Bluetree is investing in label production to catch the rising interest in stickers from both trade customers buying through Route 1 Print and Instantprint direct websites.
The business has upgraded to a HP Indigo 6K roll label press matched with a Digicon Lite unit from AB Graphic. It has previously relied on a Konica Minolta 230 labels press and smaller finishing line. And further finishing technology is on the cards as the company builds on what has been a £1 million investment spree.
The addition of roll label production is accompanied by print on five substrates: a 55gsm white polypropylene material, a 70gsm Vellum uncoated, a 90gsm textured paper, a 47gsm gloss silver polypropylene and a 52gsm gloss clear polypropylene.
The service supports standard geometric shapes and bespoke designs. These do not need an additional cutter file as an AI application will automatically generates the necessary instruction set. This will eliminate a cause of fraction for clients and their customers.
However, while the Indigo can print with additional colours, the press in Rotherham will be restricted to CMYK only. A sample collection is available for clients.
Head of Route 1 Print, Jack Parks says: “We’re continuously investing in technology that allows our customers to offer more to their clients. The addition of the Indigo 6K and ABG ensures we can deliver the quality, flexibility and turnaround times that today’s market demands. These machines are already up and running and delivering exceptional results for our customers, and with our newest addition on the way, this is only the beginning.”
The business has started to add HP Indigo’s robots for moving pallets of material around the vast plant and has become one of the first companies in Europe to install the Screen TPJ560HDX continuous inkjet press. Last year it installed a Cobalt single-pass inkjet printer to print branded paper bags.
For the moment stickers and labels are in the spotlight, though not yet one of the highlighted products on on the Route 1 Print home page.
