The Xaar Versatex Printbar

An inkjet printbar is an integrated printing unit that applies digital print as a substrate or product passes underneath on a web based analogue label press or production line. In labels and packaging, printbars can be used to add variable information, codes, marks, decoration or embellishment without moving work to a separate process.

The Xaar Versatex Printbar is the easy way to add inline digital printing capability to existing analogue labels and packaging production lines and presses. Ideal for printing premium labels, varnish embellishment, high-opacity white, braille, black variable data, digital personalisation and applications where converters want to add high-value digital effects to existing analogue processes.

The Xaar Versatex Printbar can be integrated into an existing production line to add digital print at the point it is needed. Compatible with right-to-left press directions as well as left-to-right, it fits new builds or retrofits without compromising layout or productivity. This can help manufacturers add variable data, late-stage customisation, coding, marking or decorative effects without redesigning the whole line.

The Xaar Versatex Printbar can support digital embellishment where manufacturers want to add value through varnishes, effects, decorative layers or specialist fluids. In labels and packaging, this can help create differentiation or enable shorter, more flexible production runs. With Xaar’s High Creativity Mode, users can print gloss and matt finishes simultaneously in a single pass – saving time and eliminating the need for multiple runs. This innovative mode prints at 25m/min, delivering dual-layer effects at approximately 15.5µm and 100µm concurrently.

Using a printbar in packaging production can help manufacturers add digital flexibility, variable data, late-stage customisation and inline decoration. It can also reduce the need for some separate print steps, depending on the process. Xaar’s Versatex black printbar delivers precise 1D and 2D barcode and human readable code printing, supporting applications such as serialisation, personalisation, authentication codes and supply chain tracking. Alongside the coding changes driven by GS1 Sunrise 2027 the ability to apply consistent, scannable codes at production speed is becoming essential, with printbars such as the Xaar Versatex adding this capability to existing analogue production lines and presses.

The Versatex printbar solves the challenge of producing braille that is both highly readable and fast to print, offering two dedicated modes tailored to different production needs. In High-Build mode, it delivers dot heights of 200µm, rated most comfortable by blind readers, at 12m/min, ensuring crisp, well-shaped cells with precise spacing for optimal fingertip recognition. For higher throughput, High-Speed Mode prints at approximately 25m/min while maintaining compliance with Marburg Medium standards and ISO 17351, producing dots with no compromise on geometry or legibility. Both modes consistently deliver clean, repeatable Braille characters, making Versatex ideal for pharmaceutical, packaging, and labelling applications where accessibility and speed are critical.