Screen L350UV SAI inkjet press is a win-win for Theia

Theia, a division of Cahaya Jakarta, one of Indonesia’s leading label printing companies that was founded in 1991, was set up in 2018 to focus entirely on digital label printing at its facility in Cikarang, near Jakarta.

‘The sales and marketing strategy for digitally printed labels, therefore, is different from its parent company because we cater to different requirements of customers. Hence, the decision was taken to create a separate entity,’ says Danny Lim, sales and marketing director at Theia.

Start of the digital journey

Anything less than 2,000 linear meters is considered a short run at Theia. The group’s flexo business usually requires between 2,000 to 4,000 linear meters, depending on the complexity of the job, to begin production.

Lim says there are opportunities for both flexo as well as digital printing in the country. ‘Big brand owners want to decorate their labels with hot foil stamping, matte varnish, matte and gloss lamination so they stand out on the shelf. Some companies even like to apply holograms as a security feature to create an appealing effect. Different techniques are being used in combination on one label to make the product look good.

‘On the other hand, multinational companies are now asking us to create mosaic patterns and use promotional packaging using QR codes that link to their websites and other promotions they want customers to see. We have been approached by many brands that want to move toward more interactive and smart packaging. The market is huge, young and developing. It’s in the early stages of rapid growth.’

However, Lim agrees that digital printing is done at a premium: ‘In the printing industry, the higher the volume, the lower the cost. Brand owners now have the option to spend one-tenth of the amount on the stock they need. Per label cost may be double when compared to gravure, but the amount on the purchase order is much lower and companies can print according to market demand.

“Multinational companies are now asking us to create mosaic patterns and use promotional packaging using QR codes that link to their websites and other promotions they want customers to see”

This not only saves them inventory and warehousing costs but also wastage, resulting in more savings and better planning. Digital label printing technology allows brands to control their numbers, so if one variant is selling better than the others, the companies can now print according to sales made at the retail store.’

It is clear that the market in Indonesia is shifting to shorter life cycles and run lengths.

‘It comes down to the fact that a lot of business owners don’t want their cash flow to get stuck on something like labels. With digital printing, the cash doesn’t get stuck because you are printing what you need at that time,’ Lim adds.

Investment in inkjet

Cahaya Jakarta started with letterpress printing before investing in flexographic printing in 2002 and the first industrial digital printing press in Indonesia in 2009.

‘To be able to continue this trend and install the very first L350UV SAI in Indonesia is another exciting milestone for the entire company and our Theia division,’ Lim adds. ‘We had been watching inkjet technology for many years as we understood that the productivity benefits were substantial.’

Jet Technologies has a long history with Theia and Cahaya Jakarta, having installed an Omet X6 530-wide flexo press at the latter in 2016, which at the time was Indonesia’s widest and most productive label press. It came as no surprise when the company turned to Jet Technologies for its latest inkjet investment.

‘We’re excited to have partnered with Theia and the Cahaya Jakarta group to enhance their digital printing production and provide them with a strong advantage in what is an ultra-competitive label printing market in Indonesia,’ says Yulianawati Yulianawati, sales manager of Jet Technologies Indonesia. ‘Theia’s dedicated team has ensured that they bring the very best of digital label printing to Indonesia, with HP Indigo presses previously installed and now the addition of a complementary L350UV inkjet press.

‘Installation and training on the L350UV has now been completed – we promised Theia that it would deliver extremely reliable and consistent print – it is pleasing to see that they are achieving those goals.’

Stable, accurate and integrated

The Truepress Jet L350UV SAI made its international debut at Labelexpo Europe 2019 in Brussels. Screen developed its first label printer, the Truepress Jet L350UV inkjet system, in 2013. Since this initial release, wide-ranging, continuous improvements have seen the Truepress Jet L350UV series ship a total of more than 150 presses to date. Adoption has also been accelerating in Europe, where short runs are particularly beneficial for language localization, as well as in the Americas and Asia.

In recent years, requirements for mixed, short-run printing have also been growing in relation to products for the high-price and luxury segments. This has created a need for better print quality than ever before. At the same time, however, there have been growing calls to improve installation costs and other aspects of digital label presses.

In response to these industry trends, Screen developed the Truepress Jet L350UV SAI.

The system enables significantly richer color expression and is available in a line-up of four models that can be selected according to the production environment. Its name SAI represents its design concept and refers to its extremely ‘stable’ operation, highly ‘accurate’ color reproduction and time-tested ‘integrated’ technologies. The word Sai also means both color and high in Japanese and was chosen to reflect the company’s continuous pursuit of peak color expression.

Screen has equipped the Truepress Jet L350UV SAI with additional slots for mounting inkjet printheads. This means, along with C, M, Y and K, it can be loaded with white, orange and blue inks for a total of seven colors. The system also features proprietary color management technologies, providing a far wider range of color expression than was previously possible.

The L350UV SAI perfectly supports Theia to significantly increase turn-around speeds for digital printing jobs by automating the process. With its software-generated ‘lead in, lead out’ and ‘reverse-feed’ functions, the system also works to considerably lower ink and material waste, reducing overhead costs and improving sustainability standards within operations.

“Our focus is service and quality, and the L350UV allows us to improve our service substantially while maintaining the highest quality standards. It’s a win-win for us”

The L350UV SAI is one of the most flexible and automated label production systems in its class. The machine offers seven vibrant colors at 60m/min, (50m/min when using white) and is fully supported by local Jet Technologies and Screen factory-trained engineers.

Most recently, Screen Graphic Solutions has been honored with the 2024 Technology Award by the Japanese Society of Printing Science and Technology (JSPST) for the 350UV series. When evaluating the candidates for this year’s awards, the judges praised the Truepress Label 350UV series’ outstanding contribution to the development of label printing technologies. They specifically cited its excellent productivity, quality and stability, as well as its ability to use low migration inks with reduced odor for food products plus orange and blue inks.

They also noted its impressive range of features, including variable printing functions designed for very small lot work, and Screen’s continuous development of new models.
This is in fact the fifth time in six years that Screen has received a JSPST award. Going forward, it plans to further accelerate its development of high-speed inkjet technologies.
With the L350UV SAI, Theia has a press that can deliver outstanding quality print on a wide range of materials with productivity that approaches flexo.

‘Our focus is service and quality, and the L350UV allows us to improve our service substantially while maintaining the highest quality standards. It’s a win-win for us,’ concludes Lim.