Machines for printing and labeling

Inline printing and labeling are designed to be an agile process without having to compromise on speed, quality, or reliability of the production. It is an efficient and time-optimizing solution, as there are fewer steps in the process since packaging, printing, and labeling take place on the same line.

Inline printing can be realized with both digital printing and traditional flexo printing. However, the benefits of digital printing also apply here.

With inline digital printing and labeling, there is also ample opportunity to make use of late-stage customization. With late-stage customization you have the opportunity to produce the product and wait to print the variable information for when you need it.

For example, if you make blister cards, the blister cards can be produced and stored. Only when you receive an order do you print the country- and product-specific information. Thus, you only need to have neutral blister cards in stock and not in all variants.

Thanks to digital printing technology, you can advantageously choose to print directly on plastic items, such as caps or toothbrushes; or on medical devices, such as syringes or ostomy bags. This presents several advantages over printing the information on labels.

Without the use of labels, less material is used and consequently you will get less waste. In addition, there is no need for pressure plates, as with flexo printing. This results in lower costs, both associated with the production of the printing plates and with less material consumption.

With digital printing there are fewer preparations before production and between product changes, as there is no need to change printing plates, mix ink, or run test prints. Moreover, digital printing is better for the environment for several reasons. Besides less waste, as mentioned above, there is a lower ink consumption, as ink is only used on the print itself. There are no start-up sprints and there are no printing plates filled with ink to be cleaned after each run.

Digital printing can also be combined with Blow-Fill-Seal (BFS) technology. By implementing a print unit in the BFS process, one can print directly on the products in the same process. This provides both an efficient and economical solution, as costs and the extra time associated with either embossing or labeling are removed. For an example of the process watch the video below.

Packaging has become an important sales parameter and digital printing offers new opportunities in the battle for customers.

With digital printing technology you can also make use of late-stage customization, where you can individualize the packaging at the last minute, by simply having neutral packaging in stock.

One of the many advantages of printing directly on the packaging is that you achieve a more flexible production process, less waste, and reduced time to market.

With the high degree of individualization that digital printing technology offers, brand owners get countless opportunities to customize their packaging and through late-stage customization each package can be made unique.

In addition, serialization codes and other variable data can be printed directly on the packaging, making it even more difficult to counterfeit the product. Digital printing directly on the packaging thus provides increased security for the product’s originality to both brand owners and consumers.

Labels comes on numerous products and in a myriad of varieties. They may be wrapped around a cylinder, such as cans or vials; or they may be on the side, top, or bottom of a product. They can be shaped like an L or C and placed so that they cover the opening. Thereby, they also serve the purpose of showing whether the product has been opened before, by the label being broken – so-called tamper-evident labeling.

Environmentally friendly labels for packages

Latest technology provides highly environmentally friendly labels. With the Herma InNo-Liner system, you get labels that only stick when they come in contact with water. This leads to a substantial decline in waste, as the labels are linerless, meaning there is no liner material to simply discard once the labels have been removed.

Like traditional labels, the InNo-Liner label material also comes on a roll. The reason is that the back of the labels only sticks when it is added the right amount of water. Since there is no liner material on the labels, each roll can have more labels, thereby reducing both shipping weight and required storage space. In addition, the cost of discarding the liner material from the labels is eliminated.

PPS sells labeling machines for all these types of labels. Solutions range from simple manual dispensers placed on a table to custom PPS-designed labeling machines that can be implemented in larger lines.

Traditionally, one would use a flexo printer to print information on blister foil, run large batches, and then store the various variants. As the need increases for smaller batches and more frequent product changes, along with continuing price pressure, the traditional flexo printer is in many cases no longer the optimal solution. For small and medium batches, digital printing is often a more economically advantageous solution.

With a digital printer the time you need to switch between print jobs is largely eliminated. Printing plates are not needed, as is the case with flexo-print; instead, you simply upload a pdf file with the design to the machine. Thus, you no longer need to have all variants of blister cards in stock, as you can print in line with demand.

If, on the other hand, your need remains large batches with few product changes, flexo-print will most often still be the right solution. The size of your batches is therefore very much decisive for which type of printer is the best and most economical solution.