Short on paper? Prime it yourself!

Pictured: Kompac Phoenix 30 S sheet-fed with feeder and stacker.

Paper shortages can be a painful reality for printing companies. The current paper shortage can hit these companies hard, and, in most cases, it is out of the companies’ control. For the duration of the pandemic and even now, the weakening of the global supply chain means that these shortages of resources such as paper aren't going to go away anytime soon. This correlating to the rising price of timber has affected the paper industry harshly. The shortage of paper is creating a large issue right now for those in the paper industry, because acquiring paper with a specialized coating is becoming exceedingly rare, not to mention specific dimensions of paper being outright impossible to acquire. This has led to drastic changes in what size paper can be used for printing in bulk. With the demand for paper being so high now, it’s making more and more sense for paper distributors to look towards alternatives when it comes to making specifically coated paper in house, rather than outsourcing it elsewhere. What if there was a way to have your own paper treated with primer, without having it ever leaving the building? 

A proper coating can enhance the appearance and durability, increasing the printed product’s value. Kompac offers a wide range of coaters that can prime your already existing paper, saving you time and money. The Phoenix is just one of the several specialized Kompac coaters that can help you during this paper shortage. Available in 20” (508 mm) & 30” (762 mm), the Phoenix is a revolutionary new coating/priming system that is the most modular system available. The system can utilize one, or multiple coating and curing stations and utilizes our unique Kompac IOTech4 platform. Phoenix allows users to add outstanding finishing touches to a printed product to produce eye catching effects. Add high gloss shine, texture and grit, spot UV embellishments, scratch off spots, matte, pearlescent, soft touch feeling, spot not, areas, three-dimensional effects, and more. Capable of 250 feet (76m) per minute, the Phoenix relieves stress on low stock paper, giving power and product back to the owners. 

Phoenix is great for paper handling and is designed for users looking to produce higher volumes. The Phoenix can be placed in-line with large format printers to create an automated workflow solution. Using the Kompac conveyor system, printed sheets are automatically sent to the Phoenix, where they are flood coated, cured and re-stacked. Paired with Phoenix are a sophisticated feeder and stacker allowing for full modularity of the machine. The most revolutionary aspect of the Phoenix is its integration with the IOTech4 platform which increases overall efficiency of jobs allowing quicker job turn around and can even allow users to remotely operate and monitor jobs as they go. 

When it comes to providing quality solutions for our clients, Kompac goes above and beyond to meet your coating needs and deliver a product and service that you can be proud of. To learn more about the Phoenix, or if you have any questions, please contact our sales department at sales@kompactech.com

Benefits of Kompac UV and Aqueous Coatings

Laminating is a popular finishing process that has long been used to protect printed collateral and extend its lifespan, especially in situations where it will be handled repeatedly, exposed to the elements and at risk from spills. Restaurant menus are the classic example.

Lamination, however, is not purely done for pragmatic reasons. By bonding a printed substrate between two sheets of clear plastic, the ink colors can be not only preserved, but enhanced.

But now you have a choice…UV and aqueous coatings.

Benefits of UV and Aqueous Coating

With UV and aqueous coating from Kompac, you gain access to a whole new world of textures, plus productivity and cost-saving advantages. So how do these two technologies work?

Pictured: High gloss flood coating to finish print from HP

UV coatings rely on UV-compatible inks (such as HP Indigo’s ElectroInk range) for maximum impact. The chemicals used cure rapidly when exposed to UV light and create a glossy, highly reflective surface that’s particularly well-suited to enhancing the appearance of printed photographs.

UV flood coating can be used to create this effect across an entire sheet, while UV spot coating lets you focus on the vital elements of your printed collateral. Typically, this might be your customer’s logo, or the part of the packaging that calls attention to a new, improved recipe or special offer.

Aqueous coatings also offer the advantage of rapid drying (ensuring seamless flow from your printing press through finishing to dispatch and increasing your hourly throughput of finished materials).

Aqueous coating differs from UV coating in that by using water-based substances, it is more environmentally friendly. It also works best when used as a flood coating (to coat entire sheets).

