Yorkshire printer Crown Labels has replaced a previous generation Domino N610i inkjet press for the latest N730i press from the same supplier. This has been installed alongside another N610i.
The new machine is both faster and thanks to Brother 1200dpi print heads, offers higher quality than the 600dpi heads in the earlier technology platform.
Crown Labels director Tom Hardy says: “When we saw the quality of the N730i, the higher resolution, and the faster speeds, it was a complete no-brainer for us. The gradations are beautifully printed, the text reversals are finer and everything we have seen from the new machine has been superb. It takes us to the next level and boosts our production capacity.”
The new press also runs with additional violet and orange inks to extend the gamut its inkjet presses can address.
Crown has grown revenue from digital printing since installing its first Domino press in 2019. At that time the company derived 20% of sales from digital production. A second Domino press was installed in 2022. Today that share from digital is 65%. Its first digital press, an Epson, had been installed in 2015.
“For many applications, we have found digital production to be more competitive than flexo. We have significantly improved lead times and we can begin production almost immediately without the lengthy makeready processes associated with traditional printing methods,” says Hardy.
It says that digital has enabled it to cope with smaller batch numbers and a proliferation in the number of skus customers need. It will deliver digitally printed labels in two to four days and from five to six working days for flexo and foiled labels.
Hardy’s father Mike started Crown Labels in 1989 and it operates from a factory between Rotherham and Sheffield. Customers are split between end users and trade, from white label supply to print managers and brokers.
