With green awareness and waste disposal costs on the rise, narrow web printers have to ensure a reduction in the waste they produce. Alcohol-free printing is also gaining popularity. “Generally there is a drive within the print industry to be aware of the environment by using alcohol-free printing,” says Peter Kearns, web press division manager at Muller Martini. “In America they’ve banned printing with alcohol, so all the machines we supply there are running alcohol-free.”
UK printers are starting to see the benefits, too, although there is still some way to go in terms of reducing ink scumming. As the saying goes, ‘alcohol makes the water wetter’, which makes it flow better across the printing plate.
The market for narrow web presses has stayed fairly static with only a slight decrease in sales, in line with the general state of the UK economy. There is an increase in the number of commercial printers taking up these machines, whereas traditionally they were being sold to the business forms and direct mail market. “One of our presses recently replaced two sheetfed presses,” says Kearns.
Changing market
The use of synthetic substrates in the label sector has also increased, according to Paul Briggs, managing director at Mark Andy UK. He adds that with short-run flexible packaging there is an “increase in filmic self-adhesive labels at the expense of paper”. Paper use currently stands at about 75%.
“There have also been changes to the way repeat lengths are changed,” says Kearns. “Previously, printers had a clunky insert with two sideframes, a plate cylinder, a blanket cylinder and impression cylinder. Now machines come with a special lightweight insert which fits in to the press. Operators now need only to take out the plate and blanket cylinder.”
Recent installations include Ritchie UK taking the first Alprinter 74 web press from Muller Martini, and Midland Regional Printers installing a KDO 3 Series manufactured by K2 International.
WHAT'S NEW IN NARROW WEB PRESSES
• Ritchie UK, part of the Clondalkin Group, installed the first Muller Martini Alprinter 74 web press to be sold in the UK market in January, as part of a £2m ($AU4.13m) investment plan
• In March, the Revival Movement Association bought a Concepta press from Muller Martini to handle
a four-month backlog on its Christian literature
• Midland Regional Printers installed a KDO 3 Series flexographic narrow web press at its Basford Plant to help meet growing demand for labelling. The four-colour 265mm press produces self-adhesive labels
• Xaar agreed to supply its 1001 piezoelectric printheads for EFI’s Jetrion 4000 Series of UV label printers in February. The Jetrion 4000 range is available in web widths of 139mm or 210mm
• Hine Labels installed a web-fed Xeikon 330 label press to meet growing customer demand for digital production last December
• AB Graphic International added the FSR film slitter-rewinder to its Omega label inspection lines last November
Read the original article at www.printweek.com.
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