Digital Label Printing – An Evergrowing Industry
Article by Ian Renton
Digital label printing or digital sticker printing as it is also known merely demonstrates that the labels are produced straight from your artwork. There isn’t any dependence on plates. Your labels are completed in a single step. Your artwork which can be typically a PDF file, an EPS file or TIFF file is printed directly from this file.
Your file is emailed to your label printer’s computer and that image will likely then be sent to your machine to provide your stickers and labels completely from the computer image.
Digital overprinting of paper has been around for many years. When you type a document and send it onto a laser printer, then this is undoubtedly an instance of digital printing. This had become the earliest method of digital production but letters were always printed in black text, never colour. Beyond this concept came colour laser printers. These enabled your colour image to get produced directly to your laser printer.
A different step-up from colour laser printers was commercial digital printing machines. Twenty years ago, all commercial print production was offset, i.e. artwork needed to be reconstructed as plates before production could begin. Colour separation was forced to produce four plates, i.e. black, cyan, magenta and yellow. Those are the four primary printing colours. Today, a great deal of commercial printing is carried out digitally.
In terms of digital sticker printing, it has existed for a lot less time. Indeed, almost all of the technology is incredibly new and therefore you’ll find not so many specialist digital sticker printers around. My business doesn’t own any traditional printing equipment involving plates. The entire printing is completed digitally, i.e. directly from the computer image.
Primary benefits of digital sticker printing
You will discover three main advantages of digital sticker printing over traditional sticker printing:
1. Less expensive in short runs. You won’t have to buy materials required to convert the artwork to plates and align these plates after which you finally test the printed images.
2. Faster turnaround. By taking out your plates, the labels are printed considerably more quickly. Indeed, your labels may be ready in minutes of your respective artwork being checked and approved.
3. Better for the environment. Digital production uses less chemicals, doesn’t need any plates and wastes a lesser amount of paper and therefore the environment wins on three counts.
Digital label printing remains within its infancy. It’s because of this there are only some companies worldwide producing labels digitally. Today, a lot of the labels you find in your grocery stores are printed the initial way with artwork changed into plates before the labels are produced. However, technology is improving constantly and in some time into the future, it is also possible that digital label printing may become the standard instead of the exception.
About the Author
Finally, if you would like an instant quotation for label printing, then please check out Renton’s Labels at http://www.rentonslabels.com.au.
Ian Renton is the owner of five businesses, Australian Credit Stationers, Australian Christmas Cards, Australian Charity Christmas Cards, Renton’s Labels and Renton’s Printing. His businesses provide account stickers, Christmas stickers, corporate Christmas cards, corporate birthday cards, charity Christmas cards, label printing and general printing to thousands of businesses in Australia and New Zealand.