Eclipse Label partners with AstroNova to offer complete digital label production workflow from print to finishing

UK – Eclipse Label Equipment has partnered with AstroNova to offer an integrated digital label production workflow, combining QuickLabel printers with Eclipse finishing systems for short to medium-run production.

The partnership brings together AstroNova’s QuickLabel digital label printers with Eclipse Label Equipment’s digital finishing systems, creating integrated technology for label converters, print businesses, and manufacturers looking to produce short to medium-run labels in-house. 

The combined range is designed to support businesses producing short-run labels, digitally printed labels, laminated labels, variable data labels, product and packaging labels, plain and pre-printed label finishing, and on-demand label production. 

The systems are particularly suited to short and medium-run production where fast changeover, reduced waste, and digital cutting flexibility are increasingly important.

The Digital Finishing Bottleneck

A digital label printer can output a roll of labels in minutes, but if finishing requires traditional die-cutting tooling, the bottleneck shifts to die manufacture. 

Steel rule dies take days to produce and cost hundreds of dollars per die, making short runs uneconomical. 

Eclipse’s digital finishing systems use knife-based cutting heads that follow a digital file, eliminating die tooling entirely. 

The Eclipse Mini+ and Eclipse LF350s provide lamination, digital cutting, slitting, and rewinding for roll-to-roll label production, matching the digital press’s agility. 

By adding AstroNova digital label printers to the range, Eclipse can now supply a complete workflow from full-colour digital print through to finished labels.

Who Benefits from Integrated Workflow

For a brand that needs 500 labels for a product launch, traditional flexo printing requires a plate set and a die, costing more than the labels themselves. 

Digital printing on an AstroNova press eliminates plates; digital finishing on an Eclipse system eliminates the die. 

The integrated workflow allows converters to accept small orders that were previously unprofitable, opening new revenue streams from micro-runs and versioned labels. 

For a printer that already owns a digital press, adding Eclipse finishing allows them to bring die-cutting in-house instead of outsourcing it, reducing turnaround time and markup.

Lamination and Variable Data

The Eclipse systems support lamination, which is critical for labels that will be exposed to moisture, abrasion, or chemicals. 

A laminated label on a shampoo bottle survives the shower; an unlaminated label does not.

The finishing systems also support variable data labels, where each label carries different information (serial numbers, QR codes, personalised text), a common requirement in pharmaceuticals, electronics, and direct mail. 

Subscribe to our email newsletters that provide busy executives like you with the latest news insights and trends from Africa and the World. SUBSCRIBE HERE