Colordyne has become the first distributor of Xaar’s Versatex Printbar. The unit enables label printers to add inline embellishment or an opaque white to an existing flexo or inkjet press. Until now Xaar has sold the Versatex directly to press manufacturers or via its EPS operation, directly to customers.
That changes through the deal with Colordyne as the distributor handling sales, support and service for the technology. The key market will be printers using flexo or letterpress label presses with a need for digital content. That might be a spot or raised varnish or it might be text, barcode or sku identifier in black text.
The deal comes as Colordyne is evolving from a supplier of simple digital label presses, many built around Memjet technology to integrated solutions using piezo printheads to fire water based or UV inks. Its desktop printer range was sold two years ago to Afinia Label.
At the same time as signing the deal with Xaar, Colordyne agreed a deal with Dutch developer DJM. It builds printhead units that can be used for addressing or letter printing on a printing or mailing line, frequently as a replacement for older continuous inkjet heads with limited capacity and quality.
Director of sales and marketing at Colordyne Taylor Buckthorpe says: “The Versatex Printbar is a strong addition to our portfolio because it aligns directly with our retrofit first approach. It gives customers a practical way to add digital embellishment, high build effects and variable print capability to equipment they already own, while creating new value in labels, packaging and specialty applications.”
The Versatex Printer uses Xaar’s Nitrox printheads that can fire a more viscous fluid than the majority of piezo printheads. Thus it is better suited to applying the thicker fluids used for varnish and raised effects and an opaque white.
It can be fitted on both a press running left to right and right to left, one typical of analogue machine, the other used by digital presses.
Colordyne will introduce the Xaar technology at Loupe (formerly Labelexpo) in the US next month. After that the Versatex will be put though its paces at the Colordyne showroom in Wisconsin.
