Neu-Isenburg/Frankfurt, Germany – At last week’s two-day WAN-IFRA Print Summit in Hamburg, print industry leaders learned how waterless technology can deliver print quality and cost savings benefits to create an irresistible combination for operations looking to add value and differentiate their service portfolios..

Sustainable and profitable print 

It is always exciting to hear directly from end users about the benefits of technologies, and Patrick Zürcher Operating Manager and Company Secretary, Freiburger Druck GmbH & Co. KG (www.freiburger-druck.de), Germany, delivered that value by discussing the business boosting impact of Toray’s technology at this important event for world-wide newspaper and cold-set web printers. 

Zürcher’s award winning operation was recently named Druck & Medien’s Newspaper Printer of the Year following identical success in 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012. This time, the company impressed judges with its dispersion coating results in co-operation with the René Staud photo agency. Freiburger Druck used Toray plates on a KBA Cortina waterless press to achieve these outstanding results.

Mr. Zürcher, an electrical engineer and economist, is a pioneer user of waterless newspaper printing technology and the recipient of many awards and accolades for efforts in environmental protection and high print quality. He spoke about how the latest developments have proven to be a quantum leap for cold-set waterless newspaper printers in helping to develop new business opportunities.

Bucking the trend with Toray  

Mr. Zürcher highlighted how Freiburger Druck is bucking the trend of many print media houses by showing a positive business development achievement through investments in waterless technology. He showed an impressed audience of industry executives how the outstanding quality produced with Toray waterless plates on a Cortina newspaper press can be further enhanced by the addition of a coating unit that applies an aqueous varnish to the print in a final finishing step. The process, which is the result of cooperation between SUN Chemical, Eltosch, KBA and Freiburger Druck, includes a compact hybrid IR/ hot air drying concept which is especially economical in combination with waterless print. It produces a smear-free, high gloss product that rivals heatset web in quality and the ability to open new business opportunities. 

Mr. Junichi Ishii, Sales Manager for the Graphics and Chemicals Sections of Toray International Europe GmbH, says: “The event was a great way for one of our leading, ambitious and innovative print partners to demonstrate how Toray’s solutions can deliver quality levels that rival heatset, while at the same time saving energy, reducing CO² emissions and presenting new business opportunities with commercial and semi commercial quality print products.”

For more information about Toray’s waterless technology please visit www.waterless-print.com/en/