New, Digital Thermal Transfer Printer for Versatile
Direct Marking of a Wide Variety of Substrates

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May 2003 - Matthews International Corporation A new, extremely versatile, direct thermal transfer digital printer has been introduced by Matthews International to the packaging, textile, plastics and related industries, especially for marking porous surfaces directly on the production line.

Highly suitable for marking and coding on paper, bags, and containers as well as wood, leather, rubber, fabrics and scratch-proof and solvent-resistant plastic, the Coditherm™ process uses a patented double ribbon to create a positive image electronically on the inked thermal ribbon in an initial print phase and then transfers "hot" to the surface being worked on.

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Prime Advantages

• Flexible message changes can be made by simply typing and making the changes.
  
  
• Variable automatic texts such as time, date, serial number, batch, shift can be combined with logo messages, bar codes and text, to print within a maximum marking area of 3.74" x 8.66" (95mm x 220mm).
  
  
• Compared to other technologies, users avoid inks, thus toxicity problems on their lines.
  
  
• While other systems have marking transfer directly with print head, which can lead to print head reliability concerns, the Coditherm print head is in an enclosed module and the transfer of the mark is produced with a soft transfer roller.
  
  
• The Coditherm can print on flat and contoured substrates.
  
  
• Colors can be changed easily in 1-3 minutes.
  
  
• Because printing can be done directly on a product, the use of labels is unnecessary, saving up to 20% in operating costs.
  
  
• The ability to obtain high quality graphics on porous surfaces, thanks to the dual ribbon process of Coditherm marking, achieves a resolution of 300 dpi.

Print speed is approximately 1 cycle per second, depending on message size. Messages are only limited by the size of the marking area, and files can be saved on external computers and downloaded via floppy disc or RS232 port.

Markets

Matthews believes that primary applications for high quality marking with the Coditherm™ system, including bar codes, are pharmaceutical/medical, packaging, electronic, cables, hose/pipe, automotive plastic and rubber parts and appliances. The Coditherm is a unique system for digital direct thermal marking onto contoured surfaces, handling most substrates efficiently without the need for special additives or materials. Other benefits are the lack of need to store inks or solvents or to have different size labels in inventory, and the ability to change or modify messages digitally in seconds. In addition, with the ability to create, change and modify messages digitally, there is no need for printing plates or screens to be made, which saves time and money.

For information on Coditherm, contact Matthews International Corp., Marking Products Division, 6515 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Telephone: 412-665-2500. Fax: 412-365-2042. Web site: www.matthewsmarking.com.