Media

Oracal USA has announced ORAJET Series 3951HT High-Tack Cast PVC Digital Media, an ideal choice for "hard-to-stick", rough or textured, low-energy substrates like kayaks, ATV's, and porta-johns. Series 3951HT is perfect for long-term, solvent inkjet printable graphic applications requiring a grey, permanent adhesive. This seven-year film is available in a gloss finish, 54 inch width and lengths of both 25 and 50 yards. It is recommended for use with ORAGUARD Series 290, 290F or 293 laminating films.

 

Drytac Europe Ltd, manufacturer and supplier of products for the graphics finishing and display industry, have announced that their EnduraCoat and InstaCure liquid coating products have been approved compatible with HP’s Latex Inks on HP Outdoor Frontlit Scrim Banner and HP PVC-free Wall Paper.

“HP and Drytac have been cooperating to perform product compatibility tests between our liquid coating products and HP Latex Inks,” says Jim Tatum, Vice President and General Manager of Drytac’s Liquid Coatings Division. “With the popularity of HP’s Latex Inks and compatible medias we wanted to make sure that Drytac® had the correct match of product offerings.”

Products in both the EnduraCoat aqueous coating and InstaCure UV curable coating lines have been tested as compatible with HP Latex Ink prints. Specific products include:

 

• EnduraCoat UltraMural and EnduraCoat Sign and Banner, liquid coatings for digital wall coverings and sign and banner graphics are approved to be compatible with HP Latex Ink prints on HP Outdoor Frontlit Scrim Banner and HP PVC-free Wall Paper.
• InstaCure POP and InstaCure Superflex Satin Matte UV curable coatings also tested compatible with HP’s Outdoor Frontlit Scrim Banner and HP PVC-free Wall Paper when printed using HP latex inks.

 

“We’re extremely excited to have Drytac’s liquid coatings meet HP’s compatibility standards and look forward to collaborating with HP on more compatibility testing,” says Tatum.

EnduraCoat aqueous and InstaCure UV curable liquid coatings both contain a blend of acrylic and non-yellowing urethane polymers to give indoor/outdoor graphics flexibility and maximum outdoor durability.  Drytac’s liquid manufacturing process uses metal-free formulas and below standard VOC levels, which help ensure more environmentally friendly products.

Coatings in Drytac’s EnduraCoat aqueous coating and InstaCure UV curable coating lines can be applied with Drytac’s compatible liquid coaters.  EnduraCoat aqueous coatings can also be applied with a roller, paint pad, or airless sprayer.

 

 

Neschen Americas has received Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain of Custody certification under the Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) Forest Conservation Program. Earning this certification demonstrates Neschen Americas' dedication to reducing its environmental impact by operating in socially responsible ways. FSC is an international certification system that recognizes the highest levels of environmentally and socially responsible forest management. SCS is one of the world's leading FSC certifiers.

In order to receive FSC certification, Neschen Americas successfully established policies and procedures to account for purchasing certified material, as well as that material's inventory, manufacturing and sales. Neschen Americas also put in place additional administrative tasks related to FSC certification. Neschen Americas initially plans to use the certification on its conVerd presented by Neschen products, a comprehensively green media portfolio representing Neschen's commitment to bringing truly environmentally-friendly products to market. Products that carry the FSC logo are manufactured from papers made with cellulose from responsibly-managed forests.

"Neschen Americas is proud to receive the Forestry Stewardship Council Chain of Custody certification," said Angela Mohni, vice president of marketing, Neschen Americas. "We take our responsibility for the environment very seriously and one of our key business objectives is to continually look for ways to reduce our ecological footprint."

Neschen Americas' environmentally-friendly stance has been a constant for years, but FSC Chain of Custody certification now allows Neschen to market this fact to its customers. For customers who have environmental responsibility top of mind, Neschen's FSC certification not only reinforces that they made the right choice, but that they did so without sacrificing quality or durability.

 

 

Epson has expanded its line of proofing media for the packaging and prototyping market with the introduction of MetallicProof Film paper. Designed specifically for use with the Epson Stylus Pro WT7900 with Epson UltraChrome HDR White Ink, Epson's new MetallicProof Film, along with Epson's ClearProof Film and CrystalClear Film, give packaging designers and pre-press houses a range of high-quality, low-cost printing solutions to produce contract proofs, mock-ups and prototypes.

As the first of its kind in the industry, MetallicProof Film is a revolutionary proofing media that enables designers and packaging companies to extend their prototyping capabilities in-house with new substrates and printing effects. Epson UltraChrome HDR White Ink provides an opaque base layer on MetallicProof Film, enabling high color saturation and resolution. MetallicProof Film can also be used in combination with the Epson Stylus Pro WT7900's seven ink colors to create special effects such as pastels or metallic colors like gold and bronze.

"Epson is dedicated to providing a variety of high-quality substrates that directly benefit the unique and increasingly complex needs of the packaging and prototyping market," said Jeff Smith, product marketing manager, professional imaging, Epson America. "MetallicProof Film is the first of its kind in the industry and truly expands the printing capabilities of packaging designers. In addition, Epson's entire line of packaging papers enhance the workflow of proofing and prototyping professionals for both flexographic and gravure printing, providing near instant dry times, rich blacks, and vibrant colors."

