Digital Label Presses Are Not One-Size-Fits-All
Digital printing is a big part of the label business today, and digital printing equipment is not all created equally. Equipment options and performance characteristics vary along with the cost. The wrong digital press can cost you more money than you need to spend, which can slow the expected ROI. Making sure you have the right fit for your business becomes very critical, especially when margins are slim. Optimization is the key, and knowing what you really need and what you don’t will make a big difference. Your choice of equipment can be challenging and can also make the difference between success and failure.
Press speed is a key factor to consider. Do you need to run at high speeds? Higher speed presses tend to cost more. Shorter runs may not require high speeds to be most profitable. Consider optimum speed vs. fastest speed. Maybe other steps in the process limit the overall daily productivity. Running fast and then changing dies or substrates will limit daily output. At the end of the day, you may not need the highest speed press to get the most out of your operation; you actually need more up-time. It may be a fine line between profit and loss on your job mix. Evaluating the job mix and workflow may lead to a different decision on what investment you make.
Similarly, print head resolution may or may not be an essential factor in producing your customer’s work to their expectations. Is it necessary to have the highest resolution print head? Or will your customer be just as happy to have the optimum resolution to meet their quality expectations? There are a number of factors that count towards print quality–not just a high dpi count. Be sure to consider the end result and the customer expectations you plan to meet. Higher dpi counts come at a cost as well, and again this speaks to finding the right fit for the best ROI for your operation.
Advanced technologies are improving and changing rapidly. Some operations will benefit from these technologies and will quickly pay back the additional costs. Other operations do not have high volumes and can afford to do some tasks more manually or with less technology, allowing them to make a more optimal investment in lower-cost equipment. Be sure the added technology will deliver the benefit you pay for!
If you need help in weighing all the options to best fit your digital label needs, contact APR for a consultation for help in making the right choices for your Digital Label Press. You can e-mail us here, or call us at 1 (800) 445-4017.