by DPS Magazine Staff
Label production often requires a few steps. Depending on the print environment and regular applications, an all-in-one or multifunction system may be the best solution to achieve printed and finished labels seamlessly. These systems perform a variety of tasks on one machine or as a hybrid system.
Multifunction or all-in-one label systems are ideal for short- to mid-run digital print environments that require flexibility, speed, and minimal waste. “They are typically found in small to midsize print shops, private label producers, and in-house packaging operations where job turnaround times are tight, SKU counts are high, and run sizes are constantly changing. An ideal setup is one where space is limited, and automation is essential to reduce labor dependency and production bottlenecks,” says Kevin Davis, CEO, SnapPress, a division of Allen Datagraph Systems.
All-in-one label finishing devices also serve larger businesses that want to take control of their own label printing by bringing production in house, as well as commercial print shops and label suppliers that want to offer custom-cut labels in shorter runs, shares Catherine Hornsby, marketing communications manager, FOX IV Technologies, Inc.
Steven Leibin, president, Matik Inc., feels this is also true for those print providers that are heavily involved with ecommerce label and sticker production and benefit from the efficiency and digital workflow of multifunction solutions.
Embellishment capabilities are also possible. Benjamin Danon, group CEO, Dantex, points out that embellishments are at the customer’s discretion, “whatever they need there is a module available. It really depends on the customer’s individual requirements.”
Certain systems can add laminations and specialty films to the surface of printed labels.
While built-in embellishments like foiling or varnishing may not be directly integrated into all-in-one label systems, they are often designed to integrate seamlessly with post-process embellishment equipment. “This modularity keeps the footprint small and the workflow flexible, allowing customers to add embellishment capabilities as needed,” notes Davis.
Advantages and Limitations
Multifunction label systems consolidate multiple finishing steps into a single, compact workflow. This improves efficiency by reducing handling between steps and minimizing the need for multiple machines or operators.
“For digital label printing, where just-in-time production and versioning are common, these systems allow converters to go from print to finished roll in a single pass with minimal setup. They’re also more cost effective for shorter runs, eliminating the need for costly dies or tooling,” explains Davis.
Danon adds that inline finishing creates efficient production workflows where operators have minimum handling requirements and simply need to press print and the fully finished label is created in seconds. “This creates huge economies of scale, freeing up man power and minimizing handling making the production environment streamlined and less costly.”
Leibin points out that an all-in-one printing, cutting, and finishing solution delivers the “most efficient platform for label and sticker production. Complete digital workflow for all processes—UV inkjet printing, digital finishing, digital varnish and digital foil, and laser cutting—all inline offers amazing speed to market and the ultimate in production efficiency.”
Many all-in-one or multifunction systems also enable label customization. “Not only can they custom-cut labels to almost any shape, but you can add lamination, UV film, or holographic film; slit; and rewind,” says Hornsby.
Bringing label printing and solutions like Eclipse digital finishing systems together provides a flexible, productive label production, thereby saving time for the customer. “By having all of these processes in one system, you don’t have to take up space for separate pieces of equipment for each individual process.” Of course, there are downsides to consider with an all-in-one solution, especially in higher volumes.
“Historically, concerns with all-in-one digital finishers included slower cutting speeds or limits on embellishment compared to traditional systems,” says Davis.
However, Davis says systems like SnapPress’s iTech Centra and AXXIS XL address this with robust HPGL-compatible digital cutting technology, SMARTMark optical sensors, and speeds of up to 30 feet per minute. Integration with any digital or analog print workflow ensures maximum compatibility.
Hornsby feels that limitations are dependent on the type of finishing system that is chosen. For example, drag-knife styles can be limited in their speed. Eclipse laser finishing can be considered for those high-production requirements. Roll size and label length can also be limiting factors.
Hornsby says Eclipse offers several models to overcome this. Its finishing systems utilizing laser cutting do address the speed limitations, but also have their own considerations. “For example, a laser finishing system must have good fume extraction. Laser systems are far more expensive than drag-knife systems, so cost versus functionality should be considered.”
On the Market
Several all-in-one label systems, which feature multi-function finishing, are on the market. Here we highlight a selection.
Afinia
The Afinia DLF-220S Digital Label Finisher is a compact, tabletop all-in-one plotter-style label finishing system that can convert labels into finished rolls, ready for application without the need for physical dies. Afinia’s DLF-220S can unwind, laminate, digitally contour cut, remove waste material, slit, and rewind in one simple process to create professionally finished labels. This offline digital label finishing solution is ideal for on-demand, short-run label finishing for labels produced using digital color label printers.
D.P.R.
D.P.R. offers all-in-one systems that unwind, laminate for labels’ added durability, digitally die-cut, remove the excess label material around each die-cut shape, slit, and rewind. This allows cutting different types of material and shapes on the fly without the added cost of dies.
Eclipse
The Eclipse label finishing systems offered by FOX IV Technologies are narrow web label finishing systems designed for small to medium volume label finishing. The high-speed, narrow-web label finishing solutions are designed to streamline production and eliminate the need for rotary dies. Their innovative systems, including the Eclipse Mini+ and LF220HS, enhance efficiency by slitting, laminating, cutting, and rewinding labels with precision. The ACU-01 accumulator bridges the gap between label printing and finishing, ensuring seamless workflow integration. Eclipse label finishing technology helps businesses reduce label stock waste, save time, and cut different label designs effortlessly, making it a versatile choice for professional label production.
Neura Label
Neura Label offers its Scorpio digital label finishers. They give you the ability to create any custom size or elaborate shape label you can imagine. All systems provide a very accurate label finishing solution using cutting plotter technology. This allows you to cut different types of material and shapes on the fly without the added cost of dies. The units are equipped with a cutter management tool that works together with a camera forming an integrated optical black-mark registration system that provides cutting speed optimization and avoids synchronization issues. In addition, the Scorpio’s optional laminating module adds protection and durability to make your labels last much longer.
SEI Laser
SEI Laser’s Labelmaster with inline KYOJET UV Inkjet printing module can includes digital varnish and digital foil to create stunning effects inline in a single production process.
SnapPress
SnapPress offers three scalable all-in-one label finishing systems tailored to a range of production needs.
The iTech Centra is a high-speed, freestanding digital label finisher engineered for production environments needing efficiency and scale. It laminates, digitally cuts without dies, strips, slits, and rewinds in a single pass. With a web width of five to 14 inches and speeds up to 30 feet per minute (fpm), it’s ideal for converters handling high-volume or multi-SKU runs.
iTech AXXIS XL is a tabletop system designed for high-output digital environments. It supports widths from four to 8.5 inches and operates at up to 20 fpm. Like the Centra, it handles lamination, digital cutting, stripping, slitting, and rewinding—making it well suited for mid-size operations managing frequent job changes.
iTech Talon is a compact tabletop finisher perfect for small runs and private-label production. It offers lamination, digital die-cutting, matrix removal, optional slitting, and rewinding in a small footprint. With speeds up to ten fpm and compatibility with any digital print system, the Talon is a flexible entry-level solution.
Davis says all three systems are tool-free, fully digital, and designed to minimize setup and waste, an ideal match for the pace and precision of digital label printing.
Get it Done
As digital label printing is continually adopted by label providers and commercial printers alike, sometimes an all-in-one label solution is the right choice. “By combining printing and finishing, both time and production cost savings are achieved, cutting out dead stock of pre-cut, ready-to-print labels,” adds Hornsby.
Sep2025, DPS Magazine
