Imprimerie Billet invests in Codimag press for Champagne label production

The press specified is a 5-color press with extensive high-value in-line finishing capabilities. Using waterless offset inks and plates, Aniflo technology features an offset printing unit with an anilox delivery system to supply a uniform ink amount along and across the web. Each cylinder has the same diameter, ensuring an exact controllable level of ink is delivered across the web, so precise color is achieved without ghosting, according to Codimag. In addition, the Viva 340 Aniflo at Imprimerie Billet features two foiling stations – one flat-bed, one rotary – as well as flexo varnishing and semi-rotary screen printing.

The Codimag Viva 340 Aniflo press has been installed at its facility in Damery, near Épernay. The bespoke-designed 340mm-wide Codimag Viva Aniflo press complements eight existing offset and flexo machines at Imprimerie Billet’s 7,000 sqm factory. In addition, the printer has installed an automatic waterless offset platemaking system. Data processing with the Esko Equinox module ensures a fast pre-press workflow, with the time from uploading the file to the first print claimed to be as short as 30 minutes.

‘Codimag’s Aniflo combined the high definition of offset and the easy operation of flexo,’ said Arnold Deregnaucourt, managing director at Imprimerie Billet. ‘Though a new concept, Aniflo is based on our two core processes. Our operators have many years of experience of anilox-based printing, so there was a relatively low training requirement. Thanks also to its straightforward prepress workflow, we were able to integrate it smoothly into our operations.’

Imprimerie Billet is a major supplier of labels for Champagne, producing 350 million labels a year – 90 percent of which are self-adhesive. The fourth generation family-owned company claims to have approximately 30 percent of the Champagne label market.

Deregnaucourt added: ‘To succeed in this sector, the ability to deliver outstanding quality with zero defects is essential. We were especially impressed with Codimag’s Aniflo technology because of its capability to deliver highly sophisticated graphics, with fine definition, efficiently in a single pass. Material waste is low because target colors are achieved fast, and the process is easy for our operators to understand. As a result, the press fits smoothly into our workflow, and is ideal for production runs between 1,000 and 50,000 labels, whenever a high level of complexity is required.’