Digital Label Printing – Quality Labels, Fast. Matched to Your Business.
How does digital label printing help solve your problems?
Here is a problem that comes up constantly. A food producer launches a new variant. A drinks brand updates its artwork for compliance. A manufacturer needs labels for a new product line without committing to flexographic volumes until the range is proven. In conventional label printing, every one of those situations runs into the same wall: tooling costs, plate charges, and minimum orders that force over-ordering on stock that may become obsolete.
Digital label printing removes that wall. At Positive ID Labels, we have been solving exactly this kind of labelling problem for over 20 years – and digital printing is the reason we can do it without asking customers to over-order, over-spend, or wait longer than they need to.
What Digital Label Printing Actually Solves
The Real Question in Digital Label Printing Is Not Which Press
Most label enquiries arrive with a substrate in mind, or a vague sense of quantity. Our starting point is different. Before we recommend anything, we want to understand the application: the environment the label will face, the compliance text it needs to carry, the shelf life of the product, whether it will pass through a cold store, a dishwasher cycle, or an automatic applicator at speed.
That conversation takes ten minutes. It is also the reason 85% of people who call us go on to place an order – not because we are good at selling, but because by the time the call ends, the labelling problem is properly understood and usually has an obvious solution.
ISO 9001 certified, with 99% of orders delivered on time, first time. Digital runs are typically the fastest – 80% of all orders leave within five working days.
Variable Data and Barcodes
Digital printing lends itself to variable data labels and barcode labels by virtue of the dynamic way that digital printing works. Instead of fixed plated repeating the same information on every label, digital label printing allows us to put vast amounts of variation into the print run. Data can be prepared in a suitable software like Microsoft Excel and tehn laid out for distribution on the label order.
Our team of skilled pre-press designers can configure the data for the printing software that runs the presses. We can have multiple data points on each label. Automated systems mean we can set the data and design in minutes and prepare vast variable data orders for you in no time.
Our Digital Label Printing Presses
The press we use depends on what your label needs to survive. We do not default to one machine.
Xeikon – 1200dpi for Premium Digital Label Printing
The Xeikon is the right press for digital label printing where quality is part of the product itself. Craft gin, artisan food, premium cosmetics – anything where a customer’s hand reaches for the bottle before they have read a word. At 1200dpi, fine detail holds at sizes that would defeat a lower-resolution press. Subtle colour gradients reproduce cleanly. Small compliance text stays legible.
It runs on Tintoretto – a moisture-resistant textured paper with a tactile feel that communicates quality before the lid is opened. Gloss or matt laminate and varnish are available via our GM Dcoat finishing line for added protection and shelf presence.
Screen TrueJet UV Inkjet – High-Volume Digital Label Printing on Plastics
The Screen UV inkjet runs at 600dpi and 50 metres per minute. Where the Xeikon is about precision on paper, the Screen is about throughput on plastic. White, clear, or silver polypropylene – waterproof by nature, resistant to oils, solvents, and cleaning agents. The right choice for bottles, chilled products, chemical labels, and anything that will face moisture or mechanical handling.
Which Digital Label Printing Press Is Right for Your Product?
Honestly, tell us what the label needs to survive and we will tell you which press makes sense – and why the other one does not. Call 01332 864895 before you commit to artwork or substrate. That conversation costs nothing and usually saves time.
ODIN™ – Automated Imposition, Built In-House
When an order contains multiple label SKUs in different quantities, someone has to work out how to arrange them across the cutting die efficiently. Done manually, that takes up to an hour for relatively simple orders and involves several members of staff. Done by ODIN™, our proprietary automated pre-press system, it takes under 10 seconds.
ODIN™ – Optimised Die Imposition and Nesting — was developed in-house by our Technical Director because nothing adequate existed elsewhere. No other UK label printer operates anything like it.
The system calculates the optimal arrangement of every label in your order automatically, achieves 90-100% material utilisation, and feeds the complete plan directly into our press workflow without manual intervention.
For you, this has two direct effects. At quoting stage, exact material requirements are calculated rather than estimated – which is part of why the price we quote is the price you pay. At production stage, eliminating manual pre-press planning is part of why orders move as quickly as they do. We built ODIN™ to solve a problem. That is how we tend to approach most things.
Custom Label Shapes – No Tooling Cost or Lead Time
Our Jetrion press adds laser die cutting to the workflow. Any shape you can draw is possible without tooling cost or lead time – useful when a new product requires a distinctive label format, or when a range includes formats that do not match standard die sizes. We also hold over 1,000 rotary dies in stock, so most standard shapes carry no tooling charge regardless of volume.
Finishes for Digital Labels
Laminate and Varnish for Digital Label Printing
Gloss and matt varnish, and gloss and matt laminate, are available on Xeikon and Screen output. Beyond the visual finish, laminate in particular provides genuine protection — labels on bottles or products shipped in bulk arrive looking right rather than scuffed. Matt laminate on premium paper is one of the most effective combinations we produce for high-end positioning.
Silver polypropylene with white ink delivers a metallic finish at a fraction of genuine foil cost – one of the most-requested effects in digital label printing, and one most buyers are surprised by when they see it in person.
Get a Quote for Your Digital Label Printing Project
Call 01332 864895. We will have a fixed price to you in minutes – not an estimate, not a starting point. If your requirement is unusual or complicated, that is not a problem. Unusual requirements are frequently the most interesting ones. Use the enquiry form if you would prefer to start there and we will follow up the same day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of businesses do you work with for digital label printing? Our customers are typically businesses with ongoing label requirements — manufacturers, food and drink producers, chemical companies, and distributors who order regularly as part of their operation. Digital printing suits businesses that need flexibility across multiple SKUs, want to avoid holding large stocks of labels that may become outdated, or are launching new products before committing to flexographic volumes. Call us and we will tell you which press and run length makes commercial sense for your requirement.
Can I get a custom label shape with digital printing? Yes. The Jetrion press includes a laser die cutting station — any shape is possible without tooling charges or lead time. For standard shapes, we hold 1,000+ dies in stock and there is a good chance yours is already here at no extra cost.
What is the difference between the Xeikon and Screen press? The Xeikon runs at 1200dpi and is the right choice for premium paper labels where fine detail and colour accuracy are central to the product. The Screen UV inkjet runs at 600dpi and 50 metres per minute — better suited for plastic substrates, waterproof labels, and higher-volume runs where throughput matters.
Can digital labels be laminated or varnished? Yes. Gloss and matt varnish and laminate are both available on Xeikon and Screen output via our GM Dcoat finishing line. Laminate provides meaningful scuff and moisture protection – useful for bottled products and anything stored in chilled environments.
How quickly can I receive digital labels? 80% of our orders leave within five working days. Digital runs are typically at the faster end. Call 01332 864895 if you have a tight deadline — we will tell you directly what is achievable.
Do you produce digital labels for food and drink products? Yes – food and drink is a core market. We regularly produce digital labels for craft breweries, artisan food producers, soft drinks brands, spirits, dairy, and bakery. If your product has compliance requirements – allergens, QUID declarations, nutritional information — we can advise on how to incorporate them correctly into your label design.