Collaboration delivers new UV-LED coating solution for varioPrint iX-series

Print Solutions

Canon has announced that a close collaboration with Plockmatic has resulted in the seamless, in line integration of the varioPrint iX-series digital inkjet sheetfed press with the Plockmatic DigiCoater Pro 400 HD LED paper coating machine.

Thanks to its offset like print quality, high productivity and cost efficiency, the varioPrint iX-series has proved to be a popular investment for commercial and online printers, and its integration with the DigiCoater Pro 400 HD LED further extends its already broad application flexibility, making it an even more attractive option. The combination of the two technologies means that customers in EMEA can now not only produce high quality, UV coated applications, but can do so at rated engine speed in a single automated workflow.

Commercial print users of the varioPrint iX-series that want to produce business cards, postcards, photo merchandise, book and magazine covers and printed applications where coating adds value, can now maximise their productivity by connecting the DigiCoater Pro 400 HD LED in line. The integration removes both the need for manual intervention and the risk of a production bottleneck and allows commercial printers to deliver applications of a glossy, higher value look and feel and to meet the shortest turnaround times. By opting to use a flood varnish in the production of such applications, not only are the results more eye catching, but the coating also protects the printed materials against wear and tear, water, dirt and food.

Thanks to the low coating coverage – only 2 to 4 g/m2 of varnish – required to complete the UV curing process, the print enhancement is far more cost efficient compared with traditional technologies, which use 15 to 30g/m2 in varnishing processes. Because both machines run at the same rate, material can be printed and then coated by the Digicoater without compromising the performance or speed of the varioPrint iX-series engine. And as the finished coated output is delivered at room temperature, the sheets are ready immediately, with no wrinkling or shrinkage, for further finishing.

With the two machines connected via an open SFD interface, the bi-directional communication results in a highly efficient, end to end-workflow. The level of compatibility and automation delivered by the interface means that the print engine’s Prismasync controller can be easily alerted to misprinted single sheets and the varioPrint iX will automatically reprint them without having to reprint the whole job.