Flexo Repro Firm's RIP Drives Engraving System

DSS (Liverpool) is believed to be the first company in the UK to drive a Luscher Zedmini engraving machine via a NexusRIP from Artwork Systems.

DSS (Liverpool) is believed to be the first company in the UK to drive a Luscher Zedmini engraving machine via a NexusRIP from Artwork Systems.

The Liverpool trade repro house is a long-standing user of Artwork Systems' Artpro and has installed a NexusRIP, along with Dotspy and Flexocal software from the company to drive a newly acquired flexo sleeve engraving system - the Luscher Zedmini.

At the same time the company has upgraded its Artpro seats to the latest version.

DSS specialises in conventional flexographic platemaking and now, via the Zedmini, continuous laser engraved sleeves.

The system is claimed to be capable of engraving seamless sleeves up to two metres in length and in a full range of repeats.

In addition, the company produces conventional dry offset plates for the letterpress sector, which also benefit greatly from being laser engraved, with noticeable improvements to screen resolution and fine reversals.

The company said it is involved with a number of blue chip organisations, handling design work from concept through to the final print production, in all the print processes.

"The Artwork Systems equipment has played a key role in our development and certainly the NexusRIP has been vital in enabling us to drive the engraver effectively.

The installation and commissioning of the equipment has been faultless and has proved to be totally reliable throughout its usage.

Artwork Systems also provided helpline and support back up which has proved invaluable," said DSS's technical manager Tom Keaney.

"All of the engraving work we handle goes through our two seats of Artpro and the new Version 8 software provides us with even more functions.

The Dotspy system is extremely efficient at enabling us to view files before we commit to either film output or sleeve engraving.

Jobs can be checked in a multitude of ways, in different layers, colours and formats, for example, and that has significantly reduced the chance for errors," he added.

DSS is considering linking its NexusRIP to a range of other output devices in use at the site.

The company has utilised Artwork Systems Flexocal to calibrate all of its output equipment.

Keaney added: "The results have been outstanding.

Flexocal has given us total control over calibration throughout each stage of production and provides the flexibility to implement a huge range of different dot shapes, screen angles and stochastic screening.

An effective digital workflow is crucial to a business like ours.

Artwork Systems has been an excellent partner and is providing us with the means to maximise the productivity of our equipment and significantly improve turnaround times." DSS was formed more than 20 years ago and today provides film and plates to printers throughout the UK, in addition to customers in Europe.

Most of its customers operate in the packaging market, although its letterpress plates are used for work as diverse as cheque books and yoghurt pot cartons.

Back to top