Eclipse is to be officially launched at Northprint, and has been developed with scanning technology from Formscan.

A sealed envelope runs though a scanner, which picks up a barcode on the letter inside. The information is then transferred to a Buskro Apollo thermal inkjet unit. The eight-head machine prints personalised information onto the envelope.

Buskro UK general manager Peter Price-Stephens said: “The idea is to do away with envelopes that have plastic windows. It is more environmentally friendly as window envelopes can’t be recycled and are also more expensive.”

He added that the Eclipse also addresses security issues as window envelopes can be considered insecure if the letter is placed incorrectly. Price-Stephens said that the product was likely to target the financial sector and the first Eclipse has already been sold to a “high profile security printer”.

The information contained on the barcode includes personalised information which is imaged onto the envelope. The flatbed product can run inline at the end of an inserting line and is capable of speeds up to 40,000 envelopes an hour. Prices for the Eclipse start at around £40,000.

Earlier this year, Buskro launched what it claimed is the largest piezo drop-on-demand printhead. The Atlas 3250 and Aurora 3250 printheads incorporate a 3in head that can be used inline or on standalone operations.

Products are manufactured in Canada, where the company’s head office is based. The UK division plans to increase its marketing from this summer in a bid to win more UK customers. Most of its clients are based in the south-east of England.

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ECLIPSE
•Incorporates Buskro’s Apollo thermal inkjet unit and Formscan’s Mag­Vision scanning technology
•Costs around £40,000
•Operates at the end of an inserter line and can handle speeds of 40,000 envelopes an hour