Labelnet found righteous with award-winning label

When Labelnet’s Rob Lorkins collected the Digital Labels and Packaging Award for Excellence with Hybrid Printing, it marked a major milestone for the UK converter. Behind the accolade lies a story of creative collaboration, technical innovation and problem solving.

The project did not begin with a client brief for a peel-and-reveal label, but as an internal idea within Labelnet’s studio. Matt, the studio supervisor, was inspired by Hackney Church Brewery’s church themed branding and suggested a stained glass effect using a peel-and-reveal format. The brewery had not planned this feature, but Labelnet applied it to the Noah’s Ark design, making the interactive element its own innovation.

This was enabled by Labelnet’s investment in a Domino N610i digital press. Peel-and-reveal is not a standard product, but by combining digital and flexo processes they achieved the required complexity. The Noah Knows Best label was produced on two layers of white polypropylene, with photographic animal images printed digitally and laminated with a second web. Further stages included printing on adhesive, applying release lacquer and completing the top layer.

Registration was the main technical challenge, requiring precision and operator skill to align layers correctly. Finishing was carried out on an AB Graphics Digicon with a heavily textured varnish, now common in the craft brewery sector. Labelnet spent years refining this process and now offers both heavy and light texture finishes.

Mr Lorkins believes more brands would use such constructions if they better understood what is possible. Judges praised the label for its impact and technical execution.

For Labelnet, the award validates its approach. The success of Noah Knows Best shows how a mid-sized converter can compete through creativity and technical versatility rather than volume, combining digital quality with flexo capability to stand out in a crowded market.