Stouse, LLC, a New Century, KS-based specialty printer and manufacturer of labels and custom folding carton packaging, is expanding its label printing capacity with the HP Indigo 6K digital press to deliver on increased demand for roll labels and other customized applications. 

The Kansas City-area company has just completed the installation of two new HP Indigo 6K presses, the new-generation, narrow web press delivering higher productivity and print quality as its business experiences an upswing in demand for roll labels for a wide variety of applications.  

“Upgrading our existing Indigo roll label press and adding capacity with a second installation has substantially increased our ability to serve our customers’ demand for sophisticated applications,” explains Sarah Hibit, vice president of operations at Stouse.  “We rely on our partners at HP to provide solutions that help drive revenue growth and productivity gains, and they really delivered.”

Stouse began as an HP Indigo provider with the HP Indigo s2000 industrial specialty press, later adding Indigo sheetfed printing capacity with two press installations, including the Indigo 7900 installed last year.  The company has constructed two “Digital Printing Studio” rooms with advanced temperature and humidity controls to house its growing Indigo fleet.  

“Our vast experience with adhesives and specialty substrates supports our strategy of being a custom solution partner,” says Hibit. 

For example, Stouse has developed a multi-layer “peel and reveal” label that enables customers to deliver extra layers of information, promotions, and leave-behinds on labels.  Stouse takes advantage of HP’s advanced color management on press to ensure customer specifications are achieved perfectly every time.

The HP Indigo 6K digital press is the new model of the high-versatility HP Indigo 6000 series. The press introduces Spot Master, HP Indigo’s next-generation color automation technology, delivering fast time to brand colors with enhanced color quality and uniformity.

The press features a built-in HP Indigo Production Pro for Labels and Packaging Print Server delivering five times more RIP power than previous generations. Additionally, the HP Indigo 6K digital press can deliver more applications using higher opacity white for shrink sleeves, new inks including metallics, fluorescents, invisible red and green for brand protection applications, and new varnishes from leading partners for higher durability.