INX International Ink Co. will showcase new ink products for textile printing, with emphasis on direct to object printing. The company will be introducing the new TRIANGLE DT8 and DT8-PRO aqueous inks, and demonstrate the CP100 UV Digital Cylindrical Printer and the SLED test machine.
The products will be introduced at InPrint USA from 9-11 April. Jim Lambert, vice president, digital division, said, ‘When direct to object printing first began, it was more or less putting an existing ink into a printhead to see if it would work. Printheads now have advanced so much and become application specific.’
The TRIANGLE DT8 and DT8-PRO water-based aqueous textile inks are designed for direct-to-textile and transfer printing on polyester, or mixed synthetic fabrics that contain a minimum of 60 percent polyester. These high-performance, fast drying inks also can be used on flags and banners. They are intended for use with Epson DX4, DX5, DX7 and TFP printheads and offer an ideal colour gamut.
‘It’s all part of the process before we test on the specific or intended substrate. We are now at the point where brand owners are driving the push to print bottles and other cylindrical packaging in large volumes to increase their marketing real estate and shelf appeal. And one of the impressive things about direct to object printing is that you can reduce waste and cost by eliminating a substrate all together.’
The CP100 UV Digital Cylindrical printer is popular since it can create specialised packaging in a matter of minutes. It offers integrators a cost-effective, standalone solution with proofing and prototyping capabilities for small production runs on two-piece cans, bottles or other cylindrical objects using four colours, white ink, and spot high-thickness varnish. The CP100 uses a long life UV curing system and UV curable inkjet inks specifically formulated for proofing on metal.
Any products developed using the CP100 or the CP800 can be tested with the SLED. A cost affordable test and demonstration machine, the single-pass unit examines inks and chemistries in different fluid delivery systems. It can also test printheads and a variety of ink sets, giving the brand owner or integrator the ability to see how the inks respond to a wide range of substrates and materials.
