Examples of the personalisation that can be acheived with the Uteco system
The Uteco Group’s integrated solution allows flexo printing to be united with digital printing, resulting in a system that expands the print possibilities offered by the combination of the two technologies.
The group is installing two Kodak Prosper S20 Imprinting Systems, one black and one colour, on an eight colour Uteco Onyx 810 flexo printing system.
Leonardo Gobbi, commercial and marketing director of the group, explained, ‘The consumer goods market, both food and non-food, has for many years now demanded a number of functions from packaging which go well beyond the original function of preserving the product, and is increasingly driving packaging towards the realm of marketing and communication. The printing of materials for packaging plays an essential part in this.
‘The benefits of hybrid printing merge the flexibility and high productivity of flexographic printing with the unique capacity of digital printing to manage the variable data which customizes each individual print job and each individual packaging application. This is the direction taken in the integration efforts between The Uteco Group and Kodak: to be able to offer producers of printed packaging all the advantages of this integration between different technologies in order to achieve extremely innovative, customized and communicative printing.’
The S20 is a member of the Prosper S-Series Imprinting Systems, which include S5, S10 and S30 models. They all boast excellent print quality in overprinting jobs produced by other print processes, flexo in this case. They offer various print speeds and resolutions, for a high degree of customisation.
The S-Series Imprinting Systems are easily integrated into existing production processes, allowing new advertising opportunities with highly targeted products and the creation of hybrid print applications: images, barcodes, lotteries, road maps and QR codes. These systems can help capitalise on investments made in offset presses and bridge the digital divide by adopting a one-step inline process.
Erwin Busselot, marketing director digital printing solutions, Kodak, said, ‘The Uteco Group integration opens up new opportunities for the packaging world in its quest for innovation and development. Both companies have worked to create a hybrid system that combines the best of flexo and digital printing technologies. This shared commitment will enable The Uteco Group’s customers to produce applications on a variety of media such as paper labels, tissue and flexible film. These possibilities generate added value not only in terms of the printed product but also for the brand owner and print buyer, who can easily access promotions, customized vouchers and much more.’
