2017 has been a hectic and interesting year for the labels/Packaging and textile label printing business. Trends have developed and a lot has changed, often in surprising directions. The long heralded decline of flexographic printing has not only failed to materialise, but the opposite has in fact occurred. Wedded to digital printing technologies in a new generation of hybrid printing presses, flexographic methodologies and technologies are still going strong – offering unparalleled flexibility and productivity to enterprising businesses. Whatever else can be said of this year, whether uncertainty in the market due to Brexit, fluctuating currency prices, and pressure from Chinese manufacturers; it is the companies who have been bold enough to invest in new technological solutions that have reaped the most benefit from these changes.

The label converting process is an important part of label manufacturing. It consists of a number of processes that take place after printing; all with an essential role to play in producing the final labels. Each operation is supported by specialised equipment, which is sometimes used independently, or as modules as part of a larger printing plant.

In the ongoing debate about flexographic versus digital printing, or flexographic AND digital printing, a lot of the distinct advantages of modern industrial printing machines get lost in the background noise. It isn’t a case of one method being yesterday’s technology and the future being exclusively digital. Both flexographic and digital printing have changed almost beyond recognition in the past two decades. To look at, a printing press released this year may appear similar to one that was purchased in 2001, but below the surface they will be different animals. This is as true for flexo presses as it is for digital. Both have undergone a profound transformation. Here are the four main ways in which modern printers differ from their counterparts of a previous generation:

The label printing industry has been dominated by flexographic print technologies for the best part of a century. This remains true, more or less, for high volume print runs. For short runs and flexible orders, however, the ongoing trend is towards the adoption of digital technology. This gives operators far more control over print outcomes and cuts back on the amount of labour and training required to operate presses. The persistent downside of digital printing is the high cost per unit, which rules it out for large volume print runs. This snapshot of the label printing industry is, of course, extremely generalised. There have been improvements in both digital and flexographic printing over recent years that have made each technology more efficient and cost-effective.

Here at Focus Label Machinery Limited we recently sponsored the Earth Island Solution Awards that took place on the 14th November at the Café De Paris London. The awards were categorised into different sections and we sponsored the ‘Solutions For Label’ category.

Which printing machines do you currently use for printing labels? The Label industry is witnessing a switch these days as more and more companies move towards servo powered equipment for all their label printing needs. Is that really essential? Well, it obviously depends on the needs of your business, but if you want to stay ahead over the coming few years, then consider the answer to be a huge yes. That being said, let us see why a servo driven machine is one of the best choices for label printing.