If you use Blue Glass, Super ICP or PrintGuard on a Heidelberg Speedmaster, now is a good time to review your transfer jacket options.
The anti-marking market is changing, and for some printers the product or supply route they have relied on for years may no longer be as straightforward.
At Bluprint UK, we’ve specialised in anti-marking solutions for more than 20 years, so we don’t believe there is one answer for every press.
The key choice is whether to stay with glass bead or move to a coated metal transfer jacket.
Stay with glass bead or move to metal?
For printers who like the behaviour of traditional glass-bead jackets, there is no need to change technology simply for the sake of it.
A premium product such as Super ICP offers the familiar low-contact glass-bead surface, excellent anti-marking performance and a lower initial cost than coated metal.
For many printers looking for a Blue Glass, Green Frog or PrintGuard alternative, staying with premium glass bead can be the simplest route.
The trade-off is lifespan. In our experience, premium glass-bead jackets commonly last around 12–24 months.
Coated metal jackets cost more initially, but are designed to stay on the press for much longer. LMC Jackets, for example, are typically expected to provide around 3–5 years of service, depending on application and maintenance.
That means the cheapest jacket to buy is not always the cheapest jacket to own.
For lower-volume presses, or where a lower-cost sacrificial jacket is preferred, Super ICP and other premium glass-bead solutions can make perfect sense.
For high-use presses, coated metal can offer better long-term value through fewer replacements, greater durability and less downtime.
So the choice is relatively simple:
Want to stay with glass bead? Consider Super ICP.
Want fewer replacements and longer service life? Consider LMC Jackets.
The important thing is not to assume that replacing Blue Glass, Green Frog or PrintGuard means simply finding the closest like-for-like product.
Compare the technology, lifespan, machine compatibility, availability and total cost of ownership over the years you expect to run the press.
With more than 20 years specialising in anti-marking, Bluprint UK can help you choose the right solution for the press and work you actually run.