FUJIFILM Corporation announced that it will unveil a new B2 inkjet digital press for folding carton applications at drupa 2012 as a technology showcase. Using some of the core components pioneered within the Jet Press 720 inkjet digital press for commercial print applications, this new press is set to revolutionise the production of short-run packaging print.
Since the last drupa exhibition in 2008, the global economy has seen a number of downturns including, more recently, the European debt crisis. The print industry tends to be directly influenced by the status of the worldwide economy and this influence is greater now than it has ever been. These challenges, along with ever shortening product life cycles, the re-distribution of advertising spend, and the introduction of smart phones and tablet computers, have increased the focus on short-run print and the ability to meet tighter production deadlines. The demand for high speed digital presses to meet these needs for a wider range of print applications is therefore growing at an accelerated rate.
Fujifilm’s Jet Press 720 inkjet digital press, announced at drupa 2008, marked the first application of the company’s groundbreaking SAMBATM printhead and water-based ink technologies, enabling single pass inkjet printing at an unprecedented 1200dpi x 1200dpi native resolution with 4 levels of greyscale. As a result, this B2 format press, targeted at commercial print applications, raised the bar in terms of the quality and format size that was available from a digital press. Since its commercialisation in Japan in late 2011, the Jet Press 720 has been installed in several locations around the world. Its speed, simplicity and high quality (with a particularly wide colour gamut), together with its ability to simplify post press operations, means it is set to continue the expansion of digital print into new application areas.
During the development and commercialisation of the Jet Press 720, Fujifilm explored the potential of applying some of these core technologies to other print applications. As a result of this work, Fujifilm will be demonstrating a new B2 inkjet digital press designed for short-run folding carton package printing applications at drupa 2012. Although this new press utilises some of the core components pioneered within the Jet Press 720, particularly the SAMBATM printhead, Fujifilm has developed a new UV inkjet ink to meet the particular performance requirements of folding carton applications. This new UV ink, called VIVIDIA, will have the dual benefit of not only being able to reproduce ultra-high quality images, but will also be better suited to handle the thicker paper and different post press operations that this market demands.
Fujifilm has overcome a number of technical challenges in order to deliver a UV-based single-pass inkjet digital press. Conventional UV inkjet systems generate pile height on the print surface, reducing image quality to an unacceptable level, especially on paper substrates. Fujifilm has successfully developed a unique technology to reduce the pile height, enabling superior quality images to be reproduced on these substrates.
At drupa 2012, Fujifilm will be showcasing both of these two single-pass inkjet digital systems running live, demonstrating how the company’s leading-edge inkjet technologies can meet the growing need for quick turnaround, high quality short-run print for an even wider variety of applications. During this period of digital press commercialisation, Fujifilm is responding to the diverse demands of print buyers in each business sector and giving its customers the power to succeed.
