Inter-State Studio installs first Contiweb Digital Fluid Applicator in the US

Contiweb, a specialist manufacturer of drying and web-handling equipment and provider of integrated technical solutions for web offset printing, packaging and digital printing has installed a Contiweb DFA-560 at Inter-State Studio, a market-leading print specialist. In cooperation with Canon Solutions America, Inter-State Studio is the first US customer to have purchased the DFA-560 in alignment with the Canon ProStream 1800 inkjet web press.
Family-owned, Inter-State Studio has been servicing its customers nationwide since 1933. The Canon ProStream 1800 inkjet web press is the company’s first web inkjet press and is predominantly used for the printing of yearbooks. The company services around 3,500 schools in all fifty states across the US, with order sizes of up to one million yearbooks for a year, often coming during short-time frames during the holiday seasons.

“We are often under intense time pressures to produce yearbooks on such a large scale. This means we need every advantage we can get and that’s where Contiweb’s DFA solutions will really help,” says Brian Dieckman, Manager Engineering & QA. “Canon led us in the direction of Contiweb and the DFA will aid us in chartering somewhat unknown waters as this is relatively new application for inkjet printing.”

The Contiweb DFA-560 is a standalone fluid applicator that uses tap water and a surfactant for intelligent remoisturizing of paper that is processed through an inkjet web press. It offers a water only or water + silicone substrate mixing and application system.

Precise remoisturizing is obtained by individually controlling the remoisturizing process for each side of the paper. This process helps enable increased runnability of lightweight paper applications which require post process finishing. Optionally, the DFA-560 can also apply silicone, which helps stabilize the paper after printing, especially for heavy substrates which have heavy ink loads. This maximizes output quality prior to finishing while improving the overall user experience.