Longtime flexographic shop Triangle Label, based in West Chester, OH, USA, is reporting production savings in the first year since it invested in a Screen Truepress Jet L350UV inkjet label press.

Triangle followed the lead of its parent company, BGR, Inc., in setting high standards of quality. This led the company to seek out ways to reduce costs and increase flexibility.

“The L350 has exceeded our expectations,” says operations manager Scott Kneer. “We thought initially that 15,000 feet would be our sweet spot. With the Screen, we have run over 100,000 feet and 3.6 million labels on one order. We are able to run much more material now.”

The L350 gives Triangle the versatility its customers require. “One of the biggest selling points with the L350 is that we do not have to top coat. We just run it and achieve good adhesion results,” Kneer adds.

Traditional flexo printing calls for time-intense makeready and clean up. “Up-time versus down-time is a major plus with the L350 compared to flexo,” plant manager Tom Hagedorn said. “The setup time has gone from two to four hours down to 10 minutes for both set up and clean up. Labor savings has been by far one of our biggest benefits. We have reduced setup and waste. With the L350 digital inkjet technology, you don’t have to mount plates or clean up ink. We’ve seen a huge savings on material as well.”

“The Screen is very versatile,” says Kneer. “We have many products that call for multiple SKUs. Our intended label market niche is pretty wide open. We have lots of craft beer and craft food, for example. Some products call for 30-40 SKUs of the same size. The L350 has given us multiple opportunities to land that type of business. As a result, our retail end has taken off.”

Triangle first experienced digital three-and-a-half years ago with a desktop unit. “Within six months, we knew that digital was more cost-effective than flexographic. A year later, we started our search for a larger press. Our team members made a unanimous decision for Screen,” Kneer continues. “We’ve never looked back.”

“There have been no major service or quality issues either,” Hagedorn concludes. “We’re very happy with the L350.”