The Bundesliga on a Beverage Crate
If you think printing small numbers of foils, labels, or folding
boxes is not worthwhile, wait until you get to know the inkjet
systems of Heidelberg's innovation project 'Linoprint'.
Scored in the afternoon, printed in the evening: thanks to the inkjet systems 'FixedLine' and 'DriveLine', witty marketing campaigns can now be realized at short notice, for instance promptly printing the current Bundesliga scores on folding boxes or labels. "Customized top-quality printing with a resolution of 360 dpi is now no longer a problem, even with extremely small quantities", explains Oliver Stenzel, Head of Marketing with Linoprint. And, mind you, the digital Drop-on-Demand systems are profitable: "Depending on the motif, the color saturation, and the ink, our solutions are vastly superior to conventional flexo printing when it comes to printing up to several 100,000 subjects on industrial packaging materials or labels, as far as the total overhead costs are concerned," emphasizes Stenzel. And they also save time and money, because they can be integrated in the production and packaging processes according to need.
Hence, DoD systems are pivotal for so-called late-stage customizing. Many manufacturers process ever smaller production quantities or work just-in-time in order to optimize their costs, so customizing - e. g. printing information in various languages on boxes for cosmetics or pharmaceuticals - often takes place immediately before delivery. The UV-DoD systems assign the variable image data to the various text data of a print job. Four model series are available to suit specific customer demands.
1. Decorating and variable printing in production or packaging lines
The application fields of 'FixedLine' include customized product identifications, country-specific safety instructions, or logos that are printed 'at the last minute', for instance on sealed tablet blister packs or filled boxes. In most cases, the compact printing unit can be integrated in the production and packaging line wherever it is most profitable.
2. Customized and multi-purpose design, for marketing campaigns or market tests
'DriveLine C' (expected to be available 2nd quarter of 2010) is particularly good at decorating flat cutouts and prefabricated parts made of the most diverse materials. Texts and logos can be printed even in small quantities, e. g. of glued folding boxes prior to their set-up, at a low cost.
3. Printing three-dimensional objects at a late stage
'DriveLine D' makes late-stage customizing easy: it prints on three-dimensional objects made of cardboard, metal, or plastic. Customized product identifications can be printed on filled and closed folding boxes, for instance, be it in-line or off-line. It is expected to be available in the 2nd quarter of 2010.
4. Last-minute customization, even with sensitive materials
'DriveLine B' prints on self-adhesive labels, aluminum or plastic packaging foils (e. g. yogurt pot lids), tablet blister foils, etc. Thanks to the temperature-controlled cylinder, the DoD system achieves top results, even with substrates that are flexible or respond to tension, pressure, or the ambient temperature. 'DriveLine B' is designed for process-color printing, but can also be equipped for single- or two-color printing.
Each printer is customized
Thanks to their modular design, Linoprint systems can be adapted to individual customer requirements. They can print from roll to roll, from roll to production, from pile to pile, or from pile to production. Moreover, clear product identification and traceability requirements can be met at low cost. The easy-to-use Linoflow software makes it possible to add variable data - for instance text, series or random numbers, data and time, or data matrix and barcodes - to each individual print job.
Scored in the afternoon, printed in the evening: thanks to the inkjet systems 'FixedLine' and 'DriveLine', witty marketing campaigns can now be realized at short notice, for instance promptly printing the current Bundesliga scores on folding boxes or labels. "Customized top-quality printing with a resolution of 360 dpi is now no longer a problem, even with extremely small quantities", explains Oliver Stenzel, Head of Marketing with Linoprint. And, mind you, the digital Drop-on-Demand systems are profitable: "Depending on the motif, the color saturation, and the ink, our solutions are vastly superior to conventional flexo printing when it comes to printing up to several 100,000 subjects on industrial packaging materials or labels, as far as the total overhead costs are concerned," emphasizes Stenzel. And they also save time and money, because they can be integrated in the production and packaging processes according to need.
Hence, DoD systems are pivotal for so-called late-stage customizing. Many manufacturers process ever smaller production quantities or work just-in-time in order to optimize their costs, so customizing - e. g. printing information in various languages on boxes for cosmetics or pharmaceuticals - often takes place immediately before delivery. The UV-DoD systems assign the variable image data to the various text data of a print job. Four model series are available to suit specific customer demands.
