The Benefits of Digital Label Printing
Digital label printing is an innovative technique that can drastically cut production times. Royal Label is a leading digital printing company in the US, and we want to share our knowledge of the digital printing process so you can determine if this solution would work for your organization.
What Is Digital Label Printing?
So how does digital label printing work? This type of printing eliminates the need for expensive plates and film while allowing full control over high quality printing runs. While digital printing may not be as fast as flexographic printing for larger runs, it offers several distinct advantages over conventional label printing styles and provides an incredible level of customization.
Flexo printing requires transferring an image to a printing plate, and then finally pressing the image into the labeling surface. You need one plate for each color used on your label, so if you only need a few hundred labels it won’t pay off using flexo printing.
Considering all these possible labeling solutions for your products can seem like a challenging decision until you discover the wide range of benefits that digital label printing provides.
Digital Printing Is Environmentally Friendly
In many situations digital printing is more cost effective. Infact, digital printing is a more substantial method for creating labels because it reduces the waste produced during the printing process. Digital printing doesn’t require the creation of plates and uses 4 times less ink.
Digital label printing offers you an easy method of printing exactly what you need when you need it with minimal waste. While offset printing and flexographic printing are fast and efficient, the plates and rubber blankets used for these processes may not be needed once a production run finishes. Digital printing is more ecologically friendly than flexographic printing. There are no plates, blankets or screens to be washed off eventually ending up in our environment which causes damage to our planet.
Digital Printing Enables High Quality for Small Print
Digital printing enables the easy creation of highly quality labels. If you need to print labels with small print, tight registration, multiple languages, SKU numbers, barcodes, QR codes, and highly detailed artwork, digital printing is the best solution.
Digital label printing is especially effective for producing pharmaceutical labels and medical device labels for highly sensitive and technical products for specialized applications. If your organization must meet strict GMP government regulations or compliance standards that demand specific information on your label, the high detail digital that label printing offers can enable you to include all required information without sacrificing image quality.
Digital Printing Processes Uses Electroink
Royal Label uses HP Electroink, this ink contains electrically chargeable ink particles to create a thin layer on the substrate, reaching the highest coverage and deepest color with the lowest quantity of ink.
Update Creative Files Easily Before or After Printing Runs
Digital printing allows users to easily customize every printing run to exact specifications. While other forms of label printing may require more extensive setup procedures, digital printing allows users to update their creative files with ease before or after a printing run. This ability makes digital label printing incredibly efficient for short runs or multiple runs with slight variations between each.
Digital Printing Offers Fast Turnaround Times
If your business creates products that require a unique touch when it comes to labeling, custom product labels are much easier and faster to create with digital label printing. Digital label printing does not require making plates or exchanging plates between runs; simply update or change the creative file for each label printing run and continue printing.
Digital label printing can also make a company more responsive to upheavals and seasonal changes. If your company produces new products every few months or in response to customer requests and trends, this type of label printing system can be ready to go as soon as you produce your creative files for your newest labels. Conventional printing methods require designing and procuring plates, sourcing the right inks, and any errors can lead to significant production delays.
Short Runs Made Easy with Digital Printing
Digital label printing is ideal for short run label printing. What digital label printing lacks in speed compared to other label printing methods it more than makes up for in flexibility. Short runs are a breeze when you have a digital label printing partner that can adapt quickly to changing label requirements, handle multiple short runs for many different products easily, and upload changes on the fly.
Digital Printing Is a Cost-Effective Solution for Any Sized Company
One of the biggest challenges facing many small businesses that require labeling services is the cost of short run productions. Digital label printing requires low printing minimums, so it’s easy for small businesses to coordinate short run label production or print low quantity orders without sacrificing quantity. While flexographic printing offers speedier printing, this is only a cost-effective printing solution for very high-quantity productions due to the need for plate creation.
Ultimately, digital label printing means high-quality, durable product labels printed on demand. Small companies can produce low quantity orders with a high-end look and feel, and larger production orders from bigger companies are still easy to manage. The tradeoff of speed for quality is well worth it, and the digital labels produced for large production runs will be more effective, longer lasting, and more visually impressive than conventional printing methods could allow.
