Gallus Group, a subsidiary of Heidelberg, has reportedly made significant strides in the narrow-web print landscape with its latest research breakthrough: Gallus MatteJet technology. Announced at Labelexpo Americas 2024, this innovation is said to potentially advance inkjet printing by unlocking a premium matte finish previously unachievable with digital inkjet, potentially bringing new possibilities of inkjet technology to the wine label market for the first time.
Exemplifying Heidelberg’s position as a comprehensive solution provider for modern printing processes – spanning toner, inkjet, offset printing, and flexo, all integrated through the Prinect workflow – MatteJet was developed in-house at Gallus’ innovation hub, the Gallus Experience Center in St. Gallen. At Labelexpo Americas 2024, Gallus, in collaboration with Heidelberg, will showcase how this transformative technology addresses a key challenge that has historically limited the growth of digital inkjet. Attendees will also discover how MatteJet is poised to reshape the market for wine and spirit labels, offering converters a lucrative new avenue for business growth.
The glossy finish inherent to digital inkjet technology has been one of the foremost barriers to its widespread adoption across labels and packaging – specifically in premium segments such as wine and spirit labels where brands traditionally expect a sophisticated matte finish. Until today, this was only achievable through conventional printing, or the addition of post-processing equipment to utilize matt varnishes, adding time, complexity and cost.
In a groundbreaking industry milestone, Gallus MatteJet technology introduces fast, cost-effective, and high-quality matte finishing capabilities directly integrated into the digital inkjet process. This innovation allows converters, for the first time, to achieve a premium matte finish at the touch of a button—without the need for ink changes, overprint varnish, or external finishing processes. By eliminating one of the key barriers that have traditionally restricted the expansion of inkjet printing, Gallus’ innovative process opens up a lucrative market segment previously dominated by offset printing. Importantly, MatteJet will also enable more converters and brands to take advantage of digital printing’s benefits, such as profitable short runs, personalization, and on-demand printing—marking a significant leap in the industry’s digital transformation.
“The development of Gallus MatteJet technology marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of inkjet printing, opening up a world of new opportunities and ultimately, completely transforming the very foundation of what’s possible with inkjet technology,” says Dario Urbinati, CEO, Gallus Group. “By unlocking matte finishing for digital inkjet, we’ll be able to make an entirely new market segment accessible to converters without the sizeable investment into separate offset solutions – boosting profitability and exemplifying our commitment to building a new era of flexibility that will enable our industry to thrive long-term.”
Developed as part of the company’s ongoing R&D efforts at the Gallus Experience Center – established last year to drive innovation through collaboration for long-term industry-wide success – the new finishing process leverages advanced, cutting-edge technology never-before-seen in labels and packaging. “The new MatteJet technology is revolutionary not just in the opportunities it opens up, but also in what its development represents,” continues Urbinati. “We opened the Gallus Experience Center with a vision for a dynamic, collaborative industry hub that would drive significant, meaningful industry change. Gallus MatteJet exemplifies and is testament to the kinds of transformative developments that can be achieved when you combine this vision with real-world insights as to what the market needs today and of course the essential resources and expertise of our parent company, Heidelberg. MatteJet truly embodies our long-term mission and brings the smart, connected print future within touching distance.”
Designed to integrate with Gallus’ Digital Printing Unit, the new MatteJet technology also represents further expansion of Gallus’ System to Compose concept, which provides unprecedented levels of compatibility across its leading product lines. Under the System to Compose, converters can add, adjust and remove units to their Gallus One as their business needs evolve – now further expanded to comprise workflow and service options as well as equipment, following its overwhelming reception at drupa 2024. Labelexpo will see Gallus demonstrate how the System to Compose concept is key to empowering converters to pivot, adapt, and therefore thrive long-term, with MatteJet now providing an additional piece to this puzzle.
The latest iteration of the Gallus One also makes its global tradeshow debut at this Labelexpo, in the newly-expanded 430mm web width, unlocking more application possibilities than ever before. Visitors to the stand will see first-hand the possibilities achievable with its recently-extended color gamut, with the integration of Orange and Violet Saphira inks developed jointly in-house with Heidelberg, and helping converters to achieve shelf standout for brand differentiation.
Heidelberg will also showcase various aspects of its label offering alongside Gallus, having recently continued its expansion into new business areas, solidifying its position as a leader in delivering end-to-end solutions. Together, they will highlight a number of innovations in the label space – including the latest developments in its Screeny screen printing solutions and Prinect workflow software. Prinect, the backbone of System to Compose from Gallus, is key to digitizing production and realizing the smart, connected printshop of the future – brought to life live on the Labelexpo stand (3523).