Engineered Printing Solutions (EPS) will stage the world-first live demonstration of its new XD-AQ high-viscosity water-based inkjet system at PACK EXPO, giving packaging manufacturers, converters and distributors their first opportunity to see the quality and vibrant colour impact of the technology.
Following the XD-AQ’s announcement at the FuturePrint Packaging, Labels & DTS Summit in Valencia this September, the system will take centre stage on EPS booth W-31050 at PACK EXPO. Visitors will see how it uses high-viscosity water-based ink technology to deliver analogue print densities, quality and production speed for printing directly onto fibre-based, cartonboard and corrugated packaging.
Designed specifically for porous substrates, the single-pass XD-AQ uses eight Xaar Aquinox printheads to jet high-quality, high-impact CMYK graphics directly onto cartons, corrugated board, moulded-fibre products, cup blanks, bags and thick board. Crucially, it can decorate packaging after it has been die-cut, folded, glued or formed, helping producers move away from conventional workflows that require sheets to be printed before converting.
High-density printing on fibre-based packaging
The XD-AQ’s high-viscosity water-based ink technology delivers the colour density and visual impact that many packaging producers struggle to achieve with conventional aqueous inkjet systems. By keeping more pigment at the surface of porous fibre materials, the XD-AQ produces richer colours, stronger density, sharper graphics and clearer small copy, even on challenging corrugated and moulded-fibre substrates.
The XD-AQ prints without UV lamps. On absorbent fibre, UV ink that sinks below the surface never sees the light that cures it — water-based ink has no photoinitiators or monomers in the first place. The XD-AQ’s inks are PFAS-free and meet the Nestlé packaging-ink guidance, the Swiss Ordinance and EuPIA Good Manufacturing Practice.*
The XD-AQ operates at print-station speeds of up to 164 feet per minute. With a 5.4-inch print swath and 10 inches of vertical clearance, it is able to accommodate a wide variety of flat-faced packaging formats. Jobs are printed directly from a digital file, without printing plates, primer, labels or lengthy make-ready.
Manufacturers can therefore change artwork quickly for shorter runs, versioned designs, regional variations and customer-specific packaging, while holding undecorated stock and adding the final design only when it is needed.
Direct-to-object printing capabilities
Available for $345,000/€299,000, the XD-AQ provides a production-ready route into high-speed, water-based digital packaging printing. Visitors are invited to submit their own packaging parts to EPS for application testing, enabling them to assess print density, fine text and codes on their intended production substrates.
Alongside the XD-AQ, EPS will demonstrate the breadth of its direct-to-object expertise, including the EPS ClosurePrint system, which can print both caps and larger lids. Combining CMYK plus white UV inkjet, LED-UV curing and automated part handling, visitors to the show will see its high-speed pharmaceutical cap decoration in action, including the ability to print serialised data, lot information and expiration details inline.
