I.D. Images’ investment in BW Converting’s Baldwin Guardian PQV 100% inspection system immediately paid for itself with the very first job. Over the past eight years, the technology has saved the company, a provider of stock and custom label solutions, hundreds of thousands of dollars. And right from the start, I.D. Images could have retained a $250,000 lost customer if it had only adopted the technology sooner.

“If we had this technology that delivers the assurance of perfection, I am certain we would still have that customer,” states Allen Henry, general manager of I.D. Images’ San Diego facility. “Besides losing that customer, right before we installed Baldwin’s 100% inspection system, we had to redo a $30,000 job. Avoiding just that one reject job alone could pay for the system if we had it sooner.”

Henry emphasized that in the medical label industry, there’s no margin for error when it comes to print accuracy and adhering to other stringent protocols. I.D. Images’ press operators must follow strict guidelines to craft labels, including wearing gloves and executing multiple diecuts to capture intricate patient data and serial numbers.

For I.D. Images’ operators, any deviation from perfection – whether it’s the intrusion of dust, unwarranted starts-and-stops, errant splotches or void prints – can yield substantial consequences.

That single print job gone awry that cost the company a staggering $30,000 due to errors in the final output remarkably could have funded the acquisition of the whole new system. When an operator manually inspects a job, with just one blink they can miss 10 to 20 labels, Henry notes. Faced with these daily challenges to maintain quality and eliminate contamination risks, I.D. Images turned to technology to help.

In 2016, Henry took the lead in I.D. Images’ San Diego facility to embrace the first of two PC Industries’ inspection systems, a supplier that Baldwin later acquired. In 2021, I.D. Images adopted the Baldwin Guardian PQV 100% inspection system on its rewinders, which provides complete print quality verification from prepress through production, reporting and archiving with a more efficient, accurate, data-connected inspection workflow. Baldwin Technology is now one of Green Bay, WI-based BW Converting’s six product brands.

The integration of the advanced PQV technology marked a pivotal turning point for I.D. Images, leading to heightened operational efficiency and the complete eradication of print defects. It set a new standard for I.D. Images to deliver impeccable labels that meet the most stringent standards in the industry.

Henry attests to the system’s excellent performance. “If anyone asks if it’s worth it, I’d say absolutely. You can think you’re good with what you have, but then you get something like this, and you can’t believe how good it could be,” Henry notes. “It shows customers you’re willing to go the extra mile. That you’re willing to do what’s right.”

Henry’s enthusiasm mirrors the sentiment resonating throughout the entire I.D. Images team. The inspection system not only enhanced product quality but also speeds turnaround time, with the ultimate productivity and efficiency benefiting both I.D. Images and its customers.

Operationally, Baldwin’s 100% inspection technology has proven from day one to be simple for I.D. Images’ operators to run, with a minimal learning curve and zero pushback, according to Henry. In fact, all of the training was online, proving so simple that there was no need for in-person follow-up. And Henry is pleased to report the system has needed no service since its installation.

“We are grateful for the collaboration with ID Images, where our Guardian PQV 100% Print Inspection enhances efficiency and ensures top-notch print quality,” says Adina Starke, Baldwin Technology Southwest regional sales leader.