Schaumburg, IL – Since the beginning of the year, INX International has introduced several innovative ink solutions that impact the label and packaging markets. Those products and new equipment will greet attendees in booth 129 at the upcoming Labelexpo Americas 2022, September 13-15 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.

Held a short distance from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, the venue is only minutes away from INX’s corporate headquarters in Schaumburg. Renee Schouten, Vice President of Marketing, believes this year’s event represents plenty of good opportunities for everyone.

“I’m hopeful that since this show was last held here four years ago, people will return like they have in the past,” she said while pointing out more than 16,000 people attended in 2018. “Printers looking for new products or equipment to increase their business or expand in the digital world will find what they need in our booth.”

The newest product development is INXFlex Contour™ a distinctive UV and LED dual cure flexographic ink system that produces shrink sleeve labels for brand owners. It addresses label and packaging industry issues of post-shrink adhesion loss and ink cracking, with superior flexibility that can’t be matched by any other product in the marketplace.

INXFlex Contour piggybacks off the success of Genesis™ washable label inks. A recycle-friendly ink system, it recently added a new flexo version and UV Curable primer that makes INXFlex Contour washable too. Schouten said these bright and colorful inks deliver high performance and can help brand owners meet their efficiency and sustainability goals.

“Our shrink sleeve inks are formulated so the labels stand out on store shelves and catch the attention of consumers,” she said. “INXFlex Contour offers customers faster lead times and lower applied costs with a dual cure version. It also provides flexibility to choose from common substrates and find the most cost-effective solution for their application. That’s especially important for tamper evident sleeve applications, a consideration most brand owners expect.”

In June, INX and VerifyMe, Inc. announced the development of VerifyInk, a covert ink technology to help provide brand protection of products in the marketplace. The newest addition to the security inks product line runs on direct-to-product continuous inkjet (CIJ) printers. When used in tandem with VerifyMe’s proprietary and patented reading devices, it can identify counterfeit products across all markets including consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, and food and beverage.

“The CIJ VerifyInk is a natural fit for our product line,” commented Schouten. “With VerifyMe, we are excited to provide a solution to the packaging market that combines high security and customer engagement, two drivers that are very important to brand owners.”

INXShield™ UV Flexo and GS Slip coatings represent the first in a new line of functional coatings for packaging applications. Formulated with BioCote® antimicrobial technology to protect the coating by inhibiting odor and staining microbes on the surface, INXShield is validated and quality control tested regularly by an independent testing facility using the ISO 22196:2011 test method.

“The BioCote brand is universally recognized as the true standard for quality, experience and credibility,” remarked Schouten. “Our UV Flexo coating is suitable for application over dry water-based and cured UV inks, with a uniform layer that provides excellent gloss, slip and general resistance properties. GS Slip is a solvent-based gravure coating for shrinkable film labels. The overprint varnish makes it a great choice for shrinkable printing such as OPS, PETG and PVC.”

The Triangle® brand of XJL UV Curable Inkjet inks follow in the tradition of exceptional alternative ink solutions. These advanced inks check off the boxes as a premium high performance formulation that produces remarkable consistency, unparalleled quality, and is cost efficient when used with Xeikon® Jetrion™ 4830, 4900 and 4950LX series digital label printers.

“Triangle inks are designed to match with nearly every OEM printer and print head type,” summed up Schouten. She indicated XJL’s test results of remarkable consistency and quality would be of interest to printers wanting to achieve GRACoL standards and G7 targets.

“XJL works in conjunction with the three Xeikon printers and provides high productivity when jetted with Xaar® 1001, 1002 and 1003 single-pass print heads. This series is also color and chemically compatible, and available at a 35% per liter cost savings compared to OEM inks.”

No booth visit is complete until attendees learn about INX’s hardware solutions. The NW350 is the newest addition to the narrow web series of UV Digital Label printers, and it’s fast.

Designed to combine printing and conversion to produce brilliant color printed labels at a maximum printing width of 350mm or 13.78 inches, the NW350 delivers single pass output up to 160 feet per minute on any label stock. This complete solution includes superior quality inks, making it ideal for printers looking to meet the demand for productive, short-run digital printing.

INX will have live in-booth demonstrations of the HMJ A200 small batch ink dispenser. It provides fully automated dispensing for up to 14 valve stations, providing a combination of speed and precision to deliver accurate ink flow. With a compact footprint and industrial grade controls, it makes single point dispensing easy for pals, jugs and any specialty containers with openings as small as one inch.

INX experts will be available to answer any questions in booth 129. If you are not attending the show but want more information about any of these products, contact your INX representative or visit the website.