A new chapter: LEONHARD KURZ presents the Thermal Transfer (R)Evolution at Labelexpo Europe 2023

Fürth/Germany, August 24, 2023: Labelexpo Europe is the most significant event in the Labelexpo Global Series, the leading industry platform worldwide for label and packaging printing professionals. After taking a pandemic-related break in 2021, the biennial show is back this year, bringing together manufacturers, suppliers of cutting-edge technologies, printers, brand owners, and designers. More than 600 international exhibitors have confirmed their participation in Labelexpo Europe 2023. From September 11 to 14, they will showcase their latest innovations and technologies in Brussels, including digital and conventional presses, high-tech labels and packaging, finishing and converting systems, security solutions, and more.

LEONHARD KURZ will present the stunning new Thermal Transfer (R)Evolution brand design at Labelexpo Europe 2023. “Almost everyone in the industry is familiar with the established technology for marking labels and packaging with variable data. However, the highly versatile other applications are far less well known,” explains Thomas Galsterer, Sales & Marketing Manager TTR at LEONHARD KURZ. At booth 4B61, visitors to the trade show will have the opportunity to experience the diversity of KURZ Thermal Transfer Ribbons (TTR) up close, in addition to numerous other topics.

Communicating, Branding, Protecting - origin, evolution, and revolution

KURZ Thermal Transfer Ribbons are a tried and tested technology for high-quality label and packaging marking. For more than 30 years, they have enabled the clear identification of products. ‘Communicating’ stands for precise and accessible communication within the supply chain. Effective product identification is the origin of TTR technology and an essential link between packaging and logistics. It enables reliable identification and seamless tracking of products and components and facilitates the automation of processes.

The high-quality ribbons by KURZ can be used in almost any established thermal transfer printing system. Even at high printing speeds, they deliver optimum results on various substrates such as paper, cardboard, pre-printed or coated labels, and many different plastic surfaces. They are ideally suited for printing delicate barcodes, data and matrix codes, and QR codes. In addition, KURZ ribbons are remarkably resistant to abrasion, moisture, extreme temperature, solvents, and sunlight.

The evolution: Enabling a colorful, creative brand presence

With ‘Branding,’ KURZ has taken simple but effective product marking using TTR to the next level. Whether implementing brilliant colors, fascinating neon optics, enchanting holographic effects, or impressive metallization: The colorful KURZ Thermal Transfer Ribbons turn the necessary markings on labels and packaging into actual eye-catchers in the respective brand design.

KURZ offers an extensive selection of classic colors to enhance a product’s appearance visually. In addition, individual color customization is also possible at any time. “Our color-match development team can realize almost any desired color for our customers. Regardless of whether the product or packaging labeling needs to be CI compliant or you want to stand out from your competitors with an unusual color scheme, there are practically no limits to the design possibilities with KURZ Thermal Transfer Ribbons,” explains Thomas Galsterer, adding, “Even holographic ribbons with a real depth effect, fascinating color plays, and breathtaking design effects are no problem. Thanks to all the possibilities KURZ TTR offers, any existing thermal transfer printing system can become a true all-rounder.”

Reliable brand protection - the TTR (R)Evolution

‘Protecting’ is the third pillar of the KURZ TTR program. The innovative security solutions of the outstanding TTR Unique series revolutionize the world of thermal transfer and help to effectively protect products from illegal copying. Customized security features integrated directly into the ribbon, such as a company or brand logo, become an effective defense system against counterfeiters. The features hidden in the printing ink of the ribbon are easily transferred even into the thinnest strips of a barcode and are invisible to the naked eye. Thanks to their fluorescent properties, the elements reveal themselves only under ultraviolet light. Ivo Kionka, Managing Director of KURZ Typofol GmbH, explains: “At KURZ, we have developed our ink ribbons in a way that has not yet been available on the market. Thanks to our expertise in thin-film technology, we can integrate hidden information directly into the ribbon.”

While TTR Unique UV requires only a conventional UV lamp for verification at any point in the supply chain, TTR Unique VEROSPEC^® requires a custom-programmed reader. “Both levels of our TTR Unique security solution unleash the full potential of the thermal transfer process. With little effort, they turn ordinary product marking into invisible, effective anti-counterfeiting protection that minimizes threats from low-quality counterfeits and protects brands from liability lawsuits and significant sales losses,” says Ivo Kionka. “Moreover, they can be integrated into established thermal transfer systems and thus into existing supply chains effortlessly.”

Interested parties can secure a personal appointment with the KURZ TTR experts at Labelexpo Europe 2023 and take home a gift box designed for Labelexpo Europe 2023 with a surprise package as an individual giveaway.

Information and appointment requests at: labelexpo.ttr-kurz.de/en

At a glance

Labelexpo Europe 2023 from September 11 to 14, 2023, in Brussels, Belgium
LEONHARD KURZ Stiftung & Co. KG: Hall 4, Booth 4B61
Main focus of the trade show: Thermal transfer printing