The world of digital label printing continues to evolve, as new products are infiltrating a competitive marketplace. Domino has recently unveiled several key digital products. The Domino N730i digital UV inkjet label press features a host of new attributes to drive efficient label printing. Meanwhile, at Labelexpo Europe, Domino unveiled the N610i-R digital retrofit module. To learn more about Domino’s latest products and investments, as well as the company’s experiences at Labelexpo Europe, L&NW sat down with David Ellen, global divisional director of Domino’s Digital Printing division. 

L&NW: How has digital printing emerged as a major asset to label converters?
DE: Digital printing is a game-changer in the world of labels and packaging. Over the past several years, converters have increasingly realized the benefits of digital printing. Attributes such as quick setup, consistent and repeatable print quality, the ability to change from one design to the next without stopping the press, maximizing productivity while minimizing waste are just a few of the reasons why converters are investing in digital printing to help maintain and grow their business. And this was magnified even further during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and the label material supply chain crisis. Converters realize even more the benefits of digital and how it complements flexography.

L&NW: What are the benefits of adopting Domino’s new N730i label press, and how does the technology set you apart?
DE: First and foremost, I believe one of the main attributes that sets Domino apart is our supply chain control. We manufacture our own printheads, fluids, and equipment. 

The press has been designed, engineered, and built with both the converter and brand owner in mind. For the operator, it has been ergonomically designed, with automated roll lifts at the unwind and rewind. It offers quick setup, is intuitive, and easy to use. JDF/JMF provides statistics of fluids and materials, uptime, and efficiency. The N730i has an industrial frame with servo-driven tension control to eliminate registration errors and prints at 1200 dpi with Brother BITSTAR printhead technology. It is also configurable in up to seven colors (CMYKOVW), and our UV ink is highly durable and can achieve up to 92% of the Pantone color range. Plus, our white ink prints at 76% opacity at speed, which is 230 fpm. On-the-fly fluid changes can be done without stopping the press. And lastly, the N730i has been designed to be retrofitted for future needs, as optional flexo stations can be added for priming, varnishing, spot color, or flood white for shrink sleeve applications.

L&NW: What are the advantages of partnering with Domino?
DE: We’ve really focused on the factors beyond the machine, such as our In-House Leasing program, our service and support, our sales and marketing, our people, our brand – all the nuances and distinctions of Domino. The In-House leasing program allows our customers to pay for their new digital UV inkjet label press over a period of time, typically three to five years with fixed, monthly payments. The leasing program is a very simple, easy way for converters to implement this technology, and it doesn’t take a massive cash outlay, so that allows our customers to invest in other areas of their business. In addition, we continually hear from our customers that they love that we know them by name, that they don’t feel like a number. It’s really the best of both worlds. We have the strength as a global organization with the financial backing of our parent company, Brother Group, but we serve our customers with personalized local service and support.

L&NW: What are your newest products, and how were those received at Labelexpo Europe?
DE: We had a tremendous experience at Labelexpo Europe, and we were really excited to be back after four years. The four-day event resulted in three direct sales on the show floor itself. Our Italian distributor, NTG Digital srl, was responsible for securing two of these orders, both for versions of Domino’s N610i 600dpi label press. We also had the opportunity to continue a long partnership with Eclipse Labels by announcing the sale of our Domino N730i press at the show.

We also launched our N610i-R digital retrofit module, developed for OEMs and converters looking to add digital printing technology into existing flexographic presses for hybrid printing. The new N610i-R provides all the benefits and flexibility of hybrid inkjet printing while helping businesses to save additional capital, waste, and space. This is a new, cutting-edge product from Domino.

L&NW: How has Domino prioritized R&D and the future of digital?
DE: We have made significant investments into the future of our industry. To advance our capabilities in digital printing inks capacity, Domino has made a £6.6 million upgrade to our Liverpool manufacturing plant. The investment will see us become one of very few suppliers to take full end-to-end control of the digital printing process – encompassing design and manufacturing of digital printing presses, printheads, and UV digital printing inks – managing all aspects of end-user deployment to ensure overall print quality. The investment builds on our existing 16,000 square-meter facility in Liverpool. To sum it up, Domino is well-positioned for the future, with our customers at the forefront of everything we do. We view them as our business partner; when they win, we win. So, our objectives are focused on helping our customers grow their business, make more money, and be highly successful.