TechnologyMeet our capabilities

The times where the quality of digital printing was distinguishable from offset are long gone. However, we think that the balance of quality is slowly shifting towards new technologies. The same applies to the balance of production speed. In short, in the right hands, the options of the digital printing world are extremely wide. We believe that we are able to meet all the expectations of our clients.

We use two printing technologies: liquid and dry toner. A large portion of packaging production and B2B is realised on a HP Indigo Digital Press machine equipped with 7 inking units, thick surfaces operation, white colour, printing on synthetic surfaces and very advanced input data processing using a dedicated raster server. Moreover, we have two dry toner devices used to print i.e. long sheets, alternative surfaces and double-sided printing of pharmaceutical leaflets on extremely thin surfaces.

Production speed amounts to even 8000 sheets per hour and the quality of print makes a smooth transfer of production from offset to our digital department possible. Normally, we work on sheets with the dimensions of 48x33 cm, however, they can be increased even to 100x33 cm. We are the only to offer printing with special colours with accuracy even to dE =< 1 on a chosen surface, as we use of our own paint mixer for the HP Indigo technology. We accept surfaces with the thickness of up to 480 microns, which is almost half a millimetre.

In the case of imaging, we work normally with a circular raster 180 lpi, however, for some jobs we may use an AM raster with another ruling such as 230 lpi or an FM frequency modulated raster.

VDP

So far, digital printing has most often been associated with short series, which would not be profitable with conventional printing. However, increasingly, the expectations of end clients include adding unique data to each individual product. This means that some part of the graphics or text, or even a complete image, changes from sheet to sheet. This, in turn, means that an advanced printing company working with state-of-the-art technologies is the only reasonable partner. We offer Variable Data Printing, or VDP.
To give you an example, think of the Coca-Cola campaign with names printed directly on the labels. They all were produced digitally using HP Indigo machines. And that’s just the beginning of what has become possible over the last few years.
We have sophisticated software making it possible to generate variable graphics, meaning that, for example, we are able to create 10,000 unique covers for a magazine release, or a full series of production packaging for a given product in a wide range of colours. In addition, we can produce mailing series which go beyond the traditional black-only printing. We can change the data using spot colours, like in a book, to indicate the end customer. As a result, graphic designers aren’t limited to offset prints and digital text – we can create a different graphic for each sheet while maintaining full colour stability using standard Pantone inks for each sheet.

Colour

Each of our machines goes through two stages of calibration: densitometer calibration for complete colour sets and under the substrate and spectrophotometer calibration, taking into account the substrate, resulting in an ICC profile. We work with M1 illuminant, our basic Konica Minolta measurement devices, and an additional Xrite. On special request, we can refer to M0 or M2 illuminants or other illuminants selected by the client.
We can reproduce Pantone inks in three ways: with the CMYK colour set, with CMYK + OVG, and with inks specially mixed using dE =< 1. Please note that our standard CMYK gamut is significantly wider than the Euroscale inks (Fogra39) and we have far-reaching accuracy. For colours found outside the CMYK gamut, we suggest using additional colours, such as orange (O), violet (V) or green (G), in the process. In the case of emphasis on quality and absolute colour reproduction and avoiding raster spotting, we recommend mixing and using dedicated inks, with the advantage, as with offset machines, that data may be varied from sheet to sheet. With the proposed solutions, we are able to reproduce 98% of the colours from the Pantone Solid Coated + range.
In addition, when printing with enhanced photographic quality, we work with clear channels to increase the smoothness of the print. Colour sets may have up to 7 separations: CMYK + Light Black + Light Cyan + Magenta Light.

Substrates

In this area, the opportunities are almost unlimited. A vast number of substrates are adapted for liquid toner printing, and require no preparation at all. We’re able to customise those which could cause a problem by using a special chemical solution that increases the adhesion of paint to the substrate. In addition, when required, sheets can be lacquered after printing.
Textured papers are no problem at all, as both the ‘hills’ and the ‘valleys’ will be evenly covered with digital ink thanks to transfer using flexible, rather than stiff, rubber.
For coloured substrates, we suggest underprinting with white or adapting the white layer to the printed colours or, if desired, to the whole print, to achieve the desired effect.

To sum up ... next time, the only limitation will be the designer’s imagination.

There are projects which just seem to be made for offset printing. But there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. The printing house is a partner of the ERBI group, whose experience allows us to deliver the most demanding projects with full faith in the result. We support up to B2 format and in cooperation up to B0 format with full processing.

Depending on the needs, we offer several cutting techniques. From the traditional die cutters for small production volumes with Braille stamping, to punching machines with a cleaning section, to digitally cutting production models and short series.

Digital cutting

Our mockups are manufactured with the Esko Kongsberg, an incredibly versatile cutting table, which offers a dimensional accuracy down to 0.02 mm, video camera controlled positioning alignment, and scaling. We can do cutting, perforation, chasing and bending in a single work pass. The cutting table has a working surface of 160 × 120 cm and can process all types of paper, paperboard, solid boards, 3-ply corrugated boards, PVC foam, and Kapa foam up to 5 mm in thickness. If you need printing and cutting for your order, please contact us to consult how your data files should be prepared.

Braille stamping can be done at two spots on the production line: during punching or gluing at the folding-gluing machine Heidelberg Diana 80. The choice of technique depends on the production volume. Each step is confirmed by an advanced Quality Control department equipped with the EyeC system. Labelling is done on the chosen sides of the packaging.

Our finishing works include:

  • manual and automated gluing,
  • manual and automated folding (GUK folders),
  • stapling,
  • creasing,
  • cutting,
  • thread cutting (e.g. self-adhesive labels),
  • and, of course, packing according to the requirements of the client.