LFP - Large-Format-Printing

Xpresspack: boxing with success with the Jeti Tauro H3300 LED

Friday 16. December 2022 - Xpresspack, Inc., based in Atlanta, GA, is quite the paradox. Operating under the radar, the company is an Atlanta-based corrugated printer producing wide-format inkjet packaging for some of the worlds most recognized brands.

Doubling direct print manufacturing & continuing growth in corrugated with two Jeti Tauro H3300 LEDs
Owner Misael Saucedo started working at a carton manufacturing plant 36 years ago and built a career in the “box business.” He founded Xpresspack, Inc. in 2005 as a fulfillment company, answering a need for hand-labeling cartons. Over the years, Saucedo automated production, adding litho- label and die-cutting equipment to serve his client base more extensively. As work increased, Saucedo realized he needed more process efficiency to gain incremental business in the growing corrugated printing market.
A year into the pandemic, Saucedo and his team hopped on the Internet to research production printers, participating in online demos, site visits, and comparison-shopping print samples from different manufacturers. They narrowed their choice to Agfa’s Jeti Tauro H3300 LED, outperforming the competition in near photographic quality and speed, producing litho caliber output on corrugated substrates.
“I like how Agfa’s Jeti Tauro H3300 LED excelled at handling corrugated. It is fast at producing almost litho-quality output. Prints are crisp, clear, and smooth.”
Misael Saucedo, Owner, Xpresspack, Inc.
Doubling down on Jeti Tauro
The Jeti Tauro made a huge impact at Xpresspack. Within four months of installation, Saucedo ordered a second Jeti Tauro H3300 LED, doubling his direct print manufacturing while advancing towards his goal of continuing growth in the corrugated printing market.
“I like how Agfa’s Tauro H3300 LED excelled at handling corrugated,” said Saucedo. “The Tauro is fast at producing almost litho-quality output. Prints are crisp, clear, and smooth. The Tauro is better at directly printing on corrugated than other digital machines we studied.”
The Jeti Tauro H3300 LED family of inkjet printers offers award-winning image quality, low ink consumption, and extreme productivity. Built for multiple shifts and 24/7 operations, the ruggedly built Jeti Tauro H3300 LED is especially suited for corrugated package printing.
“The Jeti Tauro handles corrugated sheets easily, holding them tightly with remarkable precision & delivering high-impact graphics.”
Misael Saucedo, Owner, Xpresspack, Inc.
Jeti Tauro produces litho-label quality on corrugated
“Corrugated board is a challenging substrate to print because it’s uneven, rough, and many times it is warped,” explains Saucedo. “The Tauro handles these sheets easily, holding them tightly with remarkable precision and delivering high-impact graphics.”
The dual-section vacuum system on the Jeti Tauro H3300 LED guarantees precise dot positioning and accurate media transport. The vacuum gets adjusted automatically, depending on the characteristics of the media. These rugged hybrid engines are suited for a wide variety of rigid and flexible substrates up to 3.3 m wide, with printing speeds up to 680 m²/h (7,319 ft²/h) and cutting-edge automation.
Xpresspack opted for the six-color Jeti Tauro H3300 LED to hit challenging brand colors. “One of the leading DIY tool manufacturers has a particular yellow-green branding that is difficult to reproduce, but the Tauro executed it perfectly, and we didn’t have to fix anything,” noted Saucedo.
Agfa’s GREENGUARD Gold certified Anuvia UV LED inks offer a wide color gamut and high color vibrancy, resulting in output resembling offset printing. The 7-pl droplets produce stunning, low-profile images with fine details at 635 x 1200 dpi. The Jeti Tauro’s patented ‘Thin Ink Layer’ technology provides highly pigmented inks that offer a low profile with exceptional color strength while delivering the lowest ink consumption.
High performance, high-tech ink
“Importantly, the Tauro ink accepts glue,” states Saucedo. “We apply tape to the Tauro prints, and it adheres, which is crucial for us. Glue doesn’t stick to the ink from other machines. It’s a big problem if we can’t make a box.”
The Jeti Tauro H3300 LED engines are driven by Asanti wide-format workflow software. Xpresspack prepress operator Ian Lambert likes Asanti’s flexibility and time-saving aspects, which controls the entire printing process from prepress to production and finishing. Asanti simplifies, optimizes, and automates multiple steps increasing productivity.
“With a second Jeti Tauro, we are boosting sales. We can print small runs on one Jeti Tauro and long runs on the other, maximizing production.”
Misael Saucedo, Owner, Xpresspack, Inc.
Two Jeti Tauros are better than one
“I want the capacity to do more,” explains Saucedo. “With a second Jeti Tauro, we are boosting sales. We are getting almost the same near photographic quality on the Tauro as a litho sheet. Why limit Xpresspack to one machine? We work 10 hours a day, and I want to make the most of it. We can print small runs on one Jeti Tauro and long runs on the other, maximizing production.”
Xpresspack presents a standard of corrugated print quality their customers are not accustomed to seeing. This new capability is driving more business, and the Jeti Tauro’s are streamlining production. Since installing the two Jeti Tauro H3300 LEDs, Saucedo has realized a 20% increase in business.
“The team is manufacturing corrugated faster than they have ever been able to achieve,” says Saucedo. “At 79 inches wide, litho label is dwarfed by the large format output of the Jeti Tauro, which produces prints up to 129 inches wide. We are printing much more corrugated efficiently and with less effort.”
He adds, “Some of my customers ask for a quote on litho and digital so they can compare prices. They may need 250 sheets to add to a 1500-sheet order from last week. If it’s a low quantity, they get a better price with digital and no noticeable visible difference between the orders. With the Tauro, we can replicate the same output on direct print digital as litho, which meets their needs.”
New levels in corrugated print
The rapid UV LED curing of Agfa’s signature high-pigmented UV inks combined with the intelligent automation features of the Asanti workflow software make Jeti Tauro H3300 LED a UV inkjet workhorse that achieves new levels in corrugated output.
“We’ve reached a momentous business threshold with the Jeti Tauro,” says Saucedo. “I want to maximize our capabilities. We are growing successfully because we can deliver a superior product faster than the competition.”
Saucedo has never allowed himself to be boxed in. With the new Jeti Tauro’s, he sets new speeds for growing Xpresspack to be the leader in the corrugated market.