Short-run Digital Label Market is a Boon for Printshop

Established in 1974, Repacorp has grown from a firm representing printing corporations to a full service print provider with more than 100 employees and four manufacturing plants located in Ohio, Wisconsin and Arizona. Recently they formed a new company called Presto Label, aimed at exploiting the fast-growing digital label market. It is this short-run digital capability that has given the company a corporate renewal.

In 2008, Repacorp management purchased an EFI  Jetrion 4000 digital inkjet press and suddenly found themselves with instant success. Many companies print stock labels but Repacorp’s expertise is being able to handle the most unusual or specific label requests, and to do it quickly and cost-effectively with the highest quality.They have since purchased a second Jetrion.

“The Jetrion cost less than competitive digital systems, the material we run through it doesn’t need special topcoatings, and the monthly costs associated with its consumbles are substantially less than the consumable costs associated with other suppliers,” says Tony Heinl, vice president at Repacorp.

Customer loyalty increases

Even before its digital inkjet rebirth, Repacorp enjoyed an exceedingly loyal customer base. Now, with the Jetrion 4000, customer loyalty has increased even more.

“We have 350 stock items in our catalog, and we have a lot of oddball sizes that many other companies don’t stock,” Heinl explains. “We’re seeing our work being ordered for labels on jars or cans in the food and beverage business.”

Due to the overwhelming success of its Jetrion 4000 and the numerous customer requests for wider labels, the firm just purchased the new Jetrion 4830. This enables the company to run more sizes and maximize its expanded web width up to 9 inches. Repacorp can now print wider labels in smaller quantities and expand its market reach. Jetrion’s opaque white capability allows the firm to print on clear polyester with a white lay-down further expanding its market reach to more food label markets. For example, the company is serving salsa, pasta sauce, beer, and wine manufacturers as well as machinery components, automobile parts, pharmaceuticals,
decorative stickers and hundreds of items in between.

In a challenging economy, it is not unusual for orders to be slashed by half or more from previous levels, and that’s where short-run digital makes economical sense for many customers. Other benefits of the Jetrion include the elimination of plates, reduced labor and waste, reduced inventory, optimized workflow, advanced drop-on-demand printhead technology, and exclusive UV inkjet inks.

Variable-data capability

In addition, the unit has variable-data capability, allowing Repacorp to run multiple series of barcodes and images. It can also print directly on standard label stock that converters typically use, with UV ink that is very durable, even when exposed to harsh environments.

Furthermore, on-demand printing with the Jetrion 4000 leaves as little as 6-ft. of waste, and the printing information is digitally stored, eliminating the need to re-match colors when jobs are reordered. Plus it offers near-photographic quality, according to the company.

“With the two Jetrion units on line, our biggest challenge became getting the right people on staff and having them truly understand the software; most importantly learning how to properly send artwork to the press. No matter how sophisticated the equipment, the old rule applies: garbage in, garbage out,” Heinl says, quickly adding that all operators are entirely up to speed and helping short-run digital printing at Repacorp reach its promise. “We’re extremely happy with the quality we get on any particular job with our digital printing platform, and so are our customers.”