Heidelberg offers innovative solutions for the growing label market with its Gallus brand.
Heidelberg is one of the world’s leading providers of industrial, digital and offset printing solutions for commercial, packaging and label printing companies. Heidelberg has expanded its range of label printing solutions with its Gallus brand, an acknowledged manufacturer of label printing equipment based in Switzerland. Heidelberg now offers a comprehensive product portfolio that supports label printers with digital and conventional equipment for success in the growing label market.
Jointly developed by Gallus and Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, the new digital inline label printing system features a printing module with state-of-the-art inkjet printing heads. The strengths of digital printing combined with inline finishing processes that have been specially optimized for digital printing enable the Gallus Labelfire to varnish, embellish and further process labels inline – from the roll to the finished die-cut label in a single production operation.
This 7-color inkjet system delivers up to 96 percent of the simulated PANTONE® PLUS color guide in outstanding quality.
The Gallus Labelfire combines UV inkjet printing quality with the inline productivity of flexo printing and the benefits of screen printing.
This is made possible by Fujifilm Drop-on-Demand inkjet technology in conjunction with conventional Gallus embellishing units as well as complete integration of the Prinect workflow.
The Gallus Labelfire will help you to optimize your processes. Not only will you be able to implement perfect small print runs and growing numbers of variants, but you will also be able to quickly respond to changed requirements such as variable data printing, at any time.
The Gallus Labelfire digital production system enables label printers to achieve levels of print quality that match those of high-resolution offset printing. This is reflected in the native (physical) resolution of 1,200 × 1,200 dpi with a droplet size of just 2 pl and up to 200 grey scale values, corresponding to a visual resolution of 2,400 × 2,400 dpi. The high physical resolution of the inkjet heads offers a real advantage, particularly when it comes to small symbols and characters as well as fine lines and gradients down to zero percent. The smallest droplet size in the printing industry to date results in smooth, satin-finished surfaces, improved ink adhesion and curing and minimal ink consumption.
The unique shaped inkjet print head enables seamless inkjet head stitching, resulting in a smooth print across the entire web. The combination of digital white, CMYK, the color space enlargement colors orange, violet and green, as well as 7-color separation mean the Gallus Labelfire 340 press system can cover a large portion of the simulated PANTONE® PLUS color guide (Gallus Labelfire E 340: CMYK + Digital White optionally). All of this is made possible by the use of specially developed screen and colour management algorithms that Heidelberg has been utilizing with great success in its offset prepress solutions for decades.
One control panel for everything: The Gallus Labelfire Human Machine Interface (HMI).
The Gallus Labelfire is a system with an end-to-end logical operating concept that integrates digital printing with conventional printing and further processing.
Labels are produced inline in a single production operation – from the unprinted roll to the matrix-stripped end product. A key benefit of the Gallus Labelfire press system is its outstanding flexibility.
The digital printing unit even enables cost-effective production of runs with variable data, versioning and short runs.
Tried-and-tested integrated Gallus ECS modules support the digital flexibility of the Gallus Labelfire printing unit in delivering top print quality. The strengths of digital printing combined with those of the inline further processing operations of a conventional label printing press optimized for digital printing open up a wide variety of possibilities. For the first time, labels can be varnished, laminated, embellished with cold foil and die-cut in a single operation. The conventional modules support the use of primer, spot color, security or cold foil features, varnish or lamination without interrupting production, and regardless of the complexity of the label. Even before digital printing, the Gallus Labelfire is able to combine special effects such as metallic or neon colors or flexo white and add spot colors.
The Gallus Labelfire digital press system offers label printers an unprecedented variety of substrates. The UV inkjet system and a droplet size of just 2 pl in the inline finishing process generally removes the need for additional priming or varnishing. Coated path rollers, pressure arms and a cooling roller mean the industrial inkjet system is suitable for processing temperature-sensitive and thin substrates. The eight-colour printing system also delivers high levels of flexibility when it comes to applications, with no change-over to additional digital colours being required, e.g. the use of digital white. Following prepress preparation, data for job changes is easily uploaded at the touch of a button via the integrated Gallus HMI touchscreen control panel that also controls the digital and conventional Gallus Labelfire modules with the same operating logic. Regardless of the material and die-cutting line length, most common substrates can be die-cut at constant speeds thanks to the semi-rotary die-cutting unit. Direct matrix removal ensures clean and constant print results, even for complex die-cutting contours of up to 70 m/min.
Semi-rotary die-cutting unit for minimal tooling costs and a wide variety of substrates, as option rotary is available.
As a highly efficient industrial production system, the Gallus Labelfire excels when it comes to short and medium runs that extend beyond the conventional 300 to 500 linear meters. A single operation is all that is required from substrate to the finished roll of labels, with no need for production or machine stops for completion or further processing.
Gallus Labelfire 340: This 7-color inkjet system delivers up to 96 percent of the simulated PANTONE® PLUS color guide in outstanding quality
Gallus Labelfire E340: As much as 85 percent of the simulated PANTONE® PLUS color guide is achieved in the 4-color range
Both machines: A native resolution of 1200x1200 dpi ensure optimum quality at speeds up to 70 m/min
The digital front end of the Gallus Labelfire delivers a number of impressive practical functions including spot color matching, the PDF Toolbox and Prepress Manager, to name but a few. All conventional print functions available meet the requirements for efficient production of short runs through optimized setup times, minimal waste and tool costs. In addition, the double rewinders enable rapid changeovers and crossed winding of small narrow rolls and also support minimal setup times in the form of the Gallus Labelfire.
On changing a new job, the Gallus HMI touchscreen control panel transfers the data of the pre-print stage at the touch of a button. The benefits: simple, intuitive operation and control of conventional modules with the same operating logic as the digital unit.
The user-friendly Gallus Labelfire HMI touchscreen control panel has been tried and tested in the label industry and enables label printers to master complex digital printing processes and the combination of conventional methods. The uniquely shaped inkjet printing head makes it possible to achieve seamless head stitching, resulting in smooth, streak-free print quality across the entire web.
The Gallus Labelfire is supplied as a production-ready complete solution - both the hardware and software are fixed components. Heidelberg`s Prinect workflow system is used for the Digital Front End (DFE). The DFE is an essential, integral part of the digital print system. It enables printers to focus completely on the production of the printing press while the data is prepared and rendered ready for printing in optimal quality in the previous step.
For more than 90 years, the motto at Gallus has been “success and security for the label printer”. Collaboration with Heidelberg, a partner with decades of experience in digital prepress and solid press engineering, created the perfect conditions for the development of a unique industrial inkjet production system in the form of the Gallus DCS 340.
A year of successful label production with the Gallus Labelfire at INSIGNIS.
A Gallus Labelfire becomes a "Boardfire". Philip Morris International (PMI) is continuously working to integrate digital folding carton printing into their production environment.
Hub Labels Inc. of Hagerstown, Maryland is leading the way in the label marketwith their Gallus Labelfire 340 hybrid label press (digital inkjet/flexo) – providing shorter runs and lead times while also maintaining their customers’ expectations for high quality.
