Etikmar boosts production with Screen Truepress Label 350UV SAI-S

Italian converter Etikmar has enhanced its production capabilities by installing a new Screen Truepress Label 350UV SAI-S press, which creates a hybrid label printing line that includes Lombardi flexo stations.

A long-established producer of self-adhesive labels, Italian label converter Etikmar is known for supplying high-quality labels to sectors including food, retail, personal care and complex multi-layer applications.

With growing market demand for shorter runs, additional product versioning, and faster turnarounds, the company chose to further expand digital inkjet printing into its production workflow.

Following the positive experience with their first Truepress Label 350UV SAI-E digital inkjet roll-to-roll label press, Etikmar chose to integrate a new Truepress Label 350UV SAI-S featuring a wider colour-gamut and improved speeds.

Built around the new Truepress Label 350UV SAI-S is an entire in-line, end-to-end label printing workflow incorporating two integrated Lombardi flexo stations, a high-speed Volo semi-rotary die-cutter and a waste removal system.

This configuration, incorporating Screen inkjet and Lombardi flexo technologies, continues Etimar's long-standing relationship with both suppliers. It allows easy switching between digital and flexo to better support short—and long-run orders, optimising production based on run length and job complexity.

Alessandro Marani, sales manager at Etikmar, commented: ‘The ability to produce multiple versions using the same die and finish jobs in-line without additional steps gives us a significant competitive edge. It enables us to meet the demands of a dynamic market with shorter lead times and greater flexibility.’

By using digital inkjet for short label runs and flexo for longer jobs, Etikmar has reduced production costs while maintaining the high quality its customers expect. The hybrid setup eliminates the need for plates and complex setups, delivering cost savings and faster production, especially for smaller batches or frequent artwork changes.

The Screen 7-colour Truepress Label 350UV SAI-S has additional orange and blue inks, expanding Etikmar’s colour gamut and improving Pantone matching. This allows the company to achieve vibrant, consistent colours while also reducing waste and ink consumption.

‘The print quality from the Screen press is excellent, even with the most intricate designs,’ added Marani. ‘The ability to move directly from approved artwork to production makes our workflow more streamlined and dynamic, all this, while the simplified interface making daily operations even easier.’

With this latest investment in Screen and Lombardi printing technology, Etikmar is ready to meet the growing demand for flexible, high-quality and cost-efficient production.

‘This new line is a breakthrough for our company,’ said Marani. ‘It helps us minimise production errors like misregistration, optimise our workflow, and deliver consistent quality with significant savings on Pantone colours. With the precision of digital printing and the wider colour range, we are ready to meet even the most demanding customer requirements.’

Ettore Maretti, managing director at REM, Screen's dealer in Italy, added: ‘We are proud that Etikmar has again chosen REM as its partner for this important investment in Screen technology. Etikmar is a dynamic company with a clear vision for growth, and we look forward to supporting it as it continues enhancing its production efficiency and delivering outstanding results for its customers with the latest inkjet printing innovations. Its renewed trust in REM to facilitate this new partnership motivates us to keep developing label production solutions that help drive their success.’

‘We believe hybrid digital printing represents a new starting point for our industry,’ concluded Marani. ‘This investment will accelerate our growth, improve production capacity, and help us respond faster to the market while delivering the quality our customers expect.’