Mark Andy shows productivity at Loupe

Mark Andy has marked its 80th anniversary at Loupe Americas 2026 in Chicago by running live demonstrations on three presses, showing converters how productivity gains translate into profitability.

Positioned at the entrance to the main hall, the booth was the busiest throughout the three days. The demonstrations covered pure flexo, flexo/toner hybrid and flexo/inkjet hybrid technology, which Mark Andy says was the most live presses on show at the expo, alongside high-speed inspection and a new inventory management program from Mark Andy Print Products (MAPP). 'Our technology has long focused on lowering cost by improving productivity and reducing waste. We're able to deliver on this because of our partnerships and working with converters,' said Duane Pekar, CEO of Mark Andy.

The Performance Series S9 flexo press ran two jobs alongside the Rotoflex VLI inspection rewinder. The S9 is the sleeve version of the P9, a 26in press capable of running at 610m/min and was fitted with Momentum H3 dryers that reduce energy costs and carbon footprint. The Rotoflex VLI matches the S9 for speed, with a 40in unwind and two 24in rewinds.

The DPro MAX, a compact and affordable hybrid aimed at short and medium runs, produced demo labels with CMYK toner, gold cold foil, gloss varnish and die cutting in a single pass. The press can be upgraded as demand changes.

The DSHD HighSpeed 1200, which Mark Andy describes as the fastest narrow web digital press in the world, returned to Chicago two years after its launch. Its two demo jobs showed a spot color printed by flexo or inkjet on a semi-gloss substrate, and multiple versions of high-opacity digital white with automatically registered flexo varnish on a clear-on-clear substrate. In-line converting, high speed that raises the crossover point between digital and flexo production, and spot color by either technique were the key features highlighted.

A display of work from a single eight-hour shift on the DSHD covered ten jobs totaling 873,000 labels. Compared with flexo, production time fell from 47 hours to eight, setup time from 34 hours to three and material waste by 83 percent, while overall costs improved by 28 percent.

Supporting the presses was the latest version of ProWorx Label Suite, which provides a digital front end and analytics covering step and repeat, variable data, multiple SKU planning and on-press color management. MAPP introduced SupplySmart, an inventory management program to simplify pressroom restocking, and ColorSmart, a system that standardizes the interaction of production variables to deliver consistent, repeatable color across jobs, presses, shifts and operators.

'We came to LOUPE with one message, "Proof of Productivity", because we believe that if our converter partners are not working on productivity every single day, their business is at risk. We're here to help drive productivity and we put it on the floor for all to see. Not just press demos but live production of real jobs to show converters how to accomplish more, improve efficiency and keep their operations moving forward,' added Pekar.

He also noted that a surprise visit from Mark Andrews Jr. of the founding family gave the booth a boost and a photo opportunity for the anniversary.