Short runs, big impact: Meeting the demand for label personalization and versioning
Today’s label market is dynamic and fast-paced – and the pressure is on for converters. Brand owners are increasingly demanding short-run, high-impact label solutions that offer personalization and versioning capabilities, so agility becomes key. From limited edition products to regional variations and seasonal promotions, the ability to deliver these solutions quickly and efficiently has become a key competitive advantage for label converters.
The growing need for agility
Personalization is one of the ways brands connect with consumers on a more direct level, so it’s vital that label converters can deliver shorter runs with fast turnaround, without compromising on quality or color consistency.
Versioning has also become increasingly important as brands seek to optimize their marketing strategies across different demographics, regions, or sales channels. Whether it’s language variations for international markets, different promotional codes for tracking campaign effectiveness, or seasonal messaging that changes throughout the year, versioning enables brands to fine-tune their packaging. With advances in digital printing technology, what was once logistically complex and cost-prohibitive has become streamlined and economically viable.
The challenge for most is that today, labels need to do more than ever before. High-performing brands look for labels that can inform users, attract customers, ensure security, track products through complex supply chains, meet sustainability goals, and be produced with minimal notice. Advanced digital printing technology has emerged as the key enabler for meeting these evolving market demands.
The benefits of the All-in-One platform DIGITAL MASTER series
BOBST’s All-in-One DIGITAL MASTER series exemplifies the evolution in label production technology, offering total versatility for short-run production without compromising quality or efficiency. The DIGITAL MASTER series provides a fully digitalized and automated production line, from printing to embellishment and die-cutting, based on a modular and upgradeable architecture that enables customers to build their own press and evolve it over time.
Reaching speeds of 100 m/min at full native resolution of 1200 dpi, in four or six colors plus optional digital white, the DIGITAL MASTER series bridges the gap between traditional digital and flexo machines. Available in both 340 mm and 510 mm print widths, these presses offer exceptional versatility, handling standard labels, larger industrial applications, highly embellished labels and more.
The DIGITAL MASTER series enables label converters to confidently enlarge their job basket, including the most challenging requests for personalization and versioning. With setup times measured in minutes rather than hours, the technology makes small batch production economically viable even at quantities previously considered unprofitable.
What truly sets contemporary label production apart is the ability to combine multiple processes in a single pass. BOBST’s All-in-One solutions integrate digital printing, embellishment, die-cutting and quality control on the same machine, delivering ready-to-ship labels in one pass, and in one seamless workflow. This approach eliminates idle time between processes and reduces complexity, ensuring faster turnaround and accelerating time-to-market – critical factors for versioned or personalized labels tied to time-sensitive marketing campaigns.
Each print, embellishment and finishing module is digitally automated for exceptionally high uptime, low waste, and outstanding repeatability regardless of the operator’s skills. The modular platform can be configured to specific requirements and upgraded over time as needs evolve, protecting converters’ investments while enabling them to adapt to changing market demands.
Inline inspection for labels with consistent production quality
When producing multiple versions of the same label, consistency becomes paramount. BOBST’s proprietary ACCUCHECK system is a solution for inline quality control in label production. Consider that everything starts with millions of ink drops produced by hundreds of thousands of nozzles, when printing a label with inkjet technology. If just one nozzle malfunctions, it could result in thousands of defective or imperfect labels at production speeds of up to 100m per minute. This has the potential to generate vast quantities of waste. ACCUCHECK addresses this challenge by providing a fully integrated, inline quality control system. It delivers automatic calibration and 100% inline inspection, ensuring minimal production waste, avoiding costly reprints, reducing dependence on highly skilled operators and maximizing machine productivity.
A connected future
The future of label production is increasingly connected through digital workflows. BOBST Connect, the company’s cloud-based platform, enables label converters to monitor production in real-time, track job progress, and analyze performance trends. In turn, this offers crucial information for optimizing productivity, eliminating waste and boosting competitiveness.
By embracing the four pillars of BOBST’s vision – connectivity, digitalization, automation and sustainability – label converters can position themselves to capitalize on the growing demand for personalization and versioning, transforming short-run production from a necessary challenge into a profitable opportunity.
As brands continue to seek new ways to stand out in crowded markets, label converters equipped with the right technology, such as those developed by the expert team at BOBST and its PL Label division, will be ideally positioned to deliver the agility, quality and innovation their customers demand, turning short runs into big impacts that drive business growth.