Oriel Printing, has embraced digital technology with an investment in Fujifilm’s Acuity 1600 LED to provide customers with high quality and cost-effective prototypes.
Richard Simms, managing director, explained, ‘We had been monitoring the digital landscape for a while in search of a UV inkjet solution that could be easily integrated within our existing production environment which comprises two seven colour B1 UV litho presses.
‘We wanted to improve our specialist trade printing service to offer on-demand and cost-effective quality colour proofs on various substrates, and we were aware that digital print is the best technology to achieve this.’
The Acuity LED has the capability to print six colours plus white and clear, and is extremely versatile in terms of material handling, both of which were fundamental in Oriel Printing’s decision making process. Mr Simms added, ‘We deal with a variety of materials such as plastics, foil paper, vinyl and carton board, and we were impressed by the Acuity LED’s ability to print directly onto substrates up to 13 mm thick, using white ink and clear varnish options.’
The company plans to use the printer both to produce short-run labels and packaging proofs without incurring the costs and make-ready times of a conventional litho press. Mr Simms, said, ‘We are excited about our first dip into digital UV printing and we believe that our clients will appreciate the opportunity to receive an accurate proof of their jobs featuring a gloss varnish, on the actual carton board which will then be used for the full production run.’
The Acuity LED’s green credentials were also attractive to Oriel Printing. The technology used consumes less energy than conventional UV lamps and can last up to ten times longer.
