by Melissa Donovan
Do less with more—it’s a current trend. So it makes sense that some of the newest introductions in the inkjet space are presses with increased media compatibility. With the ability to print to a broader range of substrates, print providers offer clients increased variety.
Above: Kodak OPTIMAX Primers help print providers increase media compatibility with inkjet.
Expanded media compatibility is important because it enables inkjet presses and imprinting solutions to produce a wider variety of applications. “Printers can therefore compete for more jobs, become a more valuable partner for their customers, and achieve a faster return on their inkjet investment,” asserts Andrea Connor, WW solutions marketing manager, Kodak.
Increased Capabilities
Technology advancements in production inkjet result in increased media compatibility.
Inline or offline coating of print substrates is a primary component. “Increased media compatibility is achieved with specifically formulated primers. In the case of absorbent substrates, the primer keeps the ink—specifically the color pigments—on the surface while the carrier fluid soaks into the substrate. On non-absorbent substrates, the primer creates an adhesive surface that holds the ink drops in place and prevents them from spreading or coalescing,” explains Connor.
Kodak OPTIMAX Primers, for example, can be applied inline to the substrate in a precoater. Kodak offers an OPTIMAX Enhanced Primer for coated papers and an OPTIMAX Standard Primer for uncoated papers. OPTIMAX Packaging Primers are available for uncoated and coated corrugated and folding carton packaging applications, and personal care products, as well as for non-absorbent substrates such as plastic and film.
“By applying these water-based primers, printers can avoid using inkjet-treated papers and other specialty substrates and expand their range of substrates as required. In addition to creating a thin adhesive layer so that the substrate accepts the ink, OPTIMAX Primers immobilize the pigment, allowing high-speed printing with high ink coverage. OPTIMAX Primers improve ink adhesion, rub resistance, and image quality across a variety of substrates, including paper, cardboard, plastic, film, and even metalized materials,” shares Connor.
Media testing is another way to ensure and expand media compatibility. “Our inkjet products include tools and defined test suites that are used by our media lab team to evaluate new media as requested by our customers. After evaluation, we provide our customers with media profiles that can be loaded onto their press enabling automatic adjustment to optimal settings when utilizing the specified media,” says Lucy Perez-Sierra, manager, category marketing, Canon Solutions America, Inc.
Media versatility is also expanded via new technology introductions. For example, Landa Nanographic Printing presses do not place wet ink directly onto the substrate. Nanography technology “ejects Nanoink onto a heated blanket, and the result is an ultra-thin, dry polymeric film. The dry film is fully transferred to the printing substrate, thereby avoiding the ink and paper interaction inherent in digital inkjet printing,” explains Amir Shalev, market development director, Landa Digital Printing. “The options are tremendous for printing a range of papers, coated and uncoated, virgin or recycled—all without any pretreatment,” continues Shalev.
Perez-Sierra says the primary advantage when it comes to Canon’s media support is the variety of media options available to serve the diverse needs of its customers. “Our production inkjet portfolio includes products that can utilize media originally designed for alternative technologies, such as offset coated stock, along with media optimized specifically for inkjet. This flexibility in media type positions production inkjet technology as a highly advantageous solution to many commercial printers.”
Help from Ink
Inline or offline, applying primer that helps the substrate accept ink must work with the whole process to achieve ideal results.
Connor says that at KODAK, the water-based inks used in its KODAK Stream Inkjet Technology and KODAK ULTRASTREAM Inkjet Technologies “play a key role in this context.”
KODACHROME Inks are designed for KODAK ULTRASTREAM Inkjet Technology, which powers the KODAK PROSPER ULTRA 520 Press. KODAK EKTACOLOR Inks used in Stream Inkjet Technology, including the KODAK PROSPER 7000 Turbo Press, PROSPER 6000 Press, and PROSPER Imprinting Systems, are formulated to create brighter prints. A common feature of KODACHROME and EKTACOLOR Inks is a lower level of humectants compared to competitive inks. This results in fast drying, even when printing with high ink coverage on difficult media. The inks, together with custom-engineered near-infrared drying on PROSPER Presses, enable printing heavy ink coverage on coated and glossy papers even at high speeds.
In the case of Nanography, however, where the printing does not require any inline pretreatment to achieve fine, rich, and durable print, the ink excels in other ways. “What the NanoInk does do is stick to the substrate—any substrate. Today, any porous or non-porous off-the-shelf paper, and in the future, potentially substrates for corrugated, labels, metal, textiles, and more,” says Shalev.
Media Partners
To keep up with the multiple media-type introductions, print engine manufacturers partner with media suppliers.
Canon has strong partnerships with many media providers in North America. “We work with our partners to evaluate new media options as they become available so that we can support our mutual customer base and help them adapt to the latest media offerings in the market,” says Perez-Sierra.
Kodak works with all leading paper manufacturers and media suppliers to be able to recommend a wide range of substrates for PROSPER Printing Solutions to its customers. It is noteworthy that the PROSPER Presses support numerous standard offset papers. This enables printers to produce jobs on customers’ preferred papers using the most suitable printing process—inkjet or offset—depending on run length, size of the job, and other parameters.
Landa’s technology is paper agnostic, according to Shalev, “therefore we do not require partnerships to develop specialized papers to fit any limitations. We have great connections with media manufacturers, and are happy to run projects that showcase the environmental benefits of our technology.”
Importance of Compatibility
Media versatility is important as print providers look for ways to leverage existing technology.
“Sustainability mandates, rising paper costs, and inconsistent supply are three of the leading reasons why media compatibility has become an increasingly critical consideration for press manufacturers and their customers. Everyone wants options so paper availability is not an issue when jobs are ready to print,” admits Shalev.
To keep customers engaged it’s important to work with presses that are compatible with a wide and growing range of substrates.
Jul2024, DPS Magazine
