October 23, 2003 -- In August one of the biggest printers of synthetics in the US, Serigraph in West Bend, Illinois, pressed the button on a 74 Karat coater press featuring a special package for printing metal foil plus transparent and opaque synthetics including PVC (polyvinylchloride), ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene), PC (polycarbonate), PS (polystyrene) and PET (polyethylene terephthalate or polyester). The 74 Karat brings the outstanding quality and cost-efficiency of waterless offset to the short-run production of credit cards, plastic cards, sticky labels, overhead transparencies, packaging film and foil, metal-coated substrates, lenticular film (3-D and animation) and PVC banners. Following a smooth installation and crew training the press at Serigraph was put straight into triple-shift operation printing four to five jobs per shift in runs of between 200 and 5,000 sheets. “The new foil and film package offers Karat users an effective tool for raising their competitive profiles and expanding their margins in a high-potential market,” says Andreas Mössner, KBA’s executive vice president for sheetfed sales. Minor Modifications, Maximum Benefits The 74 Karat uses specially formulated process inks and aqueous coatings instead of the UV inks and coatings of conventional sheetfed presses. Modified ink feed, special blankets, washing bars and cleaning agents, plus static eliminators at the feeder and delivery promote an excellent print quality with a minimum of conversion work. Better Quality, Higher Margins The 74 Karat’s Gravuflow keyless inking units guarantee a 100 per cent uniform application of ink and identical image reproduction from one print to the next. The integrated coater allows the sheets to be finished or passed through the press a second time without delay. On-press imaging supports a complete job change in around 17 minutes, conversion between transparent and pigmented coating is similarly quick and easy. Fast make readies, flawless inking with anilox inking units and a maximum of 10 sheets start-up waste – compared to 200 to 300 with a conventional press – make the 74 Karat an ideal tool for printing costly synthetics.