Canon has made significant upgrades to its LabelStream 4000 digital label press, addressing the needs of label converters.

New improvements include an optional orange colour channel, a screen-like high-opacity white ink, and enhanced usability for greater production efficiencies.

With the LabelStream’s expanded colour capability, optional orange and white ink channels make it easier to match a wider range of brand colours, and achieve the highest white opacity without compromising on quality or reliability, according to Canon. The new white ink channel achieves up to 80% opacity at 36 m/min in a single pass. Coupled with existing opacities of more than 70% at 50 m/min and more than 65% at 75m/min, a wide range of performance levels are available.

In summer 2019, Canon introduced new print modes and upped the top speed of the press that marked its entry into digital label printing when launched in 2018.

Canon has also now introduced entry-level and hybrid configurations for the LabelStream 4000 Series.

The LabelStream 4000 Core unit is described as, ‘the ideal first step into the world of high performance, UV inkjet printing.’ Built on a cost-efficient, yet powerful base unit, it provides the option to expand the press set-up to meet the converter’s needs. The entry-level configuration offers a print speed of up to 75m/min and two print width set-ups of 330mm or 410mm. UV inkjet printing can be complemented with UV flexo units for spot colours, varnishing and coating.

For more complex applications, the LabelStream 4000 Hybrid configuration offers a custom mix of UV flexo, embellishment and finishing units, turning it into a fully integrated, single-pass label conversion line. This mix of conventional and digital technologies enables a complete inline production of high-quality self-adhesive labels.

Crit Driessen, vice president and head of digital packaging, Canon Production Printing, commented, ‘With Canon’s continuous commitment to enhance the functionalities of the LabelStream 4000 series, our customers can benefit from innovative capabilities to increase uptime and achieve greater production efficiencies, while relying on the quality of the printer’s output to help fuel profits. With this series, label converters can drive growth opportunities with labels of exceptional quality and with customisation abilities to add value to their prints.’