(L-R) Chris Bastow, Riviera Labels, Kevin Adams, Dantex Graphics, and Peter Burnard, Riviera Labels
Torquay-based Riviera Labels has brought film production in house following the purchase of the Star Plate inkjet to film solution. The company, which specialises in short run, high quality label production, now has a complete in-house platemaking solution providing increased flexibility and control.
Directors Chris Bastow and Peter Burnard, who founded Riviera Labels in 1998, were previously reliant on external sources. ‘We were buying in films from service providers who were using old imagesetting devices to produce negative films for our platemaking,’ noted Mr Burnard. ‘Over the past year or so, this form of film production was becoming increasingly problematic due to these imagesetters coming to the end of their life span. With prices of traditional imagesetting film also rising, we needed a replacement solution which would deliver the same quality output.’
The company had previously looked at digital platemaking, but found the ROI on CTP too restrictive. The search for an alternative cost-effective solution led them to Labelexpo in 2013 where the two directors were shown the Star Plate solution on the Dantex Graphics stand. As part of the evaluation process, Dantex subsequently provided both Star Plate films and printing plates for the print test.
Riviera, which prints at high screen rulings up to 175 lpi, ran a full print production comparison between imagesetter and Star Plate film output. ‘The printed results were just great with the Star Plate film output matching that of the conventional imagesetter,’ said Mr Bastow. ‘In fact with the inclusion of Smart Screen and the ability to hold a 1% dot on the plate, we have increased the quality of our production which means we are providing our customers with a better product – it is a win-win situation.’
Star Plate is distributed throughout Europe by Graphic Republik.
