Installations News
Multi-Action Leverages Unique DSI Inkjet Press

Multi-Action Labels of Quebec City continues its growth into short-run and prototyping label work with a DSI UV inkjet press, a North American-first installation, that remains as the only such system in Canada.

Developed by SPGPrints of The Netherlands, the unique 330-mm (13-inch) wide, eight-colour DSI press, which has been running at Multi-Action since 2012, is designed for high-quality, just-in-time label production. It is described by Multi-Action as a complete print-converting line for single-pass production and complements three existing ETI flexo lines in the company’s pressroom.

“The quality achieved by the DSI press and SPGPrints’ inks has been amazing, and has enabled us to deliver high-impact designs that have enhanced our customers’ brands and boosted their sales,” stated Jonathan Bourbonnière, President of Multi-Action Labels. He continues to explain Multi-Action is working to leverage its unique press position by collaborating with other label printers, particularly those with flexo-only assets, who need fast turnaround or variable-imaging work.

Bourbonnière describes the UV inkjet-based DSI as producing identical quality to the flexographic process, which provides Multi-Action with the flexibility to switch any analogue job shorter than 10,000 square feet [3,048 metres] onto the inkjet machine. Multi-Action’s job run lengths on the SPGPrints DSI average 260 square metres (850 feet). The press is rated to reach speeds of up to 35 metres per minute (114 feet per minute).

In addition to CMYK, the DSI at Multi-Action has been customised with options including orange and violet, to cover over 90 percent of the colour gamut, opaque white, and a digital primer. The press features intermediate LED pinning and a chill drum, as standard features, while Multi-Action also installed some inline converting options on its press. This includes a flexo coating station and semi-rotary diecutting technology supplied by AB Graphic.  

The press uses SPGPrints’ proprietary inks that provide BWS-7 lightfastness and high scratch resistance relative to traditional inkjet systems. The company also leverages Esko’s Automation software to automate step-repeat functions.