On-Demand Color Label Printing: Why You Need It
It’s no surprise that color labels for packaging are becoming more popular for manufacturing, distribution and e-commerce companies. The ability to make a brand stand out, clearly identify products and even draw attention to messaging for instructions, for example, has obvious advantages. Customer requirements and compliance regulations have also led to increased demand for color label printing. Color can be used to emphasize important information about the contents; from lot and date codes to identifying hazardous materials. Making the switch to color labels not only decreases instances of non-compliance, but it can save hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for organizations. Color-coding is also being used more and more to identify different product varieties, highlight preferred brands, and make it easier for the customer to receive and inventory product faster and more efficiently.
Three Advantages of On-Demand Color-Label Printing
There are many advantages to switching from monochrome to color labels, but there are three benefits in particular that directly affect the bottom line for an organization – including the fact that printing of these labels can be done on demand.
Flexibility
High-quality color labels printed in-house are a convenient and cost-effective way to handle labeling requirements. It’s important to select an industrial color label printer engineered to produce a high volume of labels on a daily basis. One advantage to having your own printer in house is that there’s little pressure to rely on outside sources. If a printer is not up to the task of meeting existing volume requirements, it can impact capacity, future growth, and operation costs. Choosing a printer like the Epson ColorWorks C7500, for example, can consistently produce high-quality labels for a variety of industries and can stand up to the rigors of an industrial environment.
High-Speed Printing
The key to success in today’s climate is the ability to ship product out the door as immediately as possible. With consumers expecting delivery in just a few days, your customers are going to be pushing to get product to their dock quickly, so they can ship the same day an order is received. A high-speed, industrial label printer is designed to stand up to the demands of a manufacturing or DC environment, with color printing technology being a close match in terms of speed and flexibility. Historically, color printing was seemingly slower to print than monochrome, but today’s technology has changed; with color inkjet printing, for example, printing just as fast as a monochrome thermal printer with some as fast as 300mm/sec.
Cost Savings
We’ve talked a lot about color printing and its advantages, but the ability to print on-demand has its own set of advantages that can aid in reducing costs and boost worker productivity. Pre-printed labels often require a bulk purchase (or pre-printing in-house can be time consuming), which can be costly and wasteful if order requirements change or customization is needed, and new labels need to be produced. With on-demand label printing, costs and errors are reduced with requirements being accommodated up-to-the-minute. Reducing total cost of ownership of your label printer encompasses the following:
- Reliability
With on-demand printing you print only what you need, when you need it, eliminating waste and maximizing employee productivity. At the same time, however, you need reliability. With a printer like the Epson ColorWorks C7500, the printhead is designed right into the ink cartridge, which technically means the ‘printhead’ will last the life of the printer – whereas with other technologies like thermal, replacing a printhead requires a service call and a pricey replacement printhead. - Factory Authorized Media
Using manufacturer approved label material ensures that the printer will work according to spec; going to the effort of finding low-cost labels, only to find that the quality is inferior, will affect the overall performance and life of your printer. Be sure to follow manufacturer guidelines. - Ease of Integration
The industrial color label printers of today are designed with your requirements in mind. Many are “smart” and come standard with drivers for popular software applications like Bartender, Codesoft, Loftware and NiceLabel, along with a host of tools to aid in simplifying configuration, deployment and maintenance of your device.
Ready to save money with in-house on-Demand Color Label Printer technology? Best Label Printer can be your guide, our consultants are trained on the latest models and editing software Contact us today.