The Label Printing Blog

Modern label production is a complex, multilevel process, with plenty of room for waste to develop, and equally as much scope for improvements in efficiency and reducing waste. Modern print equipment aims to increase productivity, usually measured in faster, smarter print cycles, higher product volumes, and the number of printing tasks that can be carried out by each press. But productivity is only one side of the equation. On the other sits efficiency, which is measured in how much (or how little) time, money, and resources are needed to carry out each task.

Tomorrow’s innovation is a museum piece the day after tomorrow. Such is the story of technological advancement since the industrial revolution. In recent years the pace of new technology & developments are arriving at a dizzying pace , increasing efficiency and productivity, only to be replaced and made obsolete a few short years later.

LED UV inks are one of the fastest growing trends in the printing industry, fuelled by the increasing demand for sustainable products and a recent reminder that energy costs have returned as a pressure on business. LED UV inks are a popular sustainable option because they are 100% free of the solvents and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that are linked to so many environmental and health problems.

Narrow web printing requires a specific methodology and type of printing press to get the best results and lowest operating costs. Narrow web printing is a term used in both flexographic and digital printing to describe any web measuring less than 500mm /20 inches. In some cases, this may include conventional as well as digital printing systems with or without in-line converting options. This is contrasted with wide web printing, which uses larger webs of  1000mm/40inches plus or more in width in the packaging sectors.

The so-called skills shortage has been a topic affecting many sectors across the developed world over the past few years – especially construction, manufacturing, engineering, transport and extending to many sectors of the printing industry, too. What it means, in effect, is there aren’t enough skilled workers in the market to fill all the available job positions. This creates a negative spiral of lower productivity, increased pressure on employees, stunted growth, and higher wage demands, that drives down performance across the industry.