“Which press should we bet on for our next two years of label growth—digital or flexo?” I hear that once a week. The honest answer is: it depends on run mix, changeover pressure, and the quality bar you must hit. Based on insights from onlinelabels customers across multiple regions, the comparison isn’t a beauty contest—it’s a math problem wrapped in process control.
Here’s the short version. Flexographic Printing still wins on sustained speed and ink economics over long runs, with web speeds around 150–300 m/min in many label lines. Digital Printing shines on short-run, On-Demand, and Variable Data projects, trimming setup to minutes and cutting makeready waste on small jobs. The long version—the one that actually helps you commit capital—lives in the details.
I’ll walk through principles, what parameters move the needle, where quality trips teams up, and how to shape an optimization plan. If you’re wrestling with mixed SKUs or wondering how to make labels at scale without blowing the budget, this breakdown will help frame the trade-offs.
Fundamental Technology Principles
Flexographic Printing is a contact process: plates transfer ink via anilox to the substrate, with UV or LED-UV curing locking it in. Think plates, pressure, and predictable ink films. It’s terrific for sustained throughput and consistent solids when plates, anilox volume, and curing are dialed in. Digital Printing, by contrast, is a non-plate workflow. Inkjet and toner engines render pixels directly from the RIP, enabling Variable Data and quick changeovers. In labels, digital’s chief advantage is makeready speed and minimal job waste, especially across Multi-SKU promotions and seasonal runs.
Here’s where it gets interesting. On short runs, flexo can burn 20–50 meters of setup waste per color, sometimes more on complex combos, pushing waste rates into the 5–12% range on micro-orders. Digital often lands in the 1–3% waste band for the same run profile because there are no plates and less web threading. Flip the scenario to long, steady jobs and flexo’s ink cost and web speed reclaim the economics. That’s why a shop doing 70–80% long-run work still leans flexo.
On color fidelity, modern digital engines can hold ΔE in a 2–3 window on standard labelstock when profiled and maintained. Flexo, with a solid G7 or ISO 12647 approach and stable pressroom conditions, typically targets ΔE around 2–4 on production stock. Both can hit retail-ready results; how they get there differs—digital via ICC discipline and stable heads, flexo via plate screening, anilox selection, and ink/cure balance.
Critical Process Parameters
For flexo, three levers dominate: anilox, pressure, and cure. Typical anilox volumes for UV Ink labels might sit around 2–4 bcm for process, higher for solids. Too much volume and you’ll fight mottling; too little and solids starve. Nip pressure should be enough for clean ink transfer without crushing dots—operators often talk about printing at “kiss” pressure. Curing energy matters: UV doses often fall in the 100–400 mJ/cm² range depending on ink chemistry, with LED-UV enabling lower heat and steadier energy delivery. Web tension stability—say in the 10–30 N band for common label webs—keeps registration honest.
Digital has a different heartbeat. Printhead temperature, drop size, inter-color pinning, and pass count drive quality and speed. Resolution settings (commonly 600–1200 dpi in commercial label systems) set the ceiling for detail and barcode performance. On the front end, RIP settings and profiles govern ΔE and grain. This is where teams asking how to make labels with tight brand palettes learn that stable profiling and environmental control are as important as the engine itself.
Workflow matters too. Variable Data often starts in template tools—some converters pair design in standard suites with layout automation in systems like onlinelabels/maestro for small-batch personalization. File prep discipline reduces rework: live text, outlined critical marks, embedded profiles. A common buyer question pops up here: “Does an onlinelabels coupon change my TCO enough to pick one process?” Discounts help when sourcing blank Labelstock, but the real cost drivers are run length, setup time, waste rate, and throughput. For campaigns nicknamed “josh custom labels,” with first-name swaps or SKU-specific nutrition, digital’s parameter set keeps the math favorable.
