DIGITAL Printing

DIGITAL Printing

1. Inkjet Digital Printing 

Types

1. Thermal Inkjet (TIJ)
2. Piezo Inkjet
3. UV Inkjet
4. Latex Inkjet
5. Eco-solvent Inkjet

How it works

• Tiny ink droplets are sprayed directly onto the material.
• UV inkjet is instantly cured with UV LEDs.
• Does not require plates.

Applications

• Packaging boxes (short run)
• Labels & stickers
• Signage & banners
• Textile printing
• Direct-to-object printing
• Corrugated packaging printers (HP PageWide, Nozomi)

1. Electrophotographic (Laser / Dry Toner) Digital Printing

HP Indigo, Xerox iGen, Canon, Konica Minolta.

How it works

• Image is created on a photoconductor drum.
• Toner or liquid electroInk is transferred to paper.
• Fused using heat & pressure.

Applications

• Luxury packaging prototypes
• Business cards, brochures
• Short-run box printing
• High-quality cosmetic box samples
• Magazine and book-on-demand

1. UV Flatbed Digital Printing

Prints directly on

• Acrylic
• PVC
• Metal
• Wood
• Glass
• Thick cardboard
• Foamboard
  Ink is cured instantly using UV light.

Applications

• Rigid packaging
• Promotional products
• POS displays
• Industrial printing

1. DTG (Direct-to-Garment) & DTF Printing

DTG

• Prints high-resolution inkjet onto cotton fabrics.

DTF

• Prints on film → hot-melt powder → transferred to fabric.

Applications

• Custom textiles
• Personalized products
• Fashion samples

1. Digital Label Printing (Roll-to-Roll)

HP Indigo Label Press, Durst, EFI, Xeikon
Techniques: UV Inkjet, Dry Toner, Liquid ElectroInk

Applications

• Cosmetics
• Food & beverage labels
• Wine labels
• Pharmaceutical labels

2. PRODUCTION PROCESS 

STEP 1: Design & File Preparation

• Files prepared in AI, PDF/X-1a, TIFF, PSD
• Convert text to outlines
• Bleed: 3 mm (standard)
• Resolution: 300 dpi
• Color: CMYK or CMYK + Special Colors (Indigo can print Pantone)

Prepress tasks include:

• Color management (ICC profiling)
• Imposition for layout
• Checking transparencies & overprint settings
• Calibration for print machine

STEP 2: Material Selection

Depending on the machine:

Papers

• Coated (gloss/matt)
• Uncoated
• Textured specialty papers
• Folding boxboard (FBB)
• Kraft paper
• Bristol paper

Films

• PP, PET, PE
• Vinyl
• Backlit film
• Transfer films (DTF)

Rigid Materials (UV flatbed)

• Forex
• Acrylic
• MDF
• Aluminum
• Corrugated board
• Glass

STEP 3: Loading Media into the Digital Printer

• Roll-to-roll or sheet-fed
• Check thickness settings
• Anti-static system activation
• Color calibration

For UV:

• Bed height adjustment for thickness (0–10 cm)

STEP 4: Printing

Inkjet:

• High-speed droplets
• CMYK or expanded gamut (CMYK + LC + LM + White + Varnish)

Laser (Electrophotography):

• Toner transferred to paper
• Fusing unit melts toner at ~200°C

UV:

• UV lamps instantly cure ink
• Allows printing on non-absorbent substrates

Key Benefits:

• Low setup cost
• Fast production
• High detail and sharpness
• No plate-making

STEP 5: Post-Processing

After printing:

Cutting

• Guillotine
• Digital cutting table
• Plotter cutting
• Laser cutting

Lamination (optional)

• Gloss / Matt lamination
• Soft-touch lamination
• Anti-scratch lamination

Varnishing

• Digital spot varnish (Scodix, MGI)
• UV varnish

Foiling

Digital foiling (gold, silver, holographic) without dies.

Creasing & Folding

For packaging boxes:

• Digital creasing wheel
• Auto-cut creasing tables

Binding

For books:

• Perfect bound
• Saddle-stitch
• Hard cover book binding

3. ADVANTAGES OF DIGITAL PRINTING