Düsseldorf, Germany (Feb. 24, 2004) - Sun Chemical, the world’s largest manufacturer of inks and coatings, will introduce a variety of products and services designed to improve productivity and quality for printers at drupa 2004, taking place May 6-19. Sun Chemical will launch new ink technologies for sheetfed offset, UV printing and digital printing on corrugated substrates that expand capabilities of these processes, opening new avenues for printers to compete and profitably succeed. “At drupa 2004, Sun Chemical is asking printers to ‘Just Imagine’ the possibilities of what they can achieve in print,” said Chris Morrissey, Sun Chemical corporate vice President, marketing. “As these new ink series demonstrate, if printers can visualize their needs and goals, Sun Chemical will devise a solution that can help them expand their capabilities to achieve those goals.” “Ink is basic to the entire printing process,” Morrissey added. “No CtP plate unit, printing press or substrate can achieve its full potential unless it is paired with inks designed to optimize its application. Companies visiting drupa 2004 to identify tomorrow’s printing technology should not overlook the value of inks to their future.” The company’s full global family of brands, including Hartmann and Coates Lorilleux, will be represented at the drupa booth in PrintCity Hall 6, booths A79 and B79. In addition to introducing several new ink systems, Sun Chemical also is expanding its offering of related printing items such as fountain solutions, blankets and other consumables that complement its inks and coatings. To fully round out its ability to offer printers total solutions, Sun Chemical also will begin offering SmartColor, a new color management service, and a systematic approach to controlling manufacturing costs in the pressroom called Total Cost to Print. “Print is a complex interaction of chemical and mechanical processes,” Morrissey said. “Sun Chemical now offers brand owners and printers a viable method to control those variables, utilizing consistent products and procedures no matter where they do business across the globe. Together, these products and services will help a printer reduce costs and build their abilities to compete in a tight market.” New inks offer global sheetfed standard For the first time, Sun Chemical will offer worldwide a highly versatile process ink series for sheetfed printing called World Series. “Printers have told us that they cannot find a standard set of sheetfed inks that can run on virtually all presses,” said John Adkin, sheetfed product director, Sun Chemical Europe. “World Series inks set a global standard and offer performance without compromise. The formulations are based on the latest technology, and the inks are designed to meet all four-color needs.” These inks are based on vegetable oils and are 100 percent mineral oil-free. Adkin said World Series inks offer excellent lithographic performance on large- and small-format four-color presses - including perfecting presses. These inks can be used on a wide variety of substrates including coated papers and boards used in commercial, publication and folding carton printing. World Series, which will be launched first in Europe and North America, also will be paired with specially designed fountain solutions and coatings available from Sun Chemical to further enhance its performance. Adkin said the new ink series will help printers manage their inventories and increase press up-time by reducing the need for many ink formulations. “World Series also is very user-friendly, and from a press operator’s point of view it offers outstanding lithographic performance,” he added. New UV photoinitiator for food packaging For many years, converters have been using UV-cured inks in packaging, but with some limitations for food packages due to potential odors and off-taste. Now, Sun Chemical has patented a new package of photoinitiators for UV inks called M-Cure, which can be safely used in food packaging. “M-Cure technology benefits all inks and coatings needed for printing sensitive food, drug and cosmetic packaging, including those printed by offset and flexography,” Adkin said. “The regulatory environment stresses control of materials migration in these types of packaging. M-Cure offers new levels of safety and printing performance that should meet changing regulatory requirements.” New digital technology launched Sun Chemical and Inca Digital Printers will demonstrate a high-speed inkjet system using single-pass technology, which allows full-color sheetfed printing on corrugated substrates at three times the speed of today’s inkjet technology. The digital press will be part of PrintCity’s “Print Factory” in Hall 6 of Messe Düsseldorf, where more than 40 member companies will showcase their products in a working environment. Sun Chemical and Inca recently announced a partnership to commercialize this technology, which will utilize pigmented inks developed by Sun Chemical on an array of fixed inkjet heads that will produce high-quality color on a print width of up to 520 mm at 300 dpi, with speeds of 100 metres or more per minute, surpassing any product currently available in the market. “These products represent a significant advancement for the packaging industry, as they will allow greatly improved graphic capability that can be easily customized through the use of variable data in a single pass on the press,” said John Law, SunJet managing director. WetFlex captures attention Sun Chemical also will showcase the unique capabilities of its patented WetFlex printing system and its UniQure inks. This revolutionary system, introduced in the last year, allows the use of wet-trapping, Electron Beam-cured inks on a Central Impression (CID) flexographic press, without the use of inter-station drying. Until this technology was introduced, dryers had been required between each printing unit, slowing the presses due to increased ink drying time. “This technology, designed for use in flexible packaging, has the ability to enhance converters’ productivity and the quality of their product, delivering significant competitive advantages,” Morrissey said. “This ink system has been turning heads worldwide because its use combines some of the most promising technologies emerging in the printing industry.“ Sun Chemical recently opened a WetFlex demonstration center at its research facility in Carlstadt, NJ, USA, with a Ko-Pack press and ESI electron beam to show the advantages of the new system. New products help build “Total Solution” Sun Chemical has begun manufacturing and selling a wide variety of materials used in the printing process, such as fountain solution, blankets, web conditioners, safety gear and color measurement tools, as part of its strategy to provide a “Total Solution” to printers. “Printers are beginning to rely on single-source suppliers for a variety of their supply needs, not just because it’s easier to order, but because Sun Chemical offers an integrated package of materials designed to work better together than they work separately,” Morrissey said. In Europe, these products are being offered through catalogs, Internet and direct sales by Boss Graphics and WebXtras, while Vivitek markets a similar product line in North America. SmartColour provides consistency In Europe, Sun Chemical is rolling out SmartColour, an integrated system designed to ensure color consistency. SmartColour is based on building a color library with specific, measurable attributes that will ensure consistency and easy management of color choices. For brand owners, SmartColour can speed their approvals process and lower costs by reducing guesswork on color choice, while harmonizing colors to promote a targeted image. Printers should be able to lower total costs, improve press availability, reduce waste and grow their business by offering certified color guarantees. SmartColour employs an exclusive system of computerized tools to measure and visualize color choices. One key element is the PreView software, which places a digitally defined color into separated designs to easily and dramatically demonstrate its appearance. Finally, the entire system utilizes the Web to share data in the digital workflow. “Consumer product companies have built brands with high recognition that people turn to around the world because they identify them as valuable,” Morrissey said. “Color is integral to brand building because it offers instant recognition. Slight variations in ads, packaging or other promotions can diminish the value of a brand.” Reducing “Total Cost to Print” adds value Sun Chemical recognizes that controlling costs is essential to printers, who may not have the tools to identify and implement potential savings. Based on its experiences with best practices in pressrooms worldwide, Sun Chemical has developed a new service that identifies the “Total Cost to Print” to help printers and converters improve their ability to compete. In this consultative service based on Six Sigma, Sun Chemical representatives will work with printers to employ a data-driven analytical methodology that can identify savings opportunities in the manufacturing environment by reviewing the materials and procedures employed. “Experience has shown us that printers often see these opportunities to improve their operations only after extensive data collection,” Morrissey said. “Sun Chemical will work with them to select proper materials that meet specifications or tighten procedures that can be very beneficial. It’s part of our offering that we believe helps make Sun Chemical a printer’s most valuable partner.”