Pixartprinting now boasts the largest number of Komori presses equipped with the H-UV curing system in Europe. Three brand new eight-color Lithrone G40P H-UV L (LED) machines are now in operation at the company's headquarters and main production facility in Quarto d'Altino, Italy, and two existing models have also been upgraded to H-UV. The 'upload & print' industry leader has therefore shot to the top of the leaderboard with more eight-color 40-inch Komori H-UV presses than any other firm in Europe.

"the little drupa"

Located just outside of the evocative world treasure of Venice in the Veneto region, Pixartprinting prides itself on its cutting-edge production facilities, known as 'the little drupa' because they run next-generation systems that are no more than three years old. For this reason, the company is considered a landmark by the most important manufacturers of graphic art systems, who often offer product preview installations. All processes adhere to the most stringent quality standards in the industry. More than 90 percent of the company's clientele are professionals in the graphic arts, mainly printers who take advantage of Pixartprinting services for jobs they can't complete on their own because they lack adequate technology or production capacity to meet today's extremely short delivery deadlines.
"The expansion of our product catalogue is closely linked to our technological innovation, a distinctive feature of our growth strategy that is part of our DNA and involves all our departments," explains Paolo Roatta, CEO and Managing Director at Pixartprinting. "Developing increasingly standardized processes with ever higher levels of automation allows us to simultaneously reduce production times and increase quality, guaranteeing improved efficiency in processing orders and resulting in greater customer satisfaction."

Quality and versatility

The decision to move from a conventional setup to H-UV and H-UV L (LED) curing stemmed from the need to optimize the production cycle. Offering quicker curing and reduced start-up times, this technology speeds up printing on a wide range of materials, increasing overall productivity and reducing delivery times. The technology also eliminates the need for anti-set-off spraying, which in addition to ensuring a clean working environment also removes a step from the finishing process, allowing orders to be completed more quickly. Print quality was another important factor in Pixartprinting's move to H-UV, as the output is excellent and the technology offers increased versatility for creating products — including top-of-the-range items.
True to style, the configuration of the equipment ordered by Pixartprinting pushes the boundaries in terms of automation, including fully automatic plate changing, registration and color management, plus a new air feeding system using low-energy pumps and compressors. Furthermore, the H-UV and H-UV L (LED) technology helps to improve workplace safety by reducing the temperature produced when curing the inks compared to traditional drying systems. Finally, the eight-color Lithrone G40P H-UV L (LED) presses are equipped with ink mist extractor fans for the printing units that prevent ink misting during production and therefore safeguard the health of the equipment operators.

Pixartprinting-style collaboration

Alessio Piazzetta, Plant Director

"The collaboration between our R&D department and the R&D teams at equipment manufacturers demonstrates our aim to build strategic partnerships with ambitious joint objectives," emphasizes Alessio Piazzetta, Plant Director at Pixartprinting. "Working with high-tech companies like Komori who are willing to design, re-engineer and customize equipment to satisfy our needs has allowed us to achieve unprecedented results over the years. The project to update our offset printing equipment was particularly challenging, but thanks to our teamwork we have achieved even better results than we expected, and in a short period of time."
The collaboration between Pixartprinting and Komori, which began in 2009, has on several occasions involved implementing one-of-a-kind solutions that became global benchmarks for the printing industry. In 2011 the Venetian web-to-print company made waves by being the first client outside Japan to install completely automated Komori machinery, and it has been a trailblazer in the sector, helping to reinforce the culture of H-UV and H-UV L (LED) technology in Europe.

New solutions on the horizon

"It is a privilege to work with Pixartprinting, an undisputed pioneer that pushes us to improve our performance in terms of both productivity and optimizing processes," comments Silvano Bianchi, Managing Director of Komori Italia. "Our technological partnership with this dynamic company is a constant work in progress. I can reveal that we are currently looking at new solutions that will soon be implemented and will once again represent a benchmark for the world of printing."

Founded in 1994 as a service bureau for traditional printing and transformed into an e-commerce printing company in 2000, Pixartprinting now specializes in online printing solutions, including small format (magazines, cards, stickers, labels and leaflets), large format (high-resolution reproduction, posters, banners and display items), packaging, fabric printing and more. Today, Pixartprinting employs 570 people, has more than 250,000 active customers across Europe and processes an average of 9,000 jobs a day. Production is based at the company headquarters in Quarto d'Altino, Italy. Using next-generation equipment unrivaled in Europe, the firm provides fast shipping with guaranteed delivery dates throughout the continent. Its excellent customer service includes TÜV-certified mother-tongue support. Pixartprinting is part of Cimpress (Nasdaq: CMPR), the world leader in mass customization.

https://www.pixartprinting.com/