Flatbed Inkjet Printer Generates New Business

The latest UK installation of an Inca Eagle H has gone to screen printer Polyprint Plastics, which says that the inkjet flatbed printer has transformed the company's workload.

The latest UK installation of an Inca Eagle H has gone to screen printer Polyprint Plastics, which says that the inkjet flatbed printer has transformed the company's workload.

The Nottingham firm expect a turnover this year in excess of GBP1m, yet anticipates the Eagle to generate a further GBP500,000 of business during the next 12 months alone.

"We've taken on a few people this year but we still only employ 17, so we're not large and this has been a major investment for us," said finance director Lisa Garner, whose father Glyn started the company 28 years ago.

"With refurbishment costs to the premises we have probably spent around GBP350,000 on this project.

However, in the few weeks that we have been using the Eagle we've already seen a huge difference in what we can achieve in terms of quality, the types of substrate we can handle and flexibility.

We have won significant new orders within the first couple of weeks of the Eagle's installation and this is growing rapidly as companies hear of the new facility," she added.

Several of those new clients want their work printed digitally, not on a screen press, and the company can see a change to a double shift on the Inca much quicker than it initially thought.

Like many traditional screen printers Polyprint had experienced a change in demand in the point-of-purchase sector it serves, and decided that it had to augment cylinder and flatbed screen printing presses with digital output technology.

The company spent six months examining the various inkjet options, and chose the Eagle largely because of its extreme accuracy.

"The registration system incorporated into the Eagle means that we can print the same job on both the Inca flatbed and our screen presses with perfect accuracy, and we've already tried out this combination on live jobs with great effect.

It is the only inkjet printer we could find on the market that offers this level of registration," said Garner.

In addition, it means the company has the opportunity to print lenticular work directly on to the lens, an area many of its customers are extremely interested in.

The ability to print directly on to the substrate, without the need of films and with virtually no set up time, means the Inca printer is cost effective even if printing just one copy, while it is possible to print variable data throughout the run.

Polyprint said it has printed jobs with runs of more than 200 faster than it could on its screen presses, while the Eagle's capability of printing on substrates that cannot be put through a screen press means that runs can be significantly higher than this.

According to Garner the installation went completely without a hitch and Polyprint was in production a few days after delivery.

The Eagle can even be set up for the next job while printing.

The Eagle can handle work up to 2.44 metre x 1.6 metres, in resolutions up to 1,200dpi.

It can print edge-to-edge, with the level of precision allowing images to be printed to bleed, removing the need for subsequent trimming.

The Eagle H offers speeds of more than 85 square metres an hour throughput depending upon resolution.

Substrates can be up to up 40mm thick, which provides enormous versatility in terms of what can be printed upon.

It is also very easy to proof a job on the material on which it will finally be produced.

The printhead consists of a modular 16-head print assembly, containing four printheads per colour, attached to a lift and traverse gantry situated above the moving vacuum table.

The printheads can be moved laterally to print the whole table width and be adjusted vertically to allow printing on different substrate thicknesses.

Inca supplies a Wasatch 4.4 RIP with each printer, and this accepts all common files, processing jobs at high speed ready for output.

The Wasatch RIP has excellent colour management capabilities, from the use of ICC profiles, spot colour replacement and the specification of input profiles for proofing.

"Another important advantage is the reduction in wastage compared to screen printing," said Lisa Garner.

"For example, if we were printing 100 backlit panels on a screen press we would allow 50 overs for wastage, whereas the covering power and accuracy of the Eagle means that we would need perhaps three overs for the same job printed inkjet." Polyprint produces a wide variety of work for the point-of-purchase market and operates a Luscher system, allowing it to produce screens directly.

The company has invested in high levels of automation to speed up screen production, washing and drying.

"I think Polyprint has continued to be successful because the management here is cautious and careful about the direction the company move in and how we invest in equipment.

We've had a great many discussions about moving into digital printing but the decision to purchase the Eagle has proved to be the correct one almost instantly," commented Garner.

Back to top