Screen and UPM present water-based inkjet label printing at Labelexpo

Screen has partnered with UPM Adhesive Materials to qualify various label substrates designed for use with Screen’s new conceptual Truepress LABEL 520AQ water-based digital inkjet press.  

This collaboration was a crucial step in exploring the viability of water-based inkjet printing technology for the label market. As while this technology has a long history of proven success in the commercial printing sector, label converting has distinct requirements regarding prominent label and packaging substrates.  

Initial testing has proven to be very successful, with this collaborative printing technology providing fast, immediate drying at full production speeds as fast as 100m/min on both paper and films, which will be exhibited to the market for the first time at Labelexpo Europe 2025.  

Screen and UPM have a long history of collaboration extending over more than a decade, working together at the Screen's Inkjet Innovation Centre (IIC) to test and refine substrates for Screen’s UV inkjet presses.  

As Screen first began to explore applying its established water-based inkjet technology for labelling, UPM was uniquely positioned as the only substrate manufacturer also exploring solutions in this field, making it the ideal partner to support this new, experimental endeavor.  

For the Truepress Label 520AQ, Screen and UPM have optimized several of their substrates, including a water-based inkjet coated polypropylene (PP) and (BOPP) films with a Jet Matte paper substrate.  

Polypropylene is one of the most widely used self-adhesive face stocks in the label industry, so vital to test its pigment-based water inks such as Screen’s Truepress SC+ inks. To ensure this vital label substrate is fully functional with water-based inkjet printing, UPM has developed a specialized topcoat that enhances ink adhesion. However, even with a specialized top-coating, effectively drying aqueous inks on films has traditionally been a challenge at high speeds, as the water can fail to settle on the hydrophobic surface. Screen’s Near-Infared (NIR) drying system resolves this issue, enabling effective drying on film substrates at production speeds of up to 100 meters per minute.  

UPM has also refined the composition of a Biaxially-Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) film, another important label and packaging material, to further improve the interaction between water-based inks and the film's surface. Similar to the tested PP film, the combination of this substrate with Screen’s advanced drying process resulted is high-quality output without slowing productivity or impacting label consistency.  

For paper applications, UPM has developed a Jet Matte paper with an inkjet coating optimized for water-based inks to enable sharp text, crisp image density, and vibrant colors while maintaining the production speeds required for label converters using paper substrates. This further elevates the equipment's substrate diversity, as highly formulated Screen inks enables printing directly unto readily available offset coated papers without pre-treatments or primers.   

Testing these two technologies together across different proofs and production conditions has shown consistently high printing performance for both film and paper substrates. The combination of UPM’s specialized coatings and Screen’s drying technology achieved vivid, offset-quality results, regardless of desired ink coverage and density, while maintaining full label printing speed.  

These results are an early indicator that these solutions can enable businesses in various label markets to improve throughput, efficient energy consumption, and lessen the equipment's overall environmental footprint, while maintaining and, for various applications, even improving label printing quality and productivity, according to Screen.  

Screen’s Carlo Sammarco, Screen's, said: ‘Combining Screen's extensive inkjet printing technologies and expertise within both the commercial and label printing sectors, with UPM’s constant innovations developing new and specialized substrates, together, we hope to successfully highlight a practical solution bringing the same exceptional high-speed, high-quality printing capabilities familiar to commercial printing, with a cost-effective, future-ready solution available to label converters.’ 

At Labelexpo Europe 2025, all demonstrations of the Truepress LABEL 520AQ on the Screen booth in Hall 5, stand D55 will be run using UPM’s specialized substrates.  

Fully finished labels produced during the exhibition will be available as free samples, and a UPM expert will be on the Screen booth to answer questions about materials designed for water-based inkjet printing. UPM will also display additional printed samples and materials on its own booth from Hall 3, stand D29.  

Visitors are invited to book a one-on-one consultation with Screen and UPM experts, exploring how water-based digital label printing can enhance their applications during a personalized demonstration of the Truepress LABEL 520AQ.