Invercote, which is Iggesund’s flagship product, has paved the way for digital printing on thicker paper materials since the technology was introduced in 1993. Today’s Invercote G is certified for a variety of digital print technologies and is recognised as the market leader by digital printers when they need a thicker or stiffer material than usual.
The secret lies in the new coating on the reverse side of the upgraded Invercote G. Iggesund’s engineers were asked to create a reverse side with improved printing properties – in both offset and digital – but without compromising on the natural feel that has been the product’s hallmark for many years.
With this new product Iggesund wants to give the entire digital print industry a tool with which to smash all the barriers that have hindered digitally printed folding cartons from achieving its full potential. The rapid development of digital presses and increasingly widespread interest in using digital print on packaging led Iggesund to take the next step with Invercote. “The upgraded Invercote G that we’re rolling out into the market this spring will give us a complete portfolio of products for digital applications,” Lisinski explains.
“Invercote Creato is the best choice for all two-sided printed materials such as covers and various types of cards, but also for packaging with equal demands on both sides of the paperboard. The upgraded Invercote G will give customers who want a clear difference between the paperboard’s two sides but who still want to be able to print on both sides using their digital presses precisely what they’re looking for.”
Strong brands led by Coca-Cola have shown that the intelligent personalization or regionalization of packaging and labels can drive sales. Presses designed for higher grammages as well as new finishing equipment are opening up new possibilities. At the same time, larger sheet formats are paving the way for better economies of scale for digital printing.
“We’re seeing almost an explosion of digitally printed folding cartons. For a company like ours which offers stiff paperboard of the highest quality this is a terrific development,” comments Fredrik Lisinski, who is responsible for developing Iggesund Paperboard’s sales to the digital print market.
“In addition, new applications are appearing that were previously unimaginable,” Lisinski adds. “Fifteen – or even ten – years ago, who could have thought that a print run of five calendars featuring photos of someone’s grandchildren or three copies of a photo book could form the financial backbone of a printing firm.”
“We don’t want our customers to have to choose between good printability in digital applications and first-class packaging characteristics in terms of designability and material stiffness and strength,” Lisinski says. “With Invercote we want to give them both. Our status as the market leader proves we’re on the right path. With this upgraded product I’m convinced that the entire digital packaging print market will take another leap forward.”
Over the past year Iggesund has made major efforts to increase the availability of Invercote in the most common formats for digital presses. “We’ve followed the market and worked with the leading press manufacturers. The result is a product portfolio that is perfectly suited to people who do digital printing on higher grammages,” Fredrik Lisinski concludes.
