Taking the digital market by storm

Chris Bobbert and the Cape Town management team of David White, general manager, and Andrew Mantell, operations manager, go on to outline the way in which this new press is already revolutionising their business.

At the time of this visit, they are in the midst of a really tricky job for Food Lover’s Market involving the printing of 5 000 labels in 18 variants for the retailer’s own-name spice range.

‘We completed the first 12 variants in just two hours, and they were all printed in CMYK only,’ Chris explains. ‘The equivalent job on a mechanical flexo press would have involved CMYK plus at least two spot colours, not to mention some R37 000 in plate-making costs, and would have taken 16 hours (two shifts) to complete.’

Other features of the press that come in for highly-favourable comment from the trio include the photo-realistic quality of the half-tones, fast job turnarounds and zero waste.

The press prints at up to 50m/min on a 350mm web. Using Screen’s proprietary high-definition CMYK + white inks, it produces a wide gamut of vibrant colours, including fluorescent colours, and smooth tones at high resolution.

Several key trends persuaded HP Labelling that the time was ripe to move to digital. One was the steady move from offset to digital printing, with customers now demanding digital printing. The other was growing demand for labels to perform more sophisticated functions as vehicles for marketing promotions and for regulatory information.

So why choose Screen and why go for inkjet rather than toner-based printing?

Such journalist queries elicit a strong response!

‘Not all digital presses are born equal,’ asserts Chris Bobbert. ‘The Truepress is the crème de la crème of digital machines. Running at 50m/min it’s considerably more productive than any toner-based press,’ he adds vehemently.

It’s this high productivity and resultant cost-effectiveness that is now forging a whole new business path for HP Labelling. ‘Just as soon as our new Digicon finishing system is installed (scheduled for early September), we’re going to be hitting the digital market in a big way. We will be able offer the most competitive prices on digitally-printed labels and the fastest turnaround times,’ Chris reckons.

That the customers are also pleased is proven by the impressive list of leading brands already ordering digitally printed labels from HP Labelling.

‘The Truepress delivers everything today’s label buyer expects from a leading printer – fast turnaround and first-class quality,’ comments David White. ‘With the Screen Truepress Jet L350UV we can meet all these demands,’ he maintains.

Because the press is flexible, it can handle short, medium and long runs and can print on a range of substrates including transparent film and metallic foil. Its print speed makes it one of the fastest label printing machines in the sector, without any compromise on quality – text is pin-sharp and images photorealistic.

‘It’s also easy to maintain,’ adds Andrew Mantell. As operations manager, he particularly appreciates the automatic printhead cleaning function that cuts maintenance to no more than 15 minutes a day.

‘Also important is the reliable technical support guaranteed by Rotocon,’ he adds. And with field technicians receiving extensive training at Screen, Andrew believes that Rotocon is well positioned to ensure top-quality technical service and back-up, a comment that’s heartily endorsed by Chris Bobbert. ‘We have received excellent product support from Rotocontrol and the Aengenvoort family,’ he confirms.