Wagner Prestige Labels is moving into inkjet printing, with a new Epson SurePress L-4033AW as the centrepiece of its new production suite.
The 80-year old-business, based in Wetherill Park, NSW, has been in colour labels for the past three decades, and has been running letterpress, screen and flexo systems, as well as a small digital toner printer.
Wagner Labels production manager Chris Galea explains, “We have established ourselves in running small, specialty work such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food and wine labels. However, our new SurePress has enabled us to increase our capacity to do these types of jobs, and widen our market even further. With less setup and material, it is easier to run multiple jobs in a quicker and more efficient manner. The L-4033AW is capable of running labels just over 900mm which, combined with the lightfast and long-lasting inks, means we can print larger outdoor labels as well.”
Wagner looked at several systems before opting for the Epson, Galea says, “We had already stepped into the digital market with the toner-based printer, and quickly noticed the impact and continual benefits of using this machine, so we started to look at the digital printing process on a larger scale. Having already established ourselves in many other areas of printing this was going to be the next step. With the changing market and frequent improvements in new and improved digital presses we had to look at Epson as it has always been a market leader in inkjet machines. When we did, the SurePress L-4033AW stood above the competition.”
Galea and the Wagner team’s primary concern was that the quality of print from their new label press had to be second to none. He says, “Having always produced high quality, high definition work on our conventional printing presses using a combination of film, plates, ink and equipment, we were looking for a machine that would fit in with our already-varied printing dynamic.
“We also had to factor in the numerous forms which the machine could print including different coated or uncoated substrates, maximum width, the addition of white ink and a fuller colour gamut. With the addition of white, orange and green ink to the usual CMYK, as well as not needing to treat material prior to printing, the SurePress L-4033AW ticked all of these boxes and more.”
Galea and the Wagner team studied the printing process, finish, quality and longevity of digital machines on the market and again, it was the quality the SurePress could provide that impressed them the most.
He added, “The SurePress offered a point of difference for our customers, an alternative to their range of labels while keeping the quality and colours of their products consistent. This is also in part due to the partnership and match between Epson hardware and Esko software, being able to provide even more options and better support.”
Chris Galea concluded, “By using the inkjet method of CMYKOG, as well as Esko software, the SurePress L-4033AW has been able to provide consistent prints time and time again, whilst also reaching a majority of the PMS colour gamut with little to no calibration and no loss of set-up time. This helps us provide customers with the widest range of quality labels across their entire range of products. In short, by using the SurePress we can now provide our clients with the more efficient one-stop-shop solution of having their labels designed and printed all under one roof at a more competitive cost than ever before.”
