EFI Announces Wider, Faster Jetrion for Label Printing

EFI announced its next-generation digital label press, the Jetrion 4830 UV Inkjet System. With a wider web width and faster linear speeds, the new printer increases throughput by over two times compared to the market leading Jetrion 4000.

Powered by EFI Fiery XF RIP, the system provides seamless workflow integration and is capable of advanced spot-color matching. Its white-ink capability enables printing on clear film, which allows label printers to respond to a more diverse customer base. It will be shown for the first time later this month at Labelexpo in Brussels (Sept 23-26, 2009). Unlike many of the competitive digital label presses which will just be demonstrated at Labelexpo, the 4830 will be immediately available.

The Jetrion 4830 prints 8.3-inches (21 cm) wide, enabling 2-up 4-inch labels. The wider print zone allows label converters to efficiently take on more print jobs. And with its new higher speed print mode of greater than 120 feet per minute (36.6 meters per minute), the new system increases productivity significantly.

“As the leading provider of UV inkjet label solutions worldwide, we have acquired a great deal of experience in label printing—we have listened to and learned from our customers,” said Ken Stack, general manager of EFI Jetrion. “With the Jetrion 4830 we are adding the wider width and faster speeds the market has requested. Plus, our new white ink is the industry’s first single-pass, overprintable white to offer opacity and brightness rivaling flexo, and is superior compared to other digital devices. This is what our customers have asked for in a digital label press. As the world’s largest UV inkjet ink producer, we can offer aggressive, tiered ink pricing that reinforces our position versus costly click-charge models as the lowest running cost solution on the market.”

As with the 4000, the Jetrion 4830 is designed to provide users with flexible output options for greater application versatility, including the unique ability to print direct to pre-printed rolls or on pre die-cut labels. Taking this one step further, the 4830 uses its precise re-registration capabilities and a new reverse rewind feature to offer full-color, dual-sided printing with less than one minute of changeover. This is markedly faster and more efficient than dual-sided printing done on a flexo press or other digital devices. It is ideal for pharmaceutical, nutriceutical and hang tag applications.

Built on the robust Jetrion 4000 industrial platform, the Jetrion 4830 offers proven reliability. The system delivers excellent print quality via advanced grayscale printhead technology and wide-gamut UV inks, giving printers the means to deliver richly colored labels more cost effectively. The award-winning Fiery XF RIP extends color accuracy even further. Dynamic Wedge, which defines key colors, ensures accuracy for color-critical jobs. Enhanced Spot Color Simulation allows one-click spot-color matching. And advanced calibration includes linearization tools using automatic, numerical and visual techniques. EFI’s Fiery RIP also enables a PDF workflow with EFI XFlow which includes pre-flight and correction modules for automatic print data optimization.

The Jetrion 4830 also features improved tension control, ensuring consistent image quality throughout the roll while simultaneously reducing waste. Smart brake technology protects lightweight or perforated substrates.

The system’s variable data printing (VDP) capability enables one-on-one custom marketing and track and trace capabilities, giving users another means to gain new business. In addition to its standard UV inkjet inks which have a broad color gamut and are very durable, Jetrion also offers custom inks with fluorescent dyes and nanotechnology markers into its formulations. Combined with the Jetrion’s native ability to provide full VDP, customers have an effective brand authentication and protection solution.

“We are extremely pleased with both our Jetrion 4000’s and look forward to seeing what the new 4830 can provide. Our 4000 has been instrumental in allowing us to compete and be successful in markets that we could not venture into earlier,” said Tony Heinl, executive vice president of Repacorp.

“With all of the new features of the Jetrion 4830, the system is still remarkably easy to use,” said Mr. Stack. “Printers can now offer self-adhesive as well as unsupported labels, identification tags, bumper stickers—the applications are endless. And at the same time, they will be more productive and more profitable.”