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[February 2004]
Capillex CP Helps Emery Colours Achieve High And Consistent Levels Of Print Quality
Stoke-on-Trent based Emery Colours, one of the UK’s leading designers and producers of high volume transfer prints, is using Capillex CP from Autotype on its fully automated print systems for the production of transfers for candles and mugs. Autotype’s Capillex CP is used in combination with Sericol’s screen making materials and this partnership is helping Emery Colours attain exceptionally high and consistent levels of print quality in an aggressive production environment.
Emery Colours has invested in six, automated roll to roll print machines, capable of producing over 250,000 transfer sheets per month. Each system incorporates a roll feed station, screen print area, hot air dryer and roll take-off unit.Brian Ward, Print Manager for Emery Colours, explains that, “Print quality and consistency are crucial and depend almost entirely on the efficiency and accuracy of the screen print process, from screens that can be up to 76 cm in length. The challenge, however, is to achieve this in high volumes from a system that places considerable stresses on the screen materials - stresses that are a consequence both of the automated screen print mechanisms and the use of relatively abrasive ceramic inks.
The squeegee units, however carefully they are adjusted, will always place high pressure on the screen mesh. To achieve the high level of accuracy required the screen is stretched up to 10% tighter than is normally the case.”
Capillex CP is specially formulated for ultra-fine halftone and line printing, making it ideal for the high definition images that are used in the transfers for candles and mugs. These transfers include seasonal and festive images, plus a wide range of subjects such as animals, star signs, fruits and flowers. In each case, images are often complex multi-colour incorporating a broad spread of tones.
Brain Ward points out that, “Capillex CP film provides excellent screen reproduction, with a low stencil profile and Rz giving a superb half tone dot across all colours, low ink build and minimal ink skipping. Perhaps as importantly, the film in combination with the high quality mesh used gives us the ability to handle high resolution output, typically at 112 lines per inch, yet is sufficiently resilient to produce in excess of 12,000 impressions.
High definition and high volume transfer printing for the decoration of products such as candles and mugs is a complex process, with a large number of variables that can affect the final result. The function of the screen in controlling the print quality and ink deposit is crucial and we believe that in Capillex CP we have found the best possible solution to ensure that we maintain our already high levels of success.”
For further information contact Maurizio Fantato, Autotype International Limited, Grove Road, Wantage, Oxon. OX12 7BZ. Tel: 01235 771111. Fax: 01235 771196. Email: info@autotype.com. Web: www.autotype.com.
ENDS