Amherst Label recently received an assist from All Printing Resources (APR), as process training and equipment helped the label converter achieve Graphic Measures International (GMI) certification.

Amherst Label, located in Milford, NH, is a family-owned and operated label printer that has thrived for the past 43 years. Amherst is a manufacturer of custom labels, decals, tags and flexible packaging, specializing in flexographic, digital, and screen printing, along with flexible packaging and specialty printing. Amherst serves a wide variety of customers in diverse segments such as industrial, housewares, specialty foods, medical devices, beverages, cannabis and nutraceuticals.

Amherst Label had an opportunity to bring on a new customer in the housewares segment as long as it was able to provide GMI certification. GMI certification is a process that holds packaging suppliers accountable to established brand owner color standards. Companies like Home Depot, Target, CVS and Walgreens only work with GMI-certified printers to ensure that their packaging looks consistent all over the world.

As Amherst Label hadn’t had any formal color management training and didn’t have the necessary equipment for GMI certification, the converter turned to APR for help with both the process and the necessary equipment.

Amherst turned to APR because of a long-term relationship with Doug Bartlett, business development and technical support for APR, whom the company had known through his many years in the industry. Since joining APR in mid 2020, Bartlett had been working with Amherst to install a SupplySentry RFID-managed inventory system.  SupplySentry is a supply management system that can be used for almost any plate-room or pressroom consumable. Supplies are placed in a RFID-enabled area (e.g. shelf, cabinet or full inventory managed room). All products are shipped from APR with an RFID tag, and the area keeps track and automatically reorders supplies. Amherst now purchases tapes, blades and other supplies through APR and SupplySentry. 

APR provides formal training for color management as GMI and other customer-driven color and print quality systems. Printers are increasingly being driven to use these tools to manage color and provide traceable quality and consistency with color in both conventional and digital printing.

According to Hornor, “APR’s service with SupplySentry has been amazing, and we knew Doug had a broad background in color and broad expertise, so we turned to them with this new challenge.”

To remedy the situation, Bartlett spoke with Jim Cutler, operations manager at Amherst Label, on a Tuesday and recommended that the company order a spectrophotometer, which was delivered on Thursday of the same week. The spectrophotometer is a very sensitive device that accurately measures color and generates spectral data that can be used to compare to given targets/standards. It is critical to color management as the tool to capture this color data and guide the printer in dialing in the color to match given targets. 

Bartlett notes, “In the case of GMI there are very specific color targets to match, and Amherst needed the spectrophotometer to measure and test samples as they printed them so they could be adjusted until they met GMI requirements. It really gave them confidence that their submissions would pass.”

Amherst Label received online training for the spectrophotometer from Techkon on Friday the same week. Bartlett went in and worked with Amherst’s prepress/digital print supervisor and the press operator the following Monday. 

Hornor says, “APR’s quick response helped us to meet the timeline requested by our customer.  APR assisted us in the training, installation and actual measurements needed to complete the certification.”

With APR’s guidance and Amherst’s press time, the converter was able to submit the necessary samples to GMI and was certified the following week.  Hornor notes, “This was a team effort between APR and Amherst Label to accomplish a goal in a very short period of time. Our customer was pleased with our communication during the process, so they understood our timeline and appreciated our efforts to complete the process quickly.”

This new capability gives Amherst Label the ability to gain business previously unattainable without the GMI certification. Hornor notes that in the past, “… we did not have the ability to work with other customers who may require GMI certification. The process will start over for the new projects, but now we have the ability to complete the necessary steps for new customers.”

He concludes, “APR was great to work with, expedited the process for us as well as supplied us with the knowledge and equipment needed to move through the process.  We appreciate the partnership, which is part of our Painted Picture and vision for our company.”

Amherst Label was founded in 1978 by Nicholas Calvetti, a successful sales person and longtime service-oriented entrepreneur. Within two years, business was booming and Nick Sr. asked his son Nick to join the firm. Nick Calvetti, Jr., has been running Amherst Label since his father’s untimely death in 1981.

Twenty years ago, Nick was joined by the next generation of Calvetti, his daughter Angela, and her husband, Nye Hornor. After his graduation from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2015, the third Nicholas, Nicholas Kepka Calvetti, joined Amherst Label.