Printing

At drupa 2012 HP announced a number of enhancements to its HP Indigo technology that will reduce the environmental impact of printing. The company has also formed alliances with sustainability-minded groups, including the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). HP spoke at the FSC Global Forum held at drupa on May 3-4, demonstrating the company’s commitment to FSC certification of printing papers and announcing several new large-format printing materials with FSC certification, the company reported in a press release.

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi-Aventis Group, has installed variable print ink-jet technology from Weiler Labeling Systems (WLS). Incorporated into Sanofi Pasteur’s existing label application systems at its Swiftwater, PA, facility, the WLS system prints a Data Matrix bar code encrypting the necessary information into each label.

For printing static and variable data inline, Bell-Mark (www.bell-mark.com) at WestPack introduced the InteliJet HD piezo ink-jet printer. Compactly designed to fit on horizontal form-fill-seal machines, blister packaging machines, and flow wrappers, the unit features the highest resolution ink-jet print head technology available, says Doug Buch, director, marketing/IT.

The Healthcare Supply Chain Association (HSCA) and the Healthcare Industry Supply Chain Institute (HISCI) have released the results of an independent survey regarding industry adoption and integration of identification technologies used to track items in the healthcare supply chain. These include unique product identification and location codes such as Global Trade Item Numbers [GTINS] and Global Location Numbers [GLNs].

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) has acquired CSAT GmbH, a provider of industrial digital printing systems that can be integrated into production lines. This purchase enables Heidelberg to expand its digital print portfolio as well as add technology and expertise in the areas of drop-on-demand inkjet (DoD) and electrophotography.

Hapa has acquired Gottscho Printing Systems in an effort to create a single source for inline, in-house printing solutions for the pharmaceutical, medical, personal care, food, and FMCG industries. Hapa provides late-stage printing customization technologies, while Gottscho provides flexographic technologies. Both are known for providing on-demand printing technologies.

Glenroy, Inc. received five awards from Printing Industries of Wisconsin (PIW) in the 2011 Graphics Excellence competition, including three “Best of Category” awards, also known as “Badger Winners.”