Episode 297 - Matti - Printing The Impossible: Book Edge Innovation

Printing clean, durable artwork on the edges of a finished book sounds like magic—until you see how the right heads, inks, and control systems make it routine. We sit down with Martin Letzner and Thomas Amrein of Matti Technology to unpack how their single pass, head-agnostic approach delivers vibrant colour on three edges at up to 4,000 books per hour, straight to pallet with no smearing. The secret? High-viscosity inks that resist capillary wicking, higher pigment loads for pop, and smart transport with cameras and real-time warping to handle imperfect spines and shifting pressure in stacked books.

We walk through the journey from lab tests to turnkey machines built to slot into existing pre- and post-press lines. Thomas explains how close collaboration with ink manufacturers leads to tailored formulations that run dryer-free, while Martin highlights the operator-friendly design: traffic-light machine health, on-the-fly adjustments, and simple, one-button operation that cuts labour costs. Shorter runs are driving the roadmap toward automated format changes and, ultimately, true book-of-one capability—where every book can vary in size and edge artwork without stopping the line.

The conversation stretches beyond books. The same principles apply to products with book-like proportions—think cigar boxes, folding cartons, and flooring packs—where edge graphics and codes can unlock new branding and security options. With extended gamut on the horizon and more ink channels in development, Maty is pushing colour and consistency while keeping energy use in check by avoiding heavy drying. It’s a clear picture of how Swiss engineering turns a tricky, manual niche into a scalable competitive advantage for printers, finishers, and packaging converters.

FuturePrint Events:

FuturePrint TECH: Industrial Print: 21-22 January '26, Munich, Germany