JR Labels installs Mark Andy Digital One press

The Digital One, which has a 330mm web width is a hybrid platform that includes a CMYK dry toner unit preceded by a web cleaner, and followed by a single flexo station for decoration (spot color, cold foil, lamination, varnish), and a die-cutting unit.

The Mark Andy Digital One is an entry-level digital label press designed to print short-run prime labels with in-line converting. Read an update on Digital One’s development since its launch at Labelexpo Americas 2016 in L&L issue 2, 2017, and here.  

JR Labels, which was established in 1978 by Ron Carson, and is now managed by his son Andrew, is a 100 percent trade house. Andrew Carson stated: ‘We pride ourselves on our trade work and guarantee 100 percent security and confidentiality for our customers – it’s like an NDA, and they all appreciate the fact that their work is safe with us.’

An important part of this is having the ability to deliver the right quality, and to do so on-time, every time. This was the reasoning behind the company’s investment in Digital One, as Andrew Carson explained: ‘We have relied on Mark Andy flexo presses for years and felt it was the best company to understand the digital needs of a label converter.’

JR Labels sales and marketing manager John McGrillen added: ‘It fills the gap we have between flexo capability and demand for short run work, and matches the quality of anything we produce here, no matter what substrate we use. 

‘It’s added considerably to our production capability and is beginning to open markets that we couldn’t tap into before. It also does not require the stock to be pre-treated, which saves both time and money, and almost best of all, there is no click charge.’

JR Labels production manager David Duffy commented: ‘The Digital One unit is extremely quick and easy to make-ready – it’s very much a label printers’ machine, so if you’re used to narrow web flexo, it’s an easy crossover. The print quality matches what we can achieve on our other Mark Andy presses, even the tricky flesh tones, so we can now choose which technique to use purely on run length and availability.’

Paul Macdonald, Mark Andy UK and Ireland sales manager, said: ‘We’re delighted to secure the first order for Digital One from JR Labels because the nature of their exclusively trade work will be a real test for its capability, and offers them additional and varied capacity.’