Inside-the-Box Printing? Fujifilm Makes It Possible with Top-Down Inkjet Bars

Interview with Mario Gazzani, Technical & Business Development Manager at Print4All.

At Fujifilm, we’re showcasing a wide range of digital printing technologies, from toner-based systems to wide-format inkjet printers. These include both UV-curable and water-based technologies, as well as our new AquaFuze hybrid ink, which combines the benefits of both UV and water-based inks.

Fujifilm is a global leader in imaging, printing, and advanced technologies. Known for its expertise in digital printing, Fujifilm offers cutting-edge solutions tailored to various industries, including packaging and corrugated board production.

One of our standout solutions is the digital imprinting bar—a modular print system that can be integrated into existing lines. This technology allows for static or variable data printing, such as barcodes, batch numbers, and logos, making it ideal for the corrugated industry. For example, if you already have a corrugated machine with folding and die-cutting capabilities, you can add our imprinting bar to introduce digital content directly onto the box.

These imprinting bars are standalone units, available in widths from 4 cm to 130 cm. Each bar prints one color, so for CMYK or multi-color jobs, multiple bars can be combined. You can opt for a full-width bar to cover the entire sheet, or use a narrow bar just to mark a section—flexibility is the key.

You asked whether these can be installed on a flexo printer—and yes, they can. Flexo typically prints from bottom to top, but our inkjet bars print top-down, which makes them perfect for printing on the inside of corrugated boxes. After the last flexo color station, an imprinting bar can add digital content to the box’s interior surface.

Why top-down? Because inkjet works by propelling small droplets of ink onto a surface, and gravity helps with consistent application. That’s why it’s much easier to print from top to bottom and more challenging in reverse.

We offer a range of printheads:

• Samba printbars offer 1200 DPI resolution, compatible with UV and water-based inks, and operate at up to 100 kHz firing frequency. This allows high-speed operation without bottlenecks.
• For high ink laydown—such as white or varnish—we recommend our StarFire printbars, which run at 400–600 DPI and also support both ink types.

  

So depending on the job, use Samba for top-quality high definition, and StarFire for bold color or specialty coatings. Everything—from printhead type and ink choice to bar width and number of colors—can be customized to fit the exact needs of each client.

As for new projects—we do have some exciting developments underway, though we can’t share full details just yet. But imagine being able to install a printbar at any stage of the corrugated production line—during formation, converting, or even right before delivery. The possibilities for customization and personalization are huge.

Thank you so much, Mario.

corruga.expert