There was a time (not too long ago!) when flexographic printing was really the only option for label printing. But in the early 2000s, the digital age, so prevalent across other aspects of business, spread its fingers to the label printing world. Dion had the insight to become an early participant in the emerging new technology. As the platform has continued to progress, we have kept up, and we are glad we have. With every new digital press, the advances in speed, quality, automation, material options, and colors have grown exponentially, such that with our newest edition, the HP Indigo 8000 digital press, we are able to think of it almost as we would a flexo press.

With regard to color, digital printing is an incredible platform. As we’ve discussed elsewhere digital color matching really can mimic the spot colors used for flexo. With in-line priming units, the available substrate options for printing continues to grow for digital runs. Automation technology allows for perfect registration and excellent print quality.

For the past decade at least, digital printing has been a quality label printing option. Digital printing was a huge boon for short runs and an economical option for orders with many varietals. No plates are required for digital printing, so prep time is short. Flexographic printing capabilities include its custom color matching, extended content printing, and vast array of cutting dies. It has also been the printing method of choice for longer runs due to its speed.

Our new HP Indigo 8000 press has made great strides toward taking on longer runs. With its two print engines, it can reach speeds up to 262 feet per minute in EPM (enhanced productivity mode), and even with 4CP jobs its speeds are still 197 feet per minute. In fact, the Indigo 8000 can print at speeds twice as fast as the WS6800s. What these new speeds enable us to do is take longer digital jobs from our two HP WS6800 presses, run them faster on the 8000, and free up much more time on all our presses. What this means for our customers is faster lead times on orders of all sizes.

As print technologies continue to advance, digital printing is increasingly becoming an option that is equally as good as flexographic printing. What we love about the advances in digital printing are the ways in which they give us more options for our customers. Our print team knows what the right means of printing will be for your brand, so contact us today to get started on your next label project! You can rest easy knowing that whether your labels are printed digitally or traditionally, the quality will meet our strict Dion standard!