Ink World Magazine Breaking News

EFI Enters Agreement with Nazdar for Solvent Ink Manufacturing

Dave Savastano — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:56:00 -0500

EFI announced entry into a manufacturing agreement with Nazdar, wherein Nazdar will produce EFI's VUTEk and Inkware solvent inks, which are renowned for their phenomenal color quality, fantastic durability and superior printer performance. Nazdar is a longtime partner of EFI who distributes VUTEk printers and inks to the North American screenprint market.

"Nazdar has been a trusted partner of EFI for many years, and we are thrilled to be expanding our relationship with a company that has such a deep knowledge of solvent-based digital ink manufacturing," said Scott Schinlever, vice president and general manager of EFI‚s ink business. "EFI's ink customers will continue to receive superior products and service that they have come to expect over the last two decades, including the most consistent and durable inks that have been developed and optimized for their printing systems. EFI selected Nazdar to be their manufacturing partner due to their commitment to quality, consistency and reliability, which are cornerstones of EFI inks."

Though EFI's VUTEk and Inkware solvent ink will be manufactured by Nazdar, the inks will use current EFI's VUTEk and Inkware formulations, with the same warranty coverage offered, and will be manufactured to the same stringent quality-control requirements. VUTEk superwide inkjet printers provide the best image quality, most vibrant colors and finest consistency when printing with VUTEk and Inkware inks. VUTEk customers can run a multitude of jobs for indoor and outdoor applications with confidence, knowing that EFI has been an industry-leader for 20 years.

Nazdar has been producing inks and coatings since 1922, and for the digital printing industry since 1998, and received word in the year 2000 that their Quality Management System exceeds the International Standard ISO 9001. This is an industry-wide signal that Nazdar has achieved a standard of quality that extends from operations and manufacturing to customer service and product delivery.

"Nazdar is pleased to have this opportunity to expand our relationship with EFI," said Richard Bowles, vice president and general manager of Nazdar's inks and coatings division. "Nazdar can focus on what we do best ˆ manufacturing excellent digital inks to the exacting standards developed by VUTEk and Inkware."

The announcement of the extended partnership between EFI and Nazdar Inks and Coatings comes along with word that EFI expects to cease ink manufacturing at its Meredith, NH facility as part of its ongoing consolidation of its ink business, and will be manufacturing its UV-based and specialty digital inks at EFI's facility in Ypsilanti, MI.

SGP Partnership Announces Flint Group Joins SGP Patron Program

Dave Savastano — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:11:00 -0500

The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership welcomed the addition of
Flint Group to the SGP Patron program as a Bronze Patron. Flint Group joins numerous other companies that have demonstrated their commitment to sustainability by becoming an SGP Patron.

"As a major global manufacturer and supplier dedicated to the printing
industry, sustainability has been an important initiative within Flint Group for many years. So we naturally wanted to be part of this organization to promote the use of environmentally sound products and processes,” said Jim Rogers, vice president and general manager, North America of Flint Group Flexographic Products.

INX International Earns Rexam BCE Award for Fusion Bottle Can

Dave Savastano — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:07:00 -0500

INX International Ink Company recently was the recipient of the Rexam BCE Award for excellence in innovation. INX International received the honor for its work on the new ink system for the Fusion bottle can project, which Rexam is in the process of rolling out this year. Rexam is the world’s second largest consumer packaging group and the world’s leading beverage can maker, producing 55 billion cans per year primarily for the U.S., European and South American markets.

“The Fusion project was the continuation of a great working relationship between the world’s leading and most innovative beverage can maker and its most innovative ink supplier INX,” said Els Michiels, purchasing manager – supply chain for Rexam BCE.

“In today’s competitive world, it’s all about adding brand value and differentiation,” added John Reeves, Rexam’s marketing director. “Customers want to customize the bottle to suit their needs, whether it is the type of closure, the shape or the serving size. Fusion offers it in abundance with a full spectrum of ink and varnish finishes and debossing, and the design possibilities are endless.”

