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Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Sustainable Label Production

Does your company have sustainability goals?  Are you concerned about sustainability?
Sustainable Label Production
Sustainable Label Production

If the company wants to use environmentally sustainable methods of production, you may want to review your labeling process.  This post outlines how changing one type of labeling method may make your labeling process much more environmentally friendly and help meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

On-Demand Color Label Sustainability
On-Demand Color Label Sustainability

Epson, working with Smitherscompared the environmental impact from 4 different label printing strategies:

  • Commercially printed labels
  • Inhouse Thermal Transfer printed labels
  • Commercially printed “Shell” labels with variable data added with a thermal transfer printer
  • Inhouse On-Demand color inkjet labels

These 4 different printing methods would seem to account for the vast majority of labels produced each year.  As you can imagine, these different methods produce a different impact on the environment.  Epson published this paper outlining how on-demand color inkjet printing offers a more sustainable method for producing labels. 

And get the report by Smithers here:

Label Sustainability Comparison
Label Sustainability Comparison

This study concludes that by moving to on-demand color inkjet labels, companies would make major progress toward printing labels in a sustainable method and reaching the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.



Especially SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
Inkjet printers are a far less energy intensive process


SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Inkjet printers can reduce waste of materials and stock obsolescence 


And SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Inkjet printing reduces waste materials significantly (ribbons)

Let me tell you how changing your labeling process makes your company more sustainable in 3 key areas.

Energy

Inkjet Energy Savings
Inkjet Energy Savings

Energy consumption differences between the different label printing methods are extreme. On-demand color inkjet uses approximately only 1% of the energy to print labels compared to commercially printed labels or commercial plus thermal transfer printed labels.  In fact, Smithers calculates that if the European market would move from these commercial/thermal transfer methods of label production to on-demand color, the energy savings would power 95,960 homes for 1 year.

Inkjet Energy Savings
Inkjet Energy Savings

As the economy of the United States is approximately 1.38X larger than the European Union, the energy savings would be even larger here.  Therefore, moving from commercially printed “shell” labels with thermal transfer variable data to inkjet labels would save enough energy to power probably over 132,000 homes for 1 year.  The energy savings is significant by moving to on-demand color. For me, this energy savings is the most important aspect as it enables reduced CO2 impact from labels.

Waste

Inkjet Label Waste Savings
Inkjet Label Waste Savings

For Jacob Kallergis, Product Manager for Epson Europe, label waste is most important.  You may remember my recent post on food certifications based on information provided by Jacob.

According to Jacob, “I find the amount of waste from preprinted and thermal transfer labels as most important. When trying to save and reduce costs, wasted labels are usually one of the elements most companies ignore when doing a cost analysis.”  25,264 soccer fields of wasted labels each year sounds terrible.  In the United States, this number would exceed probably 30,000 soccer fields.

Wasteful Label Inventory
Wasteful Label Inventory

According to the Smithers study, up to 11% of preprinted labels are wasted; from start up, make ready or misprints.  Further, preprinted label inventory obsolescence is a major waste factor, with Smithers reporting that up to ½ of stock labels for certain brands go bad each year.

Ink And Consumables

Thermal Ribbon Waste
Thermal Ribbon Waste

In addition to energy consumption and label waste differences, ink and consumables represent another major difference between thermal transfer and inkjet label printers. For every square inch of labels printed by a thermal transfer printer, a square inch of wasted ribbon is produced.  In Europe, the equivalent of 41 double-decker buses of waste ribbons are produced each year.  And a lot of extra ink is wasted.  At the same time, Epson recycles a large number of inkjet cartridges; and so can you.  Read more here.

Looking at Storage & Transportation as well as Release Liner, Smithers found no real differences.  The entire label industry, however, must find ways to reduce the amount of liner wasted.

Inkjet CO2 Reduction
Inkjet CO2 Reduction

Overall, Smithers calculates that moving to On-Demand Color Labelling from Thermal Transfer and Commercial Printing in Europe would reduce CO2 emissions by 6.7 million tons.  And this number in the United States would be much higher; probably over 9 million tons.  In the report, Ciaran Little VP, Information Division from Smithers, says “On-demand inkjet color label printing is often now the most sustainable and operationally efficient choice.” 

When asked, why did Epson complete this project with Smithers, Jacob said, “It is our strategy to promote not only on-demand color labelling as a method for sustainable label production, but also increase awareness of this process overall.”  Further I asked Jacob, is this research and the finding believable? Jacob said, “Smithers carried out the analysis independently, using public available data. As Smithers is a reputable, independent organization, they have a great wealth of knowledge on labeling.   And their impartiality isn’t disputed. They work with most companies in the labeling industry, and would not want to risk their reputation.”

In the past, I’ve written many times about why and how to move away from thermal transfer to inkjet label printing. Recent posts include the following.




But the impact on sustainability seems to be the most logical and strongest reason to move from thermal transfer to inkjet label printing.  If you are an enterprise company with a sustainability program; and/or if you have banks of Zebra or other thermal transfer printers in manufacturing plants, distribution centers or warehouses; then consider moving to inkjet label printers.  You’ll help the environment; and help your company meet their sustainability goals.  Contact us if you want to print labels more sustainable.

Guy Mikel
855-962-7670

Sunday, October 17, 2021

Bringing Brands To Life

If your brand is important, I suggest you read how Old Smokey Distillery brought James Ownby Reserve Tennessee Straight Bourbon to life.

