MJBIZCON2019was a big success for Color Label Solutions, as we spoke with hundreds
of customers and prospects during the event.
MJBIZCON 2019 Booth
Although a lot of work, MJBIZCON gave us the opportunity to learn more
about our customers and prospect’s needs; and discuss what we’re offering.To those of you who missed the show, you may
find interesting what we covered with the people who visited our booth.
First, the QL-300.
QL-300
We printed a variety of materials: Silver Poly, Silver paper, gold paper, clear
film, grass paper, black paper and even hemp paper.
QL-300 Printed Silver Foil
And much of our artwork utilized white:
QL-300 Printed Black Paper
Many
of the visitors to our booth generally appreciated the appearance of these labels;
especially the printing on the different materials. Learn more about the QL-300 here.
Second, we discussed the new C6000 and C6500 printers that are coming beginning
in January, 2020.
C6500P
Many of our cannabis customers and prospects need the high print resolution
offered by the C6000 series;
4x6" Gloss Poly Label Printed with the C6000
combined
with the durable ink, service offerings and affordable price from Epson. We believe these new printers will fit many
of our customers. Learn more here:
If you use a LX900, LX1000, LX2000, VP485, VP495, or even a C3500/C831,
you should consider upgrading to the new C6500 printers. And if you use a Zebra thermal transfer
printer, consider using this printer for an easy move to print on-demand color
labels.
Purchase by the end of the month to qualify for the $1,000 rebate. These workhorse printers have never been less
expensive.
Finally, we showed people examples of our preprinted color labels;
produced both with analog and digital presses:
Preprinted Labels from Color Label Solutions
If you need labels printed, contact us.
MJBIZCON was a great success for us.
If you did not attend MJBIZCON, I hope you found this summary of what we
showed and discussed in our booth of value.
And if you attended and met with us, I hope this information acts as a
reminder of our discussion. Contact us
to learn more about any of these items; or discuss your label printing requirements
further.
“A High Level
Conversation” is a new podcast series powered by Delta9 Systems, the Cannabis
division of General Data Corporation, hosted by Chris Guthrie, General Manager.
I’ve written about Chris and Delta9 Systems in
the past. According to Ashley
Crosh, Marketing Manager for General Data and producer of this podcast, “our
goal of this podcast series is to gain credibility and visibility within the
cannabis industry.We’re combining our
expertise in data management and barcode systems with Chris’s in-depth
understanding of the cannabis business to elevate producers, processors and
retailers to a higher level.”
For their first episode,
they invited me on the show for a discussion of the critical labeling elements
within the cannabis market.It was the first
time that I’ve participated in the a podcast; and was a fun experience.Listen to the full episode here.
After participating in the podcast and listening to the final version,
I have three thoughts. First, I didn’t
know that Zebra would be featured; and I found the partner idea fantastic.
According to Ashley, “we
pitched Zebra on the idea of a podcast surrounding the impact of new
technologies within the cannabis industry.
We understood that Zebra wanted to pursue the cannabis vertical market;
and needed a strong partner/means to approach.
Zebra was very supportive sending an agency to our recording sessions to
help guide and support the process.” After
listening to the podcast, I believe getting Zebra involved was a great idea.
Second, I had a lot of
ideas on topics we could have explored during the episode after we completed
the recording. Dale Carnegie said, “There
are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you
practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.” Here are some of my thoughts:
Third, podcasts take a
lot of work to create. Now with over 260
blog posts, I understand the work involved in content creation. Ashley says, “A podcast series was an idea
that I thought Delta9 should pursue.
After discussing with my manager and Chris, I worked with my partners to
pursue the idea and create the content.
We now have 5 episodes released with more to come. Creating A High Level Conversation has been a
great learning experience for me.”
If you like this episode
(or want to hear someone besides me), visit the Delta9 Systems site.
Or visit Apple Podcasts,
Spotify or any of your other favorite podcast listening platforms and search
for “A High Level Conversation”. If you
like what you hear, please subscribe and leave them a nice review!