Technicolor Dream Coatings 

Just like laminating, UV and aqueous coatings both enhance and protect your final printed product. They let you offer additional value to your customers, and also burnish your reputation for technical proficiency. When used in consumer-facing applications, they can lead directly to increased brand awareness and sales – that is, a tangible ROI against the additional costs of the coating treatments. 

Pictured: Coating of digital prints from Xeikon

No end to the finishes you can achieve

With Kompac Coating Systems, you can create finishes for multiple applications – many of which cannot be achieved with conventional laminating. Kompac UV and aqueous coatings even include writable and glueable finishes for maximum flexibility.

Pictured: Soft touch spot coating done by Kompac’s ONYX 30 UV and Aqueous Coating System

They have food-safe applications, as well as offering an exceptional range of finishes designed to catch the eye and be irresistible to the touch, such as high-gloss, satin, textured and soft-touch effects.

Advantage UV and aqueous coatings

When it comes to enhanced business efficiencies, UV and aqueous coatings are very hard to beat. Both processes are up to 10x faster than conventional laminating, a factor that is particularly significant when it comes to longer runs. Coating also typically delivers lower costs than laminating, helping to maintain (or even increase) your margins in a business climate where every cent counts.

Any color as long as its green

One disadvantage of laminating is that it uses significant amounts of plastic, and because of the bonding process used, this is rarely recoverable or recyclable later on. Kompac has developed a range of lower-impact coatings, with aqueous coatings in particular offering a more sustainable alternative.

Agility is probably the most important busines attribute under existing market conditions. Being able to rapidly switch to the next job reduces unprofitable downtime, and ensures that all your presses and associated systems are running at optimum output rates. With Kompac Coating Systems, you can change between coatings in just 2 minutes – not even enough time to boil the kettle.  

When it comes to providing finishing solutions to your clients, expand your offering beyond laminating with Kompac. To learn more about the exciting potential of UV and aqueous coating, check out the ONYX 30 here.

Lamination has it’s place…but UV & Aqueous Coating adds a level of value that cannot be beat!

Want more information? Send us an email!

Team members from Kompac demonstrate high gloss UV flood coating of 20" cut sheets that were printed on the HP Indigo 12000. This was done in just seconds at...

Special thanks to the authors of this post, Kemtek, who are Kompac dealers in South Africa. You can find out more about them here.

What do YOU choose? Lamination or UV and Aqueous Coating?

Lamination has it’s place…but UV & Aqueous Coating adds a level of value that cannot be beat!

Go above and beyond and provide a full spectrum of finishes.

Watch how it’s done!

Team members from Kompac demonstrate high gloss UV flood coating of 20" cut sheets that were printed on the HP Indigo 12000. This was done in just seconds at...

Watch how easy it is to enhance product packaging using Soft Touch for the surface, and then spot coat using high gloss to add dimension and shine! Spot coat...

Want more information?

Send us an email!

UV Spot Coating for Print and Packaging

With Kompac Flood and Spot Coating Systems,

it's easy to enhance printed items such as business cards, labels, folding cartons, boxes and flexible packaging! 

How it's done...

Priming. Flood Coating. Spot Coating. Die-Cutting. Perfing.

Kompac's ONYX 30 gives users the ability to apply Primers, UV, Aqueous, and Specialty Coatings to stock ranging from 3-30pt (60-600gsm), at speeds up to 6000 sheets per hour! Die-cut, perf and crease to produce outstanding finished products!

Kompacs ONYX 30 allows users to add outstanding finishing touches to a printed product to produce eye catching effects.

Available as an option for the ONYX 30, this semi-rotary die-cutting system provides print service centers and inplant printers the added ability to die-cut and perforate sheets quickly, and easily.

What coatings can you run with Kompac Coating and Finishing Systems?

Watch how easy it is to enhance product packaging using Soft Touch for the surface, and then spot coat using high gloss to add dimension and shine!

Want more information on the ONYX 30?

Send us an email!

Save 2¢ a sheet by priming substrates for an HP Indigo

Did you know...

Kompac can help you prime substrates for the HP Indigo

- saving up to 2¢ a sheet over purchasing pretreated paper! 

