By Melissa Donovan
Part 1 of 3
Label printing is a saturated market and it can be challenging to find the right printer or converter for the job. We live in a world were limited time promotions are the norm, leading to smaller runs of more customized and even regionalized product. This calls for short-run label printing and digital technology meets that demand.
For label printers utilizing digital printing or even a combination of digital and flexography, offering this technology is one way to set themselves apart from the competition in a densely populated market. The result is the satisfaction in supplying customers with exactly what they need.
Years of Positive Growth
In 1972, Privateer Ltd. was formed by two employees with a focus on identical marking production for aerospace using a two-color Mark Andy Inc. flexographic press. Nearly a decade later, the Old Saybrook, CT-based company exceeded its original goals and was regularly producing work for the military as well. This transformed into label business for companies like General Dynamics and Pfizer. As word spread, Privateer’s label segment did as well and it formed relationships with Hyde Tool, Thermos, and Timex.
Privateer looked to expand its footprint further and did so in 2009 when it acquired Label One. In 2016, Label One/Privateer became part of the HP Mille family. The parent company—located in Syracuse, NY—is a world-class label provider for the pharmaceutical and related industries.
Today, LabelOne/Privateer houses main production resources in a 10,000 square foot facility manned by 16 employees manufacturing and supplying pressure-sensitive tapes, labels, and tags. This work spans multiple markets including food and beverage, health and beauty, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and aviation. “Our employees are hard working, talented individuals dedicated to customer satisfaction. Capitalizing on over 60 years of combined experience, Label One/Privateer utilizes the latest technology to produce tapes and labels to meet our diversified customer requirements,” states Sherri Schweitzer, operations manager, Label One/Privateer.
Digital Pairings
As a custom label house, digital printing was appealing back when it acquired its first digital press in 2009—an HP Inc. Indigo. “We do many custom runs with multiple copy changes. Customization is vital in many of our markets. Digital printing makes this super affordable,” says Schweitzer.
Digital hits all of these points and more. With goals of cutting costs through reduced setup times and waste, maintaining quality, and eliminating prepress and plates to shorten lead times, it made sense to commit to digital printing. “Avoiding added expenses and getting a superb final product is appealing to our customer base, a large part of which are small businesses on a tight budget,” she admits.
Digital comprises about 23 percent of Label One/Privateer’s overall label work. It’s a fast-growing segment of its business. To meet demand, the company relies on a Mark Andy Digital Pro 3 for pressure-sensitive label requests. The printer is an inline hybrid with two flexographic stations and roll-to-roll die cutting. Adding flexographic inks as well as finishing inline to eliminate a second piece of finishing equipment on the shop floor were two reasons the press was chosen.
“We were excited to add flexographic inks and coatings, as many of our jobs require ultimate opacity on clear substrate and could have spot colors that are hard to achieve in CYMK. An added plus is finishing inline, eliminating an additional finisher. We are also able to sheet labels inline that we have digitally produced, something we could not do before,” explains Schweitzer.
Work completed on the Mark Andy Digital Pro 3 includes labels for craft beer brewers, wine vineyards, and olive oil importers. “These products are often run in batches, each small and unique. Digital printing allows us to be flexible and create small lots of labels economically, with impeccable quality,” she notes.
In these instances—as well as many others, the final label product needs to be “sturdy, attractive, and able to dispense easily from automatic application equipment,” says Schweitzer. To achieve this, one of the company’s go-to materials is a prime paper 60# semigloss from Acucote Inc.
“The face is high quality and shows off the complex graphics and high color saturations. The material is easily converted on all of our presses, digital and flexographic alike. We use this same facestock across every market in our portfolio with the same strong track record of suitability and performance,” she explains.
When a label application might be exposed to a moist environment, Label On/Privateer will consider lamination. Many times, the lamination is used for aesthetic purposes, for example a gloss overlaminate to add pop or a matte overlaminate to convey a higher end elegance. The business uses a 1-mil self-wound polypropylene on many labels that necessitate lamination. Schweitzer says this is because self-wounds are economical and easy to convert at high speeds.
Affordable and Attractive Solutions
With a digital option in house, the team at Label One/Privateer has the flexibility to produce quality labels quickly and economically. “We are able to provide affordable solutions to our customers to help them grow their businesses through attractive and effective labeling options,” shares Schweitzer.
When questions arise, there is thankfully Mark Andy’s service and support team to reach out to. The custom label house works closely with the manufacturer to come up with solutions to meet customers’ unique needs and identity opportunities for improvement. Knowing this resource is at their disposable is satisfying, according to Schweitzer.
Oct20201, Industrial Print Magazine