I’d appreciate your
feedback and comments on this episode and the series. Feel free to contact me with your comments.
Recently, I saw a new product that would seem to fit a lot of our
customers: the new Boxmate from Labelmate:
We've sold a lot of round bottle applicators;
and featured several in this blog.For
example, this work on integrating a color printer into an automatic label applicator:
But until now, we’ve not sold an easy to use, semi-automatic box label
applicator like the Boxmate.
According to Stuart Ripplinger, General Manager of Labelmate, “BOXMATE
Label Applicators enable you to consistently and accurately apply labels
automatically to a wide variety of flat-sided items, such as boxes, pouches,
and flat-sided bottles. In the past, automatic Label Applicators like this
could only be found for cylindrical items like bottles and tubes; but no
longer!With the BOXMATE by LABELMATE
you can reliably and effortlessly label all kinds of square and flat objects by
simply placing them on the conveyer and watching the machine do the work. Once
the conveyer is activated the label is applied at over 4.5″ per second, and
most objects are labeled in less than 4 seconds!”
Watch the Boxmate run in this video:
When I ask Stuart, who are the best candidates to use the Boxmate, Stuart
says, “BOXMATE Label Applicators are the ideal solution for anyone who needs to
apply labels to small and medium sized cartons, boxes, and any other type of
flat-sided object.” From my perspective,
I see cannabis, food, hardware and many retail-oriented companies as
perfect candidates for this inexpensive box labeler option.
The Boxmate comes in two sizes. First the Boxmate 610 for boxes up to 6”
wide, costs $3,500:
Second, the Boxmate 612 for boxes up to 12” wide, cost $3750:
Boxmate is a great new addition to our toolbox for customers who want
an affordable means to apply labels to boxes.
Contact us to purchase or learn more about this new tool.
For me the most interesting aspect of this year’s Label Expo was the
focus on Print On-Demand Color Flexible Packaging.We launched this capability at WestPack last year:
However, food safe packaging was not available; but now it is.
Foil-Lined, On-Demand Color Flexible Packaging
Now we can get fully air/water proof packaging with the foil-lined
material. 100% water and air tight; with
no migration of the ink through the packaging.
I see this material as key to the growth of this new market. Plus, this material seals well in both
horizontal and vertical filling/sealing equipment as seen in the Afinia booth:
The reason this equipment as in the Afinia booth as they launched new
equipment for this market: a L901 with a lamentation station with a cost of approximately
$30,000.
L901 with Lamination Station
Interesting enough, Trojan showed their new T2-L; made for this market
as well.
T2-L with Lamination Station
Trojan was the first to demonstrate this new capability using the first
of this new inkjet coated packaging material.You may remember this video from last fall:
Both companies have added the lamination station to insure the ink does
not transfer after printing from the front to the inside of the material during
rewinding. Once laminated, it is
impossible for the ink to come into direct food contact. If you would not want to laminate, it may be
possible to print and feed the material directly into the filler/sealer unit by
controlling the printer using the I/O interface on printers such as the T2-C:
T2-C I/O Interface
This new market excites me as the same drivers as the on-demand color
label business. Companies want to
eliminate large quantities of preprinted flexible packaging; as well as add
variable data or images to their products.
On-Demand Flexible Packaging makes this possible for the food and other
industries.
Besides On-Demand Flexible Packaging, I discovered one other unique new
product; from of all companies, Primera.
Primera launched the new printer/die cutter, the LX610.
Primera LX610 Print/Die-Cut
With this printer, you can print, then die cut labels in one pass:
X610 Print/Die Cut
Frankly, this printer is slow and the ink cost would appear to be
relatively high. Therefore, the LX610
would not fit production quantities.
However, I can imagine this printer working perfectly for prototypes and
very limited production quantities. The
LX610 is not available for sale as of yet.
One other new color label printer I saw was the QL-850.
