In the last few decades, technology has as radically transformed printing as music. People who have found value in the digital delivery of music will appreciate how the digital revolution has also swept through the printing industry. For example, digital printing has greatly facilitated label printing by collapsing the delivery time due to simplified proffering and printing as well as enhanced creative options with the availability of customization capabilities enabling businesses to deliver a product that is far more refined.
The basic difference between digital printing and its conventional counterpart is that the digital process bypasses the processes of preparation of film and plate with a direct linkage of the press and the operator. With this, each label can now be individually printed and can be unique without interrupting the printing process.
The Evolution of Digital Label Printing
Since its launch in the mid-90s, digital label printing has been rapidly evolving through the usual process of discovery, trial, implementation, and refinement. In particular, wineries have adopted digital label printing extensively because of a large number of advantages it brings to their businesses. Specifically, small runs now cost a lot less and a lot more detail can be incorporated into the labels when compared to Flexo printing. Also, by printing onmetallic stock, the wineries are able to get foil stamping effects that are visibly superior and attractive. While, it is estimated that around a quarter of wineries in the U.S. use digitally printed labels to some extent, the total volume is still only around 5 percent but expected to rise rapidly as an increasing number of wineries discover the advantages of digital printing, and the speed of printing increases to cater to high volume demands.
Economic Considerations
Whatever be the capacity of your involvement with a winery, packaging cost reduction is always a top priority. Digital label printing makes it more affordable for wineries to undertake small production runs. Elimination of the effort and time required to manage conventional printing processes also leads to reducing associated expenses such as films and plates. Since even the number of colors has no bearing on digital printing, the economic advantages of small runs with multiple colors are more pronounced.
Similarly, for metallic graphics on labels, the economies are sharper on low and medium runs, however, the biggest advantage is that instead of going in for foil stamping, the label can be printed by commercial printers Mumbai directly on metallic stock to get the same effect. Because of the precision possible in digital printing, intricate graphics with metallic representation can be incorporated. Not only is a more superior effect obtained compared to conventional foil stamping but also saves substantially on time and costs.
Marketing Considerations
Apart from the cost benefits of digital label printing, there is a significant advantage to marketers in the form of increased flexibility and the speed at which they can bring products to the market. Typically, marketers find that their order lead times can be collapsed, small runs are both possible and practical, and production quality need not be compromised. Due to multiple benefits, they can now engage in affordable marketing programs aimed at specific niches, private labeling exercises, test marketing, prototyping as well as ensure brand security and exclusivity. End of the day, wineries are able to give more flexibility to customers to personalize products without having to wait out a long delivery period and the high costs typically associated with low volume and customized orders that have always held up the creativity and flexibility of wine marketers.
Conclusion
An increasing number of wineries are taking to digital label printing for the multiple benefits; cost reduction for small orders, speed-to-market, aesthetic enhancement, niche marketing, prototyping, private labeling, brand exclusivity and security being the most significant.
