US converter Belmark installs HP Indigo WS6600

Belmark, a Wisconsin, USA-based packaging and label converter, has installed an HP Indigo WS6600 digital press and Inline Priming unit.

‘We recognized many years ago that the real advantage of digital printing would be taking steps out of the process before jobs hit the press,’ said Karl Schmidt, president, Belmark. ‘Anytime you can shorten the supply process, you’re taking a tremendous amount out of waste, time, any type of carbon footprint and cost.’

Belmark first added digital printing capabilities with the installation of two HP Indigo WS6000 digital presses in 2006 to produce pressure-sensitive labels and folding cartons for food and personal care products. The company has now increased its digital capabilities with the recently installed WS6600.

The seven color stations on the WS6600 allow emulation of four, six, and seven colors – plus spot color printing. The press also supports white ink, helping Belmark deliver on customer demand for opaque tones.

‘Our customers have extreme needs around color, predictability and repeatability, so we tend to put more colors down than other companies,’ said Schmidt. ‘In my opinion, the results from the WS6600 are comparable to the print quality of an offset press.’

Before owning the optional Inline Priming unit, Belmark sent substrates to be primed offsite. In-house priming has reduced turnaround time while increasing the selection of readily available standard and untreated paper substrates. Belmark can now print on a variety of unique media and improve production efficiency, aligning with the company’s lean manufacturing practices.

In further efforts to streamline production, Belmark has introduced its Web-to-Print and Web-to-Web services for online ordering, proofing and processing. These services allow large volumes of orders to travel directly to the highly-automated HP Indigo WS6600. The new press’s print server is fully integrated with the Esko Automation Engine, which integrates and automates all design and pre-press activities into one workflow to enhance data management and reduce operator intervention.

‘Our workflow is completely electronic. When you make the transposition of letters and numbers an electronic process, it reduces errors and increases speed. You can’t be scared of technology in this business,’ said Schmidt. ‘We’re very much a growth company, and we’ll continue to use HP Indigo technology as part of our growth strategy.’

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