QL-850 With Natura Ink
The QL-850 is an upgrade/fix of the previous printer, the QL-800. This printer is interesting given it uses the
more durable, Natura dye-based ink. It’s
a new generation of ink used in the T2-C.
Great print quality, interesting footprint/size. But this printer is relatively expensive at $13,000
and uses ink cartridges and not tanks. I’ll
need to do some further testing to see how this printer performs; but very interesting
option.
In addition to equipment, I saw two materials that were unique for the
on-demand color label business. First,
inkjet coated Tyvek.
Inkjet Coated Tyvek
In
the past, I’ve tried to print Tyvek; but it printed poorly and the ink
smeared. But this new inkjet coated
material prints beautiful. Tyvek doesn’t
tear and is very soft; Perfect for apparel tags and wristbands. And maybe even for durable rebar tags.
Second and in addition to the inkjet coated Tyvek, I saw behind the
glass labels.
Behind the Glass Labeling
My German friend has sold a lot of these labels into the Middle East to
print variable data on automobile parking stickers. According to him, these labels do not fade quickly given the window stops much of the UV light.Let me know if you have any interest/need for these types of labels.
Lastly, New Solution showed their new
additions to the NS Multi:
NS Multi Deionizer Unit
I’ve written a lot about the NS Multi in the past: the best available
print on-demand corrugated printer.
First, New Solution added a deionizer to remove particles from the
corrugated (see above). This addition helps extend the life of the printheads
and even the entire printer.Second, New
Solution added a larger vacuum to hold the material down better under the
platen.
NS Multi Vacuum Pump
These two additions should make the NS Multi more productive and
effective in printing corrugated on-demand.
I hope you find this summary of Label Expo 2019 of interest.Contact us if you want to discuss any of
these new capabilities further.
On Monday September 23rd, 2019 in Las Vegas at Pack Expo:
Epson C6000 Launch at Pack Expo
and Tuesday September 24th, 2019 in Brussels at Label Expo
Europe:
Epson C6000 Launch at Label Expo Europe:
Epson launched a new series of 4, on-demand color label printers to
their ColorWorks lineup; The C6000A (4” version with Automated Cutter), C6000P
(4” version with Peel/Present), C6500A (8” version with Automated Cutter), and
C6500P (8” version with Peel/Present).Read
the Epson press release here:
According to Epson, the C6000 series are the first color label printers
designed to replace black-only thermal transfer printers. Epson American has dubbed
them, “The Tough Guys”.
Epson C6500P
Having worked with these printers briefly, I see the following
capabilities that make the C6000 series great new additions to the on-demand
color labeling world.
First, the C6000 series offers up to 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution;
providing high resolution, print output comparable to preprinted labels. Higher print quality has been one of the
missing elements from earlier printers, especially in the wider print widths.
Second, Epson has decided to offer the C6000 series at a very
affordable price; under $4,000. From
$2,580 for the C6000A to $3,980 for the C6500P (all preliminary pricing).
With an 8” wide version at this price, we see a real fit with many of
our customers.
Third, the C6000P and C6500P come with a Peel
and Present capability, making labeling easier to do for operators. Now, operators
can send a large batch print job; and then pull each label from
the printer already peeled. No other
color label printer offers this capability.
Watch the Peel/Present function here:
Fourth, the C6000 offers Remote Printer Management, enabling
organizations to manage fleets of printers.
Checking consumable status, updating firmware, confirming errors, etc.
is possible from a central location using the C6000 series of
printers. No other color label printer
offers this capability.
Fifth, the C6000 enables integration with ZPL
(Zebra Print Language). This capability
enables organizations to use the C6000 as a “Plug & Play” option
for applications normally reserved for thermal transfer printers. Users can upload images that would
normally be preprinted; and then send the same ZPL to print colorized labels on
demand. Learn more about how I did this
process using the C7500:
Further, the C6000 series integrates with SAP “out-of-the-box”.
Sixth, the C6000 offers I/O capabilities to enable integration into
automated workflows. Now, automated
label applicators can be built to integrate these color label printers;
especially with the “First Out”, Peel and Present capability in the C6000P
and C6500P. No other color label
printers offer this combined capability.
