It’s no secret that color is a powerful communicator. It can create moods, change feelings, and influence behaviors. One might not equate that to the world of industrial label printing, but it might be when it matters most, especially when safety is a factor.
Industrial labels can be used in different applications but require similar properties – durability, printability, and conformability. Like Indafor’s KIMDURA® and ENDURA® brands of labels for harsh environments, these face stocks are explicitly designed to perform in some of the toughest conditions and maintain their integrity through it all.
Bonny Rindahl, Commercial Label Product Manager at Epson, says, “In the world of chemical drum labels, GHS requirements outline the need for color-coded pictograms to communicate hazard messaging. Food and beverage labels can indicate important nutritional value, allergens that might be present, or critical use-by and expiration dates. Medical and pharmaceutical labels communicate essential messaging about the product, including potentially life-saving information around organ donation and transportation. Even the burgeoning cannabis industry uses durable labels made to withstand smudging from handling. These labels do a lot of heavy lifting.”
Color….Works
Epson understands the value of industrial labeling and the importance of conveying information in an attention-getting manner, using color. However, until recently, getting color imagery on labels was a laborious process. Labels had to be pre-printed by an outside vendor, and the variable information added at the time of production using a secondary printer. Then you may be faced with the risk of a change on the pre-printed blanks and your inventory becoming obsolete as a result—a costly and time-consuming multi-step process.
Epson’s commercial color label printers tackled the main pain points of a multi-step printing process and the risk of obsolete inventory for their B2B customers by introducing print-on-demand digital solutions. Their durable equipment helps reduce labeling costs and allows customers to customize to the size, content, and color they want- eliminating the lead time, improving operational efficiency and flexibility, and reducing errors.
When they introduced their C6000 series printers in 2020, Epson brought this technology to the warehousing and manufacturing industries. Their new inkjet printers have the main functionalities of the thermal transfer printers predominantly used in these organizations, but they can also print color. Like thermal transfer printers, Epson’s inkjet printers can accept ZPL language and integrate with major labels software programs such as BarTender®, Loftware®, and CodeSoft ®.
“The customer wanted more control over their shipping labeling, chemical drum labeling, and labeling for picking at the warehouse. Safety and regulatory requirements change all the time. They needed to be able to change labels and signage on the fly. Being able to print the labels themselves and add color in real-time was just the icing on the cake,” says Rindahl.
Better Together
Indafor can continuously improve our label offering through a solid partnership with Epson to benefit the shared customer further. Understanding the environment where the printers and labels are being used allows Indafor to add print receptive coatings to the label media designed around specific ink sets to prevent various issues.
Says Katelyn Marianetti, Label Product Manager for Indafor, “Having a partnership with Epson is invaluable. When developing our label products, like the new KIMDURA Inkjet TW, they will test in their lab and provide immediate feedback. This process allows us to modify our designs to ensure they perform with Epson inks and technology. They remove any guesswork, and our customers get the best-performing label media available for their printers and applications.”
Concludes Rindahl, “Our customers want to make sure when they are buying our equipment that they have the appropriate media to go with it. They need a durable label to match their durable equipment. Indafor’s KIMDURA is the standard that our customer base turns to for media, especially in the chemical market where durability, printability, and conformability is key.”