Page 32 - Print21 July-August 2022

Cover feature
Print pioneer
offering plethora
of platforms
The pioneering digital print systems developer Xeikon now has solutions for labels, packaging, graphic arts and corrugated printing, in toner and inkjet, with fully scalable platforms.
Ipex 93 was almost 30 years ago, and while the once essential show is no more, the reverberations of the technology that was launched there pulsate
ever more strongly in all sectors of the print industry.
It was at that show that a new name burst onto the print stage, Xeikon, and with a new technology, printing that needed no plates, printing straight from a digital file. Fast forward three decades and Xeikon today has cemented its place as a print pioneer, its systems in and running all over the world, and its applications base expanded to cover virtually every sector of print.
Trevor Crowley, general manager of the Australia and New Zealand Xeikon business says, “Xeikon
gives print businesses a lot for their investment. In terms of costs the total cost of ownership is lower, for both Capex and Opex. And in terms of quality and consistency the print engine combined with Xeikon X-800 digital front end really delivers a
Self-adhesive labels
high standard, with flexibility, and a robust industrial machine.”
Evidence for that robustness in Australia is clear to see, with trade label print businesses such as Guru Labels and Foxcil both opting for the Xeikon. Crowley also says, “We have one customer running
a 11-year-old Xeikon, and printing around 200,000 metres of labels each month on it. The engineering build is solid, that’s for sure.”
Today Xeikon has digital print solutions for labels, packaging, graphic arts and corrugated printing, in both inkjet and toner systems, and is regularly adding new options to its platforms.
Key to the strategy of Xeikon
is scalability of its print systems. Crowley says, “Printers go on a journey with digital print. They may start off on a relatively small scale, and then develop the business. Digital is in tune with the market mega trends of short run, on- demand, versioning, so the market opportunity is there. Xeikon has
Wall decoration
Above right
Upgradeable options: Trevor Crowley, sales general manager, Xeikon ANZ
Below
Full portfolio: Xeikon presses designed
for multiple applications
developed its technology so that the production kit is part of that journey, in other words it is scalable. For example, the same machine that you initially buy to print 220mm in four colours can be upgraded to print 330mm in five colours, which gives you a 50 per cent uplift in capacity without having to invest in a new machine. You can turn our entry level toner-based Cheetah CX30 into a high performance CX500. Or the Xeikon inkjet Panther PX 2200 can be upgraded in the field to the Xeikon PX 3300, which doubles the capacity and the productivity. The way the machines are designed is to allow our customers to optimise their investment. They don’t have to go all-in from the start, the machine can grow with their business.”
Being in the vanguard of digital printing production for 30 years has given Xeikon a broad perspective on the entire ecosystem, and leads to developments off the press too. Xeikon has recently, for instance, launched its latest gold and silver
Book on demand
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