Fiery, LLC, Esko, and Global Inkjet Systems (GIS) have announced a new partnership to provide inkjet press manufacturers with a comprehensive, one-stop-shop digital print solution for packaging. This strategic collaboration leverages over 75 years of combined digital experience to deliver pre-integrated solutions and standardized components from all three companies. This best-of-breed solution helps accelerate the analog to digital transition by reducing development time for press manufacturers, enabling them to swiftly introduce innovative printing solutions to better meet converter and packaging producer needs.

“Fiery, Esko, and GIS joining forces provides press manufacturers with a hassle-free, ready-to-go, end-to-end solution,” states Toby Weiss, CEO, Fiery. “This partnership marks a pivotal moment where our collaboration and expertise converge to redefine what’s possible in digital printing. We’re proud to come together to set the standard for excellence in digital technology, empowering our customers to navigate the digital landscape with confidence and agility.”

Prepress
Esko has a track record of managing prepress and color needs across existing plants, including both analog and digital production. Industry-leading solutions, including ArtPro+, Automation Engine, ArtiosCAD, and Phoenix, intelligently digitize, connect, automate, and accelerate the concept to market processes for every packaged product. In fact, Esko solutions enable packaging production for 9 out of 10 major brands. This integration gives Esko’s customers the confidence that digital capabilities can be seamlessly added to existing analog workflows.

Together, Esko and Fiery have co-developed a new color workflow that’s configurable based on customer needs. Customers can choose either Esko Color Engine (fully integrated into Fiery Impress) or Fiery’s color management workflow, which includes Fiery Edge profiling technology, Fiery Spot Pro, and Fiery Color Profiler Suite. This flexible approach helps ease the integration of digital capabilities into flexo shops, and delivers exceptional brand color accuracy, whether matching industry standards or customizing to client brand specifications.

“We’re thrilled to formalize the partnership with Fiery and GIS, a testament to the inherent openness of the Esko software platform” says Joël Depernet, president, Esko. “Our customers need innovative, integrated technology to meet time to market and print quality requirements. And now, we can present a comprehensive, end-to-end solution that packages a best-in-class combination of prepress workflow, color management choices, DFE technology, and printhead controls.”

Digital front end (DFE)
Fiery Impress is a flexible, scalable DFE designed exclusively to support industrial inkjet production. Powering the broadest range of digital solutions in the market, Fiery Impress allows packaging producers to quickly respond to changing market demands, from one-off proofs and versions to short runs to the longest runs supported on press.

Built on an open architecture, Fiery Impress delivers unmatched performance to drive inkjet presses at maximum press speeds with streaming variable data printing (VDP). A native Adobe® PDF Print Engine implementation delivers reliable reproductions of an original PDF, ensuring that the final printed product matches brand designer and customer expectations. Fiery Impress produces the highest quality press output with advanced screening technology that leverages printhead-level optimization, plus image-based missing nozzle and density compensation to reduce print defects on labels and packaging. 

Combining Fiery’s industry leading DFE technology with Esko’s expertise in workflow automation and supply chain color management offers a single solution with unmatched efficiency, enabling press manufacturers to provide a streamlined user experience that optimizes production from job creation to final output, ensuring a seamless transition from analog to digital.

Printhead and machine control
GIS offers premier printhead electronic systems to deliver color ink anywhere throughout the job at speed with accuracy. Their high-performance electronics and core software enable seamless configuration with leading printheads from Epson, Fujifilm Dimatix, Konica Minolta, Kyocera, Ricoh, SII Printek, Toshiba TEC and Xaar, as well as ink delivery systems compatible with all leading suppliers. Combined with the Atlas Ready integration program, it delivers superior industrial inkjet machine control and diagnostics.

Fiery Impress streams RIPped data directly to GIS printhead electronics for maximum press productivity. Any press manufacturer who chooses GIS printhead electronics will have plug-and-play, streaming connectivity to Fiery Impress on day one. GIS’s advanced printhead control systems combined with Fiery Impress ensure exceptional color consistency and uniformity, and, with Esko’s inspection technology, product quality is guaranteed in every print.

“GIS advanced printhead control systems with the Fiery Impress DFE and an Esko prepress workflow provides the ultimate flexibility, scalability, and customizability to meet any customer requirement,” comments Steve Williamson, GM, GIS. “We are delighted to join forces to offer a combined inkjet development technology platform to reduce time to market for press manufacturers, builders, and OEMs.”