Designed specifically for use with the Epson Stylus Pro WT7900, this line of media offers a complete packaging solution. Additional details include:

New MetallicProof Film: Thin film for easy application to packaging surfaces such as boxes and bottles that produces metallic effects on contract proofs, mock-up and prototypes; features a specially-developed coating that is capable of high ink absorption for a wide color gamut while delivering faster drying times for greater productivity.

ClearProof Film: Clear film technology with unique ultra-clear layering technology delivers higher ink capacity for extreme color gamut and faster drying for higher productivity

CrystalClear Film: Optically clear polyester film provides high image quality, performance and accuracy for various proofing applications such as color progressives, spot overlays, and other packaging requirements; quick drying, smooth surface delivers accuracy and short-term stability

Epson MetallicProof Film, ClearProof Film and CrystalClear Film are currently available from authorised Epson Professional Imaging resellers.

 

Today in New York City, Avery Dennison set the Guinness World Record for largest amount of school supplies donated in a 24-hour period. Avery Dennison donated more than 8,500 pounds of school supplies to an in-need New York City school, shattering the record requirement of 1,102 lbs, 5 oz.

 

To establish the record, students from Adolph S Ochs School and Academy lined up at about 9 a.m. this morning to stuff a full-size school bus with the donated school supplies as part of the celebration. The feat was witnessed by an official Guinness World Record Adjudicator, who verified that the attempt adhered to the strict guidelines of the record category and presented Avery Dennison with a certificate documenting the new world record.

 

"I am so proud of what we accomplished here today: setting a new record that enables us not only to support a very deserving school, but also to help draw attention to the needs of schools throughout the country," said Tim Bond, Group Vice President, Avery Dennison Office Products North America. "Avery Dennison is committed to helping parents and teachers across America provide students with the highest-quality education possible, and the school supplies are vital to that success."

 

Guidelines for the record category stipulate that three elements must be present in all Guinness World Record proposals: an idea that is measurable, breakable and verifiable.

 

"We are very excited about Avery Dennison Guinness World Records attempt for Largest Amount of School Supplies Donated in 24 Hours. This is an entirely new record category that was inspired by Avery Dennison's unique proposal," said Danny Girton, Corporate Adjudications Manager, Guinness World Records. "This record attempt is a story with a heart, which is what Guinness World Records is all about: ordinary people striving to achieve extraordinary things."

 

The record-setting event is a part of the Avery Dennison Give Back to Schools program that was created in celebration of the company's 75th anniversary as a way to give back to the communities that have made the company's success possible. The program will provide 10 very deserving U.S. schools with Avery(R) premium school supplies. To enter to win, students, families and supporters (ages 18 and older) can vote for their local K-8 school now at www.averydennisongivebacktoschools.com. At the conclusion of the contest on September 5, the 10 schools with the highest number of votes will each win Avery-brand school supplies valued at approximately $10,000.

Sihl AG has developed new media for HP latex ink is designed to reduce the adverse health and environmental impact of printing with solvent inks.

 

The Germany-based company has developed new wet-strength poster papers that can be used with eco-friendlier latex inks and the HP Design-Jet Latex printer series ( L65500, L25500, LX 600 and LX800).

 

The multi-purpose Post-2-Cure Papers (125, 180 and blueback 125) linked to HP's new latex inks and print technology enable digital service providers to produce weather and water resistant prints compatible with results from real solvent inks.

 

"This new technology is an important development landmark for the digital imaging print market. The challenge has been to deliver an alternative technology alongside UV curing—a system which has some question marks—and solvents, which have also had question marks for a long time," said Stefan Bruch, product manager, Sihl. "This really is 'next generation' technology. Our papers, in conjunction with HP print and latex ink expertise now can produce prints that are less damaging to health and the environment but still guarantee high quality and productivity."

 

He added: "Solvents can be harmful, especially if you spend all day in a print room with them. And UV curing inks also present challenges with occasional paper cracking.

 

It is possible to get good print results with solvent ink compatible media but the printed image is not scratch resistant because it is weak on the surface and often not weather resistant. Our established Trisolve range focuses on solvent ink and UV curing inks to provide photo-realistic image quality which is good, but not water resistant. Our latest solution; the Post-2-Cure range, used with the new HP latex film is flexible and far more environmentally friendly.

 

"The solvent in this formulation doesn't evaporate in the same way as traditional solvent inks—and that means you don't breathe it in. The new latex technology avoids many of the disadvantages of solvent inks; the odor, their accumulation in inhaled air and the poor drying property of inks where there is a lack of ventilation and additional heating.

 

The high water content substantially reduces the unpleasant odor of latex inks but the resultant prints compare very favorably with those printed with solvent ink systems in terms of picture quality and durability."

 

Latex printing enables printing on numerous materials and Sihl says its Post-2-Cure papers are optimally suited for both indoor and general outdoor advertising.

 

Added Bruch: "These wet-strength, bright white poster papers are particularly recommended for the billboard sector. This is a great application for small print studios too. If they use a latex machine they can print water resistant finished products but they can also use water ink compatible media or solvent ink compatible media—this means complete versatility from one printer."