Leading inkjet technology group, Xaar, is providing specialist label and flexible packaging producers with an unmatched ability to laydown varnish using its new Creativity print mode, maximizing design and embellishment innovation for users of its Versatex Printbar.

Responding to customer feedback and the growing industry demand for using creative effects and embellishments in the production of premium labels, the Versatex Printbar leverages the architecture of two print banks, each equipped with six Xaar Nitrox printheads, to achieve up to three different laydown effects in a single pass and with one varnish.

Previously, the Versatex Printbar offered three different printing modes which could only be independently selected, meaning it was not possible to jet varying varnish levels concurrently in one pass. Now, thanks to the new Creativity print mode and Xaar’s unique High Laydown Technology, customers can print between 15 to 100μm laydown at the same time. High build gloss, standard or spot varnish, and matte textures are all now available to deliver the high-quality, ornate tactile effects increasingly seen on premium labels in wine and spirits, cosmetics, perfumes and other high-end items.

The unique new capability builds on the Versatex Printbar’s launch last year. Designers can now explore endless creative opportunities with textured and high-build print effects, varnishes, and foils alongside the printing of high opacity whites and vibrant colors on labels and packaging.

With sustainability in mind, the innovative Versatex Printbar, when compared to screen printing, already offers shorter setup times and a higher utilization rate, resulting in small run jobs being completed faster. Now, the additional ability to jet three varnish effects in one eliminates the need for multiple passes of the substrate through the press, delivering greater production efficiencies while also cutting energy use and costs.

“The Xaar Versatex is proving increasingly popular for those label and packaging producers looking to create a real difference in their products,” said Graham Tweedale, COO at Xaar. “Now with its ability to add three different varnish effects in one pass the Versatex Printbar is enhancing aesthetics, aiding brand differentiation and even serving as part of an anti-counterfeiting strategy, through the innovative and sustainable use of inkjet technology.”