Sussex, Wisconsin, USA – QuadTech Inc. will exhibit its state-of-the art color and inspection technology at Converting & Package Printing Expo (CPP), co-located with PRINT 13 (September 8-12, McCormick Place, Chicago), at booth 2472. Under the theme of "The Power of Better,” QuadTech offers packaging, commercial and newspaper print markets an extensive range of automated press controls that improve performance, productivity and output.

QuadTech offers fully integrated solutions including register and ribbon control, color control, ink control, 100% web inspection and data management software for virtually all printing and converting situations. For example, QuadTech’s Inspection System has a modular architecture that enables the system to inspect at any resolution on a variety of substrate surfaces on any web width—regardless of whether a press is Gravure, Offset, Flexo or Digital. The system ensures 100% inspection on all print or non-print product, web or sheet, throughout the entire print run.

Packaging

For the converter, QuadTech provides reliable in-line solutions that give consistent inspection and color measurement for virtually all types of packaging substrates. As a result, the flexo/gravure packaging printer can meet the need for universal quality standards while minimizing waste and manual intervention.

QuadTech’s recently introduced Color Quality Solution is the world’s first in-line color and ink control for packaging presses. The solution enables automatic sharing and processing of color data between QuadTech’s in-line color measurement and off-line color measurement industry leader X-Rite. This enables a standard spectral color measurement from ink dispensing and printing stages. Comparisons of printed work with the original color information begin immediately and the Color Measurement System with SpectralCam^TM shows real-time ?E, solid density and dot gain values via an operator touch screen.

QuadTech’s Color Measurement System with SpectralCam™ HD enables continuous, in-line monitoring of all packaging substrates, including challenging transparent, translucent and reflective films. It accurately measures the spectral response and calculates L*a*b*, ΔE, Density and ΔDensity, and dot gain all at full press speeds, ensuring consistent results and minimal make-ready waste. The system also utilizes a web stabilizer unit that enables color measurement over a certified BCRA ceramic tile without risk of substrate corrugation.

Also available for the package printer is the Autotron™ 2600 with ClearLogic™ Register Guidance System, which is suitable for foil, film and paper, as well as for non-print processes such as die-cutting. Its unique scanning heads can detect a wide range of pale and low-contrast marks and are flexible to transition to any new production substrate.

Commercial/Newspaper

New for web offset printers is QuadTech's Digital Ink System, which replaces fountains with computerized ink injectors, providing precise density control across the printed image by metering the correct volume of ink delivered to each control zone. Besides improved ink density, the Digital Ink System eliminates the costs of contamination from open fountains, resulting in significant and immediate savings in ink, paper and maintenance.

QuadTech’s Color Control and Web Inspection System with AccuCam™, winner of Printing Industries of America’s InterTech™ Technology Award, provides fully automatic closed-loop color control by controlling the ink-key settings. An image-based color control system, AccuCam eliminates the need for unsightly gray bars or color bars. The system also provides reliable warnings of many common printing faults such as scumming, creasing, transposed plates, and tramlines. The AccuCam system’s water control capability monitors and controls press damping levels, reducing paper waste and ink usage.

For the commercial printer, Color Control System with Instrument Flight® & SpectralCam™ comprises L*a*b*, TVI and technology pioneered by System Brunner that controls not only solid ink density, but three-color gray balance and midtone dot gain. This provides optimal color control on web offset presses, ensuring consistent, accurate image quality through the entire print run.

QuadTech and Alwan Color Expertise (Lyon, France) have joined forces to provide on-the-fly automated plate curve monitoring and adjustment for web offset press applications. Working with QuadTech's Color Control System with SpectralCam™, Alwan's PRINT Standardizer® software automatically compensates for dot gain deviations in virtually all printing situations and also provides ISO 12647 and G7® compliance confirmation.

QuadTech’s performance proven MultiCam® is the world’s best-selling register camera, with over 10,000 cameras built. It searches for register marks 30 times per second and identifies register marks as small as 0.50 mm (0.020 in). QuadTech’s Register Guidance System with MultiCam® is a closed-loop color-to-color register control system that enables printers to achieve salable copies in a minimum number of press impressions from startup, reducing waste, increasing savings and maximizing quality. Optional fan-out control software automatically keeps the system in lateral register across the width of the web. It can also include other features such as cocking control, anti-embossing, and ink guiding capabilities. QuadTech’s Ribbon Control System with MultiCam® is a print-to-cut and print-to-fold registration system that minimizes waste during make ready and when cutting any imperfect substrate areas.