WHAT IS PCL3 DIGITAL? : PCL3 Digital is a range of self adhesive sheets size SRA3. Produced either as flat sheet or die cut labels. The range is approved for digital (including Indigo) and conventional printing however, inclusion of specific printer models in these notes does not infer any guarantee by the press manufacturer. The current range consists of: 10 base materials and 18 label sizes. Information is given in good faith, however we cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. The user must satisfy themselves that the product is suitable for their particular print process/machine and end use requirements. Please request samples for testing where required. ALL TRADEMARKS ARE RECOGNIZED PCL3 Digital format Sheet size 320 x 451mm 2 panels of A4 per sheet with additional lay and grip edges. Each corner of the A4 panel marked with crop marks to aid guillotining back to finished size of A4 if required. All sheets have dry edge on long edges e.g. face material 319mm, backing 320mm. This ensures smooth feeding and no adhesive contamination on sheet edges. Majority of labels are based on 2 x PCL formats (A4 sheets: 13mm lay and grip edges: 2mm gutters between labels) on SRA3 sheet. This provides a standard, familiar, finished size. All PCL3 Digital and PCL label formats can be downloaded as.pdf files.
What is Digital printing? The word digital tends to be used to describe both Indigo and laser printers. However, digital is in essence the way the information is presented to the printer e.g. the transmission of artwork data electronically to the press. It can also be used to describe digital offset litho presses. The most common sheet fed digital presses are: hp Indigo Series 3000 hp lasers Xerox igen3, Docucolor range etc Kodak NexPress Canon Océ Konica Minolta Guillotining Self adhesive sheets If guillotining self adhesive sheets, in particular prior to printing, please be aware of the potential problems. Do NOT cut more than 100 sheets per stack and ensure blade is clean and sharp. Particular attention should then be paid to fanning the sheets properly prior to printing. The grip edges on the PCL3 Digital sheets provide sufficient waste area to guillotine without encroaching on the die cut labels. The crop marks on the PCL3 Digital die cut label sheets mark the corners of A4.
General guidelines for digital printing. Always fan the sheets well before printing. Take particular care when knocking up the sheets not to bend the edges and cause the labels to lift - discard any sheets that may have been affected. If available, the media type settings (found either in the printer drivers, or the stock feed trays) should be set to: HEAVY WEIGHT PAPER or similar (155-220gsm) Coated or Uncoated stock as appropriate This is to ensure the correct temperature and speed through the machine. Failure to change the settings may result in poor toner key or miss-feeds. Different models of machine optimum settings will vary, heavyweight, film etc and the correct setting on one machine may produce unsatisfactory results on another - please try various settings to achieve the best result for your printer, the material and the image required. If no change of media type is available the printer will probably be a desktop model with a low print speed. Select the feed tray appropriate to the machine and stock capabilities. The most direct feed path available will normally produce the best results. Consult your printer manual for appropriate settings for your particular machine.
hp Indigo hp Indigo presses use a totally different type of ink /toner from other presses, and the material surface requirements are very specific. Not all materials can be printed by Indigo method. Many materials require pre-treatment with sapphire (or similar) coatings to ensure suitability. All PCL3 Digital materials are approved for Indigo printing without any further treatment. All materials have been independently tested and approved by the Digital Academy, in both flat sheet and die cut label form. To date this is the only range of die cut labels worldwide to carry approval. The approval number DA3-04-099 refers to the entire PCL3 Digital range and the details can be found on the digital academy website at: www.digitalacademy.com hp Indigo Printing guidelines Always fan the sheets well before printing. Take particular care when knocking up the sheets not to bend the edges and cause the labels to lift - discard any sheets that may have been affected. Ensure media type and thickness are set correctly. Set the airflow control at the back of the stack around 4 ensuring the air is separating the sheets. Beware of static build up particularly when running synthetic materials (e.g. polyesters) and keep stack sizes small. Use appropriate anti-static bars if available. The feed wheels can cause the sheets to jam on the Print Feed Unit so ensure wheels are set specifically for the material. Set the height of the paper stack so it sits at the middle line on the paper feed unit. Set Blow Control to 4 (this can vary for different PCL3 materials but is a good start point) Set Suction Control to 3 (this can vary for different PCL3 materials but is a good start point) In the unlikely event that litho pre-printed materials will be further printed by Indigo technology please ensure trials are completed with particular reference to electro-ink adhesion on the litho printed sheets and litho image stability. To be electro-ink receptive the polyester materials are specifically top coated and it is likely that litho printing using fully oxidising inks (and the possibility of the presence of spray powder) will change the surface characteristics. The preferred method of print for variable information would be in one pass digitally (laser or Indigo). (We are grateful to The Digital Academy for their assistance with the compilation of guidelines for Indigo printing PCL3 Digital Labels).
