Appleton has reached a long-term license agreement with Scitex Vision that allows Appleton to use Scitex Vision's proprietary coating technology to produce a unique digital linerboard product for the packaging industry.
Appleton applies Scitex Vision's coating to linerboard substrates to create a printing surface that significantly enhances the quality of inkjet printing when used with the new Bel2000 and Shaldag SP six-color flatbed inkjet presses. Appleton introduced its new digital linerboard product in 2002.
Linerboard is often used as the top face of a corrugated board combined with a central fluted sheet and bottom liner. Without Appleton's digital product, producers of corrugated packaging materials typically precoat individual sheets through an off-line process to achieve the better inkjet print quality offered through the use of the proprietary coating.
Customers can laminate Appleton's uniformly coated digital linerboard to corrugated materials as part of the manufacturing process. The linerboard enables manufacturers and printers to use the high quality, low cost, short run capabilities of digital inkjet printing to produce point-of-purchase displays, corrugated containers and other kinds of promotional items.
Appleton's portfolio of digital printing products also includes Avario Digital Color Paper and other inkjet papers, none of which use Scitex Vision's proprietary technology.
Scitex Vision is based in Netanya, Israel, and develops, manufactures and markets leading-edge digital printing presses and specialised water-based inks for industrial applications. Belcom North America, headquartered in Bellwood, Illinois, is the exclusive distributor of Scitex Vision products sold into the corrugated packaging and display markets in North America.
Appleton creates product solutions through its development and use of coating formulations and applications and encapsulation technology. The company produces carbonless, thermal, security, digital and other coated products. It is headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin, and has manufacturing operations in Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania and employs approximately 2,500 people.