DLS Adds INX NW140 Narrow Web Digital Press

Diversified Labeling Solutions (DLS) has carved an interesting and successful path since opening its doors in 1985 as a producer of pressure sensitive tapes. Headquartered in Chicago’s western suburbs and owned by Bob Hakman, DLS expanded their business to include pressure sensitive labels when they purchased their first label press in 1989. Today, they are one of the largest privately owned label providers in the industry.
 
With more than 200 employees and four other facilities in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Dallas and Reno, DLS produces high definition and consistent color quality marketing and digital labels. Their narrow web UV digital press, manufactured by INX International Ink Co., offers label options to their distributors.
 
DLS began its business partnership with INX in 2012 when it was among the first companies to beta test the INX NW140 narrow web digital press. It performed so well they installed it at their plant in Itasca and later relocated it to Dallas. Two years later, the company purchased the first INX NW210 inkjet UV digital narrow web press before it made its debut on the floor at the 2014 Labelexpo Show in suburban Chicago.
 
“With the NW140, we were very interested in the fact that it had laser die cutting. It was a nice, compact machine and it fit the needs of our company at that point in time,” recalled Hakman. “After we bought it, we started a new product line that required us to print the UV ink in a wider format than what the machine allowed us to do. At the same time, we were getting expanded demand for the digital press with larger runs. We needed a wider format to produce the product and be competitive in the marketplace.”
 
The NW210 is fast, providing single-pass output up to 80 feet per minute since the machine incorporates the powerful JetINX Printhead Drive Electronics and Ink Recirculation System.
 
DLS has found flexibility to be another key asset of the press. The typical job run is usually in the 500 to 10,000 foot range, but as Hakman points out, some runs are as long as 20,000 and 30,000 feet.
 
“We’re very happy with INX and their ink colors are really amazing,” added DLS marketing director James Cirigliano. “The colors are very vibrant and we can pull a much wider gamut than a lot of other inks that are offered in the industry. We can print on clear material and we have an opaque white that gives us a lot of flexibility in the types of labels we can run through this press. And the fact we have a laser die cut is a tremendous advantage because we can run these labels very quickly and cost effectively for our customers.”