The Label Shoppe acquires Screen Truepress Jet L350UV inkjet label press shown at Labelexpo Americas 2014

Ryan Gaytan was already sold on the Screen Truepress Jet L350UV long before he saw the high-quality inkjet label press in action at Labelexpo Americas 2014. Gaytan, vice president of Gaytan Foods in City of Industry, Calif., knew the innovative narrow-web printing system would deliver. So much so that Gaytan Foods’ sister company, The Label Shoppe, will take delivery of the new machine with white ink soon after the label and package show’s close on September 11.

“We are excited to begin this new chapter in our business,” Gaytan said. “The entire Label Shoppe team - management, press operators, prepress and sales - unanimously supported the purchase. Management will gain margin and higher customer satisfaction rates. Press operators are excited to learn new technology. Prepress loves the idea of being able to print existing customer files with less retouching. The sales team is simply drooling over the opportunity to sell new print products.”

Gaytan Foods is a family-owned snack food manufacturer specializing in fried pork rinds, cheese puffs and related items. Gaytan Foods used to buy lots of labels from outside vendors, but the cost was high and the delivery slow. The Label Shoppe was founded in 1991 to get the work done in-house faster and at a lower cost.

Using four flexographic presses, The Label Shoppe prints custom pressure-sensitive labels for private label products and Gaytan Foods’ various branded snacks. Obviously, food is the top market for the shop’s labels, with beverages a close second. Orders for labels and tags also come in from manufacturers of cosmetics, electronic components and automotive parts.

“Because we follow the mantra of ‘continuous improvement,’ I am always looking for ways to reduce lead times, improve quality and increase margins,” Gaytan said. “I have been following the evolution of digital label printing technology since I became general manager of The Label Shoppe in 2001. Disappointed, I always arrived at the same conclusion: The right combination of capital investment, operating cost, print quality and throughput never materialized.”

That is, Gaytan added, until he viewed samples printed last spring on the Truepress Jet L350UV.

“Something was different compared to other competitive drop-on-demand inkjet print samples I had evaluated over the past several years,” he said. “Gradients were smooth, and solids were dense and free of pinholes and streaks. Most of the digitally printed samples were virtually indistinguishable from their analog counterparts.”

One of the key benefits of the Truepress Jet L350UV is its high running speed. At 164 feet per minute, it enables maximum productivity in the minimum amount of time. With a printing width of up to 12.6 inches and the ability to print on material from 3.9 inches to 13.7 inches wide, the Truepress Jet L350UV provides productivity of 173.2 square feet per minute.

“After a very thorough internal analysis, we determined that the Truepress Jet L350UV was a profitable fit for at least 57 percent of The Label Shoppe’s jobs,” Gaytan said. “More specifically, even if I didn’t pursue one extra dollar of incremental sales, I would capture enough additional margin on our existing jobs to justify the lease payment. The math was a no-brainer.”