Consumables

SunJet®, the global inkjet division of Sun Chemical and its parent company, DIC Corporation, have announced the launch of the Dimoda brand name to embrace a suite of inkjet inks for use in the décor industry. The introduction of the new inks into the market is to coincide with the LIGNA 2013 Trade Show in Hannover where some of SunJet’s OEM customers are already demonstrating digital printing solutions to the wood manufacturing industry.

SunJet has developed several inks for a range of applications including the digital decoration of panels and laminated boards for the flooring and furniture industries. The emerging adoption of single pass inkjet printing into these markets has highlighted the importance of dedicated inks to capture the specific technical requirements of these industries.

“It quickly became apparent that décor applications have some unique processes that demand very specific inkjet inks. Utilising Sun Chemical’s extensive knowledge and experience of the analogue décor print processes into which we have supplied inks for decades and SunJet’s own expertise in inkjet formulation has enabled us to quickly provide digital solutions that work,” says Phil Jackman, sales executive, SunJet.

Dimoda inks are available in both UV and aqueous formulations for all major DOD piezo print heads. They utilise décor specific pigments with chemistries suitable for printing onto décor papers, primed wood and fibre boards and either laminated or polymer edge bands and skirting boards. Where appropriate, they are compatible with lacquering and laminating finishing techniques.

Dimoda inks enable SunJet’s OEM customers to present digital solutions optimised for their chosen markets.

Antalis Group is to exhibit 'the most inspirational range' of substrates at Fespa 2013 on stand F58S.  The company will present a diverse array of innovative applications using the very latest wide and super-wide substrates to inspire visitors and showcase how products from its Coala, Orafol and 3A Composites ranges can be transformed into floor and window graphics, table wrappings and wall décor.

The Coala collection

Antalis will be exhibiting some of the 74 products from its Coala collection for large-format printers, which will be showcased on its stand as table wrapping, exhibition and display materials, and window and floor graphics.

The comprehensive collection, which comprises of 20 products for water-based inks and 54 for solvent, UV and latex ink, features substrates for both indoor and outdoor applications, including a broad range of papers, self-adhesives, banners, textile, wallpapers and specialty media.

The Orafol range

Visitors to the Antalis stand will experience the Orafol range of plotter vinyls, digital vinyl and laminates, which will be used to decorate parts of the floor, windows and wall.

The Orafol range of plotter vinyls are suitable for indoor and outdoor applications, vehicle wrap, glass cover and illuminated installations, while its digital vinyls include soft PVC, special PVC, polymeric and case material with Oraguard laminates.

3A Composites

Also on the Antalis stand will be a display of popular products by 3A Composites, including the renowned Smart-X, Dibond, KAPA and Forex ranges.

James Jarvis, Antalis UK Product Marketing Director, says, “Our visual communication business offers the widest range of flexible and rigid media and consumables for the large format digital printing market, the display market and the signage market.

“We are excited to be exhibiting such a diverse and innovative range of substrates and applications at Fespa 2013, which we hope will inspire visitors to our stand to see how the use of cutting edge substrates really can deliver the very best output and give that all-important competitive edge.”

As an extension to its comprehensive collection for the sign and display sector, Antalis will also introduce a smart solution for those in the dynamic signage area.

Samples from the Coala, Orafol and 3A ranges, along with a number of other brands including Drytac and Nu:Stone, will be available for visitors to take away.

For more information, please visit www.antalis.co.uk.

Ahlstrom has announced a price increase on its specialty paper materials produced by the Label and Processing business. The price increases will be made to compensate for the continued high cost of raw materials and energy.

The price increases will affect all Label and Processing products worldwide and will be effective for all shipments made as of July 1, 2013. The increase will up to 7% and the amount and timing will depend on the markets served, the product and the agreements in place. Specific details will be discussed with each customer individually in the near future.

Products manufactured by Ahlstrom's Label and Processing business include graphic, packaging, processing, release and label papers. Their main end-use applications are release liners, self-adhesive labels, metalised wet glue labels, flexible packaging and repositionable notes. They are also used for the production of posters, abrasive materials and furniture foils. These specialty papers are manufactured in Brazil, France, Germany and Italy.