1. Decorating and variable printing in production or packaging lines
The application fields of 'FixedLine' include customized product identifications, country-specific safety instructions, or logos that are printed 'at the last minute', for instance on sealed tablet blister packs or filled boxes. In most cases, the compact printing unit can be integrated in the production and packaging line wherever it is most profitable.
2. Customized and multi-purpose design, for marketing campaigns or market tests
'DriveLine C' (expected to be available 2nd quarter of 2010) is particularly good at decorating flat cutouts and prefabricated parts made of the most diverse materials. Texts and logos can be printed even in small quantities, e. g. of glued folding boxes prior to their set-up, at a low cost.
3. Printing three-dimensional objects at a late stage
'DriveLine D' makes late-stage customizing easy: it prints on three-dimensional objects made of cardboard, metal, or plastic. Customized product identifications can be printed on filled and closed folding boxes, for instance, be it in-line or off-line. It is expected to be available in the 2nd quarter of 2010.
4. Last-minute customization, even with sensitive materials
'DriveLine B' prints on self-adhesive labels, aluminum or plastic packaging foils (e. g. yogurt pot lids), tablet blister foils, etc. Thanks to the temperature-controlled cylinder, the DoD system achieves top results, even with substrates that are flexible or respond to tension, pressure, or the ambient temperature. 'DriveLine B' is designed for process-color printing, but can also be equipped for single- or two-color printing.
Each printer is customized
Thanks to their modular design, Linoprint systems can be adapted to individual customer requirements. They can print from roll to roll, from roll to production, from pile to pile, or from pile to production. Moreover, clear product identification and traceability requirements can be met at low cost. The easy-to-use Linoflow software makes it possible to add variable data - for instance text, series or random numbers, data and time, or data matrix and barcodes - to each individual print job.
From ten down to three
The chemical and pharmaceutical giant Merck has replaced ten thermotransfer printers with UV stations by three DriveLine systems at its location in Darmstadt.
Mr. Held, you are the Director of Packaging Logistics with Merck. What made you choose 'DriveLine'?
Dieter Held: Our previous printing units were not capable of meeting the challenges of the new legislation in connection with the Global Harmonized System. As of 2010, all hazardous substances must be marked with the new GHS symbols. The conversion and data-handling would have become too costly in the future. The DriveLine systems are convincing on account of their high print quality, flexibility, and ergonomic operation: the data are processed centrally, so each job can be started at the push of a button.
What do you print with the new Drop-on-Demand system?
Dieter Held: We print acid- and solvent-resistant, almost non-abrasive 4c data matrix codes and barcodes, logos, GHS symbols and texts in up to seven languages per job on labels.
Of what benefit is the Linoprint technology for you?
Dieter Held: It enables us to efficiently print various print-run volumes or even individual objects. The high printing speed and the relatively low costs for consumables also optimize our costs.
The chemical and pharmaceutical giant Merck has replaced ten thermotransfer printers with UV stations by three DriveLine systems at its location in Darmstadt.
Mr. Held, you are the Director of Packaging Logistics with Merck. What made you choose 'DriveLine'?
Dieter Held: Our previous printing units were not capable of meeting the challenges of the new legislation in connection with the Global Harmonized System. As of 2010, all hazardous substances must be marked with the new GHS symbols. The conversion and data-handling would have become too costly in the future. The DriveLine systems are convincing on account of their high print quality, flexibility, and ergonomic operation: the data are processed centrally, so each job can be started at the push of a button.
What do you print with the new Drop-on-Demand system?
Dieter Held: We print acid- and solvent-resistant, almost non-abrasive 4c data matrix codes and barcodes, logos, GHS symbols and texts in up to seven languages per job on labels.
Of what benefit is the Linoprint technology for you?
Dieter Held: It enables us to efficiently print various print-run volumes or even individual objects. The high printing speed and the relatively low costs for consumables also optimize our costs.
Find out more about DriveLine B (version 2009). Video
