Screen is moving forward with its entry into the digital flexible packaging market in Europe, with the Truepress Pac 830F expected to be available for demonstrations in the next few months, with the first press shipped later this year.
Truepress Pac 830F was introduced last year as part of a portfolio overhaul by the inkjet digital printing specialist. This was followed by the creation of a dedicated flexible packaging division, and the recruitment of Juan Cano to develop this side of the business.
The Truepress Pac 830F has been specifically designed to produce short printing runs in a cost-effective manner at 75m/min and with the ability to print up to 20-22 jobs per day. It can handle substrates of up to 830mm wide at a print resolution of 1200dpi using CMYK and white water-based inks. Screen expects this new press to be available for demonstrations in the next few months, with the first press shipped later this year.
Mr Cano said, ‘The Truepress Pac 830F inkjet digital platform provides a much faster speed-to-market than flexo, gravure or offset printing presses, enabling flexible packaging converters to meet brand owners’ demand for shorter lead times.’
With the launch of the new inkjet digital press, Screen is responding to recent market trends, as Mr Cano explained. ‘The flexible packaging industry is experiencing a digital transformation. Nowadays, product packaging is seen as an extension of the brand, another medium to communicate directly with consumers and offer them a more personal experience. Personalisation and mass customisation in packaging significantly increases brands’ ability to capture customers’ attention on the shelf with new eye-catching designs.
‘As a result, the average run length is decreasing and brand owners are demanding shorter turnaround times with a higher degree of product diversification (more SKUs), segmentation and versioning to satisfy their needs for promotional campaigns, seasonal products, and more relevant content. That means lower volume print runs but ordered more frequently.
‘Only equipment with a 100% inkjet digital print engine can meet these requirements efficiently. For instance, inkjet digital printing allows converters to deliver an initial portion of a large print job quickly and then have the analogue press produce the remaining bulk of the work at a later stage, with indistinguishable packaging print quality on the shelf.’
He concluded, ‘The feedback we have received from the market on the print quality of the samples produced in the Truepress Pac 830F has been overwhelmingly impressive and consistent. Leading traditional flexible packaging converters have been impressed with the outstanding image sharpness, the high opacity level that our digital white produces, the smoother gradings to zero and the elements of tight registration.’
