“A few years back Digital label printing was a somewhat complimentary technology to flexo, but now it has become a mandatory complement to analogue or flexo label printing.” Says Pawan Chauhan Country Sales Manager, HP Industrial Print, India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka. HP will introduce the new HP Indigo 6K+ Digital Press at LOUPE India 2026, scheduled for October 29th November 1, 2026, at the India Expo Center and Mart in Greater Noida, Delhi-NCR. This press is equipped with the new “Smart-Control-System” for intelligent automation and precision to enable label and packaging converters manage shorter print runs, faster turnarounds, multiple SKUs, and a broader array of digital applications. Pawan adds further, “For HP’s presence and growth in digital label equipment, this has been the most successful year in our history!” The equipment may not have become affordable, but it does make sense investing in the convenience, creativity, quality, variability, desired volumes and speed of delivery. Moreover, the cost of consumables is gradually reducing. Capital investment in such advanced equipment remains high but then it is a one-time cost.
Digital narrow web label printing in India had made its entry in the second decade of this millennium.
In around 2010-2011 it was a definite and visible technology given the
convenience of computer-to-print without any plates etc. However still the
initial proliferation was slow and in 2015 I, as the author, wrote an article whereby
it was mentioned, “Label Printing in India, digital has to wait”, available
at the link; https://harveersahni.blogspot.com/2015/05/label-printing-
in-india-digital-has-to.html. Yet it was evident that this electronic process will
grow substantially once the convenience and acceptability is recognized. Two
years hence, on May 7th, 2017, I did yet another survey and wrote my article
titled, “Digital label printing in India, the
journey has begun!” Self Adhesive Labels Industry In
India and The World: Digital label printing in India, the journey has begun!
(harveersahni.blogspot.com). If we remember the journey of mobiles in India, when they were
launched, an incoming and outgoing call were both charged at Rs.16 per minute
while the landline rates were Rs.1.00 per minute. Now, I would say the calls
are virtually free as compared to those times. A landmark has happened! India’s
largest telecom company Jio has just made a ₹30,213 crore, India's largest-ever
public offering. The issue was fully subscribed to in 100 minutes of opening
and finally oversubscribed a whopping six times. That is the power of digital
due to its convenience and speed of reach within India’s progressive young
population. I am sure digital label printing is going to traverse the same
path. The cost per call or that of mobile phones do not matter, the convenience
of reaching out has made digital connectivity a necessity and even the lowest
rungs of society cannot imagine a life without mobiles.
Ajay Raorane Vice President Domino Printech India expresses that, “Digital
printing is not just about buying a machine; it is about building a more
profitable and competitive business!” He goes on to add, “At Domino, we support
our customers throughout their digital printing journey. We work closely with
them to carry out Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) studies based on their existing
jobs and actual business needs, helping them understand the costs, benefits and
potential returns before making an investment. Our aim is to ensure that every
customer makes a well-informed decision and feels confident and proud of the
decision they make. With our new, more accessible digital printing solution, we
aim to help Indian label converters take their first step into digital printing
with confidence, reduce waste, respond faster to customers, handle a wider
range of jobs and protect their profit margins. At Domino it is not just
selling a machine but partnering with customers to help them succeed and grow
their business.”
Intergraphics Mumbai led by Amit Sheth will be showcasing Pulisi UV Inkjet
Digital Press with inline embellishment function. Amit says, “Digital label segment
is growing at a much higher pace than that in the past. It is not just simple
CMYK printing, now our presses deliver much more, demand is growing catering to
different applications.” He further adds, “We have few installations and expect
growth in the number of installations.” According to him digital label printing
has its advantages because except for pre-press, no major heads impact the conversion. This
technology is evolving now as main-stream one for many in label space it is also growing with its application in packaging.
As we witness growth, inks being the main consumable, have witnessed lowering prices
as demand increases. The better pricing plays a key role in bringing digital
closer to conventional print methods with possibility of variable printing,
embellishments and security features.
