Ink

Siegwerk, one of the leading global providers of printing inks for packaging applications and labels, is one of the pioneers in shaping the future of packaging.

By offering a combination of trusted brands, consistent products and OEM partnerships combined with ‘Best in Class’ manufacturing, Flint Group was well positioned at IPEX to help printers extend their printing capability in respect to new substrates and targeting new market sectors.

Following Stephen Woodall's appointment as Global Market Segment Manager for Aqueous & Solvent Digital at Nazdar Ink Technologies earlier this year, he gives his insight into trends in the signage and graphics market. Based in Stockport, Stephen Woodall works closely with regional managers in territories across the globe and Nazdar's UK- and USA-based R&D teams. He says that currently Nazdar is actively working with channel partners who want to specifically target markets and expand their customer network.

“The Nazdar 130 Series inks, our alternative to the Mimaki SS21 inks, have been a very popular addition to our product range, but recently we've also seen greater uptake of Nazdar 203 Series inks, which are a high-quality, more affordable alternative to ECO-SOL MAX 3 inks," he comments. "Like all Nazdar's alternative ink ranges, these two products are a close physical match in terms of performance, adhesion, colour vibrancy and outdoor longevity.

"Over the coming months I expect to see continued stability in the signage and graphics market, with demand remaining strong for exciting new products and greater efficiencies helping businesses to reduce their spend while retaining quality. A growing number of people are finding that a changeover to Nazdar inks is painless and trouble-free with no obvious difference except the cost.

"Everyone is looking for ways to reduce their overheads without reducing their quali-ty, which is not a new development, but we are seeing the impact now in the form of increased interest in our free ink cartridge campaign

"Nazdar has an ongoing programme of supplying an ink cartridge free of charge to graphics, packaging and industrial printers to be trialled in conjunction with their OEM inks. While we've always had good uptake in the UK and USA, at present we're seeing an increased interest from other geographic regions. The campaign offers the opportunity to try out Nazdar inks risk-free, which growing numbers of print businesses seem inclined to do.

"Furthermore, these ink cartridges are provided to each customer by their local resellers who know the market and can provide tailored advice and any support they might need. Customers aren't just receiving a single ink cartridge through the post; they're building a relationship with a fellow local company with whom they can work in the future. This reflects a wider trend of people preferring to invest in local, independent businesses and receiving more personal customer care."

Stephen manages Nazdar's existing aqueous and solvent product ranges and oversees the development of new ink formulations – there's a Nazdar ink for every job.

[Picture caption: Stephen Woodall has an insider's view of the ink market]

Fujifilm’s commitment to environmental responsibility has been recognised as fourteen inks in its Uvijet UV range have achieved UL GREENGUARD certification.

INX has announced the appointment of InSpe as its new authorised dealer for Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Belarus.

“We see InSpe as a suitable and strong partner for developing our markets and increasing sales in the Baltic states and Belarus. This company has everything we want to see in our partners: long time experience, deep expertise in the same business field, and strong sales base”, says Marco Zanella, Sales and Marketing Director of INX Digital EMEA. “InSpe has shown through many years of operations a solid distribution channel, with the right experience to support our unique value-chain”, complement Matej Ritonja, INX Digital EMEA Sales Manager.

InSpe is considered as one of the leading supplier of products for sign makers in Baltic countries and Belarus with 4 offices across, including the head office in Vilnius, Lithuania. The company has also operations in other European countries. InSpe is distributing a large variety of products from many reputable sign equipment manufacturer.

"We are proud to gain INX Digital as our partner. During the past few years we were expanding our business rapidly and saw even bigger potential for quality products, which now will be ready to be supplied. We are more than sure that hard work always pays off, and we will assure leading position for our partner in the Baltic region and Belarus", says Guy Shapira, CEO of InSpe.

InSpe, which is developing one of the strongest supply networks in the Baltic’s and Belarus, is joining INX Digital network of authorised partners as of June 2017 and will promote and sell the full range of digital inks and coatings.

Nazdar Ink Technologies has released a new set of solvent inkjet inks, developed for long-lasting, high-quality output from Roland wide-format printers.

Promoted at this year's FESPA show, Nazdar 203 Series inks are formulated as direct replacements for Roland Eco Max 3 original inks, but at a lower price point. They are accurately colour-matched to OEM inks in CMYK plus Light Cyan, Light Magenta and Light Black, and can be used in conjunction with Roland Eco Max 3 white and metallic inks.

In addition to the colour vibrancy provided as standard with Nazdar inks – which are manufactured in the UK and USA – the new low-odour Series 203 inks offer superior performance on outdoor graphics and are resistant to UV degradation and colour fade. The range is ideal for commonly used graphics substrates including banner material, flexible and pressure-sensitive vinyl, blue back paper and backed mesh, delivering consistent and reliable print performance even on high-speed printers.

"We promoted the new inks at FESPA in Hamburg this spring and we're delighted to now roll them out to wide-format print businesses across the UK," says Stephen Woodall, Global Market Segment Manager for Aqueous & Solvent Digital. "The high impact, high intensity colours offered by the new Nazdar 203 Series inks are equivalent to the OEM ink set but without the high price tag.

"Nazdar inks are formulated to match specific OEM inks, so print businesses can be assured that a quick ink changeover is all that's required to save them money without losing quality. The only difference their customers will see is lower prices."

Thanks to compatibility with both the ink shades and with all Roland printers engineered to Roland Eco Max 3 inks, the new Nazdar 203 Series cartridges can be installed simply when the old OEM inks run out, either singly or as a full set, without the need for custom profiles in most situations.

The new inks – available in 500ml cartridges and 1 litre bottles – are manufactured to ISO9001 standards and meet all the regulatory targets achieved by Eco Max 3 OEM inks.

Learn more about Nazdar 203 Series eco-solvent inkjet ink in the new Nazdar Meet the Inks video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie3Z-o8gwPE).

Picture caption: The new Nazdar 203 Series inks provide outdoor endurance