The product is being launched this week after Unibind showcased it at Perfect Binding Solutions open house last week. Unibind managing director Tsol Keoshgerian said it was "the star of the show" at the three-day event.
Unlike traditional foil blocking which requires heat and pressure to transfer foil from plate to substrates, Unifoiler lays down the material directly through a single print head.
Keoshgerian said that the machine had so far worked successfully with cloth, leather, acetate, velvet and linen among other basic substrates. Currently it is selling gold, silver and clear foil alongside the machine but expects to offer red and blue material in the very near future. Keoshgerian is in talks with foil manufacturers to extend the colour and application range of the foils.
Keoshgerian claims the Unifoiler builds on the success of Impress System’s FoilXpress, which Unibind distributed until recently. He will now concentrate on marketing the Unifoiler, which he describes as the "second generation" of the FoilXpress.
Unique features include automatic aligning of the print head using Unibind’s PC Tool developed specifically for the Unifoiler. Users can upload artwork into the software to be printed on the cover, spine and back of folded products. The Unifoiler is available at the same price as the FoilXPress at £8,495.
Keoshgerian said the printer was mainly targeted at copyshops and commercial printers producing one-off invitations and photobooks.
He said: "Before, you had to produce at least 500 copies to justify the price. This opens up a big market particularly for copyshops."
Feedback from Unibind’s global businesses alerted the UK company, which moved offices from Crawley to Horsham last year, to a need for the Unifoiler.
He added: "We are big in the photobook industry and we can customise books but instead of doing 100 copies we wanted to enable customers to produce a singular piece."
ImPress Systems has asked PrintWeek to clarify that it is not affiliated with Unibind's Unifoiler and that this product should not be considered "a second generation" Foil Xpress. The Foil Xpress was launched in 2009 and is priced at $6,500. Impress said it will introduce enhancements to the Foil Xpress in early 2013.