Xerox Xerox has the largest market share in the digital print market. They have a range of colour printers, the Docucolor family, to suit all types of requirements from in house print (where user s main business is not printing) to very large production machines to be found in commercial print houses. The top of the range machine is the igen3. The PCL3 Digital range has been tested on the igen3 and other printers in the Docucolor range. Official approval from Xerox will only be granted on their own materials, however, details of the performance of the polyester grades can be found on their web site at : http://www.xerox.com/downloads/gbr/en/s/supplies_media_for_igen3.pdf where they are currently listed under the non Xerox grades as Gloss Clear Polyester and Gloss White Polyester. There is a data error on the sheet sizes (currently showing as A3 and A4) that should read SRA3. The following guidelines for printing apply to all dry toner based laser/copier printers. Always fan the sheets well before printing. Take particular care when knocking up the sheets not to bend the edges and cause the labels to lift - discard any sheets that may have been affected. If available, the media type settings (found either in the printer drivers, or the stock feed trays) should be set to: HEAVY WEIGHT PAPER or similar (155-220gsm) Coated or Uncoated stock as appropriate This is to ensure the correct temperature and speed through the machine. Failure to change the settings may result in poor toner key or miss-feeds. Different models of machine optimum settings will vary, heavyweight, film etc and the correct setting on one machine may produce unsatisfactory results on another - please try various settings to achieve the best result for your printer and the image required. If no change of media type is available the printer will probably be a desktop model with a low print speed. It is unlikely that high volumes of the polyester materials would be printed at one time on this type of machine therefore problems associated with excessive or insufficient heat and speed should not occur. Select the feed tray appropriate to the machine and stock capabilities. The most direct feed path available will normally produce the best results. Xerox models 6060, 8000, 5252 Tray 2 produces excellent results.
Xerox contd Polyester laminates are prone to static build up - to reduce the potential for multiple sheet feed due to static it is advisable to put sheets into feed tray singly and build up required number. This ensures air gets between the sheets, reduces static potential and reduces the risk of dislodging labels by normal knocking up techniques. The stability of the polyester labels is achieved by laminating polyester face materials to a polyester backing. However, polyester materials do get HOT during laser printing, and care should be taken when removing the printed sheets from the exit tray. The stability of the polyester/polyester laminate makes the labels suitable for high speed electronic printing. It is vital on high speed machines that the correct media settings are used. Consult your printer manual for appropriate settings for your particular machine. If long runs on very high speed machines are required the superior anti-slip properties of the translucent clear polyester may be preferable to the gloss clear. If the polyester has been pre-printed litho, ensure the correct inks were used and that a period of at least 7 days has elapsed before laser over printing. DC 12 Users Xerox state that die cut labels (of any manufacture including their own) should not be used from Tray 5 on the DC12 due to its feed system. (We are grateful to Xerox for their assistance with the compilation of guidelines for printing PCL3 Digital Labels).
Canon Currently the largest sheet size printable is 305 x 457mm. To use a PCL3 Digital sheet it will need guillotining - please be aware of the potential problems when guillotining self adhesive sheets. No more than 100 sheets per stack and ensure blade is clean and sharp. Particular attention should then be paid to fanning the sheets properly prior to printing. The grip edges on the PCL3 Digital sheets provide sufficient waste area to guillotine without encroaching on the die cut labels. Printing polyesters on Canon presses. Due to the very high fusing temperature on Canon presses polyesters may jam at the fuser. This can be overcome by running a lead sheet of 150gsm card (or similar) as the first sheet in the run (or dropping the fuser temperature). This tends to drop the fuser temperature sufficiently to fool the machine and the polyesters then run without problems. (We are grateful to the Canon users who discovered the solution to this and let us know). We are currently awaiting specific press conditions/recommendations from Canon. Kodak NexPress The PCL3 Digital range has been tested and approved as suitable for use both as flat sheet and die cut labels. We are currently awaiting specific press conditions/recommendations from Kodak.
Offset Litho All PCL3 Digital materials are litho printable. The appropriate inks for the material type should be used as normal. Always fan the sheets well before printing - taking particular care not to lift any labels. Litho printing polyester grades. Use fully oxidising inks for polyester materials (standard coated paper grade oxidising inks are NOT suitable for polyesters) and ensure all traces of oil based inks and varnishes are cleaned from ink delivery system. Run press as dry as possible as excessive damping will retard drying. Check suitability of product for printed matter and process - for example prints achieved on one print station on paper may need 2 print stations for polyesters (e.g. solid and tint should be run on 2 stations). Run 4 colour work in one pass. It is not advisable to run 4 colour work on polyester using single or 2 colour presses. If material is to be subsequently laser or copier printed ensure the correct laser compatible litho inks are used and ink is completely cured (at least 7 days). Avoid excessive use of spray powder - use a light coating only. Do NOT use dissolvable spray powder, as this will affect the keying process. In the unlikely event that litho printed materials will be further printed by Indigo technology please ensure trials are completed with particular reference to electro-ink adhesion on the litho printed sheets and litho image stability. To be electro-ink receptive the polyester materials are specifically top coated and it is likely that litho printing using fully oxidising inks (and the possibility of the presence of spray powder) will change the surface characteristics. The preferred method of print for variable information would be in one pass digitally (laser or Indigo). If you experience problems obtaining suitable inks from your normal supplier we recommend: PJF Printing Inks (Tel: 01933 271201) Oxicombi Ink range for these products - please specify inks for PCL Polyester grades and any other process requirements e.g. overprint laser.