Cutters / dies, we carry a vast library of cutters, 1,000`s in fact. Most of these are magnetic, thin metal sheets, attached to magnetic bases, which means that many are interchangeable across our machines. We do still use and order "solid" cutters, this can be for a range of reasons, one of our cutter suppliers, Kocher & Beck, offer a view on the Pros and Cons between Flexible and Solid cutters here . Once a cutter / die is made it is not possible to alter, a new one would be needed to change any aspect, corner radius, gap between labels etc..... It should also be noted that cutters made to cut certain materials, say direct thermal paper, may not be able to cut a PP. This is much like your kitchen knives, a butter knife would not be used for slicing bread for instance, like our cutters, cutting angles, even material, could be different. We do always try and order a cutter to cover as wide a range of material as possible, but sometimes this is not possible. Cutter setting is one of the most critical aspects of our production, getting the die "strike" just right can be the difference between a job running well and not. Too heavy a "strike", and we risk cutting through the backing paper, giving you, the user, issues. Not heavy enough and we will have issues with stripping the waste matrix and not be able to run at an acceptable press speed. Cutter care also plays a part here and we expect our operators to maintain a high standard of care. All of our operators, indeed all of our staff, have been through the Kocker & Beck Training Academy where they learned various aspects of cutter setting, care of cutters, alongside seeing how a cutter is made. We are always open to visitors, so if you wanted to find out more about cutters, give us a call and arrange to drop in. Common Questions - "I want to change the gap between the labels, I wont need a new cutter will I?" Once cutter is made, it is not possible to change any aspects, so to change a gap or corner radius would mean a new cutter. "I have just order some labels on semi gloss paper, but you are quoting a new cutter for a PP job of the same size, why? " Much like your kitchen knives, a butter knife would not be used for cutting bread, a cheese knife not used for preparing vegetables. Cutting angles and even material could be different for best cutting a PP compared to a paper. "Can I have any size label, any shape?" Within reason yes, our current smallest cutter is 5mm dia, our largest 312 x 416mm (this the largest we could produce), but you can have any size. As for shapes, we can, or at least the cutter makers can, make quite complex shapes, the biggest factor we need to consider, is can we strip the waste from a very complex shape? "How much time does a new cutter add to my order?" Usually, a new cutter would be with us in around 48 hours, so there should be no major impact on delivery times. "Why can I never get a simple gap of say 3mm, why is it 3.4mm?" Our machines, and so cutters, work based on imperial measurement, 1/8" gearing. This does mean that cutters / print cylinders need to fit into increments of 1/8", which results in the gaps it does. "How heavy are the cutters?" They can be very heavy, 25kg +, but all of our machines are equipped with lifting equipment to lift the cutters in and out.

Our MD, Simon, turns 60 in August, and to mark the occasion, he is on a fundraising effort. He aims to raise funds for the Charity " Children with Cancer ", via the Le Jog Sisters Spin on the Square event, but with other "challenges" throughout 2024. "My five Grandchildren are, luckily, fit and healthy and so I wanted to do something to help those not as fortunate as we are." As many of you will be aware, Simon is no stranger to charity fundraising, his previous "challenges" include - Trekking in Nepal, Trekking to Machu Picchu in Peru, Climbing the High Atlas in Morocco, Cycling across the Sinai Desert and around Europe on the Three Cities Ride, to highlight just a few! Please, if you are able, consider donating to this great cause - https://www.justgiving.com/page/spin-on-the-square-2024 - any amount, large or small, will be gratefully received! Simon`s list of "challenges" 9th March - Loggerheads 10k - Off road trail run - "A tough run, big "climbs", "technical" downhills, but fun, especially the second lap when the route was familiar " 17th March - Fradley 10k Road Race - "My aim was sub 60mins, its four years plus since I ran 10k, so at sub 55mins, just, a success! A busy run with many more people than I had guessed, the sunshine a welcome addition!" 7th April - Cathedral to Castle - 10 mile run - "A much longer distance than I have run for many years, the challenging multi terrain route, not made any easier by storm Kathleen, with the gusting wind making going hard. I didn't know what to expect time wise, but thought 1 hour 45 minutes a good target, with a harder route than I had guessed, my 1 hour 38 minutes felt a good time, finishing 458 out of 1027 runners" 20th April - Dirty Reiver - 130km / 2100mts Climbing - Off road / gravel cycle around Kielder Forest - "Picking up a cough & cold where not part of the Reiver plan, nor was a very frosty start after a night camping, but wow, what an event. Described by some as the UK`s toughest gravel ride, it did not disappoint. Despite the cough, I did manage to finish in 6 hours 57 minutes, so under my 7 hours target, coming home in around 400th place out of some 800 finishers (130k route). Some fast downhill on gravel forest tracks, topping out at 33mph, had the heart racing, as did the 7,000+ ft of climbing..... a great day in the saddle" To get a feel of the event you can watch one of the many YouTube videos Here . 1st May - Spin on the Square May - The Hodge - 100 mile "reliability trial" 25th / 26th May - Headstock 200 - 200km / 4500mts Climbing - 2 Day "bike packing" " adventure " 7th - 8th June - ? 14th June - Brooksie"s Bash - 10 mile trial run 6th October - Dovedale Dash - Trail run + Keep an eye on our "Social Media" for updates on Simon`s progress! (Links in bold)

