Making It Work at DWS Printing Associates
Established in 1865 and based in Deer Park, NY, FTA member DWS Printing Associates is a fourth generation, family owned and operated printing company specializing in labels for beverage, craft beer and food companies. Capabilities include shrink sleeve, pressure sensitive, cut and stacked, and roll fed labels, as well as in house graphic design services, all under one roof. DWS has a national client base and ships coast to coast, as well as to Canada and Puerto Rico.
The company continues to invest in technology. Recent capital investments have included its Heidelberg 8-color UV offset press, fondly referred to as “The Beast” and its Omet 10-color flexographic press, known as “Beauty.” Other equipment includes its Nilpeter 8-color flexo press and two brand new Polar guillotine machines. The combination of its heritage, long standing values, client relationships and team members have made DWS one of the fastest growing companies in the label and packaging arena.
One of DWS’ favorite new markets is shrink sleeves for craft beer cans, energy drinks, juices, and teas—thanks to its Omet press, which is specifically engineered for printing on unsupported substrates. DWS’ lower minimums and spot matte/gloss techniques are primed to accommodate any client’s creativity. Shrink sleeve affords DWS the opportunity to create more possibilities and solutions for their clients.
Historically, the company had focused on cut and stack labels, but two years ago invested in its Omet press. It looked at the cost of software to help compensate for distortion automatically—along with 3-D rendering—and determined it was in its best interest. The projected ROI was very short as opposed to doing it manually.
“We really wanted to get a head start over anyone who was doing it manually,” recalled John Gulino, DWS senior technical director who oversees the company’s quality assurance programs. “Obviously, the software was minor compared to the cost of the press. However, more importantly, it allowed us to decrease our own prepress time—typically to a couple days—and costs which, in turn, reduced the turnaround time to our customers. All of this contributed to the shorter ROI.”
Shrink Sleeve Software in Action
DWS has been using its shrink sleeve software for two years. “We receive artwork, preflight it and prepare the PDF label file for content. Once content is approved, we begin the distortion process using the software,” explained Gulino. “Sometimes the automated software produces graphics just a bit differently from the designer’s intent. In that case, we manually tweak them slightly in the software. We usually give the client up to three different options where they can see the 3-D rendering, rotate it, move it and tell us what they like. For example, if a circle is placed too high on a bottle, it could look like an oval on the neck.”
The software gives DWS the ability to dramatically eliminate errors up front. Creating the first shrink sleeve was part of a learning curve to produce the artwork, plates and go to press. It took three days. Today, it creates a typical distortion job in about 30 minutes.
Ideally, DWS prefers a CAD or bottle drawing from which to distort art. Many times, the company will receive a mechanical drawing it will “doctor up” with software. In some cases, clients don’t have anything when the designer creates a prototype label—they prefer to show the design to the bottle manufacturer after the fact. “In those cases, we will build the bottle drawing manually,” said Gulino. “Many times, the designer will try things out with us and get ideas based on what we think will and will not work.
“The software takes a lot of the technical information and puts it into an easy to use interface so we can advise designers up front, as opposed to having designers show us a design and then telling them it will not work,” added Gulino. “We might find that some of the art is too close to the seam, or the nutrition facts are distorted. We can address these at the beginning of the process, giving us more time to make adjustments.”
Usually, there are not too many changes. “We try to offer suggestions up front and edit the artwork until the customer is happy,” commented Gulino. “When we get a sign off, we go through a proofing cycle. Some clients just want an undistorted proof. Others want a proof and they want a physical mockup of the sleeve. We will make the proof on a digital press on the material they print on, put it in a steam box, and deliver a contract proof as well as finished sleeves.”
The software gives DWS the ability to dramatically eliminate errors up front. Creating the first shrink sleeve was part of a learning curve to produce the artwork, plates and go to press. It took three days. Today, it creates a typical distortion job in about 30 minutes.
DWS also likes to use production automation software to assist. When there are many brand extensions—for example, 10 different flavors— they will create the first label. Once a client likes the first label, DWS can automate artwork for the rest of them, allowing the software to position the components in the same place: the logo, UPC, nutrition facts, and so on—accelerating production.
“We are also using the software for our other labels—for example, producing 3-D renderings for cut and stack and pressure sensitive labels,” continued Gulino. “It gives us a better idea of how it will work before we make a proof, which reduces the development cycle and the cost of proofing. The fact that we have been able to repurpose the software for 3-D layouts of all our labels gave us another tool in our tool chest.”
The Client Factor
Clients use the 3-D renderings in ad campaigns and POP displays. They also use them as sales tools, showing retailers what the product will look like on a case and skid. For them, though, time to market is the greatest benefit. “We can reduce time from four weeks to as little as one,” enthused Gulino. “Manually, we could not do that. Printers and packaging companies have less and less time to do work. We needed to invest in the software technology to stay ahead of the curve—and our competition.”
DWS has been able to work with smaller clients and help them grow substantially to become much larger and successful—in part due to their ability to offer impactful product labeling and services like virtual 3-D renderings. “As our customers grow, we are still able to turnaround their larger orders because of the software and print systems we have in place.
“Our payroll would have drastically increased without the software. If done manually, it’s really one of the most difficult tasks, requiring a lot of technical expertise—and commanding a higher salary. However, the software is easy enough that the artist who does our preflighting can work on it,” concluded Gulino. “You cannot be successful with shrink sleeves without the software. It’s a must have tool.”
DWS is typical of companies using shrink sleeve software to calculate distortions—to fit into existing design and prepress workflows, saving hours of operator time and weeks of design lead time. This can generate the brand owner significant revenues if a product can be launched earlier, and save the printer, converter or premedia provider thousands in costs.
About the Author: Rory Marsoun, Esko VP, flexo business development, determines the direction of the flexo business in North America, acting as a liaison with the company’s product development staff in Germany. This includes the development of Esko’s new CDI Crystal XPS system. Marsoun has also served as director, software training deployment, Americas, managing the team of experts that installs Esko software and flexo products, and trains new users; and manager – flexo services, Americas, managing highly skilled specialists who work directly with Esko customers to implement and optimize prepress and plate making systems. Marsoun earned an MBA and a B.S. in graphic communications from Clemson University. His technical specialties include color, digital imaging, film production, prepress production and proofing.