While launching the new Tau 330 UV Inkjet Label Press at the upcoming Label Expo in Chicago, Durst also will unveil the world’s first solvent-free silver UV ink – revolutionizing, and even replacing, the use of foil in a broad range of metallic label and decorative packaging applications.
Today metallic labels are produced by using foil, which is expensive and requires special machines or costly metallic media. The advantage of Durst’s metallic ink is to be able to lay down – in one pass and at lower cost – a “digital foil” that meets all the demands of metallic label applications. No one has been able to come up with a formula that works – until now.
“We see our successful development of Durst Metallic Silver UV Ink as a real game changer,” said Helmuth Munter, Worldwide Manager of Durst’s Label Printing Division. “We are pleased to introduce this innovative new ink next month at Label Expo in Chicago, and after we demonstrate it on a Tau 330 in our booth, we are confident the industry will be very impressed with what they see.”
The new metallic silver UV ink can be used with the new Tau 330 and also with previous Tau models such as the Tau 150-8C, which offers excellent print quality on a selected range of substrates with reliable and consistent print performance, good adhesion and durability.
Durst’s new solvent-free UV metallic silver ink, in combination with Tau UV inkjet label presses, delivers quality output at speeds between 65-95 linear feet (20-30 linear meters) per minute. This is well beyond current available and established digital printing systems.
Conventional methods of printing metallic silver have their own strengths, but none of them is really suited to the needs of short-run and on-demand printing, Munter noted. Brand owners need to print shorter runs every year. They increasingly demand a solution able to do this economically, while providing most capabilities of traditional printing technology.
The arrival of Durst’s solvent-free digital metallic UV inkjet technology makes digital metallic printing and decoration economically feasible for short and medium runs. This allows converters to produce attractive and creative labels and packaging, all while addressing the need for customized, personalized printing and respecting ecological considerations.