Domino jubilant following Ipex
debut for N600 ink jet label press

Av Ratanaporn B. Jakobsen

Domino reports a highly successful debut in the full-colour, full-width printing market following the introduction at IPEX 2010 of its N600 reel-to-reel piezo ink jet label press.  

The N600 stands apart from the competition in that it runs at speeds that deliver at least 50% higher productivity than any comparable printer on the market - 75 metres/minute with three greyscales or 50 metres/minute with four, combined with a 333mm (13") print width. Nominal print resolution is 1200dpi (native 600dpi) and the printer is compatible with a wide range of paper and plastic label stock, thanks in part to the use of durable UV inks.

"The market reaction to the N600 at IPEX was everything we could have wished for and more," enthuses Philip Easton, Director - Digital Printing Solutions at Domino. "With such a wide choice of digital label presses on the market, we've been adamant that the N600 should offer clear differentiators in terms of quality and productivity. We've consulted with the market every step of the way and the feedback from potential customers and, indeed, from their customers, at IPEX indicates that there is huge demand for a label press of the calibre of the N600 that is as yet unfulfilled."

Easton reports a widespread view that the N600 is the machine that 'makes sense' of digital label printing. "While the vast majority of labels are still printed using flexo, there is a genuine desire to move to digital to simplify production and at increase customer responsiveness through fast turnaround of short-run work and the ability to customise jobs," he explains. "The typical productivity of digital label presses relative to flexo has meant that the focus has predominantly been on short-run only. The message that came over loud and clear at IPEX was that the speed and print quality delivered by the N600 make it a genuine alternative to flexo."

The N600 also proved of great interest to commercial printers who are already operating digital presses, but for whom the N600 productivity makes it a real proposition - primarily seen as complementary to their existing digital machine.

"We were delighted with the number of enquiries: visitors who saw the machine during the early part of the week returned later in the show with label stock and jobs for us to trial and several of them brought their customers along so that they could evaluate the performance of the N600 for themselves."

Following IPEX, Domino is in talks with a number of potential beta sites for the machine, with the first installations expected within weeks. "The beauty of digital ink jet is its simplicity and flexibility," says Easton, "which applies not just in operation but also in the design and configuration of the N600. Ongoing development means that we will in future be offering the option of a fifth colour, thus meeting the needs of printers who need to print white, and the printer's modular design means that this can be added to the existing four colour label press and that we can integrate with a variety of existing finishing solutions or supply standalone systems as required."

At IPEX, Domino also announced a partnership with EskoArtwork to deliver their Digital Front End for the N600, so offering workflow integration, colour management and RIP functionality from the acknowledged market leader in the packaging and labelling sectors.