Home : News & Events : News & Press Releases : On Demand Colour

Source: Labels & Labeling Magazine - Issue 4 Volume 25

On Demand Colour

'On-demand colour' systems showcased at Labelexpo Europe will open up new opportunities for label printers in sectors now dominated by black and white printing. Andy Thomas reports on a conference in Amsterdam which focused on opportunities in the secondary labelling sector.

Markets

Despite the slowdown of overall pressure sensitive growth in the mature markets of Europe and the US, there remains plenty of potential to add value within key end use sectors. Industrial labelling and product identification is a sector currently dominiated by black and white print systems, overwhelmningly desktop thermal transfer.

Of particular interest here is a new generation of colour Variable Information Printing (VIP) and Print-on-Demand (POD) systems which could revolutionise the secondary labelling market.

These developments were examined at the Digital Label & Tag workshop held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, organised by the Giga Information Group and sponosred by Labels & Labeling , Canon and Matan.

Kicking off, Sean Marske, president of VIPColor Technologies, looked at the potential for bringing colour into the supply chain. 'Barcodes are not enough,' said Marske. 'Colour coding and picture coding when combined with traditional barcoding, create a comprehensive defence against costly mistakes through the supply chain."

The emerging market for 'Colour-on-demand' sits between the black&white thermal transfer printer, and conventional flexo/offset press technology, where costs are inversely proportional to volume (ie the shorter the run, the higher the cost).

On-demand colour means putting labels into the supply chain when and where they are required and in the exact quantities. Good examples would include end users with multi-site production, multi-language markets, contract manufacturing and packaging, make-to-ship manufacturing and real-time order fulfillment.

On-demand colour helps product locating and reduces shipping errors, but also makes it easier to keep track of work-in-progress and quality control at the manufacturing end.

In the retail environment, the secondary lable moves from being a simple logistics information carrier, to a 'brochure on the shelf'. Coloured graphics allow store assistants and customers to instantly identify a product.

Picture coding and brand graphics work best where there is a high mix of different products in relatively small amounts - think of electrical components, plumbing parts, telecom and computer components, automotive/machinery spare parts, sporting goods, office supplies and fashion accessories as examples.

Within the logistics chain, colour coding is a powerful tool to complement barcode systems. Colour coding can be used for sell-by date, product expiration date codes, to check destination, and for easier identification in a crowded warehouse.

Although scanning systems work well, companies still ship items to the wrong locations, and colour coded labels allow employees in the despatch bays to act as a last line of defence against errors. Colour can also be used to show which items get shipped first - for example by colour highlighting sell-by-dates.

Label converters have traditionally operated a Print and Distribute model, where a label moves from a blank roll, through conversion on a press to over-printing, transportation and into pre-printed inventory. This system works well fo rhigh run lengths, but has relatively long lead times and increases the costs of inventory management and wastage through product obsolescence or incorrect estimation or demand.

The opportunity is to complement this traditional model with Distribute and Print, where short runs of multi-coloured secondar labels are printed from blank sotck on-demand, reducing lead times, rationalising inventory and reducing waste. This can lead to a new business in managing the end user's secondary labelling business from digital asset management to proofing, output and delivery. At the same time, it allows converters to offer package customisation, short run marketing and sales campaigns and even product prototyping.

Jules Farkas, president of MNF Consultants, is a longtime advocate of innovative print and converting techniques, so his paper lookingon how label converters might integrate digital printing inot their conventional operations was eagerly anticipated.

Farkas conceded that takeup of digital presses by label converters has been painfully slow despite the fact that label converters 'need' digital printing.

'Not only are production runs getting shorter and product variations larger with quicker turnarounds, but there are requirements for conventional and variable information printing in one pass. Who will need color-on-demand? Fortune 1000 manufacturers, small and medium manufacturers and retailers and other service providers.'

As well as the logistics chain and product identification opportunities outlined by Sean Marske, Farkas said there would be significatn emerging applications for 'light prime' labels where high-mix, low-volumne producers desire a 'professional' look. Exmpales might include nutriceuticals (vitamins, health supplements etc), organic foods, produce, specialty healthy store products and boutique/hotel/B&B items such as soaps and shampoos.

Farkas also forsees a much more radical development: networked, distributed colour-on-demand lable printing. 'This means real-time control of label content, availability and authorised usage in local or multi-national operations. The advantages are reduced risk of outdated labels, reduced risk of product recalls due to  mislabelling, instant content or format changes in the supply chain, instant reaction to new promotional initiatives. Centrally managed yet remotely executed product localisation.'

