Should I Choose Digital or Flexographic Printing for My Label Project?
So, you have worked hard to figure out what the branding should look like on your products, or perhaps you have just figured out the specs on something to meet internal needs. Either way – the fact remains that you know what you want your label to look like.
Now that you have the design phase out of the way and you have selected a label manufacturer, you need to figure out if you want to use a digital or flexographic printing press. We can use the checklist below as a guide to select the proper machinery.
Do I have complex or super realistic art in my design? __
(Digital printing presses have a higher quality of print and color matching than Flexo presses)
Do I have metallic or raised textures on my design? __
(Our digital press comes with a finishing unit that can take care of complex finishing options)
Does quality matter more than anything? __
(Margin for error is lower on a digital press)
Am I printing lower volume – 1000 to 50,000 labels. __
(Lower run jobs are more cost effective with smaller set up and clean up times than Flexo)
Is my print super small on the label? __
(Digital presses can handle extremely small “fine” print)
Transparent material __
(The digital press plays nicer with specialty materials)
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then we would most likely go with a Digital Press for your job. We really want to use the digital press for small run jobs – or projects that have heavy detail and complexity.
Now- if your project is
Very few colors or blank labels. __
(Flexographic presses shine when they do not have to match digital quality)
Incredibly high volume – 100,000 to over a million labels. __
(Though the set up takes longer, Flexo presses are more cost effective in the long run. This is because of Speed and low ink costs.)
Security tags (High volume – not customer facing) __
Food Delivery labels __
Something you need a lot of – but cheap __
(Flexo presses specialize in speed and efficiency.)
If any of these sound like what you need, then Flexographic printing presses would be much more suitable to your project. We know the phrase “Lower quality” might scare you, but it is negligent in some cases. Using a digital press to print blanks is like using a flamethrower to start a campfire…. It’s just overkill & way too expensive.
So, here is a high-level summary of each.
Digital = High quality, cheaper for small run, powerful, more options
Flexographic = Speed, efficiency, cheaper for long run, higher margin for variance
We hope this helps shine some light on the press selection process, and we usually quote your job on both types of equipment (unless it is not possible on one of them). Our customer service specialists will always get you the right press for your product.