Having run two TrueVis VG-540s since 2017, the Boston, Lincolnshire outfit has now replaced one with a VG2-540, which was commissioned as of Monday (29 April). It will be used for short runs of printed labels with a typical 24-hour turnaround.

After visiting the Roland DG stand at Sign & Digital 2019 in Birmingham, where the new VG2 family made its debut, the Stickylabels team decided to place an order at the show.

Managing director Gideon Hall said: “We went to Sign & Digital with a view to seeing the machine running. When we did, we placed the order immediately. Things like the ability to sheet at the end of a job without removing the guides will enable us to run the machine for longer hours unsupervised, so it will soon repay its investment.

“We have only ever used Roland wide-format machines as we know our way around them and have always had consistent high quality. We will continue to run short-run label jobs, from 10 labels to 10,000, as well as some flexible signage.

“It has enabled us to increase capacity without having to run extra machines. We estimate that the addition of the VG2 and our running it for longer hours without supervision will do the job of as much as two previous VG machines.”

Supplied to Stickylabels by Alton-based vendor PrintMax, the 1.3m-wide VG2-540 is listed by Roland DG at a recommended retail price of £13,999. It can print in eight-colour configuration with CMYK, light cyan, light magenta, light black and orange at speeds up to 12.3sqm/hr. It can also run in double-CMYK configuration as fast as 30.4sqm/hr.

Going forward, Hall pointed to plans for Sitckylabels to expand its range of biodegradable labels and improvements to the firm’s website as next steps. The company’s printing technology allows it to “create labels in any shape and almost any size either on rolls or sheets”, according to Hall.