CHICAGO, IL − September 9, 2007 − Visitors coming to Graph Expo will be shown a video of the new SolarJet, Sun Chemical's latest generation UV inkjet printer designed specifically to benefit the growing short-run, narrow-web labels market, before it is launched globally at LabelExpo in Europe.
Built in partnership with Imaging Technology International (iTi) of Colorado, USA, SolarJet offers an innovative solution for printers and converters that allows printers to produce shorter print runs quickly, cost effectively and without sacrificing quality. This is increasingly relevant to the pharmaceutical, health and beauty, industrial, electronics and FMCG markets, where printed products are updated frequently, and therefore, run lengths need to be shorter to reduce waste.
"We have designed SolarJet to fill a specific gap in the narrow-web labels market," said Stefan Slembrouck, business manager Digital Print Solutions, Sun Chemical Digital. "SolarJet offers printers an economically viable solution for print runs of 10,000 labels or fewer, freeing up their flexo presses for the higher-volume jobs.  It also has the added benefit of being able to print variable data, such as text and barcodes, which is particularly beneficial in Europe, where products may need to be printed in various languages.
"By investing in a digital solution such as SolarJet, printers that have traditionally run a high-volume flexo operation can increase their turnover by offering short-run, quick turnaround jobs that were previously beyond their capabilities. It is a complementary technology that exploits the strengths of digital printing, while bridging the gap in conventional printing processes."
SolarJet's inks dispersion system, and inks themselves, are unique strengths. It is equipped with the latest generation Xaar 760 printheads in CMYK, which achieve an apparent print quality of 900 x 900 dpi. Sun Chemical has used its unrivalled expertise in the ink industry to develop SolarDot pigmented UV inks, which have been designed specifically to optimise performance and deliver reliable, high-quality print on a range of substrates.
The press can print at a speed of up to 25 meters (80 linear feet) per minute and is designed to fit seamlessly into conventional workflows. It offers print widths from 53mm to 160 mm (2.1 to 6.3 inches) to meet the application requirements of converters, and utilise their existing inventory of dies and converting equipment.
The SolarJet press video will be shown publicly in North America for the first time at Sun Chemical's booth 2819 at Graph Expo in Chicago from September 9-12, 2007. The demonstration model shown in the video will feature optional EXFO pinning units to demonstrate the capabilities of controlling even fine text and bar code requirements.