For more information, please visit www.ahlstrom.com

Mutoh Belgium has announced the availability of its 4th generation mild solvent inks - Universal Mild Solvent (UMS).  Developed specifically for Mutoh’s roll-to-roll sign and display printer portfolio and available in bulk 1 litre bottles and 440 ml cassettes, these new inks offer compatibility with both installed-base Mutoh mild solvent printers as well as Mutoh’s ValueJet series outdoor sign and display printers.  Mutoh CMYK UMS inks will replace the Mutoh MS and MS+ first and second generation mild solvent inks.

The UMS inks offer an outdoor UV resistance of up to three years without lamination. They are virtually odour-free and do not require any forced ventilation.  They offer an unrivalled colour gamut and a unique gloss preservation.  The inks cover 83% of the Pantone C® colour chart.  They also hardly require any printer maintenance.  The inks are fixed and dried at regular heating temperatures and are suited for both high quality and high speed printing.

“Mutoh UMS inks have been specifically formulated for Mutoh and offer a unique and innovative blend of high quality durable colour pigments, a new mix of resins and, last but not least, a new combination of milder and non-aggressive solvents,” says Arthur Vanhoutte, Mutoh Belgium’s General Manager.

“The new inks are yet another result of Mutoh’s ongoing commitment to develop environmentally responsible ink solutions, fully compliant with the most stringent health & safety regulations, which at the same time perfectly address the application needs of the outdoor sign & display industry”.

“The UMS inks are compatible with our latest generation ValueJet sign & display printer family and are also fully compatible with installed-base Mutoh mild solvent printers.  This way, Mutoh is offering installed-base users an opportunity to upgrade to a new more environmentally responsible ink without having to invest in new hardware”, Vanhoutte concludes.

Arlon Graphics has launched a new training website - www.wrapitright.com - which includes a compilation of expert methods for working with graphic films through "how-to" videos. The videos cover topics in areas where installers regularly struggle. Through these videos Arlon provides tips to help educate its customers to perform installations the right way from the first time.

"When it comes to the graphics business, best practices are too often determined by the trial and error of past project methods. Learning from experience is incredibly valuable, but it can also be very costly. Our industry continues to grow and change, making success in new markets
with new applications even more important. Wrapitright.com aims to set you up for future success by giving you knowledge on how to best work with sign and graphic films. It is our intention to take what we have learned throughout our 50+ years in business and share it with our industry," states Ron Hopkins, President, Arlon Graphics, LLC.

Specialist ink manufacturer Nazdar has launched a new customer-focused 'Ink Emergency' initiative (www.inkemergency.com) to tackle some of the key issues facing users of UV-curable inks.  As a result of this move, Free Site Surveys are now available to all users of UV inks within mainland UK.

UV digital printing has seen massive growth in the UK print industry in the last 8 years with many print producers adopting the technology as their lead printing solution.  However, UV technology has some inherent pitfalls that have almost become ‘accepted limitations’ by users who are unaware of the alternatives available to them.

Nazdar claims that there are simple solutions to many of the problems typically faced by printers using UV digital equipment.  From low colour strength and problems with edge chipping, through to poor adhesion to substrates and even logistical problems of holding ink inventory from multiple suppliers for multiple printers – issues that many UV users have grown to accept as the norm – Nazdar is able to help.  By solving these problems, Nazdar enables UV-printer users to broaden their production portfolio and make genuine improvements to the overall scope of their UV print production, whilst also increasing profitability with reduced ink costs.

These claims are backed up by specific customer case studies.  Nazdar inks have been used to rectify such issues and thereby offer users of UV printers enhanced production capabilities.

Colour - Colour is a subjective matter. Right?

Wrong. Well, at least partially wrong.  Colour strength and attainable gamut are obviously key to customer satisfaction and are a vital component in both winning and subsequently retaining business.  That is why Nazdar uses only the strongest, most vibrant colourants in their inks, keeping the levels high to give outstanding colour vibrancy for that initial ‘Wow effect’ that can so often be the difference between winning and losing a print contract.

