ROTOLABEL CREATES PREMIUM PACKAGING FOR WOOLWORTHS

Comments Steve Andrews, Woolworths’ packaging, design and planning manager: ‘We needed a trustworthy print service provider to take the concept from artwork stage to finished product. Having worked with Rotolabel before, we knew they’d be ideally suited to this job and their HP Indigo digital print capabilities made the decision easy.’

To achieve the premium look demanded by this upmarket product, one feature of the label design was a metallic effect. ‘Critical to the appearance of the label and ultimately the success of the range, this effect needed to be fresh, clean, balanced and bright,’ Steve explains. ‘Rotolabel conducted numerous tests to ensure the required result was achieved.’

The HP Indigo press ws4500 uses HP ElectroInk liquid ink technology and a wide colour gamut provides exceptional and consistent print quality. Spot colours can also be printed to ensure brand colours are accurately matched.

‘The challenge was to keep the metallic effect consistent across the range of different labels,’ explains Nigel Deary, creative and prepress director, Calibre Brand Solutions (Woolworths’ design and prepress agency).

He goes on to relate that the first run was printed on both a letterpress machine and on the HP Indigo. When the results were compared, the texture in the background differed from one level to the next on the letterpress-printed labels, but there was better control with the digitally-printed labels.

‘It was also easier to use the HP Indigo press ws4500 within our workflow as it was really quick to set up and we were guaranteed the same high-quality every time we printed something,’ Nigel adds.

Cost-effective short runs and fast turnaround

The HP Indigo press ws4500 prints from one to 50 000 labels in a fast turnaround time to enable customers to get their products to market quickly.

‘The cost-effective, short-run capability of the HP Indigo ws4500 means we can print what our customers want, when they want it, and we can provide them with proofs that will be identical to the real job and conduct trials prior to production, such as the trials we did for Woolworths. This added-value has helped Rotolabel stay ahead of the competition with unrivalled customer service,’ stresses Rotolabel’s Grant Watson.

‘Rotolabel is absolutely committed to honouring the agreed turnaround time when we request a new job,’ confirms Nicki Russell, product developer – groceries, Woolworths. ‘Often they even go as far as providing finished labels a week prior to the deadline, but the quality of the end-product always remains consistently high. They are by far the most professional printers I have worked with,’ she adds.

The Cooks’ Essentials range has proved a great success.

Catherine Bothner, Woolworths’ product developer – groceries, believes the packaging design played an important role in this success. ‘The design clearly pulled the range of diverse products together and created a clear sub-brand on the shelves. The quality of the packaging made them stand out as a high-end range and attracted the target audience.’

‘Two years on, we’re still printing the labels for the Cooks’ Essentials product line, so that should be testament enough to the success of this range,’ Grant concludes. ‘The results we delivered would not have been possible without our HP Indigo press. We consider HP to be the leader in digital print technology and continue to rely upon their printing solutions to enhance our business offering and provide our customers with outstanding print quality.’