The Labeltape Group installs Epson SurePress

Epson America, Inc. today announced that The Labeltape Group, Inc. has purchased and installed the Epson SurePress L-4033AW for its label printing services. The Labeltape Group owns and operates two label printing companies – Labeltape in Caledonia, Mich. and A-Flex Label in Willowbrook, Ill. The Epson SurePress is installed at the A-Flex facility, producing labels for both locations that serve a broad range of markets, including medical, food, industrial, specialty, wine, and personal care. A-Flex features a list of capabilities and services offered using the Epson SurePress and its other press solutions on its website.

“Up until now we have run flexo presses in both locations, which lends itself nicely to medium and larger-run jobs. However, the industry has changed dramatically over the past several years, and we were seeing a greater need for a digital solution that would produce shorter-run jobs with quick turnaround and higher color quality,” said Tom Carroll, president, The Labeltape Group. “We started our search for a digital solution and knew of a couple other shops that had purchased a SurePress. We evaluated all the solutions available, from the low end table top presses to the high end expensive solutions, and found the Epson SurePress to provide a robust offering with a great value proposition, and something that fit within our price point.”

Designed for prime label converters and commercial printers, the Epson SurePress L-4033AW is an easy to operate seven-color inkjet digital label press with White ink that makes high-quality, short-run label printing easier and more efficient, even on clear and metallic substrates. Delivering exceptional print quality and accurate color reproduction, as well as innovative printing features, the L-4033AW is a cost-effective and reliable solution that allows printers to expand their service offerings and improve profitability.

“One of the great things about the SurePress that is unlike other offerings is its demonstrated ability to print on almost any substrate it’s presented with – so far there hasn’t been anything it hasn’t been able to do well, and with great accuracy and color registration,” said Carroll. “We also purchased the DC330-Mini from Grafisk Maskinfabrik – a digital finishing machine that couples perfectly with the SurePress, providing a fully integrated converting line for labels. This combination gives us the ability to do great short-run work for our clients.”

In addition, driving the SurePress L-4033AW is the included Wasatch RIP and Print Management Software. The Wasatch SoftRIP is a sophisticated RIP solution designed to save time and money by including superior color management options, efficient layout features, powerful workflow tools, variable data printing, and contour cutting, all while producing excellent quality color. “The Wasatch software that comes with the press, is simple to navigate and it has a very diverse range of applications,” said Curtis Feipel, A-Flex’s Epson SurePress operator. “The greatest attribute of Wasatch though is its seamless communication with the Epson SurePress.”

Whether it’s with existing customers or a new client, the SurePress offers Labeltape a way to introduce brands to short-run capabilities, and as they grow, move into higher speeds and larger runs with their flexo offerings. “As we’ve shifted our shorter-run flexo work to the Epson, our customers are noticing the difference in color quality and asking what’s changed,” continued Carroll. “And just as Epson promised, we can compose a job, load the printer and walk away – it has the ability to monitor itself, saving us man hours of someone having to stand right next to it.”

Additional Epson SurePress features include:

• High Quality Labels: Epson’s acclaimed MicroPiezo® ink jet technology with variable-size droplets as small as three picoliters provides ultra-precise drop formation and placement to deliver smooth gradations, remarkable color quality, and sharp detail for easy bar code readability, plus crisp small type and line work
• Industrial Quality Inks: Seven-color (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Orange, Green, and White), durable, water-based, resin-coated pigment inks provide superior adhesion and reproduce a wide range of colors
• Versatile Substrate Support: Prints on a range of standard, off-the-shelf materials including gloss, semi-gloss, matte, film, and clear, and metallic substrates

“We are proud to work with companies like the Labeltape Group that are dedicated to providing superior labeling and packaging solutions to its customers,” said Mark Elsbernd, North America region sales manager, Epson America. “The SurePress L-4033AW was designed to print short-run, high-quality labels on various substrates, which gives Labeltape the ideal, most cost-effective solution for creating prime labels for their clients.”

In addition to the SurePress L-4033AW and L-4033A without White ink, Epson also recently expanded its digital label press product line with the introduction of the Epson SurePress L-6034VW and L-6034V – Epson’s first single-pass industrial presses, the first to use Epson’s new PrecisionCore™ linehead technology, and the first to use Epson’s new LED-cured UV ink with in-line digital varnish technology.