Family-owned NSW based label maker Mr Sticker has installed a custom-built Konica Minolta C71cf digital label printer, the first in the world made in a 250mm web width.

Michael Williams, manager, Mr Sticker, says, “We knew Mr Sticker needed to move to digital equipment so we could produce the high-quality, short-run jobs customers were demanding. It was important to find a digital device that could use the same materials as our existing analogue devices so we would not have to buy specialised material.”

With the industry trending towards more short-run, high-quality labels, Mr Sticker was seeing profits erode because its analogue printer could not turn jobs around fast enough. While Mr Sticker produces printing plates in-house, it does not produce film to produce the plates. This created a two-day delay while the film is outsourced before the machine is ready to print.

Mr Sticker also needed to be able to produce the machine in 250mm width, not wider. And the new printer needed to provide the capability to turn jobs around in a single day, which had not been possible with the previous equipment unless it was a repeat job.

The company says it began casually researching the market five years ago. Each time a new printer would be released, it would review it, then put the project on the backburner and continue to wait for the right solution.

Local Konica Minolta dealer, TO Technology suggested the new C71cf label printer as the ideal solution for Mr Sticker. Although the machine is usually produced in a 330mm web width, Konica Minolta produced one in a 250mm web width to meet Mr Sticker’s requirements. This was the first machine to be produced in that width globally.

Williams says, “The quality of the labels produced by the Konica Minolta C71cf label printer was excellent and the device represented good value for money. It is easy to use and we can run all the stocks we have through the press. Importantly, we knew the machine would be fully supported by TO Technology as a local provider. The parts were held locally so that, if they were required, the machine would not be down for too long, which would be costly to a small business like Mr Sticker. If there is an issue with the printer, TO Technology can be here with parts within two hours and no other supplier could match that. That support is important.”

Additionally, the five-year contract is fully-inclusive with no hidden costs, which lets Mr Sticker manage budgets carefully.

Mr Sticker says it has always provided fast turnaround on jobs but now, using the C71cf label printer, the company can provide same-day turnaround even on full-colour, short-run jobs, helping it target high-end markets where it was not able to print to specifications in the past.

Michael Williams said, “Some of the widths and lengths of labels we are doing now, we could not touch before. The machine we had was getting tired and we could not trust that the output would deliver the required quality.

“Now, Mr Sticker can produce full-colour, wider labels. The quality is excellent and the customers are happy. They are getting a better product for the same price.”

Mr Sticker is also saving on inventory since it can use the same materials across all its presses with no need for specialised stocks for the digital device.

Michael Williams says, “The C71cf label printer is easy to use and maintain, even more so than the analogue presses we have. We have also found it reliable and have not needed to call on TO Technology for support. But it is great to know that they will manage the maintenance and upkeep of the machine and we do not have to worry about it. If something goes wrong, we know they will be there to fix it, so we can just concentrate on running the business.”

Established three decades ago, the business is currently run by the founder’s sons; Michael Williams, general manager, and Colin Williams, factory manager.

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