January 2025 - Koenig & Bauer Durst Digital Packaging Print

Pushing boundaries with the best of both worlds

By Christian Jank, Process Engineer, Sheetfed, Koenig & Bauer

Coming originally from an offset background and having spent many years in digital print applications, I’ve seen the best of both worlds.

Digital printing is reshaping the folding carton market by enabling rapid, flexible, and sustainable production solutions. While it’s not a replacement for traditional methods, its role is growing, particularly for shorter runs, design flexibility, versioning, and agile production needs.
A large portion of folding carton converters see the future of the packaging industry as a hybrid approach, combining digital and conventional printing to balance cost, scale, and customization needs.

The feedback I’ve received indicates that the VariJET 106 single-pass press, a collaborative development by Durst and Koenig & Bauer specifically for the folding carton markets, will transform business operations.

Among its big strengths are the outstanding color-to-color registration and machine stability ensuring high uptimes. Customers are amazed that you can print black negative in as little as 4pt font even with the densest black. It’s particularly useful with barcode work when every job is different.

All-in-one production – particularly with embellishment possible for anything from tobacco packaging to pharmaceutical applications – is also becoming increasingly important. We have a unique position with this level of productivity (our VariJET 106 runs at 5,550sph) in line embellishment in B1 digital format.

One Koenig & Bauer customer from the UAE we saw at drupa was blown away by the capabilities of the VariJET 106 on carton boxes for whisky, which included vinyl on uncoated paper. Their feedback to the dark green, embellished tint used were extremely positive.

Another customer visiting our VariJET Demo Center was impressed by the color registration and quality of the hair coloration on the printed packaging for a major brand. Critical to the success was achieving the grey balance.

People may ask, ‘Why invest in digital?’ To me, it is simple: Digital packaging printing on the VariJET eliminates time-consuming processes such as color matching for new packaging products. From concept to market-ready product, the timeline will be reduced from weeks to mere days.

The quality is there to meet the demands of the packaging industry. Digital printing in folding carton markets has an important future, one I’m glad to be part!

29. January 2025

Are you unlocking a world of possibilities?

Case Studies, General News

By Anthony Memme, Digital Print Manager, Atlantic Packaging Products Ltd

Is your business achieving its full potential? Is it creating fresh opportunities?

At Atlantic Packaging Products, much of our success today stems from a renewed focus fueled by our investment in the Koenig & Bauer Durst Delta SPC 130 technology, which utilizes food-safe, water-based inks.

Printing high quality graphics directly onto uncoated and brown kraft corrugated sheets was not possible before. But today we have the ability to easily customize packaging designs and digitally printed packaging, incorporate variable data and tailor applications to different customer segments. All of which can enhance brand identity.

We have design freedom to explore innovative and creative designs with an array of colours and finishes that can be used to bring imaginative visions to life cost effectively.

Short-run production flexibility means we can produce the exact quantity required and undertake repeat orders without incurring excessive costs, plus ensuring a faster time to market. While the ability to optimize the supply chain allows us to print on demand to meet very specific timescales to reduce inventory costs and eliminating unnecessary waste.

Working closely with Koenig & Bauer Durst to ensure we are maximising the digital opportunities that are possible with the Delta SPC, these are just some of the benefits we have been educating customers about. We have also been helping them explore what is possible. We also have a comprehensive array of application samples in our show room inspiring creativity and affirming how we can unlock a world of possibilities by offering our customers cost efficient, sustainable packaging with short turnaround times.

You can see how a video of our Delta SPC 130 here: Corrugated Digital Printing & Packaging Solution – Atlantic

Contact us to find out how we can help your business maximise in a new world of opportunities with digital packaging production Atlantic Packaging Digital Printing

21. January 2025

Koenig & Bauer Durst opens VariJET 106 customer center

General News, Innovation

Ralf Sammeck, CEO of Koenig & Bauer Sheetfed, and Daniel Velema, Managing Director, Koenig & Bauer Durst in the new dedicated hall in Radebeul

Digital, offset and post-print customer demos & benchmarking on a single site
Exclusive insights and training provided for customers and prospects in new hall
VariJET 106 combines best of digital, water-based inkjet and conventional offset printing and finishing

Radebeul, Germany 14.01.2025

A unique opportunity to see and test digital, offset and post-print production on a single site is now a reality with the opening in Radebeul, Germany, of a dedicated hall for the VariJET 106, the hybrid press for folding cartons jointly developed by Durst and Koenig & Bauer.

Customers and visitors can now bring their own print files and substrates to see for themselves the flexibility, sustainability and cost-competitive opportunities afforded by Koenig & Bauer Durst’s VariJET 106 modular, single-pass press, which had its public debut at drupa. The 700 square meter hall is part of the global Customer Experience Center at Koenig & Bauer’s Sheetfed division headquarters, near Dresden, which is now part of the Paper & Packaging Sheetfed Systems (P&P) segment.

“The new dedicated hall for the VariJET 106 digital, hybrid press for folding carton markets represents another important step in our evolution,” said Daniel Velema, Managing Director, Koenig & Bauer Durst. “The opening means the Customer Experience Center is the one and only place where you can see and test digital, offset and post-print production at a single site. This is where prospects from all over the world can test the VariJET 106 for themselves using their own files and substrates. This ability to advise across print and finishing technologies is driven by our ambition to first and foremost understand & support your business needs & opportunities, and talk about technology second.

“We showed at drupa what is possible with full digital – digital printing, embellishment and finishing. Now we would like to show guests the next steps in the digital revolution for folding carton markets. Reach out to your local representatives, we would love to welcome you to Radebeul. For those who haven’t been there yet, the Koenig & Bauer Customer Experience Center – for press and machine demonstrations, application testing, the development of new technologies and for training purposes – focuses on specialized areas of packaging like folding carton, commercial and label production.”

Daniel added: “Ever since the VariJET 106 Customer Experience Center opened, Koenig & Bauer Durst has been running back-to-back print tests with customers and brands from all key geographies being represented: North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. We are particularly pleased by the interest of Asian customers who don’t shy away from making the trip to Germany!

“Successfully tested applications include cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and food. We work closely together and explore hands-on what Koenig & Bauer Durst can improve to better meet market demands.”

The VariJET 106, which runs 5,500 B1 sheets per hour, combines the best of both worlds – digital inkjet and classic offset printing. The VariJET 106 uses water-based inkjet inks (CMYK plus orange, green & violet), primers & coatings to provide the highest print quality at a most competitive cost level, while supporting current and upcoming food safety and sustainability regulation. It leverages on Koenig & Bauer’s standard high performance Rapida 106 platform and Durst printhead electronics, inkjet expertise and Durst workflow and RIP technology. This includes Durst Analytics, Smartshop and Workflow.

Koenig & Bauer and Durst first announced they had joined forces and set up an independent joint venture company in 2019. The VariJET 106 is the first product jointly designed and developed by the two companies. Already in production and part of the Koenig & Bauer Durst portfolio are the Delta SPC 130 Series and the CorruJET 170 Series – aimed at corrugated packaging.

The VariJET 106 in the new dedicated hall in Radebeul

14. January 2025