James Ownby Reserve Label

AmeriGraph Packaging, a division of our parent company, General Data, worked with Old Smokey Distillery and their design agency, Baker Associates to produce the label for their new brand.  Read this great story here.

James Ownby Reserve

Summarizing this story, I see three key aspects of this story.  First, the design from Baker to communicate the key aspects of the brand.  The story details the aspects the design team wanted from the label.

AmeriGraph's Indigo Press

Second, AmeriGraph’s ability to produce samples using unique materials and the new HP Indigo press. The Indigo is a digital machine, requiring no plates to print prime labels, shrink-sleeve and flexible packaging.  Learn about GDC’s purchase of the Indigo press here.

Watch GDC’s Indigo Press run here: 



Flexographic Press


Third, was the use of standard flexographic press to enable embossing to make the labels unique; and make the brand stand out.  Flexographic printing technology uses plates to imprint images across a wide range of surfaces/materials.  Overall, the team of Ole Smokey, Barker Associates and AmeriGraph worked together to produced an outstanding label that represented the brand perfectly.

In discussion with Paul Thompson, Vice President and General Manager of AmeriGraph, I asked, how long did this process last?  According to Paul, “From concept to final finished product, we took approximately 90 days. We completed several tests on the HP digital to prove out the print technologies we were suggesting to achieve the desired results.”  Man, this effort sounds like lots of work.

Also, I asked Paul about using the new Indigo press; specifically why? Paul said, “Actually, we ran the tests and proof of concepts on the digital press and we ran the actual production run on the flexographic press. The customer wanted to add embossing in addition to cold foil and textured varnish. In addition, the production quantity was best suited to flexo technology. Actually, a cool story to marry both print technologies to create the final product.”

You may remember that I’ve featured both AmeriGraph and Paul Thompson in earlier posts about shrink sleeve labels.

I do hope you read the story about the creation of the James Ownsby Reservelabels. Our colleagues at AmeriGraph did a great job.

If you need to create a new product with labels that truly reflect the brand, contact us and AmeriGraph.  We’ll produce the truly unique labels needed for your products.

Guy Mikel
855-962-7670

 
 

Sunday, October 10, 2021

Noticing/Remembering Labels

Do you care if people notice/remember your labels?


Seems to me that anyone using color in Brand Labels would answer this question with an emphatic YES.


But many labels (if not most in the global market) used currently are monochrome; so do these companies care if anyone remembers, recalls or even notices their labels?


Monochrome Shipping Label
Monochrome Shipping Label

Frankly, it seems like companies who use these types of labels don’t care if someone remembers, recalls or even notices these labels.  If they did, these companies would change the artwork to get better memory and recall.

In the monochrome, ~$4 billion worldwide barcode printer market, Zebra is the largest selling thermal manufacturer.  If you use a Zebra or any other thermal printer, do you care if anyone remembers, recalls, or notices your labels/

Companies who use these types of printers probably do print labels that matter; and improved recall or attention would support their business.

Influence Of Color On Memory Performance
Influence Of Color On Memory Performance


In the article, Influence of Color on Memory Performance, Color is believed to be the most important visual experience.  Further, Color helps us in memorizing certain information by increasing our attentional level as well as colors have the potential to attract attention. Therefore, it can be concluded that colors have the tendency to capture better attention level, and thus, better memory.  The bottom line:  Information that we pay more attention to is more likely to be remembered than the information that we ignore and do not pay attention to.

 

Monochrome Barcode Labels
Monochrome Barcode Labels


Recently, I wrote about replacing Zebra printer with a C6000A printer.

And about the potential for color-coded labels.

But many markets use thermal labels exclusively; and therefore, must not see the benefits of improved memory, recall and attention.  For example, Zebra list these markets as their primary targets:

Receiving Label
Receiving Label

Warehousing: Receiving, Put A-Way/Replenishment, Inventory Management, Packing/Staging, Cross Docking, Shipping, Reverse Logistics.

 

Food Traceability Label
Food Traceability Label


Manufacturing: Traceability, Asset Management, and solutions such as Food Safety and Pharmaceuticals.

Shelf Labels
Shelf Labels

Retail: Food/Beverage Labeling, Shelf Labeling

Prescription Label
Prescription Label

Healthcare: Patient ID Management, Pharmacy.

In all of these areas, color and or images even would improve attention to detail and increase attention. And increased attention would….

  • Reduce errors
  • Reduce costs
  • Increase customer satisfaction

All for little to no incremental cost.  For example, it is estimated that 2% of all shipping costs are from errors. With $1.49 trillion spent on shipping, reducing the billions of dollars of errors would seem easy to do by adding color to labels.  

In warehouses, each picking error costs between $12 and $15 each which adds incremental costs to warehousing errors.  

Further, medication errors cost more than $40 Billion in the United States alone.  Color would reduce these costs. 

Colorized ZPL
Colorized ZPL

Replacing your existing Zebra printers with a color label option along with changes to your label templates or software code (to add color, highlights, images, or other mnemonic devices) will achieve these benefits in valuable and large markets/applications.  And colorizingZebra Print Language (ZPL) is easy to do. 

If your company is using monochrome labels from a Zebra or other thermal transfer or direct thermal printer, I ask you to consider the potential benefits of adding color.  I’m convinced this decision will make you money and increase your customer’s satisfaction with your company and products.

Contact us if we can help you add color to your labels.

Guy Mikel
855-962-7670