Inks

J-Teck3     1, G50
Italian company J-Teck3 is launching direct-to-fabric versions of its J-Cube RF and KF series of inks for sublimation-transfer printing, which were initially launched at Fespa 2013. The new products have been specially formulated for high-speed digital printers and were produced with J-Teck3’s ‘Cluster Technology’, which involves ink molecules, consolidated into clusters, passing through the piezo printheads without alteration to maintain reliability and printability on digital industrial printers.

Kiian Digital     7, K5
Italian manufacturer Kiian Digital will launch four new additions to its Digistar range of water-based pigment and sublimation inks. The Digistar range has been developed for soft signage and textile printing and Kiian said it is compatible with most hardware brands in the textiles arena. Digistar WR-500 is a water-based multipurpose sublimation transfer ink that can be used on a wide range of substrates across the sports apparel, fashion and interior décor sectors, providing maximum versatility. Digistar AIR is a sublimation transfer ink developed for printing onto light papers or papers with only light coating. Digistar TUNE sublimation ink has been developed for direct printing and offers “the perfect balance between brightness and general fastness”. Digistar TEX-R is a water-based pigment ink for direct printing. It is “extremely versatile” according to Kiian and suitable for use with a wide range of fabrics. TEX-R is also intended to have a small environmental impact. Kiian will also unveil a selection of on-trend fluorescent colours for its most popular Digistar ink ranges: the HD- ONE, HI-PRO and K-ONE series.

Matsui International     5, P185
Japanese water-based ink specialist Matsui will launch its DigiAce range of inkjet textile inks at the show. The range uses Matsui’s micro-encapsulation technology and the company said it can produce a very wide colour gamut. The inks are suitable for both direct-to-fabric and dye-sublimation processes. DigiAce is available in CMYK as well as orange, green, royal blue, scarlet, light black and special black. Post-printing treatments improve the durability and softness, while pre-treatments are only necessary for printing onto coloured garments. Digiace is available in four viscosity levels to support different printhead requirements.

Ricoh     7, S132
Ricoh will be launching its own aqueous resin (AR) latex ink for the Ricoh Pro L4100 series of wide-format printers to address. The launch is intended to respond to the demands of its fast-growing sign and display graphics customer base. The new inks are available in CMYK, plus orange and green for an expanded colour gamut. White ink is also available to enhance printing on transparent or dark substrates. The inks are ideal for a wide range of uses, from posters and POS to window applications and outdoor banners. Spot colour simulation with six-colour process printing enables accurate printing of package proofs and other colour-critical projects. High black density and improved glossiness deliver rich and contrasting details, while white ink ensures vivid results.

Sun Chemical     3, C110
Sun Chemical will launch SunTex, its latest range of inkjet inks for the digital wide- and superwide-format markets. Two SunTex ink products will be demonstrated at the show. The first is a dye-sublimation ink for transfer print applications, which combines bright strong colours, dense black and a tough highly resistant ink film. The second range shown will be a direct print dispersed dye ink for flag and banner applications, which the manufacturer said provides “excellent show-through” for double sided output including flag printing, where the image is viewed from either side, and vibrant, strong colour and dense black reproduction. The business said both inks should be printed onto polyester and polyester-rich textiles and materials. Sun Chemical’s specialist global inkjet division SunJet will present the new AquacureT functional aqueous inkjet ink at a trade show for the first time. AquacureT is said to offer optimum high quality output, strong adhesion to a wide range of media, an extensive colour gamut and low odour properties. SunJet global sales and product manager Rick Hulme said: “Aquacure is the next generation functional aqueous inkjet ink, suitable for a wide range of graphic and packaging applications. It combines the best of water-based and UV curing technology to deliver optimal high quality output with a host of environmental benefits.”

Substrates

Antalis     1, G20
Antalis will be showing its new wall covering products at Fespa for the first time. The company announced a tie-up with traditional wallpaper company Graham & Brown at the end of last year, the products of which will be on show alongside Antalis’ in-house products. Rolls are variously available in 30m or 50m lengths and 1,370mm and 1,060mm widths but not all types are available in both configurations. The weights of the media range from 150gsm to 350gsm. All the finishes are suitable for UV, solvent or latex digital printing. Antalis sales manager Mike Collins said: “In the past we’ve sold materials for wall coverings and interior decoration. This is the first time that we’ve got a really broad range of wall covering material. We see it as a market that is growing all the time.” The rolls range from an entry-level uncoated unwoven Coala design up to a top of the range FSC fibre-based non-woven Graham & Brown wallcovering, which sticks on to a pasted wall, making it easier to apply and to peel off.

Avery Dennison     1, E30
Avery Dennison is launching six new digital products at the show under the banner ‘Here for you’. The stand feature new MPI 1104 cast films, a new digital wall film portfolio, and their latest application trainings and workshops. Shaun Hobson, senior business director Graphics Solutions Europe, said that this year’s stand has been designed to inspire as well as inform: “We have some really interesting products here, and we wanted to make sure that the graphics professionals who visit us can not only see our innovations in action, but also get a sense of potential applications. These materials are designed to offer more creative freedom and better application results.”

Cham Paper Group     5, K100
Switzerland-based Cham Paper Group will be exhibiting Transjet Eco II coated sublimation paper for digital transfer printing with water-based inks for the first time. The company said that the 95gsm paper is able to transfer print to “all possible” polyester materials and cites banners, flags, snowboards, mugs, clothing and interior décor as potential uses. The paper exhibits “excellent colour brilliance”, high transfer rates and short ink drying times.

Pongs Technical Textiles     5, M120
German textiles technology company Pongs will launch PrintTex Softimage lightbox, a new fabric designed specifically for backlit applications. The company said the fabric had “outstanding” properties for digital printing and is particularly suited to high-resolution printing of sophisticated images up to 5m wide. The fabric is mark-free and has “excellent light diffusion properties”, according to the company, making it suitable for covering shallow lightboxes. The material is said to be extremely crease-resistant and unfolds in the stretching process to a perfectly smooth surface even after heavy mechanical strain.

Veika     7, R41
Lithuanian manufacturer Veika is set to unveil additions to its Decojet product range. The firm will debut new textures from its Decojet Eco PVC-free digital wallcovering media range. Nine textures in the range have been commercially available in the UK since September, while three new textures, Decoleather, Decosand and Decodrift, will be launched at the show. Veika marketing specialist Vadim Timofejev said the Decojet wallcoverings have non-woven backing, while the hot embossed surface structure “appears particularly sharp and realistic and is robust and scratch resistant”. According to the firm, customers for the papers would be wallcovering manufacturers who offer clients small production batches with custom designs, printshops that work with interior designers, and advertising agencies. The company will also show its eco-solvent digital inks for wide-format print businesses printing on the Decojet digital wallpaper media. The inks are intended for Epson DX4, DX5, DX6 and DX7 printheads and are compatible with Roland, Mimaki and Mutoh Eco inks. Veika said the inks can be combined with OEM inks without additional washing steps and original profiles can be used.

Fespa stand-by-stand previews

Fespa Digital 2016 stand highlights: Presses & printers
Fespa Digital 2016 stand highlights: Inks and substrates
Fespa Digital 2016 stand highlights: Pre-media & post-press