GLS overhauls pressroom with EFI inkjet press

The modular EFI Jetrion 4950LX installed at GLS includes in-line flexo varnish and lamination, slitting and laser die-cutting, as well as video inspection technology that checks for variances in color or registration.

As a result of this investment in inkjet, GLS has sold off its previous production equipment – including a narrow web flexo press, a screen printing press and a roll-to-roll solvent inkjet printer – replacing it all with the new, 13.5in wide EFI press.

This is part of a strategic move by GLS, including enhancing its sustainability efforts to meet its customers’ need for greener, more environmentally friendly supply chains. The Jetrion 4950LX press is key to GLS's environmental offering.

GLS founder and president Deb Warner said: ‘The brands we work with are all setting goals for sustainability, and they want suppliers who share that commitment.

‘When I first saw EFI Jetrion UV-inkjet technology a few years ago, I knew it would help us offer a high quality while reducing waste. LED was the missing piece I needed to really address what our clients are looking for from a sustainability perspective.’

The 4950LX press is the first Jetrion product compatible with a full range of flexible packaging and shrink-sleeve substrates, which opens the door to new applications at GLS, and EFI's ‘cool cure’ LED UV-inkjet curing technology gives GLS the ability to run thin and challenging stocks ranging from 0.5mm up to 30mm-plus. The press also reduces costs with lower energy usage and LEDs offering a significantly longer lamp life compared to traditional UV lamps.

The Jetrion 4950LX LED press prints on the same substrates GLS previously used on its conventional equipment, providing a level of flexibility that Warner can use to expand the company’s offerings in multiple new markets, with a major focus on sustainably managed, cradle-to-cradle applications.

GLS is currently developing ‘attractive, innovative and sustainable products’ with its Jetrion press, including a point-of-purchase ‘shelf talker’ tag printed on a completely biodegradable, paper-like substrate made of stone. GLS is also using the press to develop new UL- and cUL-approved OEM labels and decals.

Warner added: ‘The Jetrion 4950LX not only offers a small environmental footprint, it has an excellent white ink and, at 720 x 720dpi, it produces very crisp text and images, and allows us to run an unlimited number of colors.’

Stephen Emery, vice-president of EFI's Jetrion and ink business operations, said: ‘As the very first EFI Jetrion 4950LX user in the country, GLS is establishing a competitive advantage for itself with LED while showing how the label and packaging industry can continue evolving along a sustainable path.’