First Esko Narrow Web Flexo Platesetter In UK

Readyprint in Kidderminster has become the first company in the UK to install Esko's CDI 2120 flexo-platesetter, designed for the narrow web, labelling and packaging markets.

Readyprint in Kidderminster has become the first company in the UK to install Esko's CDI 2120 flexo-platesetter, designed for the narrow web, labelling and packaging markets.

Sold through Litho Supplies, the system has enabled the company to make a smooth migration from analogue to digital plate making, resulting in near-litho quality and perfect plates every time, claimed Esko.

The CDI Spark 2120 is said to be a small footprint, entry-level priced CDI that is suitable for narrow web and label trade shops that want to gain flexibility and a competitive edge.

Readyprint has 20-year track record in the label printing industry.

Its clients are brand manufacturers and Readyprint produces labels on all types of substrates from paper to synthetics.

The company has the technical capability to produce full spectrum from reel to reel, reel to sheet, duplex or fanfolded from one-up to six-colour.

In addition, Readyprint is certified for the British Retail Consortium Global Standard - BRC/IoP Global - Food Packaging and Other Packaging Materials Category B, ensuring full compatibility with stringent industry manufacturing controls, said Esko.

Readyprint preferred Esko's CDI technology to gain quality and cost savings with digital flexo platemaking.

Syd Reading, managing director at Readyprint, explained: "Label printers predominantly print using the flexo process but recently the label industry has advanced by leaps and bounds.

For years we successfully used an analogue system but we could see the major shift towards digital flexo technology." Reading has set up Readyprint to be a one-stop shop, handling everything from design to fulfilment.

About 20 years ago he identified a market opportunity for creating labels with variable content and saw that food, pharmaceutical and petro-chemical companies required labels with ingredients and instructions accurately printed in foreign languages, ready for export.

That observation launched Readyprint's entry in to producing designer labels and brand profiling.

Syd Reading said he recognised the opportunities for taking a plain wrapper and adhering a smart, colorful label with variable information.

By having label production in-house, Readyprint believes it has gained the control and flexibility, both technically and in a creative sense, to tap in to that specialised label market.

Reading said: "We invested in Esko's digital flexo technology to maintain the levels of accuracy and consistency required in today's label and packaging marketplace.

We are using Esko Deskpack 3.5 software with Adobe Photoshop plug-ins to feed files in to the CDI 2120 platemaker.

Esko's digital flexo combination is the perfect system for our business.

The CDI 2120 has a small footprint, is well priced and the plates are absolutely perfect every time.

There are no variables." He continued: "There's a feeling of confidence that the Esko machine gives us that makes a real difference.

We have extensive experience in the label market and lots of ideas for the future.

With the CDI Spark 2120, we can achieve amazing results and we know what to expect every time.

That reliability factor is really important in a competitive marketplace where the time factor can be critical." And according to Syd Reading, the company has never required a sales team and has grown by its loyal customer base: "Some customers have been with us from Readyprint's inception.

Esko's CDI 2120 will continue to support this business strategy and our dedication to superior customer care." He concluded: "The litho and gravure processes do not provide us with the fundamental flexibility that the flexo process can.

The Esko CDI 2120 enables us to produce identical work of a very high standard for relatively little extra cost.

The ROI with this machine is phenomenal and very exciting.".

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