Screen L350UV

Chasing the Three Foot Effect: Episode 3

Streaming Labels on the Screen Truepress

In part 1 and part 2 of Chasing the Three Foot Effect, Chicago-based Church Street Brewing Company decided on digital printing as the most cost-effective means of producing short run labels for the soft launch of its latest offering at Labelexpo in Rosemont, Illinois in early September. With demanding job specs that included spot colors, metallics, and laser-trimming, the job was destined for a Screen Truepress L350UV. The two earlier editions of this story shared some of the workflow and prepress details that were ably handled by Hybrid Software and GMG Color. Now we take a look at the press.

Non-stop UV Printing

The Screen Trupress Jet L350UV was selected for its speed, range of substrates, image quality and durability, and ability to run both CMYK and white UV inks. After all, the label not only had to be compelling to shoppers, it had to stand up to refrigeration and being stuffed into ice-filled coolers and still look great. UV ink on the right substrate can do that and the Truepress was determined to be the right digital press for the job.

The Screen Truepress L350UV is a roll-to-roll UV inkjet press designed with labels and packaging in mind. It uses a 3 picoliter drop to provide crisp, sharp images with smooth transitions, making it an excellent choice for top quality, retail-ready labels. Any label converter will be familiar with the range of substrates the L350 UV can run, including paper, metallic foils, transparent films, polypropylenes and polyethylenes. In fact, most materials used on a flexo press can run on the Screen L350UV. This made it an ideal choice for Church Street’s new labels, which were printed on a metallic foil using CMYK and white UV inks to deliver the “pop” needed to maximize the three-foot effect. Equally important, the UV inks provided the durability needed without top coating or laminating; steps often required on labels produced on other digital presses.

Profitable reprinting

For most converters, accurate consistent color is critical, and optimizing control over this process is key to efficiency and productivity. Then, with color under control, reliable, accurate reprinting of previously printed materials can be a profitable part of a converter’s business. However, re-calibrating a digital or conventional press to a predictable baseline can be a complex and time consuming process, slowing turnarounds and eroding potential profits. And since virtually all label and packaging jobs are created digitally, it makes both operational and business sense to manage jobs’ color digitally throughout the print production process.

The end-to-end process used for Church Street’s labels, from design to Hybrid Software’s workflow to GMG color management to the Screen Truepress saved time, reduced labor, and ensured that every element of the label was produced accurately. For Church Street Brewing Company, the result was superior quality short-run label production that made sure each label, down to the finest detail, was ready to stake out Church Street’s place on retail shelves.

Be sure to read the third installment of the white paper recounting the entire process or get the complete, three-part paper at Labelexpo. And also don’t miss out on sampling Church Street Brewing Company’s latest offering in Anderson & Vreeland’s Booth #929 at the show.

Screen L350UV