Re-Visiting Label Printing Equipment: What’s New in 2025

For many years, it was safe to say that ‘a printing press is a printing press’. While technology has always evolved in the printing sector, it has usually done so in a way that is predictable and manageable for most businesses. Digital and hybrid printing technology has changed this to an extent, so staying informed about the latest trends has become an important task for business owners and print operators. However, one of the biggest areas of change in the sector is in finishing equipment, rather than the presses themselves. Advancements in finishing equipment offer businesses some of the biggest opportunities to boost efficiency, improve quality, and enhance sustainability. As we move towards the end of 2025, it’s a good time to revisit the landscape of label finishing.

Drying Systems: LED UV Curing Systems For Printing: Energy Efficient, Resilient, And Cost-Effective

One of the most important shifts in recent years has been the widespread adoption of LED UV curing systems for printing by many businesses. Mercury vapour lamps, once the industry standard, are now being phased out in favour of higher performing, safer, and more energy efficient alternatives. The reason is simple: LED UV systems deliver a wide range of operational benefits. As LED lamps consume substantially less power and generate less heat, the energy savings can be significant, and accumulate over time. Not only does the curing process cost less, but you also don’t need expensive and energy intensive extraction systems to deal with waste heat. This reduces your electricity bill and also helps create a safer and more comfortable working environment in the print shop. The lengthy lifespan of LED lamps (10,000 hours or more for some models) further cuts down your maintenance and replacement costs, making them a clear winner for your budget and sustainability goals.

Beyond energy efficiency, however, the broader advantages of UV curing have become even more pronounced. The instant curing process reduces down time resulting in faster production cycles, as substrates can be moved immediately to the next stage of finishing without the risk of smudging. This speed factor is essential for meeting tight deadlines and reducing changeover times, so that businesses can increase their overall throughput.

Durability is another factor in the transition to UV-cured inks and coatings. These inks provide additional resistance to abrasion, chemicals and fading, resulting in a higher quality and more resilient final product than was possible with earlier label printing techniques. The versatility of UV curing also allows you to print on a broader range of substrates, including plastics and heat sensitive films that could be damaged by the high temperatures of conventional drying methods.

Embellishment & Other Label Printing Industry Trends

Taking a look at the wider label printing industry trends, the demand for more nuanced and sophisticated label finishes continues to grow, driving innovation in modular finishing systems that can perform multiple processes in a single pass. The creative & marketing side of Digital printing has encouraged a wide range of offline finishing systems to come to market. Combining analogue & digital processes such as Laser or Semi Rotary die cutting, Embossing, Laminating, Digital Foil, Cold Foil, Hot Foil, Over Varnish, Spot Varnish, Digital Textured finishes.

For example:

Integration and automation: Modern finishing systems are designed to be fully integrated with other print machinery, so that a single machine can now often handle laminating, varnishing, and slitting with minimal manual intervention after it is set up. This automation reduces changeover times and minimises the chance of operator error, leading to greater consistency and replicability.

Digital finishing: Just as digital printing has transformed the way that businesses carry out short print runs, digital finishing is doing the same. Laser die cutting, for instance, cancels the need for physical dies, allowing complicated cuts and rapid changeovers. This is ideal for creating bespoke shapes and responding to the growing demand for personalised labels among customers.

Sustainable finishing: The push for sustainability across the sector is evident throughout all finishing processes and emerging technologies. These include recyclable laminates and water-based varnishes, giving print businesses greater options to reduce their carbon footprint without compromising quality.