Actega Metal Print has named German print specialist Kolbe-Coloco Spezialdruck as the world’s first beta customer for its new metallisation technology, EcoLeaf.

EcoLeaf was born out of Landa Metallography, a technology launched at drupa 2016. EcoLeaf is scheduled to be commercially launched at drupa 2020. The basis of EcoLeaf is a silver pigment that can be overprinted, leading to a rainbow of metallic colours, including gold. Integrated inline on analogue presses, digital printing presses or finishing equipment – either new or retrofitted to existing equipment – EcoLeaf consists of a printed trigger image and a metallisation unit that applies only the precise and required amount of metal to the trigger image.

Kolbe-Coloco Spezialdruck has installed its EcoLeaf unit onto a 12-colour Gallus RCS press, featuring offset, flexo and screen printing. Focusing on high-end applications, Kolbe-Coloco Spezialdruck will use EcoLeaf to print profit driving metallisation embellishments onto self-adhesive labels for a broad variety of markets. The printer cites the eradication of foil and its sustainability advantages as a key decision.

Kolbe-Coloco Spezialdruck managing director Michael Leon explained, ‘Our business is focused on print services that create a greater connection between a brand and the consumer, to ultimately aid sales. We do that by employing some of the best print technologies on the market, and EcoLeaf is a perfect example of this

‘Eradicating foil is a huge and incredibly important milestone in our industry, and this technology looks poised to support that. For this reason, we have no doubt that our customers will embrace EcoLeaf with open arms, but we also know that they will love the opportunity to add cost effective and amazing metallisation to their jobs too – this solution has the potential to be a serious game changer.’

Jan Franz Allerkamp, managing director at Actega Metal Print, noted Kolbe-Coloco Spezialdruck as ‘an ideal choice’ as the technology’s first beta site. ‘In Kolbe-Coloco, we’ve found a like-minded and very innovation-driven business,’ he said. ‘One that operates an automated, clean and very professional environment, but a company that has already proved itself to be a real change-maker. We look forward to working closely with them over the coming weeks and months, and to seeing EcoLeaf’s positive impact on their business.’

Read more about EcoLeaf in the January/February issue of Digital Labels & Packaging, and here

Read more about embellishment and finishing in the March/April issue of Digital Labels & Packaging; register here to receive the magazine for free

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