Durham Box has upgraded its EFI Nozomi C18000 single-pass inkjet digital corrugated printer with white UV LED ink, allowing it to print a broader range of high-end packaging, point-of-sale (POS) display graphics and free-standing display unit (FSDU) designs.

Using EFI Nozomi white ink on corrugated boxes extends the colour gamut Durham Box can achieve and gives the company the ability to accurately represent its clients’ brand colours on brown kraft board. The white ink also allows for accurate printing of photographic images, including vivid designs, while maintaining the eco-friendly look of the brown board surface. Plus, Durham Box can achieve a higher-value appearance for many jobs using white ink as a base under colour designs, as the white ink transforms the matte appearance of CMYK inks on uncoated boards into a highly attractive gloss.

Andy Smith, POS business development director at Durham Box, commented, ‘Having the ability to print with white ink will give our customers an option that until now has not been available through this technology

‘This will allow Durham Box to work with some major brands creating that total display and packaging solution. Of course, being the first in the U.K. to offer white ink confirms Durham Box’s intention to be a major provider of 3D/POS/display and packaging across all market sectors.’

The Western Michigan University (WMU) Pilot Plant recently provided an OCC (old corrugated containers) certification for EFI Nozomi white ink, verifying its recyclability and repulpability. This new certification follows the WMU Pilot Plant’s initial OCC certification provided for the EFI Nozomi C18000 printer’s CMYK four-colour process inkset. Last year, the Fogra Research Institute for Media Technologies assessed the printer according to the ISO 20690 energy standard, and determined it to be, ‘the leading single-pass corrugated production device in terms of power consumption efficiency.’

Durham Box’s EFI Nozomi C18000 prints up to 75 linear m/min, and can produce up to 10,000 890 x 890m (35 x 35in) boards per hour two-up. Its low-odour, UV LED inks are Greenguard certified, contain no hazardous volatile organic compounds and do not require vapor recovery.

Mr Smith continued, ‘Since purchasing the Nozomi last year, the immediate focus was to enhance our packaging offering to existing and potential new clients, offering a fast turnaround, high quality digital solution, especially for customers in e-commerce and display. This in turn has delivered significant growth for Durham Box.

‘Our customers’ success is very important to us and we wanted to offer them the best technology on the market,” he added. “Getting noticed is critical in the competitive world of retail, and thus, printing a white ink base really enhances the brand identity. White on craft board FSDUs certainly delivers that ‘wow’ factor. And now, this is something we can deliver to our customers.’