The Label Printing Blog

We live in a landscape augmented with transposed colour. Whether for labels, or fabrics, or posters, or logos, printing has become a central communication enabler in our society. As such, more companies than ever before are learning that continuous printing is not only useful, but central to their needs. And the competition is tightening.

Check out this article from our good customer Last Bros Ltd. A very interesting development for them - merging and investing for their future.

Invitation To Visit Focus Label Machinery Ltd & Our Manufacturing, Production & Showroom facilities 26th & 27th March 2019

Focus Label alongside partners Phoseon Technology and Industrial Inkjet will be showcasing UV LED and Digital Inkjet solutions in both flexo and inkjet, presenting the latest in drying systems and the latest KM1800i heads at our showroom here in Bingham close to Nottingham.

Focus Label will be attending the DTG 2019 exhibition this week.

By 2022, the global label industry is forecast to be worth £35.4 billion, and flexography as a whole over £106 billion. Although digital and hybrid machining is now an important part of this market, it is relatively small & flexographic printing machines will remain at the heart of the industry. This is partly because flexographic machines have a long service life, and the majority run lengths are still high volume for our consumer & retail markets.

In recent decades, the digital age has had a large influence on the printing industry and instrumental in improving & regulating industry standards. From management software controlling stock, quoting jobs, Production control to graphics production there has never been a more exciting time for the industry. What was only available to large corporations is now within the realms of most small to medium size companies.

Secura Labels Ltd, based in Derbyshire UK, are a specialist label printer producing logistics, food, pharmaceutical, hospital trusts, security, packaging and automotive self-adhesive labels.

In October 2017 they took delivery of the very latest 6 colour, full UV Proflex 330E flexo press, manufactured and supplied by UK manufacturer, Focus Label Machinery Ltd.

2018 has been a hectic and interesting year for our textile printing equipment business. Whilst the majority of new installations have been in Asia, we have seen trends developing that has seen a recovery in production requirements in Europe, especially in labelling for household & soft furnishings. There are changes, often in surprising directions. The long heralded decline of traditional printing methods for ribbons & narrow textiles has not only failed to materialise, but the opposite has in fact occurred. Letterflex/Flexographic/Silk Screen methodologies and technologies are still going strong – the latest design machines offering unparalleled flexibility and productivity to enterprising businesses.

One reason for the comparatively slow growth of digital printing on textiles may be related to the extreme demands of the textile applications and the wide selection of types of textiles used in the industry. Fabric has always been inherently more difficult to print due to its flexible nature. The level of flexibility varies from warp to weft and with each degree around the bias, so guiding the fabric precisely through a digital printing press has proven to be very difficult, not forgetting the challenges of softness, fading, rub and wash resistance.

With increasing pressures from buyers to reduce stock levels in print & packaging and to create more innovative and attractive promotions to compete in the retail arena, the challenge on suppliers is to respond quicker and be more dynamic in the way they operate, within the supply chain & actively promote their business.