CDigital expands heat transfer capabilities with Xeikon 3030s

CDigital was founded in 2001 as the first US-based company to use an all-digital system to decorate optical media, including CDs and DVDs. CDigital later launched a product decorating program, trademarked Grafixx, in which the company digitally prints the images on a polyester film and sells the imaged film to customers, who use their own equipment to transfer the images onto their products.

Today, product decoration is the company's principal business and Grafixx images can be found on many plastics, glass materials, ceramics, graphite and metal products.

Xeikon said product decorators are increasingly using clear and transparent pressure-sensitive labels printed with a colored image to achieve a "no label look".

Paul Smith, chief executive officer of CDigital, said: ‘Our full-color transfers are the next logical step as only the artwork transfers to the product; the “no label look” works because there isn't any label.

‘Plus, Xeikon's toners provide the opacity needed to make our transfers look great on any color product.’

CDigital, based in a 35,000 sq ft facility in Baltimore, Maryland, has replaced earlier generation Xeikon machines with the two new Xeikon 3030s, which offer upgraded capacity and higher productivity for full-color, short-run jobs.

Smith added: ‘These new Xeikon 3030 presses are everything we expected them to be, and in some cases more.

’We're doing things faster, better and cheaper. Because of the speed of the presses, we've increased our run sizes, which has made us competitive in more markets.’

Todd Blumsack, vice-president of sales at Xeikon America, said: ‘Producing heat transfer labels digitally with the Xeikon 3030 offers CDigital significant advantages compared to other technologies, including unparalleled image quality and fast turnarounds.

‘We're proud to partner with CDigital to help this innovative company take advantage of the huge business opportunity of heat transfer applications possible with digital printing.’