Vaping Labels - Epson just doesn't do me justice! Help required

[LiquidableBen]

Hello everyone, this is my first post on this fantastic-looking forum.


We are Liquidable, based in the United Kingdom, and we specialise in producing white-label e-liquid goods for the vaping market.

Throughout our five years of operation, we have consistently used the Epson C7500G, which has been (in my opinion, incorrectly) branded as the ideal printer for small labels like our vaping labels.

We currently print on a 32 x 64mm white inkjet label, however, the quality is poor.... We believe that the Espon C7500G is unsuitable for commercial use. The frequent need for maintenance because the nozzles clog, as well as the amount of ink spent on cleaning jobs, is enough to drive me nuts...but the quality drives us insane the most. Track marks running through the labels; poor colour matching from screen to print; blacks and darks washed out, etc.

The quality of our products is critical to our business's success; the entire vaping sector in the UK prints on C7500Gs or lesser-known equivalents, Afinia, Kairo, and so on.

Whilst we don't have the budget to spend over £20k on a printer, there must be something just above the C7500G which costs just over £5k but I have to get Epson to replace it every year....
I'm looking for something between the 8-15k range.

It could be a little bit slower than the Epson, speed is not so much the issue as long as it isn't super-slow. sorry im not technically versed. More than anything, I'm looking for a printer that can make our simple white-label products stand out against the rest of the competition.

I hope this post makes sense and if anyone could shed some light into the wonderous world that is printing, i would be grateful


Thanks,
Ben

 

[SoggyWinter]

First thing I'd do is a cost/benefit analysis of your employee time, floor space, material, ink, and amortized machine cost vs paying a label company with $$$ in press investment and big economies of scale to make the labels for you.

 

[LiquidableBen]

First thing I'd do is a cost/benefit analysis of your employee time, floor space, material, ink, and amortized machine cost vs paying a label company with $$$ in press investment and big economies of scale to make the labels for you.

Unfortunately, we are a white-label manufacturer so going to an external company for label printing is a big no no.
Time taken for these printers to run small ammounts of labels vs printing in house is just too drastic.
We are just looking for something better than our current setup

Thanks!

 

[bill kahny]

If you make the label sheet (roll) and have one of you customers print on your stock why is that so different from printing on an epson printer. Especially when its an inferior product?

 

[PricelineNegotiator]

I don't think you have very many options. Digital toner presses are going to be more expensive than your budget, and that's the next step up. I can't imagine anything in that price range not being inkjet and thus high cost per print. You might need to stick your next out and invest in a $50,000 machine rather than continuous fight crappy machines and pay high cost per label. Just get a lease instead of buying outright, as that's what most people do.

 

[Ynot_UK]

You might need to stick your next out and invest in a $50,000 machine rather than continuous fight crappy machines and pay high cost per label. Just get a lease instead of buying outright, as that's what most people do.

^^^ This.

Your most recent company accounts look healthy and suggest your business is established and profitable. Indeed you look to be in a similar position to where we were in 2020, when we began an 18-month investment programme including KM 4080 colour press, Matrix laminator/Omniflow and Veloblade digital die cutter.

I believe HMRC ended the 130% super deduction on P&M last March, however you've still got 100% relief in year one on investment up to £200k. Take the big step & good luck!

 

[LiquidableBen]

Thank you all the feedback on this post, it's very much appreciated.

I've been advised to look into the

L901 / L901 Plus Industrial Color Label Printer​

This is a step up from the C7500G, and has multi-channel roll printing allowing us to print several rolls of labels at once.
The KM 4080 is a significant step up and would allow us to sell pre-printed labels to the vaping industry as well, a two-for-one!

On the Afinia L901 printer mentioned above, It looks to be that middle ground I was hoping for, does anyone here have any experience with working with the L901? It would be good to get some inside knowledge before we make the plunge. I might get a demo from our label supplier of this printer for a few days time but good to get a non-sales persons opinion !


Cheers, have a great week everyone

 

[PricelineNegotiator]

Thank you all the feedback on this post, it's very much appreciated.

I've been advised to look into the

L901 / L901 Plus Industrial Color Label Printer​

This is a step up from the C7500G, and has multi-channel roll printing allowing us to print several rolls of labels at once.
The KM 4080 is a significant step up and would allow us to sell pre-printed labels to the vaping industry as well, a two-for-one!

On the Afinia L901 printer mentioned above, It looks to be that middle ground I was hoping for, does anyone here have any experience with working with the L901? It would be good to get some inside knowledge before we make the plunge. I might get a demo from our label supplier of this printer for a few days time but good to get a non-sales persons opinion !


Cheers, have a great week everyone

I would get some live job samples printed on that machine before you get too serious. Find someone within a few hours of yourself or someone on this forum that has the same machine before you jump in. Looks like it uses Memjet technology, which some envelope printers use as well. Printing on envelopes would be one thing - how does this machine hold up for full coverage, intricate designs? Do the inkjet heads overlap?

 

[SoggyWinter]

Thank you all the feedback on this post, it's very much appreciated.

I've been advised to look into the

L901 / L901 Plus Industrial Color Label Printer​

This is a step up from the C7500G, and has multi-channel roll printing allowing us to print several rolls of labels at once.
The KM 4080 is a significant step up and would allow us to sell pre-printed labels to the vaping industry as well, a two-for-one!

On the Afinia L901 printer mentioned above, It looks to be that middle ground I was hoping for, does anyone here have any experience with working with the L901? It would be good to get some inside knowledge before we make the plunge. I might get a demo from our label supplier of this printer for a few days time but good to get a non-sales persons opinion !


Cheers, have a great week everyone

This guy used to use Affinia label printers, but outgrew them and upgraded to a $200,000USD Konica press. I'd email him and see if he could give you guidance for free or for a consulting fee. I I think he has videos with the affinia printers in action.

https://www.youtube.com/@printshoptalk

 

[EdwardGuerra]

Considering your requirements, I recommend exploring the Epson SurePress L-4533AW. Priced within your budget range, it offers improved print quality, color accuracy, and reduced maintenance compared to the C7500G. It's well-suited for small label printing, addressing concerns such as track marks and color inconsistencies

 

[gazfocus]

I'm late to the party but I have a VIPColor VP700 which is the same as the Afinia L801 (the Afinia is a rebadged VIPColor machine).

To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't advise Memjet machines unless your labels are mostly matt and text based. I look at our VP700 and honestly wish we'd bought an Epson C6500 instead but it is what it is.

Have you looked at the Okipro 1040 (if you don't need white ink) or 1050 if you need white ink? I don't know what the per label print cost would be for the Okipro but if you reach out to the dealers, I'm sure they could advise you. I can highly recommend hdlabels in the UK or KTEC Group (that's where I got my VP700 from).

The KM4080 is a cracking machine but you'd be stuck offering sheets rather than rolls of labels and if your customers are using machines to apply their labels, sheets just won't cut it. You'll also need to look at a sheet fed die cutter if doing sheets as trying to line up using pre printed templated on pre-cut label sheets won't be fun.