INX worked with Rexam to reformulate a system to be compatible with a specific overprint varnish on the lightweight and cost-effective 330 ml bottles. In conjunction with Klaas Moser, Rexam BCE’s ink and coating specialist, the Charlotte facility of INX International and the INX manufacturing site in Rochdale, England, worked with Alex Folloso and his team of chemists at the R & D department in West Chicago, IL, to optimize the rheology of the whole system in a matter of days. After making the bases in Rochdale and Charlotte and shipping them to Rexam, Tim Sullivan and John Shireman of INX helped match and blend the correct colors on site.

“This was a true demonstration of teamwork,” said Jonathan Ellaby, INX VP of international operations. “Our guys did a tremendous job of pulling everything together and helping Rexam produce good cans in less than two weeks. Their tireless efforts helped make this process a win-win situation for both parties, and they are most deserving of this award.”

The cans were manufactured at Rexam’s Beverage Technology Center in Elk Grove Village, IL. Rexam operates 16 facilities in the U.S. and another 35 in other parts of the world.

Van Son Introduces Vs9 UV Ink to Its Popular Vs Series

Dave Savastano — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:55:00 -0500

Van Son Holland Ink Corporation announced the introduction of Vs9, a UV-curable ink that is available in formulations for paper, hybrid and foil/plastic. Vs9 offers a flexibility that answers the growing demand for high quality UV applications, such as foils, static clings, and all types of consumer packaging and point of purchase materials. This ink dries almost instantly, allowing for a faster turnaround and lower emissions. Vs9 will replace Van Son’s current UV offering, Sonacure.

“Offering UV-cured printing as a value-added process for customers who want to convey a high quality image is fast becoming a standard for commercial printers,” said John Sammis, vice president of sales and marketing for Van Son. “We are excited about the increased capability, productivity and savings in time Vs9 will deliver, bringing bottom-line benefits to our customers – which is always our goal.”

Vs9is available in formulations for use on coated or uncoated paper, board stock, foil and plastic substrates, and on lacquered or corona-treated surfaces and will work with ease on any size press equipped with a UV-curing unit. It has excellent adhesion qualities, stays fresh overnight on-press, and has high-intensity pigmentation. Process colors, opaque white and the full range of Pantone standard and mixed colors are offered.

SGP Partnership Announces EIC Joins SGP Patron Program

Dave Savastano — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:04:00 -0500

The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership welcomed the addition of
Environmental Inks and Coatings to the SGP Patron program as a Bronze Patron. Environmental Inks and Coatings joins numerous other companies that have demonstrated their commitment to sustainability by becoming an SGP Patron.

"Joining the SGP was a natural fit for Environmental Inks and Coatings since we have been promoting environmental responsibility for 30 years,” said Paul Schroeder, CEO of Environmental Inks and Coatings.

The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership is a non-profit organization devoted to encouraging and promoting participation in the worldwide movement to reduce the environmental impact and increase the social responsibility of the print and graphic communication industry through sustainable green printing practices. Through the generous support of philanthropic companies like Environmental Inks and Coatings, the
SGP Partnership is able to keep fees low for printers to participate in the program.

Sun Chemical Works with Windmill Tapes as Ink Supplier of Choice

Dave Savastano — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:30:00 -0500

Windmill Tapes & Labels, a manufacturer of printed and plain labels and tapes, has chosen Sun Chemical as its ink supplier of choice, after the latest technology in UV flexo narrow web inks, SolarFlex Nova, was introduced to them.

Designed to work with all the latest presses, Sun Chemical’s SolarFlex Nova offers unrivalled levels of strength, cure and transference, and will allow Windmill Tapes & Labels to increase efficiency and productivity.

Additionally, Sun Chemical and ValeTech have worked together to develop a Pantone predictive database which allows ink formulations to correlate with anilox volumes, in conjunction with Windmills’ “Cube” ink management system.

