Almost everyone will have some experience of digital printing either at home or in the office through desktop printers, copiers & scanners. Digital technology has made considerable steps forward in the narrow web & labels industry over the past 20 Years. There are now numerous Digital technologies in the market place with investment from under £5K to an eye watering £1.5M GBP. But are they all equal…??

Technology in the print industry continues its rapid evolution, especially where label printing is concerned. Thanks to constant change and innovation, there are now several ways to print labels on ribbons. Whether thermal transfer technology, digital offset, dye sublimation, hybrid or ink jet technology is employed, businesses seeking options for printing on ribbon labels are certainly spoiled for choice.

Heat transfers or Tagless labels for apparels offer a cost-effective alternative to traditional fabric labels for label produces to offer garment manufacturers. For the consumer, it means not having to remove an itchy label from clothing. For the manufacturer, the convenience of heat transfer labels means happy customers as well as the high visibility of your brand whenever they don your apparel.

Any kind of textile processing, including the production of garment labels, relies on the continued efficiency of printing machinery. Without it, the quality of your textile printing will be inconsistent. There are many ways to maximise your machine’s efficiency. 1) Manage Humidity and Static Regardless of the type of textiles you print at your facility, humidity will play a role. Too-high humidity will negatively affect your machinery, causing damage and slowdowns in production. Adding to this, any change in the moisture content in the air can impact the textiles themselves. For example, added humidity will lessen the elasticity and tensile strength of some fabrics.

Printing on ribbon involves either one or two-sided printing. For wash care labels, this usually depends on how much information needs to be printed on the label . When considering the best method for printing your labels, a combination of understanding the available printing processes and expert information from a printing professional can go a long way to helping you make an informed choice. The Flexographic Printing Process Flexographic printing is a high-speed process which can be used for printing on several types of materials. There are three types of flexographic printing: central impression, in-line and stacked. Where the printing of textile ribbon is concerned, the central impression drum press is used in order to maintain good tension control and print registration.

Historically, printing on elastic products was no easy task. Thankfully, technology has advanced to the point where label printing equipment can handle the unique challenges of elastic printing. Elastic printing requires machines that can not only transfer ink to the substrate, but also ensure accuracy by adequately stretching the elastic throughout the printing process. Elastics Label Printing Equipment There are several processes that can be used for printing onto elastic garment labels.