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Pat McGrew from Inkish interviews the team from Jetron at Label Expo about their LB3550 single-pass label press. The machine uses LED UV technology with a 350 mm print width and can print up to seven colors, including CMYK, orange, green, violet, white, and spot varnish. It combines two types of printheads: Epson heads for CMYK to achieve very fine details and Ricoh heads for white and varnish to deliver high opacity and density. The press is designed to produce high-quality, embellished labels for markets like cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals, and customers have been impressed by its quality and capabilities. Jetron focused on making the machine easy to use, with a simplified touch interface that allows operators to quickly select and print jobs without needing advanced computer skills, which is important for short-run digital jobs. They also developed their own workflow platform called Saga. This browser-based job management system handles prepress tasks such as file checks, color conversions, and trapping automatically, reducing errors and operator intervention. This ensures operators receive ready-to-print job orders with all critical settings preconfigured, improving consistency and minimizing waste. Saga integrates seamlessly with the press and is designed to help converters adopt digital printing easily, even in emerging markets where skilled operators and prepress expertise may be limited. Jetron positions the LB3550 as a cost-effective, low-barrier entry into digital printing while maintaining build quality and functionality, aiming to make the transition to digital and inkjet technology as smooth as possible for new users.
Pat McGrew from Inkish interviews Thomas Sawitsowski, Senior VP of Flexible Packaging at Actega, at Label Expo. Thomas announces that Actega has officially become a partner of HP for their digital presses, launching a new primer product line for the HP 6K and 8K machines. This collaboration allows printing on a wider range of substrates, reduces downtime, minimizes ghosting and ink transfer issues, and improves both quality and process efficiency, ultimately lowering costs for customers. The new primer also offers greater versatility, enabling printers to switch substrates without changing the primer, which reduces cleaning, maintenance, and waste while increasing uptime. Thomas explains that this leads to less off-spec material and longer continuous press runs, making the machines more productive. He adds that Actega offers not only primers but also overprint varnishes, providing complementary technologies that make them a valuable partner for digital printing applications beyond just one part of the process. He concludes by expressing excitement about the strengthened partnership with HP and the benefits it will bring to customers.
Wayne Beckett from Inkish interviews Tom from Four Pees at Label Expo in Barcelona. Tom explains that they are presenting two brands: Four Pees, which focuses on services and systems integration, and Atomyx, which brings print production, artwork processing, and connected automation to the cloud. He says traditional automation in printing has mostly been about moving files through production, while their current focus is on automating data exchange between different platforms like webshops, MIS systems, and production systems, which is a major IT challenge. Four Pees handles large integration projects as a systems integrator, while Atomyx aims to reduce the time and effort needed for these projects by simplifying integration. They work on connecting with front-end systems like Infigo and with marketplace platforms such as Cloudprinter and Gelato, which are expanding from commercial print into labels and packaging. Tom notes that adoption of these kinds of integrations is becoming increasingly important as disruption now happens on the demand side rather than just on the production side. He concludes by saying automation and workflow are rapidly growing areas in the industry, and they expect to meet again at Printing United and hopefully in Denmark early next year.
Wayne from Inkish interviews Nigel Walsh from Glunz & Jensen at Label Expo in Barcelona. Nigel explains that they are showcasing their latest LED technology on the 5280 format machine, which is an upscale from the 420 model they launched at Drupa named 520. The 5280 format opens up many more applications, becoming the go-to size for trade houses and in-house plate manufacturers, and it also creates opportunities to sell Glunz & Jensen’s other equipment, like dryers and light finishers. He highlights that LED offers consistency, reliability, repeatability, and a much longer lifespan compared to tube systems, while also being more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, saving about €15,000 over three years. The machines are manufactured in Presov, Slovakia, where all their equipment is built in-house. Glunz & Jensen is also working with Luscher under the HelioGraph Holdings group, cross-referring customers between Luscher’s imaging devices and Glunz & Jensen’s processing equipment. Nigel acknowledges that selling capital equipment is always challenging, but says Glunz & Jensen’s long-standing reputation for quality gives them an advantage. He ends by saying it’s still early in the show and hopes everything will be sold by the final day.
Jean from Inkish interviews Per Arild, CCO of Glunz & Jensen, at the Glunz & Jensen stand during LabelExpo. Per Arild explains that Glunz & Jensen first explored LED curing technology in 2012 but shelved it until a few years before drupa, when they launched their mid-web format Flex LED 420 system with great success. Building on that, they are now showcasing a larger wide-web 5280 system. Glunz & Jensen sees its technology as part of a toolbox where each method fits different applications. He highlights that moving from UV to LED brings better performance, quality, and consistent output with fewer fluctuations. Per Arild also mentions Glunz & Jensen’s efforts toward sustainability, such as producing in Slovakia since 2011, running their factory almost entirely on solar energy, and using LED lighting, emphasizing that while they are not trying to be extremely green, they aim to be environmentally conscious.
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