Print Panache installs India’s first Lombardi Smartline press

INDIA – Print Panache has become the first company in India to install the Lombardi Smartline press, marking a significant milestone in the country’s label printing landscape.

The installation was carried out by Vinsak, Lombardi’s regional distributor.

With over three decades of experience and a customer base exceeding 1,200 across India, Print Panache produces one million labels and half a million cartons daily.

The company specializes in self-adhesive and pressure-sensitive labels, as well as high-quality carton boxes for sectors such as food and beverages, personal care, pharmaceuticals, and automotive.

The Lombardi Smartline is a new entry-level flexo press designed to address the evolving needs of modern label converters.

Building on the success of the Lombardi I2 and based on the proven Synchroline platform, the Smartline delivers precision printing on pressure-sensitive papers and films. It supports web widths of up to 450 mm and printing widths of up to 430 mm.

The press features a robust servo-driven system for accurate web tension control, ensuring high-quality output with minimal downtime.

It includes a servo-driven unwinder and infeed, eight UV flexo printing stations, a die-cutting station, and a rewinder.

Its modular design allows flexible configurations tailored to client specifications. Key features include a rail-mounted system with delam/relam, air-assisted turn bar, and cold foil units, enabling a wide variety of label finishes.

Smartline’s mechatronic architecture minimizes the use of mechanical transmission parts like gears and belts, reducing maintenance costs and improving uptime.

“This marks our third Lombardi installation with Vinsak, and with each addition, our trust in their technology and support continues to grow,” said Anuj Kumar Gupta, partner at Print Panache.

Co-partners Shaswat and Raghav Bansal added, “The Smartline press will significantly boost our production capabilities while helping us maintain the high standards our customers expect.”

Massimo Lombardi, general manager of Lombardi Converting Machinery, commented, “India has always been a key market, and Print Panache, one of our valued customers, continues to inspire us to innovate.”

Gayatri Labels adopts digital finishing with New Print Solutions’ VD330

Meanwhile, Hyderabad-based Gayatri Labels, a leading manufacturer of PVC and paper-based self-adhesive labels for products like water bottles, soft drinks, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals, has expanded its capabilities with the adoption of digital finishing technology.

Founded in 1993, the company traditionally relied on flexo printing and die-punching for label production.

However, growing demand for short-run and fast-turnaround jobs led Gayatri Labels to invest in a Konica Minolta AccurioLabel 230 digital press. Soon after, the company realized that to truly capitalize on digital, the entire workflow had to be digitized.

“To enable a fully digital label production setup, we introduced our VD330 digital label finisher,” said Akshat Pardiwala, CEO of New Print Solutions, a sister concern of Nippon Color.

“With die-less cutting, automated job changeover, and intuitive operation, Gayatri Labels can now offer same-day delivery on short-run jobs—a service that sets them apart.”

As e-commerce, startups, and SKU diversification drive demand for agility, the VD330 enables converters to move up to 70–80% of finishing work from traditional die systems to digital, freeing up conventional equipment for high-volume production.

Smarter finishing, greater efficiency

The VD330 eliminates the need for physical dies. Cutting begins immediately upon uploading the layout file, reducing setup time and cost.

Its four precision cutting heads offer speeds of up to 9 meters per minute and support label widths up to 320 mm and lengths up to 2000 mm.

An integrated CCD camera reads job numbers or QR codes for automatic job changeovers and cutting adjustments without manual intervention, maximizing efficiency for multi-SKU environments.

Beyond cutting, the VD330 also handles lamination, waste matrix removal, slitting, and optional roll-to-sheet conversion, making it a comprehensive finishing solution.

The machine debuted at Labelexpo India 2024 and has already been adopted by Morya Labels, Star Offset, Angel Priint Tech, and Winways Digitech Multiservices.

“Most of our installations are paired with KM digital label presses, though progressive flexo users are also embracing the benefits of our compact and efficient finisher,” noted Pardiwala.

Backed by Nippon Color’s support network in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, and Kolkata, New Print Solutions ensures smooth onboarding and ongoing productivity.

“The VD330 isn’t just a machine—it represents a new approach to label finishing,” Pardiwala concluded.

“With 20 installations and growing, it has become the go-to solution for forward-thinking converters in India.”

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