Digital embellishment is not new to Chinese OEMs, but it has only recently become mainstream with the fast adoption of digital printing technologies by label converters. As China focuses on reviving domestic demand, significant growth opportunities in the label market make it an attractive segment for digital label presses and finishing equipment manufacturers.

China’s advancements in flexo press manufacturing and digital inkjet technologies have accelerated demand for hybrid technologies. Many of the Chinese digital label press suppliers have formed partnerships with flexo equipment manufacturers to offer hybrid configurations. Today, fully integrated inkjet/flexo hybrid presses are offered by all major Chinese OEMs such as General Inkjet Printing, HanGlobal, Haotian, RTZ Flora, Pulisi, and Weigang. They can be configured with flexo pre-coating, inkjet varnishing, embossing, and hot foil modules, along with cold foil, flexo varnishing, and semi-rotary die-cutting.

The demand for more sophisticated and complex embellishments and finishing effects has also triggered the appearance of stand-alone embellishment systems from vendors, including traditional finishing equipment suppliers including Brotech, DMS, Reborn, Vision, and Yutian. Using the UV inkjet-based technology and single-pass piezo inkjet heads, it can carry out any combination of embellishment processes, such as spot gloss, metallic finishes, embossed textures, or digital foiling overlaid with a 3D effect.