South Florida-based ProLabel founder Ramon Fernandez said he began to eye a digital presses as a result of customers increasingly looking for shorter runs and faster turnarounds than those offered by flexo technology, with its lengthy plate processing and make-ready times.

"I took an exhaustive look at what was available on the market, travelling across the US to see for myself what could satisfy ProLabel's customer base," Fernandez said. "I needed a digital press that, once installed, I wouldn't have to worry about a thing. That's when I found the Xeikon 3030. This press delivers high-quality labels in a much shorter timeframe than what we were used to."

The Xeikon 3030 can handle web widths of up to 13 inches to meet growing demand.  

In an interview with PrintWeek, Xeikon North America President Michael Ring said: "In North America, commercial printers were the early adopters of digital technology as an alternative to the cut-sheet lithography. In flexo printing, it was not adopted as readily, but we are seeing it happen in the last two or three years."

He added that many of the barriers to digital in the flexo world are starting to fall away.

"In the flexo world it’s not cut sheet, it’s rolls and Xeikon being the only roll digital press before Indigo added their machine to get into this space, it was a slow industry for technology adoption."

He also said printers specializing in labels and packaging companies are also responding to a shift by brand managers. "Marketers are doing less marketing materials and putting a lot more focus on the actual packaging," he added.

"The customer’s point of reckoning occurs on the aisle when they make the decisions, so brand owners are really starting to put a lot more focus on their packaging and labels."