Prakash Chopra Senior Vice President at Arrow Digital; We are displaying Digital Label
printer and Digital Label Finishers. Our printer is based on Memjet
technologies using water-based pigment ink which is Nestlé compliant and
it is food grade. We export our machines and have installed around 90 machines
worldwide. As regards cost of printing, with MOQs getting smaller it is
even cheaper in certain cases, and the delivery is just on time. As volumes are
getting bigger the cost of consumables is coming down to make it a lower cost
of producing.
Xeikon will be displaying their signature dry toner
technology 330 mm wide press, Xeikon Ecolyne, with 1200 dpi image
resolution, food safe toners, prints CMYK+White, and it prints at 25mtr/min. Vikram
Saxena, Sales General Manager - Flint Group Digital Xeikon asserts, “It is value for money business proposition
from us and an easy entry into digital label printing world with proven
technology.” Referring to their 1500 installations worldwide and 5 in India, makes
known his wish, “Yeh Dil mange more!” :means, the heart desires more in number
of installations. Comparing the cost implications, he feels If one compares
ink-per-square-meter, Flexo looks cheaper. But a true Total Cost of Ownership
(TCO) comparison tells a completely different story. When you calculate the
real cost of running flexo; platemaking, plate wear and replacement,
specialized anilox inventory, solvent chemistry, mounting tape, plus 100 to 200
meters of media waste during multi-station alignment, flexo carries a heavy
upfront cost penalty on every single job. Digital wipes out that prepress
bottleneck instantly: zero plates, zero anilox cleaning, and near-zero setup
waste. Where the future is heading: As digital press speeds rise, dry toner
yield improves, and substrate handling becomes more flexible, digital TCO is
steadily closing the gap with Flexo on increasingly longer run lengths. Digital
is already equal to or cheaper than Flexo for multi-SKU and short-to-medium
jobs; tomorrow, that crossover line will be even higher.
Comparing the digital with conventional according to Vikram,
digital printing in labels will not overtake conventional for a long time in
growing markets like India. On an 8 to 10 station Flexo line, a converter can
execute a true heavy-duty masterclass in a single seamless pass: laying down
cold foiling, printing directly on top of that foil, running CMYK
alongside a couple of spot colors, applying a protective varnish, die-cutting,
and handling matrix removal all at once. Digital technology still struggles to
replicate that exact synchronized, multi-step inline heavy conversion in a
single, cost-effective go. However, where all digital wins are, complementary
agility, handling short runs, quick turnarounds, and variable data without
setup waste. The future is not about digital killing Flexo; it is about smart
converters using digital for their short, agile jobs, and saving their
multi-station Flexo behemoths for the complex, high-station finishing work
where they remain completely unbeatable.
Summation: From the time I wrote, “Digital has to wait” in
2015 to now we have traversed a long way. It is interesting to note that now we
have some label companies who just do digital printing. These include the likes
of Trigon Digital, Leap Digiprints, Digistick, Nexibles, Spectalpack, and a few
more. This may look so very surprising; I asked all about their estimation of total population of established brands of label
presses in India. Most said it must be between 100 to 120. In fact, Pawan
Chahan asserted that it must be more than 120. These are personal estimates
that are not authenticated. The population of established brands has grown from
51 (as per my assessment) in 2022 as is written in my article mentioned in the
beginning of this article. If that has grown to 120 or more, it translates to a
CAGR of 18%. Exactly the same that I had estimated in 2022! If we take
in account the few Indian, Chinese and small table-top digital machines coming
in, the growth evidently is correct or more. Times have changed; most
successful label companies face the challenge of bigger customers walking away to
other competitors when in need of small runs. Then there are so many startups,
five years back the number was around 15000 which has now, in 2026, grown three
times to 45000. The need for short runs by these startups is evident before
they succeed and escalate their quantities. Even the larger FMCG companies have
to run smaller regional, festival or specialised marketing and sales, it makes sense
to develop the focused packaging on digital printing to support such campaigns.
Digital thus has become a necessity to complement conventional label printing.
Compiled and written by Harveer Sahni, Chairman Weldon
Celloplast Limited New Delhi October 2026
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