Quality Standards and Specifications
Color aims typically reference ISO 12647 or the G7 method. In practice, many label converters target ΔE 2–3 for key brand colors and allow 3–5 on less critical elements, assuming consistent lighting and viewer conditions. For registration, a 50–100 μm window is a workable spec on many label lines, though small typography or tight reverse-outs may demand the low end of that range. Document these aims in your Quality Assurance Systems so operators know the target and tolerance, not just the complaint.
Food & Beverage labels call for attention to migration and compliance. Low-Migration Ink and proper curing reduce risk, while specs often reference EU 1935/2004 and EU 2023/2006 in Europe or FDA 21 CFR for the U.S. When QR codes or DataMatrix enter the mix, align with GS1 and ISO/IEC 18004 guidance. In our audits, scannability rates above 99% are common when contrast exceeds ~40% and quiet zones meet recommended widths.
Barcodes aside, finishing is part of the spec too. Die-Cutting, Varnishing, and Lamination settings affect edge quality and abrasion resistance. Flexo users will note that Foil Stamping and Spot UV are easier to integrate inline; digital users often run embellishments offline or on hybrid lines. Either way, write finishing tolerances into the spec—blade wear, nip pressure, and adhesive flow are not second-order details when FPY% is on the line.
Common Quality Issues
In flexo, the usual suspects include dirty print from over-inked anilox, dot gain from excessive pressure, and under-cure that shows up as scuffing. In digital, watch for banding from clogged nozzles, grain from aggressive halftone settings, and color drift when profiles age out. Across both, you’ll see FPY swing from 80–95% depending on process control. The gap often isn’t technology; it’s calibration cadence and operator rhythm.
Adhesion and rub resistance sit at the crossroads of ink, substrate, and finish. PE/PP/PET Film needs attention to surface energy; Paperboard and Labelstock behave differently under UV and Varnishing. If your customer asks how to get labels off jars without residue, that’s your cue to discuss adhesive selection. Wash-off adhesives for glass, or specific combinations of adhesive and Glassing liner, can make removal in warm water achievable while maintaining shelf performance. There’s no universal recipe—trial strips and short pilots save headaches.
A quick case from a mid-sized converter: they ran a “josh custom labels” promotion—first names swapped across 2,000 SKUs. Early waste sat near 8–10% due to inconsistent preflight and nozzle checks skipped between batches. Once they added a morning head-clean routine, tightened preflight rules, and set a ΔE gate before releasing jobs, waste settled near 3–4% for that campaign. Not perfect, but proof that small habits move big numbers.
Performance Optimization Approach
Start with measurement. Put color bars on live work, track ΔE by shift, and correlate issues to environmental data. A simple SPC chart on registration and ΔE reveals drift before customers do. For changeovers, aim to standardize anilox, inks, and plates where possible; many teams shave 10–20 minutes per job by presetting recipes and staging consumables. On digital, lock RIP presets per substrate and set a head maintenance schedule that matches your throughput, not just the OEM calendar.
Think in total cost terms, not single-job anecdotes. Flexo’s plate cost fades on runs beyond a few thousand linear meters, where ink cost and 150–300 m/min speed compound the advantage. Digital answers the opposite profile: 50–500 m bursts, Variable Data, or frequent design tweaks. Waste rates commonly settle around 1–3% for digital short runs and 1–2% for steady flexo long runs once dialed in. Payback Period for the “next press” lands in an 18–36 month range in many shops, heavily influenced by your run-length histogram.
Sustainability angles count too. LED-UV curing can land kWh/pack in a 20–40% lower band versus legacy mercury UV under comparable conditions, and Water-based Ink on paper labels reduces solvent handling. If your team is documenting CO₂/pack, include plate making, Energy during cure, and Waste Rate in the model. For teams learning how to make labels with smaller footprints, these numbers matter in bids. And if you’re sourcing blanks from onlinelabels, keep the substrate spec consistent across plants—color targets only hold when the base stays the same.
