The best way to decide whether digitally printed labels are best for your needs is to talk to an experienced label maker like us at Labelservice. We offer both digital and flexographic printing and can help you decide which one is best for your product. Digital printing has exploded, for good reason, and is worth exploring.
Digital printing produces vibrant high-quality labels that can be used for practically any product or project. Unlike flexographic presses that use polymer plates to transfer ink onto materials, digital presses use dots of ink to recreate an image from a digital file. The process is very similar to how your desktop printer works.
Digital takes less time. Digital label printing doesn’t require plates which means you don’t have to pay for a printing plate for each colour on the label. No plates also mean a shorter setup time so your labels are printed faster – and you receive your labels in less time. When it comes to product labels, high-quality graphics and colours grab the most attention. Our digital presses print at a resolution of almost double that of a traditional flexographic label so your labels end up with crisp, clear images and life-like colours.
No plates and less press setup time means the costs for digital label printing are relatively low for short-run labels as compared to flexographic labels. This cost/benefit is maximized for small quantities of custom labels, also known as “short run labels.” Another advantage of digital printing is you can order only the amount of labels you need right now, rather than ordering labels in bulk simply to get the best price.
In order to be competitive, you should regularly examine whether your design works for attracting your target audience. The cost of printing new label designs on a flexographic press can hurt your bottom line due to plate charges and setup fees. If you have multiple product label designs, costs can add up even quicker. With digital printing, there are no plate or setup fees, so we can start printing your labels sooner.
The price and quality of flexographic label printing have been the go-to method for printing custom labels. Flexographic labels have the advantage for high volume product label orders, but there are setup costs for each label job – preparing your label artwork to create printing plates, setting up the label press, mixing inks for colour matching, and machine calibration. The cost and setup for labels can be expensive if you’re a smaller company or you just need fewer product labels – this is where digital printing has the advantage.
