Traditional flexographic printing uses flexible printing plates to transfer ink onto the label substrate. But digital printing works pretty much like your home printer, just bigger. A commercial digital printer sprays millions of dots of colour in different combinations to get the desired result. No plates as the ink is sprayed directly onto the label.
When you’re trying to decide between flexographic or digital, it tends to come down to speed and price. Creating plates for each colour in the label adds time and cost. But once everything is all set up, flexographic printers technically work more quickly than digital printers But when your labels are more elaborate and multi-coloured in a smaller run, digital is faster and less expensive.
It’s truly incredible how much has changed in the packaging industry over the last several years. Chief among these changes has got to be the huge strides digital label printing has taken, especially when it comes to product labels. Want foil stamps? Specialty varnishes? Embossing? Digital can do all of this.
The advantages of digital printing are many, including:
Lower Costs – This is a big one. As long as you aren’t running a high-volume job of relatively simple labels, digital is going to be less expensive than flexographic. No plates, no stamps, no extra chemical processes to pay for.
Just In Time Production – The flexibility of being able to print as many labels as you want at any given time is undeniably attractive. It’s always great to have one less thing to find storage space for.
Environmental Sustainability – Digital presses can print on environmentally certified substrates and are compatible with environmentally safe adhesives, primers, and inks. Digital printing increases the economic viability of shorter print runs and also produces less overall waste.
Customization Possibilities – Maybe you have a label that needs slight variations or variable print. That’s possible with digital!
Finishing and Embellishments – Digital print can provide a huge range of variety in the label’s final look. Hot foil stamping, specialty laminates and varnishes, metallics, and embossing are just a few options.
Faster Production – In many situations, digitally printed labels can be produced more quickly. Just remember that’s not the case in all scenarios, such as when you have simple, high-volume runs.
Security Features – A digital print can incorporate security features that disallow others from copying it.
If you’re curious about going the digital route for your next run of labels, feel free to reach out. We always recommend weighing the pros and cons of digital printing or flexographic with a specialist before making a decision. Labels for your product (whatever that may be) is an increasingly dynamic world and we’d love to explore it with you!
