Mark Andy has announced the launch of Digital Pro Plus – a marriage between its Pro Series flexo platform and the dry toner digital printing capability of its Digital One and Digital Pro systems, which it says have been installed more than 300 times since 2016.
The new system, described as ‘an affordable and versatile digital hybrid with expandable capabilities’, is based on the same print engine as the Digital Pro 3 press. It has a modular configuration, with options for flexo printing, a range of inline finishing techniques, and a turnbar for backside printing, making it a ‘unique investment opportunity’ for label converters to grow their businesses organically and in response to changes in customer demand.
Ben Luly, Mark Andy’s product manager for digital presses, commented, ‘We genuinely see it as a clear roadmap for growth as its capability can be scaled up as and when required. It’s the right press for high-quality CMYK printing roll-to-roll but is easily and affordably upgradeable to a full-scale inline production tool that can include flexo printing before and after the digital unit, cold foil, lamination, semi-rotary die cutting, slitting, scoring, sheeting, and delivery onto a stack conveyor.’
The Digital Pro Plus has a standard web width of 13 inches (330mm), and a 1200 x 2400 print resolution, equivalent to 3600 dpi. The company said it is capable of production speeds up to 76 ft/min (23 m/min) on a variety of substrates, from paper to supported films and foil, and has a compact design that makes it more able to fit into a crowded production floor.
Application-wise, Mark Andy said the system is ideal for pressure sensitive labels for sectors such as food & beverage, industrial, craft goods and health & beauty, and is aimed at single-pass micro or short run digital work, with variable data, personalisation and versioning capabilities.
Mark Andy sees the system as an ideal first digital machine or to bring digital work in house, in comparison to its Digital Pro Max system, launched last year, which is intended more for short to medium runs at higher speeds, and includes a digital white capability.
