Labelpower moves into digital with Xeikon

UK label specialist Labelpower, based in Kingsbury, London, has purchased its first digital press – a Xeikon 330. The 22-year-old business has moved into digital because of market demands for short-run, high-quality labels.

‘A typical run for us on our conventional flexographic presses could be anything from 50,000 up to several million labels,’ said Labelpower director Nick Newlyn. ‘Specialist food companies and suppliers of niche market products just don’t need that sort of quantity. They can come to us with requirements of anything from 1,000 to 50,000 labels, and we can now produce them economically and to an extremely high standard with the Xeikon press.’

‘We are delighted with the results. I have to say that the quality that we can achieve on the Xeikon is noticeably better than we can produce with the flexographic systems,’ added fellow director Chris Newlyn. ‘Color halftone images, in particular, are significantly easier to reproduce with digital.’

Labelpower produces high volumes of labels for most of the UK’s major supermarket chains and specialist food companies, and sees digital as having the potential to open up new markets. ‘There are many small manufacturers out there that need labels in quantities of just a few thousand, not millions. In addition to these companies, though, there are also opportunities with big suppliers that want to test-market new products – just a few thousand labels being required for such products in the first instance,’ said Nick Newlyn.

The business is also investigating the potential for variable data use with the label sector. Variable barcodes, individually numbered products, and security codes are all possible areas of interest according to customers.

Since installation the company has also uncovered one other major benefit of the machine – the ease of producing press proofs. ‘Proofing with flexo has always had its problems,’ said Chris Newlyn. ‘Even now ink-jet proofs are not wholly accurate with regard to what the press will actually be able to print, and to create a press proof with flexo means significant expense. With the Xeikon we can produce a proof on the machine very quickly and very easily.’

The web-fed Xeikon 330 is able to print on label stock, paper and synthetic media in widths up to 330mm and weights up to 250 gsm. The variable data capability of the X-800 digital front-end means that files can incorporate regular changes in image. The digital press comes complete with post press equipment suitable for varnishing, laminating, cutting, slitting and re-reeling.

Labelpower has also added TimeHarvest’s estimating software, DigiQuote, into its digital department. ‘DigiQuote is an excellent companion to a digital press,’ said Nick Newlyn. ‘It takes all costs into consideration, and makes life significantly easier when producing quotes for customers.’