Tony Palmer, sales director for Sun Chemical UK & Ireland said, “Sun Chemical is delighted to be working with Windmill Tapes & Labels. We are committed to helping them continue to grow their businesses in the label sector with tailored solutions to its business needs. We look forward to working with them closely in the future.”

“The level of support and service Sun Chemical has provided was a major contributing factor in our decision-making process for making them our ink supplier of choice," Andrew Southern, managing director for Windmill Tapes & Labels, said. "Combine this with the offer of the latest ink technology suited to the latest presses and it was an easy decision to make.”

SICPA Announces Desensitizing Ink Price Increase

Dave Savastano — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 10:58:00 -0500

SICPA Securink Corporation announced a 5 percent price increase for Desensitizing Ink 199500A effective Monday, July 20, 2009.

Since the date of its last price increase in November 2006, SICPAhas continued to witness the escalation of prices for materials, energy and distribution. Despite efforts to reign in rising costs with internal actions, including continued work to find lower cost materials, SICPA can no longer continue to absorb their rising costs.

EFI Hosting Jetrion Open Houses This Summer

Dave Savastano — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:27:00 -0500

EFI announced a summer series of open houses that will showcase its Jetrion industrial inkjet printers and detail the profit-boosting digital label printing opportunity. Kicking off next week in Chicago, the open houses will enable print providers to see first-hand the speed and quality of the Jetrion 4000 UV Inkjet System.

The Jetrion 4000 will be operating in conjunction with a Spartanics high-speed laser label die cutting machine on June 24 and June 25 at the Spartanics North American headquarters in Rolling Meadows, IL. EFI will also host a special open house on August 2-5 as part of its EFI Connect users conference being held at the Wynn Las Vegas. Other cities and dates will be announced soon.

"In response to the overwhelming interest in Jetrion 4000, we are hosting a series of Jetrion Open Houses this summer. We're joining forces with Jetrion partners across the country to let label converters, brand owners and other print providers see the 4000's powerful features up close," said Sean Skelly, director of marketing and service for EFI Jetrion. ""EFI has been a leader with our digital inkjet printers and ink in this space for many years, and we look forward to sharing our expertise and insights during these events."

The Jetrion 4000 UV Inkjet System offers label converters an affordable, full-color narrow web alternative to toner-based digital printers for label runs of up to 50,000 labels and beyond. With speeds of up to 30.5 meters per minute at more than 1000 dpi with greyscale technology, the Jetrion 4000 delivers high-quality, full-color label printing up to 13.9 centimeters (5.5 inches) wide. The system also features Jetrion's advanced UV4000 ink set which provides exceptional durability and reduces the need for costly over-laminates. In combination with EFI's Fiery XF RIP and EFI's XFlow solution, the inks provide outstanding color reproduction across a wide range of substrates using an intuitive PDF-based digital workflow.

To register to attend the free event on June 24 or 25, please contact Sharon Bagby, Spartanics marketing manager, sbagby@spartanics.com or 847-394-5700 x 1302. www.spartanics.com

For information about the EFI Connect open house, please call at 1-800-875-7117, or email at Jetrion-info@efi.com

Siegwerk's Aridas Supports Quality and Sustainability

Dave Savastano — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:21:00 -0500

Better quality, less outlay and an important contribution to the protection of the environment – waterless newspaper printing offers all these advantages. Being convinced of those benefits, publishing house M. DuMont Schauberg (MDS) introduced the new technology at the beginning of June, using “Cortina” equipment by Koenig & Bauer. Siegwerk is contributing the color with its new product series “Aridas."

“We are proud that a leading media publisher like DuMont Schauberg has chosen us as the ink supplier for its new printing machines,” says Michael Müller-Samson, head of Siegwerk’s business unit Web Offset. “Waterless web offset inks have become an important focal point of our product portfolio. That’s why we recently increased our production capacity in this segment significantly.”

