Labeling Innovations from Weber

Zebra Technologies has introduced its new line of tabletop label printers with a wide range of advanced features. Let's take a look under the hood and see what innovations these printers are bringing to the packaging industry.

The ZT510, Zebra ZT610 and ZT620 industrial thermal transfer printers are the next generation printers that combine rugged durability and exceptional performance on a user-friendly, future-ready platform. These new models will be replacing some of the older label printers from the Zebra line-up: the Zebra ZT510 replaces the 105SL Series whereas ZT610 replaces the 110Xi4 Series and ZT620 replaces the 170Xi Series.

Let's take a closer look at these new printers and see how they might fit into your label production. Before purchasing an industrial printer, you should be aware of its features and your own job requirements. There are many different makes and models of label printers in the marketplace. By taking the time to understand all the different options available, you will ensure you have a printer that can get the job done now and long into the future.

The Zebra ZT510 Label Printer

Zebra ZT510 industrial label printer is the next generation of the 105SLPlus series, building on the legacy of the industry-leading 105SLPlus printer.  This new printer has the core features you need in an industrial printer at a cost-effective price point.

With it's proven, durable design and construction, the ZT510 also features advanced management and monitoring capabilities. That means you get 24/7 reliability to keep your operations running smoothly, plus longevity and advanced functionality to power through every challenge in the years to come — all at an exceptional value.

You know what matters most about a craft beer is the tasty content inside the packaging.

But with ever increasing competition, it might get tough to rely on just the product to sell itself. Sometimes taste alone is not enough to get your craft beer noticed and moving off the shelves. Branding and packaging play a major role in the growth of your brewery and your brand.

With more craft breweries selling thousands of brands at retail, the beer choices for consumers are seemingly endless. New beer varieties are constantly entering the marketplace and shelf space is at a premium. Breweries are relying on package differentiation to grab consumers’ attention at the retail point of sale.

The importance of designing your custom beverage labels to tell your brand’s story is key, and the label design can have a big impact on shelf presence.  We are going to cover the pressure-sensitive label material choices you have and why it has a bigger impact than you might think.  Getting a perfect-looking label on a can or bottle requires some planning.

Digitally-printed labels save time & money on short label runs.

HP Indigo presses are used for printing labels, commercial literature, direct mail, photos, publications, flexible packaging, folding cartons and all kinds of specialty printing. The ability to print without films and plates enables digital production to create personalized short runs, changing text, images and jobs without having to stop the press. This print technology can produce products for a wide variety of applications with extreme precision and productivity. Weber Packaging Solutions has a couple of the HP Indigo label presses that have been consistently producing high-resolution labels for years.

In digital printing, an image is sent directly to the press using digital files such as PDFs and those from graphics software such as Illustrator and InDesign. These artwork files are created either by the customer, their agency, or an in-house Graphics Team like at Weber Packaging Solutions. 

This eliminates the need for a typical offset printing plate. The digital technology has a higher cost per page than the more traditional offset printing methods. However, digital pricing is counterbalanced by the cost-saving that occurs in avoiding all the technical steps and time needed to make film , printing plates, and press set-up time.  This print method allows for on-demand printing, short turn around times, and even  modifications on-the-fly of variable data on a label.

The Indigo technology is based on HP ElectroInk which uses small color particles suspended in imaging oil. The ink forms a very thin and smooth plastic layer on the media surface. The fact that these particles are so small ensures that the printed image does not mask the underlying surface roughness/gloss of the media, as can be possible with some toner-based processes, bringing Indigo printing closer in appearance to conventional offset lithography, whereby ink is actually absorbed into the paper.

By Linda Roser
Weber Digital Label Coordinator