Seacourt has launched LightTouch, as a brand for the print produced on its waterless LED UV equipped B2 Sakurai.
The Oxford printer, already a leader in reducing the environmental impact of print, reckons that the LED technology will bring an 85% saving over the conventional UV lamps it might have chosen.
The development of what is a world first proposition has taken a year to perfect, says Seacourt managing director Gareth Dinnage. “We are known for our environmental and quality benefits and once we have this culture in the business, we have to push it on and see what extra benefits we can gain from technology,” he says.
Komori has supplied its previous waterless litho presses but does not produce a waterless version of the H-UV technology. Moreover Dinnage says he wanted to use LED diodes for their energy saving impact. Sakurai’s chief executive Ryuta Sakurai has a strong sustainability outlook and took up the challenge. Visits to Japan for discussions followed. “It’s the advantage of dealing with people rather than organisations,” says Dinnage. “Mr Sakurai wanted to get involved and we are now delighted about where we are. It’s taking printing to another level and helping to push the industry forwards.
“We are branding it as LightTouch because in additional to the UV light to produce instantly dry sheets, waterless is the lightest touch way to print. There is no IPA or alternative additive used and we combine the waterless appoach with 21st century LEDs which are so much more efficient and that is still an improving technology.”
Seacourt has been a waterless printer since 1997 and has been a leading advocate for reducing the environmental impact of print for at least that long. It was one of the first to achieve Emas and in 2009 became the first printer in the world with zero waste to landfill.
Now says Dinnage: “LightTouch will not only make us extremely competitive in the marketplace but could lead the way in ensuring a sustainable future for the printing industry as a whole. We really believe this is a revolution in high performance, low impact printing. It can become the blue print for how the industry moves forwards and demonstrates that it really is the most sustainable mass communication medium.”
Customer reaction has been highly favourable, with the quality taking another step forward, he explains. “The first job on press was a large 200pp work book with professional images. The quality was impressive, the sharpness was better than they could have expected and they are used to the quality of waterless printing.”
The project involved teams for ink, plate and blanket suppliers as well as between Seacourt and Sakurai collaborating for more than a year.
“It is now everything we hoped it would be in terms of quality and innovation. Waterless printing is already about higher quality than conventional and we have taken that on another step change.”
The company is expecting revenues to grow by double digital percentage this year after an 8% increase in the year just ended and 11% rise the year before. But the biggest impact is on reinforcing the sustainability of print. “We all want an industry that is still here in 50 years,” he says.
Seacourt has installed the first waterless LED UV press in the world, supplied by Japanese manufacturer Sakurai. It is delivering improvements to energy consumption and a big lift in quality over standard waterless litho printing.
