RotaJET L-Series passes deinking test with flying colours

The world’s first inkjet web printing system with a web width of over 30in (76.2cm), the RotaJET L-Series from Koenig & Bauer (KBA), has been officially certified by the International Association of the Deinking Industry (INGEDE). Test prints with newly developed inks which were used to print on coated stock at this year’s Drupa and were evaluated by INGEDE were shown to be extremely deinkable. Deinking, the process of removing ink or toner from paper, is of great importance when it comes to an orderly recycling chain. “The very good results achieved once again by the high-volume inkjet press from KBA clearly show that it is possible to design inkjet printwork in such a way that they can be easily integrated into existing recycling chains,” says Axel Fischer, expert for recycling print products at INGEDE. RotaColor inks from the previous press series the RotaJET 76 were certified as extremely deinkable in 2014.

KBA: an ecological trailblazer in inkjet printing

The print samples were inspected in accordance with INGEDE Method 11 and evaluated according to the European Recovered Paper Council’s Deinkability Scorecard (ERPC 2015). The RotaJET L-Series received 100 out of 100 points. The KBA RotaColor polymer pigment inks have been constantly improved to build on the very good result achieved in 2014 even further. The KBA RotaColor inkjet inks benefit from cutting-edge polymer technology which prevents the pigments from penetrating the fibres. The pigmentation of the inks has been perfected to ensure that the paper’s cellulose fibres retain their natural characteristics and are not compromised. At the same time KBA RotaColor inks deliver a high level of moisture and water resistance. KBA thus has found a perfect balance of outstanding deinkability and maximum water resistance.

Union of leading paper manufacturers

Leading European paper manufacturers founded the International Association of the Deinking Industry in 1989. The goal of INGEDE is to ensure that even more used paper is recycled in future. Ink has to be removed so that waste paper can be used as a raw material to make high-quality graphic paper. The raw material goes through the deinking process. This process has little impact on the environment and delivers high-quality paper. Using waste paper for producing graphic paper helps to protect resources and avoids generating large volumes of waste.