LABEL PRINTING | ROB FLETCHER 62 Issue 361 - July | August 2026 email: editor@printmonthly.co.uk to deliver product safety information, food nutrition, and branding is stronger than ever. Combine this with general population growth requiring more products and services, and digital labelling is seen to be growing at a rate of 10.8% per year in volume at an average.” As to where printers should be looking for labelling work, Pritchard says food and beverages remain the biggest sector. However, he adds that this can be high volume production, which can lead to lower margins, and at times specialised equipment to optimise speed and costs further. “While Konica Minolta customers do produce food and beverage labels due to the toner being suitable for indirect food labelling, we do find that customers are adding more variable content into their labels. A typical application is the transition of work from thermal transfer printers that would normally apply single colour variable content on to a preprinted colour label.” Pritchard adds: “As the volume of this work expands, more thermal transfer printers are acquired, and before you know it the job to manage all of the data and individual printers becomes a mammoth task.” On this, he says customers have found using the variable data function on the AccurioLabel presses enables the entire label to be printed in a single process, reducing time and errors due to the reduced touch points in production. He picks out logistic labels, PAT electronics labels, and engineer shipment labels as examples that can be moved from a multi-step to a single step process on an AccurioLabel press. The AccurioLabel AL400 and the AccurioLabel AL230 are the primary label presses from Konica Minolta, with Pritchard describing the latter as ‘one of the best-selling digital label presses in the world’. “This is not because it’s the fastest press in the market, or as cheap as some desk top entry level presses, but rather the all-round performance it can offer versus investment and running costs,” he says, adding: “A simple-to-use press that can match the print quality of presses three times its price, without the need for monthly fixed service costs. Pound for pound, this is the best digital label press in the market.” Compliment Other Services Also active in this market is HEIDELBERG. Ross Holloway, label specialist at the manufacturer, says there is still potential to succeed and grow in this sector. He explains that while there is a healthy level of competition, those not already offering label printing should still consider a move into the sector as a way of diversifying their business. “It may be that labels can complement the services already supplied by a printer,” he says, adding: “In some cases, labels may already be outsourced but they can be brought in-house to give the company greater control and an improved margin. “With our print heritage and strong digital experience, added to that the experienced team at HEIDELBERG Graphic Equipment, we are able to work closely with customers to guide them as they move into label printing with Gallus label technology.” Setting out some of the options on offer within the Gallus range, Holloway picks out the Gallus Alpha, which he says is competitively priced and offers a range of functional strengths in terms of running speed, print quality, and a small footprint amongst others. The Gallus Alpha is a compact roll-toroll inkjet press designed to help printers move into digital label printing. Available in a 340mm print width configuration, the press runs at speeds of up to 65m/min and features UV inkjet technology with In some cases, labels may already be outsourced but they can be brought in-house to give the company greater control and an improved margin According to Future Market Insights, the global digital label printing market is expected to grow to $20.6bn (£15.3bn) by 2035 Factoid ▼Konica Minolta says its AccurioLabel AL230 is one of the bestselling digital label presses in the world
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