Irish trade printer JR Labels has invested in a Mark Andy Digital Pro MAX hybrid press to support growing demand for short-run label work.

The move builds on the company’s early adoption of hybrid technology, having installed Ireland’s first Mark Andy Digital One toner/flexo press in 2017. Nearly a decade later, that press remains in daily production, but increased demand for digital jobs prompted the need for greater speed and capacity.

Founded in 1978, JR Labels remains a family-run business, now led by third-generation owner Robbie Carson. The company has followed a strategy of measured investment — largely with Mark Andy equipment — to keep pace with evolving market demands, particularly the shift toward shorter runs.

“Digital One showed us what a hybrid could do in one pass,” says Carson. “As demand for digital work grew, we knew toner/flexo hybrid was the right way to go.”

The DPro MAX features CMYK plus white dry toner and runs at speeds up to 39 m/min across a range of substrates, including paper, BOPP, PET, PP, vinyl and foil. The press also includes two flexo stations for coating, lamination or cold foil, along with a semi-rotary die station and a bypass mode that allows operation with or without the digital engine.

General manager David Duffy says the press integrates easily into JR Labels’ existing workflow. “It’s very much a label printer’s machine, so if you’re used to narrow web flexo, it’s an easy crossover. The color management is also fantastic,” he says.

With both flexo and digital capabilities in-house, JR Labels can route jobs to the most efficient platform, supported by interchangeable tooling across its Mark Andy fleet.

Mark Andy UK & Ireland sales manager Antony Coton notes that JR Labels was an early adopter of single-pass hybrid production. “With the DPro MAX, they’ve added both capacity and capability in response to current market trends,” he says.

JR Labels produces a wide range of self-adhesive labels across food & beverage, chemicals, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, supplied on rolls or sheeted as required.