Thermal technology

Monochrome thermal printing currently dominates digital printingin industrial environments, accounting for 80 percent + of on-demand labelling globally. This amounts to over two million thermal printers in service worldwide printing barcodes in plants, warehouses and shipping docks.

An important development in multi-colour thermal transfer printing for the Colour-on-demand sector was presented at the seminar, in the form of the Spark 1612 desktop label converting system developed by Israeli company Matan. The system consists of a multi-colour thermal transfer printing engine and the DFS converting section, which houses a laminator, contour cutter, weeder, slitter and rewinder.

Keren Leshem, marketing manager for Mata, explained that the system was designed to perform at high speeds in harsh environments with high durability, media flexibility, little or no maintenance and with 'little or no' impact on the environment.

The system is aimed at label converters looking to target the Colour-on-demand market, but Lesham saw an important opporutnity for sales people developing new business with samples and trial orders without expensive tooling charges.

'Converters can say "yes we can" rather than "we don't do short orders" and can offer instant quotes from fixed price lissts. This can become another source of new business development.'

Answering the questions, 'When to go Digital?', Leshem offered the following advice: 'Always when printing variable data; when digital production costs are less than prep plus set-up costs; and when the press room can make more money doing something else. It should be considered if an order requires a special die that will never be used again.

Nick Mandrycky, seniro vice-president, marketing at IIMAK, discussed some exciting technology developments which will extend the functionality of thermal technology and its ability to add value. Mandrycky looked at R&D and patent activity in resin-based ribbon application in the following key areas:

• Apparel printing with heat resistance to 200degC
• Ultra-high end heat and chemical resistance to 150degC+
• UV-curable ribbons with heat resistance greater than 700degF
• Security applications

AT the same time, RFID/Smart label programming systems are being incorporated into thermal transfer printers, and trials are underway to thermal transfer print RFID circuitry with conductive inks.

Mandrycky drew attention to important developments on the media side. Sato, for example, has developed self-contained thermal transfer labels which eliminiate the need to purchas eseparate rolls of labels and ribbons. In operations, a thermal transfer or direct thermal printer is loaded with the SC-TTL (Self-Contained Thermal Transfer Label) media, which is then printed in the normal way. After imaging, the ribbon is removed from the label surface and the label applied.

The combination labels are claimed to have a high level of resistance to UV light, high temperatures, chemicals and scratching. They can be scanned with infr-red and near infra-red scanning. Sato offers a ribbon and label subtrate matching service, including printed labels and coloured ribbons. Any format can be supported from handheld printers to large format printers for drum and case labels.

SC-TTL eliminates print head alignment and ribbon wrinkle issues while reducing the wastage which arises from using wide ribbons on narrow label rolls.

Another development flagged up by Nick Mandrycky is a thermal overlaminating film from Media Solutions Internationa Inc. Known as TOF, the construction consists of protective printhead coating, film, Leuco Dye layer and adhesive on top of a silicone release coated base  paper. To create a customised direct thermal media, the laminate is simply taken off the paper carrier and attached to the new substrate.

Inkjet

Inkjet technoogy is now making lciams to be taken seriously in the label conversion arena. Mark Andy launched at Labelexpo Americas in Chicago last year its DT press series, which integrates a multi-coloured UV inkjet modeule into a 2200 flexo press body, with an optional laser die cutting unit.

Mark Andy's director of product management, Ken Daming, considered how label converters might integrate this level of digital printing into their existing production environements.

Taking a press hsop with an existing 13"2200 flexo press, Daming put the crossover point where digital becomes the preferred process at around 13,500 labels for a 13" DT2200 digital inkjet press and 15,000 labels when the DT2200 press is fitted with laser die cutting.

'Laser die cutting eliminates the need to stop the press at all and is the most efficient an dprofiable method of converting,' said Daming. Converters should also have access to the normal range of finishing options found on flexo presses - slitting, sheeting, stacking/conveying, rewinding, laminating, varnish and adhesive coating and foil stamping.

Digital presses should not require specialists operators, said Daming: 'The digital press operator should be the  normal production press operator. He already konws conventional press opeations, ink handling and colour registration.

For more ifnoramtion on the DIgital Label & Tag Printing Workshop 2004 contact organiser Giga Information Group on Tel: +44 (0) 1753 831731, www.gigaweb.com.