Banksy beer labels showcase digital printing

Banksy is the pseudonym of an English graffiti artist, political activist, film director and painter. His work combines dark humor with graffiti produced using a distinctive stencilling technique. His works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls and bridges of cities throughout the world, and now fetch a high price at auction.

In Cheltenham, a town close to Malmesbury Labels, Banksy spray-painted his graffiti art onto an outside wall, with the artwork surrounding a phone booth and showing three men with listening kits – a reference to UK government listening post GCHQ, which monitors calls and internet communications, and is based in the town.

Favourite Beers, a customer of local brewery Cotswold Lion, itself a customer of Malmesbury Labels, wanted to sell 500 bottles of two customized beers to commemorate the artwork.

Malmesbury Labels helped create two, 4-color labels for a limited edition Banksy beer, which were delivered to the store within days from his visit. This was facilitated by the investment of Malmesbury Labels in an Allen Datagraph Systems iTech Centra HS digital label system, its first in digital and to complement its existing flexo capabilities.

Howard Burr, Malmesbury Labels managing director, said: ‘Without the Centra HS, we couldn’t have done it. The bottles arrived in the shop in time, allowing the brewery to get in on the media hype.

‘The Banksy labels are typical of the work that’s perfect for the iTech Centra HS digital label system. It’s a good product at a price that is viable for printers of our size. We were looking for a digital printer and finisher that did not require a massive investment for our initial foray into digital.

‘With the Centra HS, I can easily develop business for it, without crippling our business. Now, when we look for new business, I don’t mind working with companies that need only 1,000 labels.’

‘We are dealing with smaller brand owners who want to see labels that meet their expectations,’ added Burr. ‘Some are industrial, while some sell food and beverages. The Centra HS has the ability to produce a variety of labels without a huge inventory commitment from our clients. They can change their labels next month

‘A good example is the small preserves and chutney companies we work with. If, the next time they produce their jam, the ingredients change slightly, they have to alter the ingredient text on the label. They don't want to be tied with 3,000 labels. That’s the beauty of the Centra HS system.’