Data Points: Hybrid Digital Label Presses

Over the past year, several label press vendors have brought out “hybrid” presses featuring both flexographic and full-color inkjet capabilities on a single press. These machines are typically compared to, and compete with, installed digital label presses that use either toner or inkjet technologies. These hybrid inkjet presses present opportunities and challenges for label printers and converters, both for printing and producing finished labels. These devices are specified as digital label presses with multiple and modularly-variable analog printing with some level of physical conversion capabilities in-line with the digital print engine. However, these new hybrid systems do not include third-party “bolt-on” inkjet print heads and associated software that are integrated into existing flexographic label presses for monochrome or color printing.

The converting challenge

Conventional flexographic presses typically combine process color analog printing with synchronized in-line physical conversion capabilities. Some standalone digital presses also have in-line conversion features, usually focused on diecutting, although most digital presses do not offer this as an integrated feature. Hybrid digital label presses, on the other hand, often offer at least some in-line conversion by default, because those capabilities are used with the flexographic portion of the press. As a result, the hybrid systems tend to be bigger and more expensive ($1M+) than most standalone digital label presses, and come from conventional flexographic equipment vendors that typically offer label converting on existing presses.

The Fit

Looking at the fit of these machines in the market provokes four questions: First, are hybrid presses truly a new sub-sector? Next, are these systems capable of supporting printers and converters who have tried digital label printing, liked it, and want to turn it into something more like what they are used to in conventional printing? Third, are these systems attractive to users who do not want to buy standalone digital presses? And finally, are the presses over-specified for most early digital adopters?

So far, with only 25 to 30 hybrid systems spread around the globe, there has not been enough activity to provide firm answers to any of these questions. Even so, this modest adoption still represents real product credibility and is an early indicator of market direction: the presses are filling a need, and one that is likely to expand.

Automation and in-line conversion

Up to now, most digital press owners have gotten by with minimal in-line conversion capability. What usually happens is that conversion for digitally printed labels (always die-cutting) is done on existing, non-digital devices because most converters have spare conversion capacity. So far, using that capacity for digitally printed labels has not been an economic disadvantage because of the higher margins associated with digitally printed labels. However, as the digital market grows, a greater range of in-line conversion techniques, such as laser diecutting, laminating and coating, will be required for digitally printed labels, requiring much greater automation in-line converting capability. Some finishing equipment vendors are already filling this gap and will continue to do so.

Such automation can be essential for digital label production because of the shorter run lengths common to digital print runs. Label converters dislike so-called “touch points” in the manufacturing process where human intervention is needed because it removes a key advantage of in-line manufacturing. In such cases, the higher cost of hybrid digital label presses with in-line conversion capabilities may come to represent a good investment in simplified manufacturing. Simply put, the added cost is paid back via greater throughput and efficiency.

Looking forward

In general, demand for digitally printed labels is far from satisfied and outstrips supply. This is driven by brand owners’ increasing desire for faster response, more customized packaging and labels, and the need to provide multiple offerings to an increasingly fragmented range of consumers. Digital printing better synchronizes label supply with demand. But against that, label printers and converters as a group are taking a long time to adopt digital technology. You can view hybrid presses as either increasing the investment that a conservative market must make in new technology, or as the simplifying solution that makes digital label printing easier to adopt. Either way, one thing is certain: Hybrids—and standalone digital presses—will test the stage of maturity of the digital label market. Against that, digital press suppliers have to overcome a solid loyalty to non-hybrid suppliers. pP

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