M. DuMont Schauberg publishes well-known Germanl newspapers like the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger," “Kölnische Rundschau," “Express" “and Mitteldeutsche Zeitung." Recently, it included the nationwide “Frankfurter Rundschau“ in that portfolio. Two production units were installed in its Cologne printing center, one of which is exclusively run with Siegwerk inks.

In all, MDS has invested 28 million euros in “Cortina” technology – “an investment in the future of newspapers,” as publisher Alfred Neven DuMont termed the effort at the opening ceremony.

13 “Cortina” facilities with a total of 46 eight-high towers are already running in Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium. Further machines are to be installed shortly – in France and Dubai, for instance. The new machine can print 80,000 four-color newspapers per hour. At the same time, paper usage is reduced since fewer copies need to be discarded due to quality issues.

Flint Group Names Geoff Barba Business Development Manager � Corrugated Market

Dave Savastano — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:16:00 -0500

Flint Group announced that effective immediately, Geoff Barba will assume the newly created position of business development manager – corrugated market, for the U.S. and Canada.

Mr. Barba will be using his broad-based background in the corrugated industry, along with his marketing and business management experience, to work together with all Flint Group flexographic products accounts managers in the U.S. and Canada.

"I'm excited by this new opportunity,” said Mr. Barba. “I've been involved in the corrugated industry for a long time, and Flint Group has introduced some excellent new products for the market. I'm looking forward to demonstrating the quality and value that Flint Group has put into their corrugated products and working with tradeshops and printers to improve their processes."

In addition, Mr. Barba will be working with Flint Group’s technical and marketing groups, and with industry associations to help build a higher profile for Flint Group’s corrugated plate products, such as nyloflex FAC, nyloflex FAC Digital, and nyloflex FCC printing plates.

EFI Brings Portfolio to Print 09

Dave Savastano — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:20:00 -0500

With an eye on helping its customers survive the economic downturn and build a more profitable business model, at Print 09 EFI plans to feature new modules for its suite of print MIS software systems, enhancements to its VUTEk and Rastek superwide and wide-format printer lines, and its new Fiery Command WorkStation 5 centralized job management system.

EFI will demonstrate how its newest printers are designed to increase productivity while delivering the highest photorealistic color, thus extending market reach. On the tradeshow floor, EFI workflow solutions, including Print MIS, Web-to-print and Fiery solutions, will demonstrate that printer providers can reduce waste, eliminate errors and be even more productive with their current workforce.

"The complete EFI showcase of digital printing technologies that will be shown at Print 09 delivers on our steadfast commitment to bring industry-leading innovations to the market to help our customers mitigate the current economy by expanding their offerings and increasing operational efficiency," said EFI CEO Guy Gecht.

EFI print management applications (Pace, Monarch, PrintSmith) were designed to respond to the needs of specific market segments-ranging from small quick printers, large, multi-location commercial and publication shops, online, sign and packaging shops as well as in-plant operations. At Print 09, EFI will demonstrate enhanced MIS/JDF workflow integration and launch EFI Web Control Center, a web-based color management and workflow solution. EFI Web Control Center combines centralized color management to ensure accurate color reproduction with the ability to remotely proof and print through geographically dispersed printing centers.

EFI will demonstrate its new VUTEk GS super-wide systems, which were designed to extend market reach. With faster speeds and higher quality the GS5000r moves super-wide UV printing from limited outdoor applications (billboards, banners and wraps) to event and transit signage, informational signage and adds indoor applications such as point-of-purchase (POP) tradeshow displays and wall decorations. The GS3200 goes even further to extend indoor applications to include fine art, photography, high-definition or color-critical POP displays. The GS2000, like its GS counterparts, prints 8 colors, plus white, at super-fast speeds.

The company will showcase its QS Series 2 inks which improve performance and address common UV ink issues such as shrinking, peeling, embossing, chipping and curling.

