Singapore’s One-Stop Printing Provider finds success with Epson Digital Label Press

Like most small and medium-sized enterprises, Singapore-based printing company iSuccess is always looking for new ways to streamline business operations, improve customer service and expand into new market segments.

However, the firm which was established in 2000 and counts corporate organisations, advertising agencies, restaurants and schools as clients, had been held back by its focus on printing digital labels in sheets, rather than rolls as preferred by a growing number of customers.

“It was a challenge to switch to continuous inkjet printing in roll form,” says Ng Swee Leong, director of iSuccess. “We couldn’t do it due to our inexperience with producing labels in rolls.”

Additionally, iSuccess had to grapple with laborious tasks, such as die-cutting labels that had been printed with other press machines. “It was not only time- consuming especially when there was a large number of sheets to be die-cut, but also labour intensive as we needed to peel off excess stickers to reveal only the die-cut labels.”

These challenges had impeded iSuccess’s ability to compete in a marketplace where customers increasingly demand high quality labels to be printed within shorter time frames. Outsourcing production was not a feasible option either, as that would mean losing control over production timelines, Ng says.

That changed when iSuccess decided to purchase the Epson SurePress L-4033AW Digital Label Press, a short- run digital label printer that is easy to operate and makes short-run printing a breeze, enabling iSuccess to achieve higher productivity and profitability.

“During the pre-sale process, Epson gave us a good impression of the machine, including its print quality and support we would get,” Ng says. “And during installation and post-sale support, the Epson team had demonstrated the printer’s efficiency.”

Much of the SurePress L-4033AW’s production efficiency is attributed to the ease with which digital label printing in roll form can be undertaken without the need for skilled operators. That was a boon for iSuccess’s production staff who could get up and running quickly after some guidance.

“Epson was very helpful in briefing us on operating the printer and ways to reduce sticker wastage. They also introduced us to more roll label suppliers, so we could order more labels to take on higher volume jobs and enhance our sales offering to customers,” Ng says.

The Epson SurePress L-4033AW Digital Label Press is easy to operate and makes short-run printing a breeze (above). The printer has a six-colour, industrial-quality, water-based ink set that produces a remarkable range of colours for professional and consistent results (right). 

Because the SurePress L-4033AW supports a wide range of label media that can be used for printing stickers, banners and posters, among other product and marketing materials, iSuccess now uses it to print labels that are not supported by its existing digital press.

“Also, when there is a job where the quantity or die-cut requirements are not suited for sheet printing, we will use the SurePress L-4033AW to fulfil the order,” Ng says.

More importantly, iSuccess has slashed the time required for printing and die-cutting. In a recent project, the company was able to print 50,000 labels within a day for Asus. “We also printed 5,500 labels for the Tunglok restaurant group within three hours upon receiving the order. Without the Epson printer, we wouldn’t be able to fulfil such orders.”

Like most Epson printers, the SurePress L-4033AW features the acclaimed MicroPiezo inkjet technology to create output with smooth gradations and incredible colour quality.

The SurePress L-4033AW has a six- colour, industrial-quality, water-based ink set that produces a remarkable range of colours for professional and consistent results. Plus, the printer includes a seventh white ink to print transparent ‘no-label look’ labels, as well as metallic- type labels frequently used in health and beauty markets.

Driving this best-in-class inkjet technology is the included colour management tool from Wasatch which provides intuitive workflow controls.

“We have selected the Epson SurePress L-4033AW as our choice because of its quality over its competitors,” Ng says, adding that the print output has been nothing short of vivid, along with sharp text – even in smaller labels.

“With the introduction of the SurePress L-4033AW, which has been an asset to the company, we can now offer customers better label production capabilities in terms of colour quality, as well as additional media offerings that have given us a lead over our competitors. We expect this to increase our sales by at least 20-25% in 2018.”

CHALLENGES

iSuccess had been held back by its focus on printing digital labels in sheets, rather than rolls as preferred by a growing number of customers. It also grappled with laborious tasks such as die-cutting labels. These challenges had hampered its ability to compete in a competitive market.

SOLUTION

The Epson SurePress L-4033AW Digital Label Press, a short-run digital label printer that makes short-run printing a breeze, had enabled iSuccess to achieve higher productivity and profitability.

BENEFITS

• Vivid colours
• Sharp text, even in smaller labels
• Versatile media support
• Enhanced productivity