web market. In both cases SPGPrints produces both the printing machines and the inks at its production center in Boxmeer, The Netherlands.
SPGPrints is the only UV inkjet label press manufacturer to also offer in-house inks. SPG’s own chemists are working closely with the machine builders, in the same building, optimizing the ink for the printheads.
At Labelexpo Americas 2014, SPGPrints launched its new low migration UV inkjet inks for food applications, to meet the demand for food safety.
According to Bas Hoijtink, commercial manager (graphics) at SPGPrints, there has been a strong interest in UV inkjet from food and pharmaceutical manufacturers, who, like other consumer goods suppliers, want to enjoy the vividness and resistance offered by the ink, combined with the short-run efficiencies offered by the digital process in general. Eliminating the cost of plates, imaging and associated set-up times make short runs economical.
“With low-migration UV inkjet inks that meet the stringent guidelines of the European Printing Ink Association (EuPIA), the Swiss Ordinance on Materials and Articles (SR 817.023.21) and the Nestlé Guidance on Packaging Inks, food brand owners and their packaging suppliers can offer the benefits of short runs and the assurance of safety,” Hoijtink said.
SPGPrints’ UV inkjet ink offers an industry standard of 93% optical density; UV inkjet inks offer BWS-7 light fastness and high chemical/scratch resistance.
SPGPrints’ system, the DSI UV inkjet label press, with speeds of up to 35m/min (114fpm), and visual resolution of more than 1000dpi in both directions, offers the modularity, high specification and ease of integration that is enabling customers to offer a service flexibility and smoothly switch from analog to digital process, Hoijtink added.
The press is available in four width options, from 135mm to 330mm; however, by special request, 400mm and 530mm options are available too.
“The DSI press offers modularity and high specification, with intermittent pinning and chill drum as standard,” Hoijtink said. “The chiller ensures stability when printing on heat-sensitive film substrates. The press offers the option to include up to 10 stations, including orange and violet, covering over 90% of the color gamut, and a digital primer. The press can be stand-alone or be integrated alongside a full range of converting equipment, thus allowing inline single-pass converting.”
Hoijtink said that SPGPrints’ customers are using its DSI press for micro- and shorter printing runs, in many cases, up to 10,000 feet and beyond.
“Our customers can achieve identical quality to analog on film and paper labels, and that enables them to schedule almost any self-adhesive label job on the DSI press,” he said.
Hoijtink added that SPGPrints’ UV inks are ideal for retail markets including food, beverage, wine and cosmetics because of their screen imitation opacity and vividness.
“The no-label look effect is one example,” he said. “The press is also being used for rapid sample printing and serial data, resulting in big improvements in tracking and tracing and warehousing for end users.
“The press is being used by flexo printers, who see a high-specification digital press as an essential addition to their workflow. They have faced greater demand for shorter printing runs because of the need for just-in-time situations, variable information printing, seasonal promotions, web-to-print and the growing number of SKUs.”
Since 2008, it has provided digital inkjet systems to the narrow web market. In both cases SPGPrints produces both the printing machines and the inks at its production center in Boxmeer, The Netherlands.
SPGPrints is the only UV inkjet label press manufacturer to also offer in-house inks. SPG’s own chemists are working closely with the machine builders, in the same building, optimizing the ink for the printheads.
At Labelexpo Americas 2014, SPGPrints launched its new low migration UV inkjet inks for food applications, to meet the demand for food safety.
According to Bas Hoijtink, commercial manager (graphics) at SPGPrints, there has been a strong interest in UV inkjet from food and pharmaceutical manufacturers, who, like other consumer goods suppliers, want to enjoy the vividness and resistance offered by the ink, combined with the short-run efficiencies offered by the digital process in general. Eliminating the cost of plates, imaging and associated set-up times make short runs economical.
“With low-migration UV inkjet inks that meet the stringent guidelines of the European Printing Ink Association (EuPIA), the Swiss Ordinance on Materials and Articles (SR 817.023.21) and the Nestlé Guidance on Packaging Inks, food brand owners and their packaging suppliers can offer the benefits of short runs and the assurance of safety,” Hoijtink said.
SPGPrints’ UV inkjet ink offers an industry standard of 93% optical density; UV inkjet inks offer BWS-7 light fastness and high chemical/scratch resistance.
SPGPrints’ system, the DSI UV inkjet label press, with speeds of up to 35m/min (114fpm), and visual resolution of more than 1000dpi in both directions, offers the modularity, high specification and ease of integration that is enabling customers to offer a service flexibility and smoothly switch from analog to digital process, Hoijtink added.
The press is available in four width options, from 135mm to 330mm; however, by special request, 400mm and 530mm options are available too.
“The DSI press offers modularity and high specification, with intermittent pinning and chill drum as standard,” Hoijtink said. “The chiller ensures stability when printing on heat-sensitive film substrates. The press offers the option to include up to 10 stations, including orange and violet, covering over 90% of the color gamut, and a digital primer. The press can be stand-alone or be integrated alongside a full range of converting equipment, thus allowing inline single-pass converting.”
Hoijtink said that SPGPrints’ customers are using its DSI press for micro- and shorter printing runs, in many cases, up to 10,000 feet and beyond.
“Our customers can achieve identical quality to analog on film and paper labels, and that enables them to schedule almost any self-adhesive label job on the DSI press,” he said.
Hoijtink added that SPGPrints’ UV inks are ideal for retail markets including food, beverage, wine and cosmetics because of their screen imitation opacity and vividness.
“The no-label look effect is one example,” he said. “The press is also being used for rapid sample printing and serial data, resulting in big improvements in tracking and tracing and warehousing for end users.
“The press is being used by flexo printers, who see a high-specification digital press as an essential addition to their workflow. They have faced greater demand for shorter printing runs because of the need for just-in-time situations, variable information printing, seasonal promotions, web-to-print and the growing number of SKUs.”