Alpha targets new markets with Indigo

Sydney label printer Alpha Labels has broadened its customer base and slashed turnaround times by installing an HP Indigo as its first digital label printer.

Alpha managing director David Poole says the new HP Indigo WS6600, installed last May, gives the company more flexibility and be able to print flexible packaging, sleeves, and folding cartons for the first time.

“We are always looking for a competitive edge, as well as ways to provide better service to our customer base and potential new clients, and this has given us the opportunity to offer a real point of difference,” he says.

“With the Indigo’s unrivalled speed and efficiency, we have been able to produce more work at a faster rate, without compromising the quality that our customers expect.”

[Related: More printers installing new kit]

Poole says he decided to get into digital to replace an old offset press as he saw runs the market changing and wanted to grow the company beyond labels into other kinds of packaging which were not possible with offset.

“I have seen runs getting shorter and turnarounds getting tighter, customers are ordering less but more frequently,” he says.

He says the Indigo is already hauling in new work, winning the company a huge sequential numbering label job last year that would not have been possible on offset.

Alpha is also using the Indigo to print flyers and other commercial print work to fill more of its clients’ needs.

Poole says the digital WS6600’s colour gamut will streamline the Alpha operations by eliminating the time required for colour separation, mounting plates on the machine, registration and colour-matching.

With up to seven ink stations on the machine, high-resolution prints are now ready to go immediately and any changes can be manipulated on the spot.

Poole says the new machine will cut waste as its enhanced print quality reduces the margin for error and the higher throughput will also slash setup time between jobs, minimising the waste created when preparing the machine.

It also supports several eco-certified substrates, as well as environmentally friendly primers, varnishes, and adhesives.

He says the service offered by reseller Currie was a significant factor in choosing an Indigo and that the machine has been reliable with very little downtime.

Alpha is the latest label or packaging printer to install its first digital machine as demand for shorter runs with faster turnaround grows and digital muscles in on flexo and offset territory.

Earlier this month, Gold Coast label printer Rotoprint installed an Epson SurePress L-4033A to keep up with short-run demand.

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