First Sun Optical Disc Printer Enters Use

Martinjohn Associates Limited (MJA), a leader in optical duplication, has become the first customer worldwide for the Project 37 (P37) inkjet printer, which is now fully commercially available.

Martinjohn Associates Limited (MJA), a leader in optical duplication, has become the first customer worldwide for the Project 37 (P37) inkjet printer, which is now fully commercially available.

The P37 printer was developed in a joint venture, between Sun Chemical, which provides global sales and distribution and Copytrax Technologies, a developer and manufacturer of printing and coating equipment for the professional optical disc duplication market.

Steve Sharpe, managing director of Martinjohn, based in Northamptonshire (England) said: "Project 37 has bridged a huge gap in the marketplace and we, as a duplicator, find this ideal for our clients needs.

P37 overcomes limitations of volume and speed previously associated with recordable disc decoration and has additional advantages over screen and offset printing, in that there are minimal set-up costs and it is more flexible." He added: "P37 guarantees high-quality digital production for long or short runs that can be as low as even one disc and overall gives fantastic results.

Every single one of our customers who has reviewed the samples has given 100 per cent positive feedback, as they recognise the step change that the P37 represents.

P37 is a great fit for the MJA philosophy.

We can develop quality and service even further with P37.

Our clients need ever faster delivery and we can do it without loss of quality.

They want just-in-time production and this is what P37 allows." Sharpe, who has over 25 years' experience in the duplication industry, added: "Although return on investment is important to us, we saw the strategic value of the P37 as the priority in the decision.

It will be an integral part of our business going forward.

We expect a payback based on Copytrax's projections, which we think are highly achievable.

With the extra business we expect to secure with this new machine, I am expecting that it will pay for itself in little more than a year." Sun Chemical said that the P37 printer is controlled by bespoke software and incorporates what is claimed to be unique inkjet technology to ensure print quality and resolution.

As with all digital print processes, the printed image is not a replication of an imaged plate or screen but a streamed digital file.

P37 runs with an average output of one disc every three seconds using specially formulated UV curing inks that provide performance and a commercial benefit for the customers.

Trevor Pratt, business and marketing director of Sun Chemical Screen, said: "We predict that the leading 20 per cent of duplicators and 100 per cent of replicators - for which P37 is ideally suited as a flexible, short-run production machine - will invest in digital printing capability within the next 12 to 18 months.

But they need to start investing now to ensure that they are not left in the slipstream of an increasingly competitive market." He continued: "We were delighted to give full backing for a digital machine that is generating massive interest and is set to take the market by storm.

We expect to announce further sales soon." Sharpe concluded: "Sun Chemical's ink technology and Copytrax's innovation have combined to produce a machine that fits our way of working - right first time, right on time and on budget.".

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