New company offers digitally printed labels for custom, short-run projects

Digitalabel, based in Durham, North Carolina, has announced its national launch as a digital printer specializing in labels for customized, short-run and prototype packaging projects. 

‘We are ideally positioned to help customers whose brands need coordinated packaging graphics across several product families with multiple items in each such as for wine and other beverages, gourmet food items, cosmetics, candles and more,’ said national Product and sales manager Peter Schambs.

‘Digital printing is a fully electronic, computer-to-print, narrow web method of printing that offers top notch quality,’ general manager John Dowling explained. ‘With digital labels, there are no plates to create, no film to output and minimal machine setup. This means a custom label job can be printed on a digital press in minutes – not hours. That keeps your fixed costs low, and because you only pay for the labels you need, you never spend money on labels you'll never use.’

Dowling continued, ‘Perhaps digital printing's greatest power is its flexibility. With digital printing you can print 1,000 custom labels and every label can contain different data – complete, variable data printing. Whether you want to include names from a database, consecutive numbers, multiple barcodes, or just several versions of the same label, digital printing can handle it with ease, and with up to 230 line screen resolution.’

Digitalabel draws from more than three decades of printing, packaging and labeling industry experience. In additional to his role as general manager, Dowling also oversees sales and operations of Magnetic Attractions. The 16-year-old company has built an expertise in four-color custom printing and die cutting of magnetic promotions and was one of the first companies in its industry to offer digital offset printing.

Schambs' career includes managing labeling and packaging projects for such national product giants as American Greetings, Ashland-Valvoline, Borden, Eagle Family Foods, J.M. Smucker Company, Nestle, Plastipak Packaging, and Procter & Gamble. Throughout the past decade, he has developed an expertise in labeling for regulated products such as tobacco, nutritional content, and pharmaceuticals requiring maximum efficiency, high quality and total accuracy.

‘To be successful, packaging must arrive when you want it, where you want it and at a competitive price. Digitalabel partners with each customer to coordinate the pricing, printing, warehousing and distribution of their packaging to keep the supply chain running smoothly,’ noted Schambs.

Playing a key role in Digitalabel's efficient operations, Pamela Stubbs oversees the pre-press, production and finishing staff, equipment and materials. Digitalabel prints not only pressure sensitive, but also substrates that are without adhesive. It converts a variety of paper and film stocks in up to eight colors. Vinyl also is available for labels requiring exceptional durability.

Coatings may be applied to further protect labels from moisture, temperature changes or manufacturing processes, or to differentiate a brand identity. In addition, a variety of finishing applications may be incorporated into the digitally printed label orders. Digitalabel's AB Graphics Digicon converting equipment can laminate, underscore, die-cut, strip, slit and roll labels in a single pass. The company's HP-Indigo WS4000 industrial web press accommodates labels up to 11x16-inches. Its patented ElectroInk technology relies on liquid inks for top quality, consistent imaging. 

Stubbs and the Digitalabel team manage the precise details of proofing, with special attention to variable data. ‘Digitally printed labels avoid the extra costs and time required to change artwork or copy on a conventional printing plate. While the size and substrate remain the same, you have nearly limitless options to customize the images and information printed on them,’ Stubbs explained.

‘Packaged product marketers have awaited the day when they could have so many variations and possibilities available to them. It's a revolution for the printing business,’ concluded Dowling. ‘High-end digital printers now provide the same or better quality as traditional presses. That means short runs are cost-effective, long production times have disappeared, and customers don't have to be satisfied with marginal quality when they need to print variable information.’