By priming substrates in-house, there are considerable logistics, inventory, and cost savings over having to purchase a line of digital paper. 

Pictured L to R: High gloss flood coating, Soft Touch coating, and UV matte coating on prints from an HP Digital Printer

Choose from our EZ Koat 20, EZ Koat 30, or Onyx 30 (pictured) for converting untreated stock to Indigo-ready substrate. Compatible stocks include card stock, synthetics, plastics, lenticular and thin. After printing the primed stock, flood coat (EZ Koat 20/30) or flood and/or spot coat (Onyx 30) to enhance and enrich your prints. 

Add high gloss shine, texture and grit, spot UV embellishments, scratch off spots, matte, pearlescent, soft touch feeling, spot not, areas, three-dimensional effects, and more! Digital or inkjet, sheet or roll, small or large volumes - Kompac will have a coating system that will fit your needs.

Pictured: Scratch-off coating

NEW EZ Koat 2040 and 3040 Feeder and Stacker for 40" Sheets!

Larger sheets means MORE PRODUCTION

Kompac's 2040/3040 high pile pallet feeder and stacker allows you to prime & flood coat a max sheet size of 20” x 40” (EZ Koat 20 Plus) or 30” x 40” (EZ Koat 30 Plus) at speeds up to 200 fpm!

More print and packaging, more possibility, MORE PROFIT!

The EZ 2040/3040 Feeder & Stacker are production-level equipment that allows greater throughput on the Kompac EZ Koat 20 and 30 UV & aqueous coating systems. This coating machinery can now fit an incredible 20”x40” (50.8cm x 101.6cm) sheet with no loss in speed. It also accepts pallets (32” lift) to avoid hand-loading of sheets, and make the pre- and post press finishing a breeze!

This unit simply bolts on to any EZ Koat 20 or 30. No modifications are needed to incorporate this feeder and stacker system!

For more information or to find out how you can upgrade your current EZ Koat send us an email!

Kompac to attend drupa 2020 in Düsseldorf, Germany

Visit Kompac in Booth 13C03

The team from Kompac is pleased to announce they will be attending drupa 2020 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

During the show you can talk to the experts about high-speed UV/Aqueous coating systems and find the perfect solution for your in-house coating needs.

Being demonstrated at the show is the EZ Koat 20 Plus with chambered anilox, for running Soft Touch and matte coating. This 20” coating system can be configured for both sheets and web, inline and offline.

Team members from Kompac demonstrate high gloss UV flood coating of 20" cut sheets that were printed on the HP Indigo 12000 and finished on the EZ Koat 20 Plus

Book a meeting with the team from Kompac

What kind of coatings can you apply with an EZ Koat?

For more information on Kompac products or to set up a meeting time, please fill out the form and a member of our sales team will be in contact soon.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Left to right: High gloss flood coating, soft touch coating, and UV matte coating on print samples from an HP Indigo

About drupa

drupa provides crucial impulses for print, media, packaging production, and industrial applications – especially in the vertical markets as well. The world’s leading trade fair for printing technologies offers outstanding networking opportunities and potential for excellent business dealings. This is where innovations are brought into the market, new business models are developed, and new partnerships are formed.

drupa is an international magnet for visitor target groups from a wide variety of industries. In addition to the printing and packaging industry, there are also groups from vertical markets such as consumer goods, luxury goods, cosmetics, bank and safety technology, and many more. More than half of its visitors come to drupa with specific investment projects.

Kompac Celebrates 40 Years in Business!

Reflecting on the past 40 years of operation, it’s inspiring to see how the products and team have grown. Family is at the heart of Kompac, and we’re proud to have built a global network, while maintaining our roots in the United States.

To our past and current clients, thank you for keeping us in business. Because of you, Kompac has continued to gain knowledge, grow and innovate over the past 40 years. It’s because of you that we can continue to share the wealth of knowledge and experience that you helped us build.

What started as one product, has turned into a journey and we’re confident that we will continue to produce high-quality products with the Kompac name for many years to come.

Thanks again,

Thomas Hayes, President of Kompac

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