Together, the third, fourth, fifth and sixth capability discussed here make
the C6000 series a good option for thermal transfer printers; especially thermal
transfer users with a large number of preprinted labels in inventory. These customers can print labels on-demand
versus keeping them in inventory. According
to Victor Gomez, Group Product Manager for Color Labels at Epson, “the ink
costs of printing labels with the C6000 are less than or only slightly more
than using a thermal transfer ribbon; especially after the increase in resin prices.”
According to Andy Scherz, senior product manager, Commercial Label
Printers, Epson America, Inc. “The new family of ColorWorks on-demand label
printers provides an easy transition for customers looking to make the switch
from black-only, thermal transfer printers, with similar media handling
capabilities, speed, features, and connectivity options.” With the launch of the C6000 series, thermal
transfer users should consider moving to these new, on-demand color label
printers.
Seventh, the C6000 printers now come with both MAC and Linux print
drivers. Over the past several years, a MAC
driver has been a very frequent request.
Many graphic designers use MAC’s; and now they can print labels directly
from their MAC Books.
Eighth, the C6000 offer “Spot Color Replacement”
option. Now in the C6000 driver,
operators can easily change the RGB color without changing the original
artwork. Further, advance users will be
able to upload ICC Color Profiles. ICC
Color Profile is a set of data that characterizes a color input or output
device, or a color space, according to standards promulgated by the
International Color Consortium (ICC).
No other desktop or benchtop color label printers offers this
capability.
Ninth, the C6000 series comes with the same durability and reliability
seen with both the C3500 and C7500 printers.
Further, Epson service offers both Spare in the Air (SITA) and On-Site
warranty; making these printers easier to use and to keep running.
LX2000 Color Label Printer
Combining
the points one, seven, eight and nine make the C6000 series a great alternative
to the LX900, LX910, LX1000, and the LX2000 from Primera. In the past, Primera printer’s higher print
quality has made them a good option; even with their higher ink costs. Read my earlier comparison of the C7500 to
the LX2000 here: https://colorlabelsondemand.blogspot.com/2017/09/lx2000-vs-c7500.html
LX900 Color Label Printer
Also, ink costs for the new C6000 printers are lower than Primera
printers. According to Jacob Kalleris,
Product Manager for Epson Europe, “Current Primera customers will save a significant
amount of money for ink by moving to the new C6000 printers.”
In addition to alternatives to thermal transfer and Primera printers,
the C6000 series printers offer users of other label printers a good
option. The most obvious replacement target
for the C6000 are users of the C831 printer.
C831 Color Label Printer
The C831 has performed well for chemical manufacturers to produce GHS
labels. Now the new C6500 (P or A
depending on the requirement for peel and present), makes printing GHS easier
to do (i.e. clearing any potential jams) and produces higher resolution print
quality. Plus, users will save money on
their labels as the C6500 doesn’t require pin-feed media. Moving to the C6500 from the C831 should be
an easy decision for most users.
C3500 Color Label Printer
Besides the C831, certain users of the C3500 should consider upgrading
to the C6000P. The C6000P will offer
higher print quality, peel & present and Fleet Management capability. With these three advantages, many C3500
printer users should upgrade to the C6000.
Overall, the new C6000 and C6500 label printers offer users
several very key benefits. If you
currently use the C831 printer, a C3500 printer, one of the Primera desktop
printers (LX900, LX910, LX1000, and the LX2000) or a thermal transfer printer
who wants to colorize their print output, consider upgrading to one of the new
C6000 printers. Epson says we can begin
shipping the C6000 printers by January. Watch
our store for when we start taking orders for the C6000 printers:
Shortly, we will receive a demo C6000 printer; therefore, look for more
testing commentary from us.
If you are interested in learning more about the C6000 printer for your
operation, contact us. We look forward
to working with you to see how these exciting new color label printers fit your
operation.
