Tilting the Playing Field

Until the EFI Jetrion arrived, he was using a couple of large format printers to produce labels. So, the transition to a “regular” label press simply made sense. Feller’s choice was the Jetrion 4950 LX, fully equipped with white ink and CMYK capabilities, LED UV curing, laser cutter, a slitter, inline lamination, and more, with the entire machine taking up 38 linear feet of floor space.

“When I looked at what we wanted to do there was really no other choice,” says Feller, president of ColorZone in Benicia, CA (www.colorzone.com), about 15 minutes from downtown Napa, the epicenter of the California wine industry. “It is also a way to keep ahead of the competition, which is very important because we are a small shop.”

Now, in combination with the Jetrion, that small size has given ColorZone the agility to be more responsive to customer needs. “For instance, we recently had a customer that needed an additional label applied to a product in order to meet a particular government requirement. They just wanted enough labels—about 20,000—to get the product back on the shelves. But using the Jetrion, we delivered the entire order of 100,000 labels in a matter of hours.”

Several competitors have flexo presses and can handle very long runs, but as the industry shifts to more shorter runs Feller thinks having inkjet positions him well. “I have a client who wants to do a million labels a month, but with 30 to 40 SKUs: 10,000 of this, 17,000 of that, 8,000 of another, the biggest one is 30,000. Can those 30K be done cheaper on a flexo? Sure. But I’m 20 minutes away and can turn the job around faster. It’s easier for the client.”

Being surrounded by the California wine industry has kept Feller attuned to the sometimes unique needs of winemakers. While some prefer the elegance that can be achieved using flexographic presses, inkjet presses bring other advantages. “The UV curing can give labels a slightly embossed look that has a tactile appeal which some winemakers like,” says Feller. “Then there’s the speed with which we can deliver labels.”

Because wine is an alcoholic beverage, labels must pass muster with government agencies. This is usually a simple matter, but vintners have been known to print labels ahead of that approval only to find the labels lacked a certain requirement. “With the inkjet press, we just wait until approval and run the job without worrying about errors or waste,” recounts Feller.

The Jetrion has also worked as an extension to some work ColorZone was already doing. “We were already making prototype labels, but when larger volumes were required the customers would go elsewhere,” Feller says. “Now we can keep that customer. And some bigger label shops are coming to us for prototypes because they can’t handle them efficiently on their systems.”

Label Publishing

In nearly the opposite corner of the United States, Labels in Motion (www.labelsinmotion.com) does what it calls “label publishing,” producing labels that resonate with customers’ markets. This includes artwork, substrate selection, printing, and finishing. The company business philosophy is that people come first, and that meaningful business relationships can help companies have a greater impact on their industries.

Some of this approach stems from the thinking behind Xymogen, a leading producer of nutraceutical products and Labels in Motion’s parent company. Housed in an immaculate, glass-walled space just off the spacious lobby of Xymogen’s Orlando, FL headquarters, Labels in Motion works with a wide range of food and beverage firms, cosmetics, and personal care product companies. The press of choice is a Xeikon 3500, run in conjunction with a GM near-line coating, laminating, diecutting and inspection system. While the two machines can be connected when needed, having each as a standalone device offers greater flexibility.

According to Steve Kirchoff, vice president of sales for Labels in Motion, the Xeikon is ideal for the visually compelling labels Xymogen and other customers require, but the advantages go further. Lot numbers, expiration dates, QR codes, bar codes, and other data-driven information are required for every nutraceutical container, making data-driven print an imperative. Also, with run lengths often tied to varying demand and relentless product production schedules, the flexibility of the digital press makes it the best fit for the ever-changing mix of jobs. For example, even within the company’s minimum run length of 100 labels it’s not unusual for a job to consist of multiple versions of the same size label, with varying quantities of each, all requiring different graphics and copy.

Taking the digital advantage