The UK’s first installation of the Komori Impremia IS29 UV digital inkjet printing system took place during May at South Wales print project handling and fulfilment company, Lexon.
Lexon’s integrated print solutions include creative packaging, point of sale, exhibition displays and commercial work. The €6 million turnover company runs Komori Lithrone B2 offset machines and also has two Screen Truepress Jet W3200 UVII large format flatbed printers.
The four colour Komori Impremia IS29 B2 inkjet system was launched at drupa last year and further European installations are scheduled to commence mid-2017. Running speed is 3,000 sph simplex or 1,500 duplex, with fully automated changeover between the two modes. Maximum sheet size is 585 x 750mm and stock thickness range is from 0.06mm to a maximum of 0.6mm.
“Our philosophy is to invest in those latest technologies which allow us to influence our customers’ marketing and buying trends and, at the same time, address new opportunities for our own development,” says Garth Davis, Group Managing Director, Lexon GB. “We are a dynamic print company focused on quality. We needed to add versatile inkjet capacity capable of delivering stunning print results on the same bespoke materials as our offset machines. Typical applications for us are luxury packaging, reports and folders, often in run lengths as low as 500, along with specialised projects for our clients. Common trends throughout are the calls for even faster turnaround and the desire for increasingly distinctive even perhaps personalised design.”
“We spent considerable time putting the Impremia IS29 through its paces at Komori Graphic Center, and we are seriously impressed with the print quality and the instant UV drying on wide ranging jobs and substrates. Additionally, as the colour gamut of the Impremia IS29 inkjet system is noticeably wider than with offset, the colours produced are more vibrant. The increased productivity and flexibility of the new machine increases our services to customers and also means we’ll be able to accept jobs with confidence which were previously very difficult to print in super short timeframes.”
Says Robert Holscher, Director of Digital Sales – Komori International Europe, “The Lexon installation represents a significant step for Komori into the digital print arena. Our Impremia IS29 provides the same high quality and print reliability as our customers achieve on their Komori offset presses and it’s also capable of printing on the same substrates used in offset, including uncoated material and film – all with no special pre-coating needed.”
“This first installation places Komori firmly on the path of combining offset reliability with digital flexibility, which provides a whole new spectrum of business opportunities for our customers and opens up new creative marketing solutions for them to offer their clients. The exceptionally short job throughput times provided through the UV drying system, whatever the substrate specified, makes the Impremia IS29 the perfect digital production printer for short runs and variable data.”
Komori UK’s Director of Sheetfed Sales, Steve Turner, adds,” We’re especially pleased to be installing the Impremia into Lexon, which is a Komori offset house. The Impremia IS29’s ability to colour match offset production is especially attractive to printers like Lexon who also run offset machines, enabling them to digitally produce very short runs, samples and proofs of jobs which could also be produced by offset, in the sure knowledge that the digital and litho versions will match. At the same time, it’s providing them with new capacity for the high speed production of dedicated inkjet work such as variable data jobs, inserts and point of sale material.”
