Bringing digital printing up to speed
Rotherham-based self-adhesive labels specialists, Hine Labels UK, has recently invested in a Truepress L350UV Inkjet Label Press. The installation, supplied by Dantex, includes a suite of colour management tools from Alwan in partnership with Colour Engine. The new press will complement Hine’s existing Xeikon 3000 digital press and flexographic machines by adding a high-speed UV inkjet capability to their growing portfolio.
The Truepress Jet L350UV has been developed to address the continuing demand from major brands for value-added label and package printing. Boasting photo-realistic quality, fast job turnaround and stable output that requires almost no daily maintenance, the press prints widths up to 322mm and prints at a top speed of 50m/min.
Bill Hine, Hine Labels managing director, said: “The Truepress has increased our digital label production speeds by 150 per cent. The quality levels we have seen so far are amazing whilst also running at 50 metres a minute. The single pass white particularly produces outstanding ink laydown and opacity. Since investing in the new system we are very pleased with its high quality printed results, as too are our customers.”
Operator, Ryan Grayson, said: “We had a great deal of support and training from Dantex from the start and throughout the installation period. The staff at Dantex are very experienced and knowledgeable and were always available to help with any issues we had at the beginning.”
The investment in colour management software has seen Hine employ Alwan’s Colour Hub, Print Standardiser and Print Verifier products. The support and implementation has been handled by colour management specialists Colour Engine. The package will enable accurate colour matching across multiple devices and processes, improved and consistent spot colour matching on the digital devices.
Hine added: “As a trade printer we need to be able to make informed decisions about which is the best route for a particular label run. Through intelligent colour management we are confident that the labels we produce will be a good match across processes, devices and time.”
Even in the label and package industry, diversified, short run printing is becoming increasingly common. At the same time, clients continue to require improved costs, shorter turnaround, and higher quality and there is the ever-present question of how to create attention-grabbing products that stand out among the wide range of items available.