Leading packaging origination and flexo platemaking company, Contact Originators, has been highly commended at the prestigious Stationers Guild Innovation Excellence Awards in recognition of an industry-first achievement.
Working with its key client, Smurfit Kappa Inspirepac in Markham Vale, and a number of suppliers, Contact Originators has delivered extended gamut process print (EGPP) capability for corrugated flexographic printing.
The company has developed a technology that was never intended for the corrugate flexo market and fine-tuned the process to meet the demands of corrugate printing.
Recognised in the Novel Manufacturing Category, the EGPP solution provides savings across a vast range of touch points including inventory of inks and materials, administration, costs and production downtime. The number of wash-ups required on a press is also reduced, lessening solvent usage and increasing press production uptime, reducing changeover substrate, plate and ink waste.
Steve Mulcahy, CEO of Contact Originators, said: “Contact Originators has a proven track record of revolutionary developments and industry-firsts and it is very gratifying to be recognised in these well-respected awards.
“We pride ourselves on leading the industry by developing new technologies and processes which bring multiple benefits and add value to customers’ businesses.”
Smurfit Kappa Inspirepac provided its Gopfert Ovation 7 colour press with high specification anilox configuration. This enabled a unique six colour plus varnish EGPP ink set and a fit of 0.25mm across all seven units to be achieved.
Utilising the latest DuPont™ Cyrel® EASY plate technology and high definition screenings, coupled with Esko Crystal XPS exposure system, Contact Originators pushed the boundaries on dot reproduction.
To create an accurate 6-colour press profile, Contact used HYBRID Software’s Packz linking to GMG’s Open colour profiling and proofing system. To realise the Gopfert Ovation’s 0.25mm tolerance, Contact used its AV FlexoLogic HD image recognition mounters to guarantee the fit to 100 micron colour-to-colour on plate mounting.
Held annually, The Stationers’ Company Innovation Excellence Awards celebrate companies and individual business units within the £70 billion UK Communications and Content industries.
