As part of our commitment to community engagement, Meteor pruned apple trees in a local orchard, harvested the apples and then bottled the juice. Taking the project one step further, we designed and printed custom labels for the bottles using a range of solutions from Hybrid Software Group to demonstrate how these products work together in a real-world application.
Key Facts
- Hybrid Software Group is the only full-stack supplier of industrial digital printing technology, providing integrated software and hardware solutions for high-speed production of labels, packaging, textiles, and more.
- Dantex is Europe’s largest provider of letterpress and flexographic printing plates, specialising in water-wash photopolymer plates and processing equipment for the packaging industry.
- Meteor Inkjet is the world leader in industrial inkjet printhead driving solutions.
- SmartDFE is the only AI-accelerated, inline Digital Front End specifically designed for high-speed, single-pass inkjet presses.
- IC3D is renowned for developing advanced visualisation software used to create photorealistic 3D product mockups and virtual packaging designs.
- STEPZ is a cloud-based workflow solution by Hybrid Software that streamlines and automates the entire packaging production process.
The Challenge
Based in Harston, a village near Cambridge, Meteor Inkjet actively supports local community projects and causes, encouraging employee involvement to make a positive impact.
In March 2024, a team of Meteor employees volunteered to prune and rejuvenate a neglected apple orchard in the village. When the apples ripened in October, the team returned to harvest the fruit, which was then sent to a local company for juicing, pasteurisation and bottling.
The challenge was to use solutions across the entire Hybrid Software Group together with a printer provided by a valued OEM customer, Dantex, to design and print self-adhesive labels for the apple juice bottles, which would be given as gifts to employees.
The Solution
Designing the label
To bring the creative label ideas to life, Meteor utilised IC3D design software. This allowed for rapid design iterations, ensuring a visually appealing final product. By creating a 3D virtual mockup of the labeled bottles, the team could preview the design and make necessary adjustments quickly and efficiently.
Print preparation
Once the label design was finalised, STEPZ software streamlined the prepress process by eliminating the need for file conversions. With features such as step-and-repeat, print optimisation, and quality control, STEPZ significantly accelerated the prepress cycle.
High-Speed Printing
The final stage of label creation involved SmartDFE software and Meteor printhead electronics integrated into a Dantex Pico Digital UV Inkjet Press. Built on the Harlequin RIP®, the world’s fastest PDF raster image processor, SmartDFE generated print-ready PDF files, optimised image quality, and transmitted data directly to Ricoh Gen5 printheads at high speed via Meteor’s printhead drive electronics. This efficient and seamless workflow enabled the rapid production of high-quality self-adhesive labels, which were then affixed to the apple juice bottles.
The Result
By utilising Hybrid Software Group’s comprehensive suite of solutions together with a high performance label press, the labelling process – from design to print – was successfully executed. The seamless integration of these solutions enabled the efficient creation of high-quality labels for the apple juice bottles, contributing to the success of this community-focused project.
As a thank you to the village, Meteor committed to future orchard pruning as well as to the donation of new apple trees of a local, hardy variety.
