BP Labels transforms repro department with Esko CDI Spark 2530

EskoArtwork, provider of pre-production and collaboration software for packaging buyers, designers and manufacturers, has announced that BP Labels in Cardiff, UK has made a substantial investment in EskoArtwork technology to completely re-vamp its repro department. BP Labels has recently installed an Esko Cyrel Digital Imager (CDI) Spark 2530 flexo platesetter along with Esko DeskPack and Esko FlexRip software. This investment marks the initial phase of BP Label's growth strategy to adopt the latest technologies on the market.

Keith Postle, operations director at BP Labels, explained: ‘When we made the decision to update our repro department, we thoroughly investigated the alternatives on the market and talked to other printers as well as suppliers. We were immediately attracted to the latest Esko Software Suite.’

The fact that Esko DeskPack is Adobe Illustrator native was an important selling point. ‘On my decision checklist, this feature was a big tick in the box,’ stated Postle, ‘Esko Software Suite 7 offers excellent advantages.’

The newly upgraded Esko Software Suite 7 provides a complete set of integrated preproduction software tools for structural and graphic design, one-up editing, sheet layout, workflow management and collaboration, color management and output control. Esko DeskPack, one of the Esko Software Suite's components, turns Adobe Illustrator CS into a full-fledged design and prepress production tool.

BP Labels also installed the Esko CDI Spark 2530 to provide a complete digital flexo solution. In general, more label printers are changing their old generation image setters for CDIs. The films are getting more and more expensive and are very difficult to source for some units. ‘It was vital for us to move ahead and invest in the latest repro technology by going digital. Thanks to EskoArtwork, the adoption of digital platemaking was remarkably simple,’ said Postle. ‘The Esko CDI Spark 2530 is designed for the labeling and tag market and is ideally suited to our operation. The machine is easy and fast to load and the plates are consistently of high quality, with little or no waste. Presently we are producing 500sq m of plate in a 12-month period. The Esko CDI Spark 2530 will carry us forward into the future with ultimate confidence.’

Postle reports that since installing Esko FlexRip, he has observed dramatic reductions in time to proof and time to plate. ‘It’s truly amazing – we are talking about days to hours. The digital flexo system produces a plate in minutes. The speed, reliability and repeatability are exactly what we need.’