(Read David Zwang’s commentary on this announcement here.) 

Belharra, the mythical wave from the French Basque country will sweep over the printing industry. Like people from all over the world, customers will surf on the photo market with the new KNIS water based inkjet printer.

After the launch of Genix and Lenix, KNIS will unveil its very latest product at drupa 2024, which will be aimed at manufacturers in the photo printing market.

Aubagne, France April 25th, 2024: Eco-Responsibility, Efficiency, Advanced Compatibility; The result of more than 30 years of expertise in industrial inkjet allows KNIS to affirm that Belharra is the solution to respond and reconcile these major stakes in the photo market.

SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION Sustainability has become a driving force in many industries including print. With the involvement of major players in the sector (online printers, commercial printers...) since early stages of concept, KNIS has developed an alternative solution to Silver Halide.

Belharra is an environmentally friendly printer using the Genix PrintBox, a water-based drop on demand inkjet print engine.

Big project, big means, KNIS aims to offer a finished and controlled product and this have involved a dedicated ink development, specifically adapted to the photo printing market.

The eco-friendly criteria have deeply influenced the KNIS team during all the conception phase resulting in an optimized ink and electrical consumption, but also reduced paper wastes and an operator oriented ergonomics. Finally, Belharra has been engineered as being a compact system which divides the footprint, the ecologic impact, and is less polluting compared to existing processes.

EFFICIENT SOLUTION Belharra is a high reliable photo printing solution who is targeting the industrial market and will answer the need of production processes evolution. With a duty cycle from 10 million to 40 million photos (10x15) per year, the machine is adapted to each customer need and can address a large range of volume printing by its speed use and its production ability. The printing speed is adjustable from 1 to 50 m/min while keeping the same quality level. Moreover, the KNIS printing process allows users to automatically print large quantities of individualized documents in a single pass and with a comparable output to Silver Halide technology.

Belharra is a webfed printer and can be currently delivered with automatic splicing units to improve the production efficiency.

Speed, quality, productivity, we can add a last but not the least quality for Belharra: its flexibility. It proposes a wide choice of photo formats: cm (10x15 – 10x12 – 10x10 – 9x9…) and inches (4x6 – 4x5.5 – 5x3.75).

Depending on each customer, the production and the value creation will be unique and personalized.

ADVANCED COMPATIBILITY KNIS team has designed this new photo printing system to be easy to integrate/swap into existing production organizations, including workflow, finishing, etc.

The new photo printer uses the last generation of KYOCERA piezo DOD printheads KJ4B EX1200RC with recirculation which gives a simplified use and a better reliability with less intervention and printing defects. Besides, Belharra is equipped with an automatic quality control and correction systems.

The ergonomic and dynamic interface will be a major and facilitating help for the operator who will easily understand the functioning for a better efficiency and have an automatic production planning adjustment. Finally, Belharra proposes a range of different options which are available based on customer requirements.

Paul Morgavi, President of KNIS, to conclude: “Our product is not only a printer but the entire reflection of the ecosystem which revolves around Belharra with the development of specific ink and a work with paper manufacturers to reduce the carbon footprint, without compromising the economic aspect. It is a complete industrial printing solution that reconciles Efficiency, Eco-Responsibility and Advanced Compatibility with every customer needs.”

Come to see us at Drupa, Hall 10 A11, to discover Belharra, we will be delighted to discuss with you about this new wave!