Waldo invests in CGS Oris and Mutoh proofing

The Louth, Lincolnshire, firm supplies UK companies and brands with files and plates as well as realistic mock-ups of final products. It invested in the unique end-to-end digital print product specially developed for direct-to-substrate proofing for packaging from Mutoh and CGS at the end of 2020. The solution combines CGS ORIS´ packaging proofing and mock-up system Flex Pack with the Mutoh ValueJet 628 MP, 630mm wide digital piezo inkjet printer, specially optimized for the specific requirements of the packaging industry.

‘This is what the flexo packaging industry has been looking for a long while,’ stated managing director Phil Walmsley. ‘Hopefully, it will give us the edge against our competitors. It has been a bit of a holy grail to find. We have been looking into different ways to produce proofs that are more lifelike.’

He continued: ‘Paper proofs are OK but don’t give a true representation of the final printed product. We wanted something that could actually create proofs on the final substrate choice. With this solution the proof looks like the finished product – particularly with a metalized film. Notoriously metallized film will knock back all the colours, chiefly the white. Now we can be sure it will match.’

The new solution is already helping open doors explained Walmsley. ‘It is something different and new that no one else offers. We are working closely with Modern Packaging, who has relationships with all the major retailers in the UK, to develop this and they are looking to put it out to their customers. We can offer it to design houses as well. Many don’t understand the intricacies of flexo packaging. But now we can deliver that touch and feel in the proofs which adds another level of excitement around the design development.’

A significant factor in the decision to invest was the longstanding relationship Waldo had built up with CGS ORIS. Walmsley stated: ‘In 2014 I went to Packaging Innovations and saw the CGS software for the first time. I bought it there and then. I knew it could do what we were looking for. It did and we have worked with CGS ORIS ever since.  I had a very similar feeling this time. We sell our business as a solutions provider and this is something the flexible packaging industry has been looking at for a while. It is great to work with CGS and Mutoh.’

As for return on investment, Walmsley stated: ‘We are finally able to provide proofs and mock-ups which are a true representation of the final product as they are produced with the client’s original substrate. We believe there is massive potential for this service. We can offer some significant savings in price, too. The finished print is also touch dry so we can easily get something out in the mail to meet deadlines. Being able to supply a more realistic and economically commercially viable proof is a win-win all round.’

The new product features Oris Flex Pack. According to the company, at the heart of the application is Oris’s patented four-dimensional iterative color management software which, combined with a specially designed custom interface, enables the ultimate in production flexibility for halftone and continuous tone proofing.

The Mutoh ValueJet 628 MP runs newly developed multi-resin XG series inks (C, M, Y, K, Lc, Lm, White). The non-toxic, pigmented inks deliver adhesion on coated and uncoated substrates. The correct distortion of a shrink sleeve prototype can be checked due to their unique stretch and shrink capabilities. They also support accurate proofing on uncoated label stock and corrugated board. Unlike UV inks, CGS ORIS XG INKS retain the look and feel, as well as all other physical properties of the target substrates, intact. As such the proofs have the physical feel of the final product.

Steve Chappell, managing director, ORIS Packaging Innovations UK, added: ‘It has been great to work so closely with Phil and the team at Waldo as they have adapted their proofing capabilities to enhance the service they offer. They are committed to continually developing their customer focused approach to support creativity and exploration of new possibilities cost effectively. Their customers know they are in safe hands when they want to try something different. We are proud to be able to help create a solution that helps everyone involved push boundaries in a considered way that achieves outstanding results.’