中文Screen’s Truepress PAC 830F has reached a major commercial milestone, with Japan’s Chiyoda Gravure completing the world’s first full-scale installation of the water-based digital inkjet packaging press. The move signals growing momentum for sustainable, short-run flexible packaging production, with the technology now delivering faster setup, reduced waste, and greater production flexibility for brands.
A Shift in Flexible Packaging Production
The flexible packaging market has experienced a growing requirement to expand high-mix, lower-volume production as consumer needs have diversified and product life cycles have become shorter. Traditional gravure printing, while excellent for long runs, struggles economically with short runs because of cylinder cost and setup time. Digital inkjet addresses that gap, but only if it can match gravure’s quality and meet food safety requirements without solvent-based inks.
The Truepress PAC 830F is designed to do exactly that. It uses water-based pigment inks, eliminating the need for photopolymer platemaking and gravure cylinders and the associated chemicals. Because it is a plateless digital process, it can produce very short runs and multiple versions with minimal waste. According to Screen, set-up times for jobs have been reduced by 70 percent compared with conventional methods.
Commercial Production Begins
Chiyoda Gravure has completed equipment setup and quality verification for commercial production. The company can now accept orders for digitally printed flexible packaging, focusing primarily on small to medium runs on standard PE and PP films. This is a significant step because it moves the PAC 830F from a development project to a revenue-generating production asset.
Hiroyoshi Sato, president of Chiyoda Gravure, said: “We are working to upgrade our production capabilities in response to the trend toward high mix, low volume production and the growing demand for environmental sustainability. Our introduction of the Truepress PAC 830F has enabled us to establish a flexible production system complementing our existing gravure printing operations. Going forward, we aim to leverage the unique advantages of digital printing to offer new value.”
The Eco Smaart Initiative
Chiyoda Gravure’s printed products and related services using digital technology are now branded “Eco Smaart.” This initiative is designed to deliver new value through digital, solvent-free printing and to meet market needs such as high-mix, low-volume production, shorter lead times, optimized inventory, and reduced environmental impact. The Truepress PAC 830F is part of the Eco Smaart initiative.
The branding reflects a strategic positioning shift. Chiyoda Gravure is not simply adding a digital press; it is creating a brand around digital sustainability. For brand owners, the Eco Smaart label provides a recognizable signal that their packaging was produced using solvent-free digital technology, which can support their own sustainability claims and regulatory reporting.
A 10 Percent Digital Target by 2030
Looking forward, the plan is to establish an optimal production model that effectively combines digital and traditional gravure printing, with a goal of achieving a digital printing output of around 10 percent by 2030. The two companies will work to build a production system capable of meeting diverse client needs while contributing to the sustainable development of the flexible packaging industry.
The 10 percent target is significant. It suggests that digital will complement rather than replace gravure for the foreseeable future. Gravure remains the most efficient technology for very long runs, while digital handles the growing portion of short, variable, and time-sensitive jobs. A hybrid model allows Chiyoda Gravure to serve both ends of the demand spectrum without forcing customers to compromise.
Australian and New Zealand Implications
Screen packaging presses are sold through Jet Technologies in Australia and New Zealand. Peter Scott, managing director of Screen GP Australia, confirmed that Australian flexible packaging printers have already traveled to Japan to see the press in action. “The interest is high, as we are certain to emulate Europe’s industry transition toward solvent-free, water-based and food-safe inks, as converters face tightening rules on traditional VOC-heavy chemical usage,” he said.
That interest is driven by regulation. As governments tighten limits on volatile organic compound emissions, solvent-based flexible packaging printing faces increasing compliance cost. Water-based digital inkjet offers a path to compliance without sacrificing print quality. For converters in Australia and New Zealand, the Chiyoda Gravure installation serves as a commercial proof point that the technology is ready for production.
What This Means for the Industry
The Truepress PAC 830F installation validates water-based digital inkjet as a viable production technology for flexible packaging, not just a prototype. It demonstrates that a major gravure printer has judged the quality sufficient for commercial orders. And it shows that the economics work for small and medium runs on standard films, which constitute a large and growing share of flexible packaging demand.
Hiromi Sakurai, president of Screen Graphic Solutions, said: “We specifically developed this press as a solution to support digitalisation and environmental sustainability in the flexible packaging market. Moving forward, we will continue to collaborate with our clients to create new market value and contribute to the realisation of a more sustainable printing industry.”
For flexible packaging converters worldwide, the message is clear: water-based digital production is no longer a future promise. It is a present option, and competitors are already using it.
Source: print21.com.au — “World-first install of Screen PAC830F completed” by Jan Arreza