Rastek printers on display will include H650 64-inch UV Hybrid, H700 72-inch UV Hybrid, T660 5 x 4-foot Flatbed and T1000 8 x 4-foot Flatbed. With Rastek, EFI can offer its customers a greater range of cost-effective versatility to reach multiple market segments.

Also on display will be the Jetrion 4000 UV Inkjet System, which offers label converters an affordable, full-color narrow web alternative to toner-based digital printers for label runs of up to 50,000 labels and beyond.

EFI will also demonstrate Fiery Command WorkStation 5 (CWS5). Fiery CWS5 unleashes the powerful features of Fiery servers by centralizing job management via an intuitive, flexible interface that produces jobs faster, dramatically reduces operator error, decreases waste, and increases the overall profitability for the production printer. Fiery CWS5 simplifies complex jobs, such as Variable Data Printing projects, providing exceptional results at every stage of a job at two to three times the throughput speed of most competitive printing systems to enable the print shop to deliver customer jobs more profitably.

Print 09 takes place Sept. 11-16 at McCormick Place in Chicago; EFI is in booth 2500.

Superior Printing Ink Announces Management Appointments

Dave Savastano — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:24:00 -0500

Superior Printing Ink has announced several key changes to the company’s management team, effective June 15, 2009.

James La Rocca has been promoted to Superior’s chief operating officer.La Rocca, a 40-year veteran of Superior, will now have overall accountability for Superior’s sales, technology, manufacturing and branch operations.

Stephen Foy, a 24-year employee and currently vice president, Midwest & West regions, has been promoted to senior vice president, sales and operations. Mr. Foy will be responsible for the newly aligned national branch network, which will continue to provide local customers with products and technical support.

Richard Czarnecki, currently vice president, technology, has been promoted to senior vice president and chief technical officer.Mr. Czarnecki brings more than 25 years of diversified working experience in the printing ink industry, and will be responsible for all technology functions at Superior.

Peter Nunez, CPA, a 17-year employee, has been promoted to vice president, finance and administration.Mr. Nunez will work closely with Mr. La Rocca to ensure that operations and finance are working together to maintain and grow Superior’s industry leadership position.

“Our new management team brings the leadership and commitment necessary as we continue to provide our customers with the best products, services, and technical support in the industry," said Stanley R. Hittman, Superior’s executive vice president. "These changes will allow us to capture the most efficient utilization of our branch network and the Superior staff who support our customers every day. These key promotions from within the company clearly reflect the strength of the Superior Printing Ink team, and our recognition of the skills, knowledge and years of experience of some of our most senior managers.”

INX Digital International Develops Breakthrough Solution for UV Curable-Ink Printhead Cleaning

Dave Savastano — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:09:00 -0500

INX Digital International Co. announced the global availability of its UV HeadCure prin head cleaning service. Employing a new, patent-pending technology, it has shown to provide 100 percent recovery of UV printheads with obstructed nozzles and restricted flow.

“This is a major advance in printhead cleaning that can pay huge dividends for digital print operations everywhere,” said Peter Padan, the INX Digital technical services supervisor who developed the new process and manages the program at Triangle. Mr. Padan said that solvent ink-related environmental issues along with the flexibility of UV and UV print quality have all contributed to a rapid increase in digital UV print applications.However, “the growing use of UV curable ink requires a new approach in print head maintenance,” he said.

Shops spend time and thousands of dollars on printhead maintenance. Yet, for various reasons, printhead nozzles and delivery passages become clogged with UV ink and current printhead cleaning and flushing options typically achieve 50 percent effectiveness, at best. Following traditional solvent-ink maintenance routines or using incompatible cleaners can make matters worse.

Mr. Padan recalled how recently in one shop, an incompatible cleaner was used and rendered all 16 printheads on its UV printer useless.“The price of just one printhead such as these can easily approach $5,000 to $7,000,” he said. “Multiply that by 16 and replacing those heads becomes very costly.Using our multi-stage cleaning process, we were able to fully recover all 16 heads. We did it for a tiny fraction of the new-head cost and with a very short turnaround time, too.”

