Gallus Group, a HEIDELBERG subsidiary, is poised to transform the narrow-web print landscape with Gallus MatteJet technology, its latest research breakthrough. Announced at the recently concluded Labelexpo Americas 2024 in Chicago, the landmark innovation represents an important advancement in inkjet printing, unlocking a premium matte finish previously unachievable with digital inkjet, bringing the possibilities of inkjet technology to the wine label market for the very first time.
Exemplifying HEIDELBERG’s position as a total solution provider for all modern printing processes – offering the entire spectrum from toner to inkjet, offset printing to flexo and all controlled from a common Prinect workflow – MatteJet was developed in-house at the Gallus Experience Center (GEC), the company’s innovation hub in St. Gallen. The transformative innovation addresses one of the key challenges that has historically restricted the growth of digital inkjet technology, and is all set to transform the entire market segment for wine and spirit labels and provide converters with the key to a profitable new area of business growth.
The glossy finish inherent to digital inkjet technology has been one of the foremost barriers to its widespread adoption across labels and packaging – specifically in premium segments such as wine and spirit labels where brands traditionally expect a sophisticated matte finish. Until today, this was only achievable through conventional printing, or the addition of post-processing equipment to utilize matt varnishes, adding time, complexity, and cost.
Now, in a groundbreaking industry milestone, Gallus MatteJet technology delivers fast, cost-effective, and high-quality matte finishing capabilities, integrated directly into the digital inkjet process. This will allow converters, for the first time, to achieve a high-end matte finish at the touch of a button, without changing inks or adding overprint varnish, eliminating the need for external finishing processes or separate conventional machines. By removing one of the key barriers traditionally restricting the expansion of inkjet printing, Gallus’ new innovative process presents an enormous opportunity for converters to now access a highly profitable market segment previously dominated by offset printing. Importantly, MatteJet will also enable more converters and brands than ever before to enjoy the benefits of digital printing, such as more profitable short runs, personalization, and on-demand printing – representing a huge leap in the industry’s digital transformation.
“The development of Gallus MatteJet technology marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of inkjet printing, opening up a world of new opportunities and ultimately, completely transforming the very foundation of what’s possible with inkjet technology,” comments Dario Urbinati, CEO, Gallus Group. “By unlocking matte finishing for digital inkjet, we’ll be able to make an entirely new market segment accessible to converters without the sizeable investment into separate offset solutions – boosting profitability and exemplifying our commitment to building a new era of flexibility that will enable our industry to thrive long-term.”
Developed as part of the company’s ongoing R&D efforts at the Gallus Experience Center – established last year to drive innovation through collaboration for long-term industry-wide success – the new finishing process leverages an advanced, groundbreaking technology in labels and packaging. “The new MatteJet technology is revolutionary not just in the opportunities it opens up, but also in what its development represents,” continues Urbinati. “We opened the Gallus Experience Center with a vision for a dynamic, collaborative industry hub that would drive significant, meaningful industry change. Gallus MatteJet exemplifies and is testament to the kinds of transformative developments that can be achieved when you combine this vision with real-world insights as to what the market needs today, and of course the essential resources and expertise of our parent company, HEIDELBERG. MatteJet truly embodies our long-term mission and brings the smart, connected print future within touching distance.”
Designed to integrate with Gallus’ Digital Printing Unit, the new MatteJet technology also represents further expansion of Gallus’ System to Compose concept, which provides unprecedented levels of compatibility across its leading product lines. Under System to Compose, converters can add, adjust, and remove units to their Gallus One as their business needs evolve – now further expanded to comprise workflow and service options as well as equipment, following its overwhelming reception at drupa 2024. The System to Compose concept is key to empowering converters to pivot, adapt, and therefore thrive long term, with MatteJet now providing an additional piece to this puzzle.
The latest iteration of the Gallus One in the newly-expanded 430 mm web width, unlocks more application possibilities than ever before. Its recently-extended colour gamut, with the integration of Orange and Violet Saphira inks developed jointly in-house with HEIDELBERG, also helps converters to achieve shelf standout for brand differentiation.
Having recently continued its expansion into new business areas, HEIDELBERG solidifies its position as a leader in delivering end-to-end solutions. Together with Gallus, a number of innovations in the label space have been developed – including the latest developments in its Gallus Screeny screen printing solutions and Prinect workflow software. Prinect, the backbone of System to Compose from Gallus, is key to digitizing production and realizing the smart, connected printshop of the future. As a subsidiary, Gallus remains an important pillar in the company’s growth strategy for the packaging and label market and will continue to play a key role in HEIDELBERG’s future.