Further investment as 4th Focus Proflex arrives at Secura Labels. This 4 colour, 13", LED curing equipped printing press joins the other 3 Proflex machines in use. Richard Phillips, Secura`s Production Manager stated "The need for a further press has been driven by an increase in longer running multi colour label work, seeing our existing 6 colour Proflex often over capacity. This new machine will relieve this problem while also allowing us to run our current 4 colour Proflex as a dedicated machine for our fanfolded and sheeted label production" Simon Miller, Secura MD, added "While we looked at other press manufacturers for this latest investment round, our long standing relationship with the Focus management team, technicians and staff, made the final decision an easy one. The press will be a welcome addition and will help ease production bottle necks while adding some welcome capacity" The new press will be predominately running 2 - 4 colour work, with direct finishing through an A B Graphic turret rewind unit. Read what Focus said here

We do like Halloween here at Secura Labels, so much, that over the next week we will be adding some Halloween themed labels to random boxes, keep an eye out and see if your one of the lucky ones! We are also asking for your help to pick the best pumpkin, in our staff pumpkin carving competition, vote for your favorite here - Thank you

We are pleased to announce we have placed an order for an additional machine. The press will be a further Focus Proflex 13", 4 Colour with LED UV Curing. With capacity becoming an issue on our existing 6 Colour Proflex, an option to relive some of the pressure was needed. Production Manager Richard had looked at other supplier options and the used machine market, but stated - "taking into account the continued support and customer service offered by Focus, the fact that much of our existing tooling, dies bodies, anilox, print cylinders etc.... will be common across 4 machines, along with some consideration that operators will be familiar with the machine, the decision in the end was an easy one for us. The new 4 colour machine will allow us to move some work from the 6 colour machine. These are labels which benefit from being printed with UV inks, but can be 2, 3, 4 colour, having a further "full UV" machine will help us regain some capacity and allow more flexibility." Richard was able to confirm the order with Antony from Focus on our visit to Label Expo Europe . Being the last to be held in Brussels, it was somewhat "full circle" for Simon as he remembered his first Label Expo experience some 28 Years ago. " On my first Label Expo visit, I was tasked with researching the options for a new rewinder. It would be fair to say even before catching the flight, A B Graphics were our preferred option, and it was the case that after wondering the halls, I came away certain that our initial thoughts where correct and shortly afterwards the order for our first brand new machine was placed with them. I have only missed a couple of Label Expos since my first visit and not having the biannual trip to Brussels in the diary will seem strange, but I am sure Barcelona will be a suitable replacement! Much has changed over the years, but it has always been an opportunity to catch up with so many people from the label world. I am also sure that someone will be working on finding a suitable replacement for the (UK) label worlds favourite meeting place, the Irish Bar!."

We are pleased to be supporting Mercia Juniors Football Clubs U7`s Saints side as the embark on their first league campaign. The team and coaches, George and Jonathan, have worked hard over the summer, runners up an a Cannock tournament and top of the table at a "friendly" tournament in Derby. The hard work starts in September though, when the league starts. We wish the Team and Coaches the best of luck! We will keep you updated via our Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=securalabels&set=a.774635914671399 https://www.merciajfc.co.uk/teams/271218

The use of "linerless" labels his increased over recent Months and we are please to advise we can now supply "linerless" direct thermal label options. "Linerless" labels have several benefits - Reduced Waste - With no backing paper, " linerless" labels can help reduce your waste. The waste reduction aside, as the backing paper on traditional labels is silicone coated, it is hard to recycle, using labels with no backing can help your sustainability targets / aims. Improved Efficiency - As there is no backing paper to remove, it is generally taken that you will see some efficiency when using "linerless" label options, labels straight out of the printer and onto your products . Improve Health & Safety - With no backing to tidy up, waste that can collect around your printers, you have gone some way to reducing trip and slip hazards. You may need to consider new / updated printers for "linerless" labels, we are hoping to have a "demo" printer here soon, but in the meantime, speak to us and see if "linerless" labels are suitable for you - 01530 515170.

Wednesday 28th June 2023 - we are having issues with our phone lines, please use email to contact us. It seems this is a wide spread issue.

The barcode turns 50 years old. The barcode, now so much part of our everyday lives we hardly notice them, yet they must be one of the most common printed images we will see, from beans to beds, nothing is free from its own unique code. Imagine controlling the "Covid 19" Vaccine program without barcodes! 3rd April 2023, will see this humble code turn 50, although it has been around for much longer - Read the Metro article here - https://metro.co.uk/2023/04/03/the-barcode-is-50-today-honestly-its-more-exciting-than-you-think-18542690/ The idea, according to a quick web search, was that of Bernard Silver in 1948, he joined the dots in a Morse Code and formed the first "barcode". It wasn't until 1974, that a UPC code on a pack of Wrigley`s Juicy Fruit chewing gum was first commercially scanned. By 1975, 75% of packaging carried a barcode, only around 200 stores had any way of scanning them!, although by 1980, 8,000 stores a year were adopting the idea. The real catalyst came in 1981 when the US Department of Defense took up the UPC code for marking all products sold to the US Military. The linear barcode we are all familiar with is joined now by the 2D, or Matrix, code, these can "carry" more information than the linear types, and we guess are filling the gap that the much heralded RFID system was offering. We often are asked to print a barcode, and when we ask "what type?" "what is the number?" are met with a silence. If you are new to barcodes you will need to get in touch with GS1 UK - they can issue your unique numbers, we think that there is a cost involved with this registration. We can produce printed labels carrying a barcode, either a simple one colour label with "just" the code, or as part of a "full" colour label, and we can also supply both plain labels and the Thermal Transfer machine for you to produce your own codes "in house". If you should need any further information, please give us a call - 01530 515170