Xeikon partners with Yupo To Expand Substrate Range

Published: December 07, 2010

ITASCA, IL | Xeikon, an innovative leader in digital color printing, has tested and qualified synthetic substrates from Yupo Corp. of America for its Xeikon 3000 Series of digital label presses. These new qualifications are said to offer more substrate flexibility to Xeikon users for their label and package printing needs. The qualified substrates are used to produce pressure-sensitive labels for a broad array of consumer products, ranging from food/beverage items to household products.

Yupo's synthetic substrates are extruded from polypropylene pellets at the company's manufacturing plant in Chesapeake, VA. Characteristics are said to include super-smoothness, enabling consistent and effortless printing, and the ability to hold inks with a high level of precision. Available in translucent and super-white grades, these pulp-free synthetic paper substrates are reported 100% recyclable and designed to withstand demanding environments.

"We're seeing incredible growth in digitally produced label and packaging applications, and converters need increasingly more substrate flexibility to capitalize on this opportunity," said Troy Olson, Label Product Group manager of Yupo. “These new qualified substrates will offer exceptional print quality for converters on the Xeikon 3000 Series of digital label presses."

All presses of the Xeikon 3000 Series deliver 1,200 dpi resolution, says the company, and are divided into two maximum web widths: 330 mm (13 in.) and 516 mm (20.3 in.). The presses are claimed to run on the industry's first dedicated toner for label printing, called the Xeikon QA-I toner, which is FDA-compliant food-safe for direct or indirect contact with dry food products. Substrates printed with this press series require no pre-coating or treatment and include various self-adhesive materials such as co-extruded films, Bopp, PVC and PET, paperboards, paper as well as transparent and opaque foils.