Allegra South Burnaby paying for its new EFI Jetrion 4950LX System with new business it’s bringing in

In April of this year, full-service printer Allegra South Burnaby (Burnaby, BC) installed an EFI Jetrion 4950LX LED inkjet label press with an EFI Fiery digital front end (DFE). The full-service Allegra Network franchise is using the fully integrated Jetrion digital system to expand into the digital label market with a cost-effective, high-productivity solution. Allegra’s new 13-inch-wide digital label production line was the first of its kind installed in Canada and the first in the Allegra Network. With it, owners Binny and Harpreet Mroke are taking full advantage of the opportunity offered by the growing market for short-run digital label printing.

“We were getting calls from clients in various businesses, including food manufacturers, asking for labels which we had no option but to outsource. Not satisfied with the quality, we began to research how these companies were sourcing their labels and recognized that there was a huge opportunity to provide high quality labels in shorter runs to the local market,” said Binny Mroke. “The label market is growing fast,” she continued. “We saw the opportunity to offer a superior product, from end to end, with a very fast turnaround. The Jetrion 4950LX is a seamless solution for our clients’ label requirements.” When evaluating the technology, the couple discovered that they could pay for the Jetrion press just with the business their existing connections would bring in. But they also wanted to expand beyond the local market, so they turned to Y5 Creative, a local branding and web design agency, who are developing a software program that will enable all Allegra locations to use the press.

“The Allegra Network will market and promote the service to all the franchise locations, and we’re already getting some very positive feedback from several locations,” said Jonathan Colley, Director of Business Development at Y5 Creative. The software, marketed as Allegra AllLabels, will have the added functionality of a digital asset management component that will enable print-shop clients to manage all image files for labels and packaging. Allegra franchises will be able to link directly to the Jetrion press, giving them the ability to market it and the label products it produces to their clients as their own “virtual” machine without the hardware investment.
The new press is a fully loaded four-colour-plus-white model with inline laser die cutting, varnish and lamination, configurable slitting with up to 16 blades, back-scoring and dual-spindle, semi-automatic turret rewinding. Its integrated finishing features can take jobs from file to finished roll without interruptions – increasing efficiency, delivering the lowest cost per label, and boosting profitability. Its “cool cure” LED inkjet technology makes it compatible with a wide range of substrates – including paper, films, foil, tag, specialty, and heat-sensitive films.
Allegra South Burnaby offers a full range of services including offset and digital printing, 1:1 variable data printing, specialty printing (UV varnish, die cutting, embossing, gloss spot, fancy folds), thermography printing, sign and display production, design and marketing, one-stop direct mail services and promotional products. The seven-employee location has been serving the greater Burnaby area since 1997, but was acquired by current owners Binny and Harpreet Mroke in 2008. The Allegra Network, founded 40 years ago, comprises more than 300 independent locations across North America. Each location is owned and operated independently by professionals who live and work in the communities they serve.