Packaging
Proofing and short run digital production of flexible packagings on the same machine at drupa 2008
Thursday 03. July 2008 - Mimakis UJF-605 RII has mastered the up to now impossible balancing act between accurate proofing on original media and reliable short run production of flexible packaging products. The unique press will be shown at Mimakis drupa booth in Hall 8 b, Stand A 03.
MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD. (the head office / Nagano, Japan, President / Akira Ikeda) today announces that the company will show the short run digital production and proofing machine UJF-605 RII at drupa.
Print of flexible packaging applications usually is done via flexographic presses which in most cases require quite some set up time and other time consuming and inefficient tasks upfront. Therefore the proofing of these products is usually done on special proofing media and devices which do not accommodate the final print substrate. All this will change with Mimakis innovation of a digital flexible packaging printer.
The UJF-605 RII can proof roll-fed and sheet materials of various substrates, among them untreated plastic materials like PET, metal, polycarbonates, coated and uncoated papers, soft packaging film, shrink film and PLA. But not only proofing is possible. Efficient and effective short run production of flexible packaging products will enhance the profitability of shops employing the inkjet printing press.
Printers are enabled by the high resolution of 1200 x 2400 dpi to prevent errors of cylinder engravings for gravure printers, but also other errors resulting from the prepress process. As the UJF-605 RII prints with six colours plus white ink even sensitive features and items are displayed and printed in vivid and accurate detail. This way printers can drive their overall proofing costs down while at the same time increasing their productivity and efficiency.
Up to now it has been difficult to proof soft packaging materials, such as OPP/PET films, shrink films, but such demanding jobs are no problem for Mimakis new up to seven-colour proofer. The UJF-605RII can be used to proof on transparent media, apply under- or overlaying white ink, check on colour, bag shape, design and barcode location, all prior to engraving, or plate making and printing. Overlaid printing for specific gradation is also featured. The roll-to-roll system caters for unattended operation. Media with a maximum print area of 600 x 500 mm is supported.
In addition the high resolution output offers direct print on many substrates in short runs which usually are very cost-intensive to be produced on conventional machines. Roll media can be handled up to a thickness of 0.2 mm and cut sheets up to 2.0 mm. Furthermore not only static jobs, but also variable data printing of short run orders is made possible. This way effective and efficient on demand short run production with or without variable data is possible leading to an even broader portfolio of print services for printers.
The UJF-605 RII prints with Mimakis UV curable inks which have been developed in such a way that they produce durable solid, vivid and brillant images. The advanced colour management system consisting of Mimakis Profile Master II and Raster Link Pro IP III software with ICC profiling makes the UJF-605 RII the ideal addition for many flexible packaging printers who want to produce efficiently on demand products as well as proof their jobs on original substrates. The ease of use of both software packages has been acclaimed by many printers and leads to standardised prints.
As all files can be submitted to the UJF-605 RII directly from the standard layout software and need not to be reworked for proofing output, prepress work is streamlined to optimum. The supported file formats include .eps, .ps, .jpeg, .bmp and ArtWorker CompojetPS.
“Our direct digital colour proofing machine UJF-605RII significantly reduces time to market and offers our customers in gravure and flexographic printing versatile proofing capabilities, variable data printing and short run production on difficult substrates”, says Sakae Sagane, Managing Director of Mimaki Europe. “The high resolution proofer eliminates errors by enabling its users to proof the same files they will send to their gravure cylinder engraver, ctp machines and other plate generation devices, thus making it possible to detect mistakes before engraving. Our specially designed UV inks create durable solid, vivid and detailed prints and adheres to a variety of untreated plastic materials like PET, polycarbonate etc.”