Mr. Oku (right) of Bunseikaku Co. of Japan and Mr. Lefebvre (left) of WPA

During the September Print 01 exhibition held in Chicago, we had the distinct pleasure to spend several hours with one of Japan’s leading waterless printers, Mr. Tsuguo Oku who is C.E.O. of Bunseikaku Co., Ltd. The firm has only been a member of the Waterless Printing Association since June of this year and yet, Mr. Oku has taken full advantage of promoting waterless printing through the use of the WPA’s Butterfly logo.

Numerous print samples from a variety of clients already feature the WPA Butterfly logo along with other logos related to the use of 100 percent recycled paper and soy inks. Although environmental regulations in Japan are not as stringent as they are in other countries, Mr. Oku has taken the lead in promoting the environmental advantages of waterless printing.

Bunseikaku advertises its printing services in Japans leading environmentally oriented magazines where the “Waterless Printing Naturally.” Butterfly logo is also used. As many WPA members are aware, waterless printing had its rebirth in Japan nearly 20 years ago when Toray Industries began development of the waterless printing plate.

Bunseikaku Co. Ltd. of Japan

After all these years the waterless process remains very small compared to conventional printing. But, like many other waterless printers, those who have succeeded at waterless printing remain firmly dedicated to the process. Bunseikaku is no exception to the rule. With six full-size sheetfed waterless presses, the firm’s commitment to waterless keeps growing. Mr. Oku reports his firm is the third largest user of waterless plates in Japan.

Bunseikaku’s presses are a formidable array of machines designed to meet nearly every customer need and expectation. These presses include one eight-color, three four-color and one 5-color machine. Mr. Oku has branded his firm’s waterless capabilities under the name Bunseikaku Ecology Printing System (BEPS). This system, together with the company’s basic philosophy of technological advancement, careful planning, creativity and client driven service forms the basis for what Mr. Tsuguo Oku calls a “Symphonic Printing Company.” The “symphony of printing” includes a wide array of products that are music for the eye. An exquisitely designed folder reveals samples of posters, point of purchase displays, calendars, brochures, as well as magazines and books.

Many of the works are for internationally know accounts such as Sony, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Shaklee and Reebok. Bunseikaku has produced its own brochure that outlines the benefits of waterless printing and explains in detail the components of the three-part BEPS system that consists of waterless printing, soy inks and 100 percent recycled paper. Our meeting with Mr. Tsuguo Oku was a first from among all the WPA members in Japan.

As we write this article there are now 14 Japan based printers who are members of the Waterless Printing Association. We welcome all of these new members and we look forward to learning more about their many waterless printing accomplishments. Mr. Oku is eager to communicate with other waterless printers around the world. Judging by Bunseikaku’s aggressive promotion of waterless printing, we think other printers would be eager to share his symphonic success formula. HTTP://WWW.BUNSEIKAKU.CO.JP