German label printer InForm Etiketten has installed a Xeikon CX3 to increase its production capacity and flexibility, whilst balancing its efforts to be more sustainable and environmentally conscious.
Based in Ansbach, InForm Etiketten specialises in producing labels for the food and chemical industries, as well as for wines and spirits. The company deploys a range of printing processes, such as offset and digital printing. This includes Xeikon dry toner technology, initially through a 3300 digital press, and this year with the addition of a CX3.
Inform Etiketten has identified toner-based digital printing as delivering a printed image that is closer to offset and of a higher quality than any inkjet system is said to be currently able to achieve. Dry toner can be used on a wide variety of different materials, eliminating the need for pre-treated substrates. Also cited is the benefit of toner being safe and expressly suitable for printing labels for the food industry, which represents a large part of InForm Etiketten’s customer base.
The ever-decreasing lot sizes in label printing were a further reason for strengthening the company’s digital capabilities. The short set-up times enable InForm Etiketten to fulfil the demand for short, personalised runs in an economically viable way.
The printer also has a long-standing commitment to sustainability and protecting the environment. Its latest investment in dry toner printing has been made to support this.
Dr Benjamin Rüdt von Collenberg, COO at InForm Etiketten, said, ‘Digital print is in a league of its own, enabling runs as short as a single unit as well as serial codes, numbering, the addition of addresses and low set-up costs. Today, it also allows high gradients – provided you have a state-of-the-art toner printer.’
He continued, ‘Every industry has its own specifications, which play a vital role in the design and production of high-quality labels and which we adapt to individually. The chemical industry places great emphasis on resistance and adhesive characteristics, whereas the food sector focuses on migration, conformity, sustainability and high image quality. Labels for wines and luxury spirits are design objects, required to carry emotions through high-quality finishing. We have the right attitude and the right technology, particularly with digital print.’
