International Label & Printing, a Chicago-area converter of labels and package printing, has continued to grow its label printing capabilities with the December 2017 installation of the CEI BossJet powered by Domino hybrid press.

Mark Turk, president and CEO at International Label & Printing says, “Inline operation of printing and finishing, and the ability to run multiple webs, pre-and-post coatings when necessary, foiling, and two-sided printing, were some of the reasons for investing in this hybrid press. We have the press configured with two UV flexo print stations (one before the Domino N610i and one after). We have a rail system with a cold foil tower with unwind and rewind, which will allow us to run wet lamination or lamination with a liner. There is also a second matrix take up unit, a turn bar, and a second unwind and take-up unit for running multiple webs, as well as a sheeting stacker/conveyor for running roll-to-sheet applications.”

International Label & Printing plans to run a variety of substrates on the new press. “Anything that is manufactured on a roll,” says Turk. “Part of the decision-making process to go this route was to have the ability to run unsupported films. There are many small-quantity applications that large wide-web printers have asked us to produce. Now we can, while also featuring some of the sharpest, most opaque white printing in the industry today.”

International Label & Printing took its first step into digital printing a few years ago when it purchased a five-color (CMYK+W) Domino N610i digital UV inkjet label press to help off-load some of its shorter-run, multiple SKU label jobs from its flexo presses onto the Domino. However, having the digital asset helped in ways they never imagined. “After a year of having the Domino press, we thought our flexo business would drastically decline because of that. We were taking jobs off those presses. The exact opposite has happened. We’ve never been busier flexo-wise since we’ve gotten the digital, so it has really opened up a lot of business for us on the flexo side.”

Domino has launched its 7-color digital UV inkjet version (CMYKOV+W) of the N610i. The idea of expanded gamut, more printing and finishing capabilities, and having the entire process inline propelled International Label & Printing to take its next step with the installation of CEI BossJet powered by Domino.

“The extended gamut feature and new ink system from Domino have proven to be even better than advertised. The print quality on jobs is much sharper and shows much more detail. We are very impressed,” adds Turk. “We allow potential Domino customers to see our machine in action. The Domino demo room and training facility is great and the folks there do a terrific job, but as a buyer, I also wanted to see this machine in an industrial setting and it made a huge difference. I just hope they don’t sell any around my area until after I retire.”

“We have had outstanding service from Domino. The staff not only services our unit, but also educates us, which helps to keep the machine running properly. We have received excellent training and this has been an ongoing process as new developments and techniques are introduced. Everyone, and I mean everyone, from Domino has been great to work with and extremely helpful. We had several people from Domino here on a recent Saturday to help us with a difficult job—unheard of. We all thought it would be a quick-fix and we would be done in an hour. It ended up taking all day and into the night…nearly until midnight. They were right here with us the whole way. You don’t forget things like that.”

This year, International Label & Printing is celebrating its 25th year in business.