THE PRINTING EXPERTS CAN HARDLY BELIEVE THE SENSATIONS OF THEIR FINGERTIPS
They repeatedly stroke the foil bearing the distinctly raised Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany logo and other motifs made with the silver-shimmering pearl luster pigment Iriodin® 6123. Visually, the printing process clearly seems to have embossed the foil. Only the sensory cells of the hands reveal that the 340 millimeter wide foil strip has an absolutely smooth surface. The effect is made possible by the 3D Evolution technique, which was jointly developed by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Rudolf Reproflex.
Erwin Graf is responsible for the development and testing of business label printing at the Swiss printing press manufacturer Gallus. "It’s already looking pretty good," he says after he lays a test print pattern on the worktop. He then takes out a linen tester — a printer’s magnifying glass for taking especially close-up views. On this cool morning in St. Gallen, Switzerland, in July 2014, 3D Evolution is being tested for the first time on a rotary printing press. Even before it is time to take a coffee break, it is clear that 3D Evolution is a perfect match for the digitally controlled machine that can process printing substrates at a speed of up to 150 meters per minute.