However, this is only part of the colour story.  This colour strength allows Nazdar UV ink users to reduce ink usage per print without dropping colour vibrancy.  This reduction in ink usage not only reduces cost but also promotes better curing, which helps achieve the perfect finish.

Karl Norris of The Poster Company recently converted his Grapo Octopus to Nazdar inks with the specific goal of improving the colour and vibrancy of his printed output. His experience since the conversion confirms Nazdar’s claim to boost colour and reduce costs. He says, “Since using Nazdar 7400 UV digital ink on my Octopus printer, I have been able to achieve colour strength and vibrancy previously unobtainable with other ink systems. Not only has this won me business, but it has also allowed me to reduce my ink usage and boost profits!”

Adhesion – I am restricted to using certain substrates.  It’s just the way it is...

Another typical scenario that Nazdar often advises on relates to the ability of UV inks to adhere to as broad a range of substrates as possible. The more substrates you can print onto successfully, the more work you can take on and the greater the cost savings that can be realised.

Successfully converted Nazdar user, Pierre Pheiffer of Xtreme Signs, relates his experiences with his Manta flatbed UV printer.  He comments, “Since converting to Nazdar ink, we have found that we have better adhesion to board than the original (OEM) ink. In addition, we now have no problem with the flexibility of boards in transport.”

This increased media independence has allowed Xtreme Signs to print with greater confidence on to a broader range of cost-effective materials.  “Overall we are very pleased with the Nazdar ink for our UV printer and have realised considerable savings in terms of materials which we can now use,” concludes Pierre.

Chipping – I get edge chipping on my UV prints, but it is unavoidable. Right?

Again, it is wrong to assume that any anomaly created by a particular UV-curable ink is simply a compromise that has to be accepted. Different inks are formulated to service different applications and there is no need to accept the default inks when they can be readily and painlessly replaced with a more suitable ink solution.

Steve Tilbury, managing director at Evans Graphics, found himself suffering with edge chipping on the output produced on his Cromaprint system and turned to Nazdar for help. Steve explains “For years we have struggled with edge chipping and imperfections created during routing and cutting, that we were led to believe were unavoidable.”

Following consultation with a Nazdar ink technician, Steve was advised to try a Nazdar UV ink that was formulated for increased flexibility to better service exactly that type of application.  Steve was more than happy with the results.  He continues, “We tried ink from the Nazdar UV range. We now save time and money due to reductions in the finishing process. We can also now select from a wider range of cutting equipment and substrates which further reduces costs and widens our target markets”.

Multi-platform capability? – But surely I need different ink suppliers for different printers?

Actually, no you don’t.  Nazdar offers a full range of high quality inks to meet the needs of multiple print platforms.  Since moving to Nazdar inks for his Cromaprint system, Evans Graphics’ Steve Tilbury has converted more of the print production equipment at the company over to Nazdar solutions and is now seeing further benefits for his business.

He states, “As a busy print producer with equipment from multiple suppliers, managing ink inventory was almost a full time job.  Since switching to Nazdar digital ink we have been able to use one supplier for all of our printers, vastly reducing the amount of money tied up in inventory.  We have also been able to streamline the logistics of supply due to the much improved lead times Nazdar can provide.”

Get a Free Site Survey from Nazdar

Learn More - Why not discuss your options with one of the Nazdar technical services team? You could even arrange a free, no obligation site survey.  Call Nazdar on +44 (0)161 442 2111 and ask for the facts about Nazdar UV inks.

Nazdar will be on QPS’s stand – P150 – at Sign & Digital UK 2013.

Nazdar will also be exhibiting at FESPA London, 26th-29th June, on stand E55S.

Please contact us on info@nazdar.com if you would like to book an advance appointment to talk through your various ink options.  Alternatively, just come along and find us on stand.

For more information on Nazdar, please visit www.nazdar.com