Unlike solvent inks which have traditionally dominated the digital marketplace, UV inks cannot be dissolved once they have cured. “They are very chemically resistant,” Mr. Padan said. “This is a ‘plus’ on UV-printed media, but it’s a real problem when cured ink clogs printhead nozzles and passages.”

UV lamps used to instant-cure inks on media are one of a few items that can cause UV to destabilize and start to cure. Mixing it with incompatible fluids or with water can initiate the process, as will some traditional solvent-ink print shop methods such as capping or sealing the printhead.With solvent inks, this is good because it keeps residual ink moist, but UV ink starts to cure due to lack of oxygen.

As with Triangle inks themselves, new patent-pending UV HeadCure technology is designed to work with virtually any printhead type, said Mr. Padan.

Mr. Padan said the results for the new UV service speak for themselves.
“We can successfully recover many UV printheads that were otherwise considered useless,"he said. "What once was considered irreversible damage is no longer an issue in our head cleaning department.”

Nazdar Introduces 4000 Series

Dave Savastano — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:08:00 -0500

Nazdar announces the release of 4000 Series UV Screen Ink, designed to adhere to a wide range of acrylic, PETG, and styrene substrates requiring excellent flexibility for heat-bending, router cutting, and low draw thermo- or drape-forming. Providing fast cure suitable for most graphic and in-line presses, excellent printability, and G7 compliant halftones, 4000 Series makes an outstanding addition to the Nazdar ink lines

“Today’s thermoforming inks are soft and require a lot of energy to cure, while faster curing, rigid inks crack or chip when bent or cut,” stated Phil McGugan, Nazdar’s vice president of global sales and marketing. “The 4000 Series fills that gap and does it on a very wide range of substrates popular today.”

Sun Chemical Introduces a New UV Flexo Narrow Web Ink, SolarFlex Nova

Dave Savastano — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:01:00 -0500

Sun Chemical is today launching SolarFlex Nova, a new generation ink that is designed to meet the demands of the evolving narrow web market and suitable for a variety of flexo press models.

SolarFlex Nova joins the Solaris System of products and services, a global product line of complete, proven printing inks, coatings and services dedicated to narrow web printing. Delivering productivity, versatility and value to printers, the Solaris range, including SolarFlex Nova, caters to almost all narrow web processes including UV flexo, water-based flexo, screen whites and colours, letterpress and lithography.

SolarFlex Nova offers the narrow web printer various benefits such as quick make-ready, efficient printing and easy print finishing. To provide the exact amount of SolarFlex Nova ink for a given job, an advanced ink management system works together with the associated colour tools and the Solaris ColourSat dispenser.

On the press, this new ink has optimized cure and consistent quality enabling trouble-free printing at the highest press speeds. Enhanced hold-out and adhesion allow fewer problems associated with 'difficult' substrates while high color strength permits the use of finer aniloxes which offer the highest print quality, improved ink mileage and greater colour matching flexibility. Furthermore, the silicone-free formulation provides the receptivity required for easier print enhancements such as varnishing, foil blocking and variable image printing.

Jonathan Sexton, European sales director narrow web for Sun Chemical, said: "Sun Chemical recognizes the special requirements of narrow-web printers and the growth opportunities for this market. Sun Chemical continues to strive to be an industry leader in providing quality, service and innovation. The launch of SolarFlex Nova is a continuation of that commitment as it addresses the needs of the market by offering increased productivity, versatility and value in narrow web printing applications.

"Our aim is for the Solaris range to provide the best inks and coatings technology that Sun Chemical can offer. The introduction of SolarFlex Nova to the range will enable us to continue delivering the exceptional productivity and innovative total solutions packages that our customers have come to expect from us."