Canon has developed a water-based inkjet digital label press, with LabelStream LS2000 to be demonstrated during drupa 2024 and then become commercially available in early 2025.
Canon entered the digital label printing market back in 2018 with the development o the original LabelStream 4000 press. This was a UV inkjet press developed in collaboration with Edale and FFEI. Whilst Xaar has since acquired FFEI, Edale has become part of the Canon Production Printing group structure.
Now though, Canon has moved to reposition itself in the digital label printing market with a water-based inkjet press. Specifically, LabelStream LS2000 runs at up to 40m/min, printing CMYK plus white on self-adhesive substrates, including paper and film. A new inkset has been designed to comply with food safety standards. These are high-density, water-based polymer inks that have been developed specifically for a new printhead by Canon. Containing highly saturated pigments and producing a wide colour gamut, the inks form a very thin layer on the substrate that is claimed to reduce the scattering of light, ‘resulting in superb colour reproduction.’ White ink comes as standard and allows for printing on transparent film and other media. It also produces high-opacity white, which can be used as an undercoat for other inks for vivid and clear colour printing.
The aforementioned printhead offers a 2400 x 1200dpi resolution and features an ink circulation mechanism that keeps the ink moving along a precise flow path to the tips of all the nozzles, helping to minimise nozzle failure due to clogging and helping to extend the life of the printhead. Printhead maintenance and quality control are automated, as is colour measurement and adjustment. The digital front end offers tight workflow integration.
Canon has identified LabelStream LS2000 as a being suitable for converters operating in a variety of end-use markets and seeking a ‘reliable, productive and flexible digital press that fulfils the demand for shorter runs of diverse, self-adhesive labels, produced against tighter deadlines.’
Jennifer Kolloczek, EMEA planning, marketing and innovation senior director, production print at Canon Europe, said, ‘While demand for labels continues to grow, converters are facing challenges, such as the increasing trend of shorter runs and the production of high-quality labels on demand, which continue to drive the adoption of digital printing technology.
‘As our first water-based inkjet label press, the LabelStream LS2000 will offer converters the reliable productivity and speed needed to meet their customers’ demands and, thanks to its versatility and expected food safety compliance, will allow them to diversify their offering.’
LabelStream LS2000 is expected to become available in the EMEA region in early 2025, although visitors to drupa 2024 will be amongst the first to witness the output diversity of the LabelStream LS2000 on the Canon stand.
