Tokyo, September 24, Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP) will launch two newly developed thermal transfer ink ribbons globally in October 2024. These exciting ribbons meet the new printing needs for manufacturers of electronic devices, food, medical products, and pharmaceuticals.  

R380 provides enhanced resistance to alcohol and is suitable for use in thermal transfer printers that print barcodes or 2D codes on tags and labels.

V670 provides exceptional printing on both plastic and paper packages and is designed for use in printing dates and production numbers on food packages.

For further information about thermal transfer ink ribbons, please visit: https://www.global.dnp/biz/solution/products/detail/10161804_4130.html

Newly developed ink ribbons for thermal transfer printers (at left: V670, at center and right: R380)

Image of labels printed with R380

Development

DNP commenced the thermal transfer ink ribbons in the 1980s, and has since expanded its diverse lineup of high-quality products into the global market. In recent years, there has been demand from industries such as electronic devices and medical supplies and pharmaceuticals for ink ribbons with a high alcohol resistance in order to prevent print omissions or erasure, due to the effects of the solvents and chemicals used in those industries. In the food industry, an increasing number of companies are adopting paper packaging to reduce the environmental burden, and there is a growing need for ink ribbons that can print on both plastic film and paper. 

In response, DNP has developed R380 generating print that will not fade easily even when exposed to alcohol, allowing information to be reliably read, and V670 capable of printing clearly on both plastic film and paper.

 Features

R380: An ink ribbon with high alcohol resistance that can be used at variety of manufacturing sites where alcohol can make critical information unreadable. Compared to our currently available products, alcohol resistance has been improved by approximately 30%, based on the JIS L 0849 friction fastness test. Improved alcohol resistance solves issues such as printing omissions or erasure with various labels, and can lead to improved efficiency and error prevention in the manufacturing processes. In addition, R380 is a halogen-free resin type ink ribbon, based on BS EN 14582:2016 that does not produce dioxins when burned.

Image following friction durability test, entailing rubbing the printed area 300 times with cotton soaked in alcohol. (JIS L 0849 compliant): The new product, R380 (right image) is more durable than our existing product (left image).

V670: An ink ribbon used primarily for printing dates and serial numbers on food packages, and for printing prices tags on clothing. It can be printed not just on regular plastic materials but especially suitable to print on the new generation of eco-friendly packaging materials, including paper and paper-like materials, meaning there is no need to change ribbons to match different substrates. V670 also exhibits excellent friction resistance or resistance to rubbing of the printed surface. By changing the ribbon film thickness by approx. 10% and improving transferability, it has also been made possible to boost printing speed, and contribute to reduced CO₂ emissions.

Image of 2D code printed on plastic with V670 (left image), and on paper (right image)

 Going forward

DNP will leverage its global sales network to expand business by providing the R380 and V670 to the manufacturing sites of electronic devices, food, medical products, pharmaceuticals, clothing, and other products. We plan to exhibit the new thermal transfer printer ink ribbons at ProPak India 2024, to be held from September 25th to 27th 2024. Similar exhibits will be made at Labelexpo India 2024, to be held from November 14th to 17th, 2024.

For more information about ProPak India 2024, please visit:  https://propakindia.com/ 

For more information about Labelexpo India 2024, please visit:  https://www.labelexpo-india.com/

*Company and product names mentioned in this report are the trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies. 

*The content of this report is current as of the date of publication. It may be changed at any time without notice.