Two years in the making, the Visual Communication Technologies being demonstrated at drupa 2012 by the SAKATA INX Group - including INX International Ink Co. and INX Digital International (Stand 3A50) - covers many important aspects for anyone involved in today’s printing world.  Game changing global technologies designed with general commercial, digital, industrial and newspaper printers in mind will provide solutions and enable any printer to evolve in today’s business world. 

The slew of new product and upgraded offerings from the SAKATA INX Group will be on display or demonstrated throughout drupa, which opens May 3 and runs through May 16 in Dusseldorf, Germany.  All of the latest company developments during drupa will be updated continuously on its Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/sakatainxdrupa.

“We’re excited to be back at drupa and looking for it to be an outstanding show.  It truly is a special time in our industry for all of us to come together,” said Rick Clendenning, President & CEO of INX International Ink Co.  “Our three companies are combining global resources as one cohesive unit for this event.  This involves a sizeable amount of manpower with assistance from many of our affiliated INX offices throughout Asia and Europe.

“I’m proud that in planning for drupa, we have developed many outstanding new products that will help anyone involved in printing.  It’s a different world today than when drupa last was held.  Printers who survived the last four years did so by learning to adapt.  By continuing to evolve ourselves, the entire SAKATA INX Group has the technologies, resources and equipment to help printers continue their next phase of operations.”

The SAKATA INX Group has a plethora of tangible new products ready for virtually any next phase. The Visual Communication Technologies being offered begins with a more vivid, wider gamut color reproduction with the introduction of Luce.  It continues with the Natural Light LED viewing box and ColorBrain Score, an ultra-accurate color measurement tool that eliminates variations in positioning while ensuring color accuracy. SAKATA INX also is introducing Concentric Screening, the first major advance in halftone technology for offset printing.

New technology features have also been added to the EVOLVE Advanced Digital Solutions line, which includes the INX NW140 digital narrow web press.  INX also will tackle the issues of Low Migration Inks in Packaging to help printers comply with and gain a better understanding of the stringent global government regulations and standards.  Finally, INX Digital’s Prodigy™ brand of customized industrial inkjet inks is geared for the fast emerging markets that include printing on textile, tile, glass, metal and wood grain type products.

“Our new devices are symbolic of the groundbreaking Research & Development efforts that printers have come to expect - and place their trust in - from our team,” Clendenning said.  “These newest product developments are designed for today’s print operations.  They also represent more and better options for value-added printing with true cost savings in mind.”

The Luce ink system and Concentric Screening are two good starting points.  A wider color gamut for higher quality inserts used by newspaper and commercial printers allows Luce to be run at higher densities with reduced dot gain while achieving greater color saturation.  Print quality and printer savings (up to 25 percent) can be realized from Concentric Screening, a revolutionary method that offers more detail than conventional AM screening and a smoother appearance than FM.

Color management is a front-and-center issue for the SAKATA INX Group during this drupa session.  The Natural Light LED viewing box for color output mimics objects to be perceived in their natural color as it would in sunlight, compared to fluorescent lights used in the printing industry.  The Natural Light LED removes the guesswork, ensuring high color with a Color Rendering Index value.

ColorBrain Score helps achieve job-to-job color consistency using a simple 1-2-3 process with a digital camera to eliminate variations in positioning a device from one color measurement to the next.  It measures to Japan Color or ISO 12647 Color Standards, and like the other new products from the SAKATA INX Group, saves both time and money with a direct and safe-guarded approach.

The highly popular EVOLVE Advanced Digital Solutions line of equipment (www.inxevolve.com) has received new technology upgrades in recent months.  The brand concept, designed to help traditional printers and converters switch over to digital printing, offers a full range of industrial inkjet systems.  Resources include integrated systems, chemistry, parts, service and consulting.

The NW140 digital narrow web press with UV LED-cure single pass output has completed beta testing and installations are scheduled to begin this month. The CP100 UV digital cylindrical printer continues to win favor, and the MD1000 UV flatbed printer has established a foothold in a number of industries with unique applications.

Interest in Low Migration inks for packaging continues to rise, and INX will help show attendees address several issues at drupa.  INX will offer a full range of Low Migration ink and coating products for flexographic and offset production, flat sheet metal decorating and sheetfed folding carton food packaging, among others including energy curable products.

Anyone visiting the SAKATA INX Group stand can obtain a copy of “Low Migration inks in Packaging”, a comprehensive guide to help food package providers interpret and deal with today’s market challenges while supplies last.  This valuable report summarizes the latest, most relevant FDA (U.S. Food & Drug Administration) requirements for the U.S., Canada and Europe, plus packaging supply chain links, responsibilities and recommendations for print production processes.

The Prodigy brand continues to make dramatic strides in development after being introduced to the market only 15 months ago.  It offers a well-balanced portfolio of chemistries, including UV, water and solvent based products that are designed to serve OEMs, Integrators and print head companies for graphic arts.  On the industrial side, Prodigy can be printed on a variety of substrates – textile, tile, glass, wood grain, et al – for specific markets such as packaging and labels.

With over a century of history, SAKATA INX has always been at the forefront of expanding its involvement in the printing and information industries.  Our vision is “Creation of Visual Communication Technology”.  For more information, visit the Web site at www.inx.co.jp/english/inx.html.

INX International Ink Co. is the third largest producer of inks in North America with over 20 facilities in the U.S. and Canada, and is a global supplier as part of Sakata INX worldwide operations.  For more information, visit the Web site at www.INXinternational.com.

INX Digital International is a leading global manufacturer of inkjet inks for wide format, super-wide and new generation digital printers, and a supplier of printer parts and related services.  As the digital arm of INX International Ink Co., it offers a full palette of digital ink systems, advanced technologies and integrated services including chemistry, hardware and software, engineering design and integration and media.  For more information, visit the Web site www.INXdigital.com,