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Collaboration on deinkability of inkjet prints

DPDA and INGEDE sign Letter of Intent for collaboration on inkjet deinkability

Venlo, The Netherlands, 28 March 2011 – Océ, an international leader in digital document management and delivery, today announced that executives from the DPDA (Digital Print Deinking Alliance) and INGEDE (Internationale Forschungsgemeinschaft Deinking-Technik) together signed a Letter of Intent for collaboration to investigate the deinking of inkjet prints. Océ Printing Systems is a member of DPDA.

Inkjet print volumes become more significant

The primary objective of this collaboration is to identify new solutions suitable for combined recovered paper streams with analogue and digital prints. The target is to enable inkjet manufacturers as well as deinking mills to better anticipate their commercial and environmental requirements as inkjet print volumes become more significant.

“Inkjet is likely to be a relevant process in digital production printing in the future,” said Ulrich Hoeke, INGEDE Board Chairman, “and it is essential to maintain recovered graphic paper as a raw material for recycled-content graphic papers by ensuring good deinkability of inkjet prints.”

Technical Committee will direct research projects

This DPDA-INGEDE Letter of Intent for collaboration on inkjet deinkability provides a structure for regular, detailed exchange of relevant data and jointly-sponsored research projects under the direction of a Technical Committee with representatives from both organisations.

Both DPDA and INGEDE recognise that feasible solutions may involve optimisation of ink, pre- and post-treatment, paper characteristics and the deinking process. This DPDA-INGEDE Technical Committee has already had its first meeting, and plans to conduct at least one jointly-managed research project this year.

Range of deinkability performance

The paper industry already experiences considerable problems in recycling prints with water-based flexo inks. In order to avoid similar problems with water-based inkjet inks, paper industry and printer manufacturers will intensify their cooperation.

Speaking on behalf of the DPDA, Crit Driessen, Vice President Marketing and Strategy Production Printing, Océ Printing Systems GmbH, said that “the DPDA recognises that although there have been no single inkjet deinking issues reported in recycling mills, lab-scale assessments show a range of deinkability performance, and therefore it is important to identify the attributes and thresholds for successful deinking so the overall solution can be optimised. This Letter of Intent for collaboration on inkjet print deinkability is an important step forward for the paper and printing industry to help ensure that the benefits of inkjet printing are realised by all participants in the value chain.”

About DPDA

The Digital Print Deinking Alliance was founded in 2008 to assess and support research on inkjet print compatibility with de-inking and paper recycling processes. DPDA members currently include four leading manufacturers of high-volume digital printing presses: HP, InfoPrint, Kodak and Océ Printing Systems.

About INGEDE

INGEDE is an association of leading European paper manufacturers founded in 1989. INGEDE aims at promoting utilisation of recovered graphic paper (newsprint, magazines and office paper) and improving the conditions for an extended use of recovered paper for the production of graphic and hygiene papers. The current members are 40 paper mills and research departments of paper mills from Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and the UK.

About Océ

Océ is one of the leading providers of document management and printing for professionals. The Océ offering includes office printing and copying systems, high speed digital production printers and wide format printing systems for both technical documentation and colour display graphics. Océ is also a foremost supplier of document management outsourcing. Many of the Fortune Global 500 companies and leading commercial printers are Océ customers. The company was founded in 1877. With headquarters in Venlo, The Netherlands, Océ is active in over 100 countries and employs some 20,000 people worldwide. Total revenues in financial 2010 amounted to approximately €2.7 billion. Océ is listed on Euronext in Amsterdam. For more information visit www.oce.com.

Océ and Canon: Stronger together

In 2010 Océ joined the Canon Group of companies with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, to create the global leader in the printing industry. Canon develops, manufactures and markets a growing line-up of copying machines, printers, cameras, optical and other products that meet a diverse range of customer needs. The Canon Group comprises over 197,000 employees worldwide. Global net sales in 2010 were more than USD 45 billion. For more information visit www.canon.com

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