Package prototypes
There are a number of ways packaging prototypes can be made using inkjet technologies, depending on the application and the requirements, but with the right press, stunning prototypes can be produced.
Stunning prototypes with the Acuity LED 1600II
Fujifilm’s Acuity LED 1600II is a highly versatile printer, thanks to its UV technology and advanced ink features. It can print six colours plus white and clear, and can apply these in a single pass to produce a high-gloss finish. It is also extremely versatile in terms of material handling, allowing it to be used for a wide variety of applications, but increasingly for the production of high quality packaging prototypes.
It prints at 20m² per hour and supports substrates of up to 1,610mm wide on wide-format roll media, and rigid sheet substrates up to 13mm thick. This includes PET, acrylic, polycarbonate substrates and lightweight boards. This makes it perfect for the short runs required in making accurate prototypes.
Producing prototypes is traditionally expensive and time consuming because of the different production steps involved. With the Acuity LED 1600II, what they see is what they’ll get without all the extra costs. As the UV inks are immediately cured, job turnaround is extremely quick and efficient, and the print quality achievable with the Acuity LED 1600II is amazing.
Packaging prototypes with the Jet Press 720S
The other alternative for the cost effective production of packaging prototypes, particularly if short runs are also being printed, is the Jet Press 720S. The wide colour gamut inks of this press allow many spot colours to be reproduced, and varnishes can be applied in post production.
Historically, one of the barriers to the production of packaging prototypes has been the fact that they were always inferior to the finished product, and the time lag between the prototype and finished product was often too long. Generally speaking, the quality of digitally printed folding cartons was also been inadequate.
The quality, flexibility and efficiency of Fujifilm’s Jet Press 720S, however, means that these challenges have now been overcome. This means that a prototype can be produced at the same quality as the finished print run in the space of a few minutes, and the print run can then follow immediately.
