One of the fastest-growing and dynamic printers in North America is Direct Edge, a 22-year-old commercial and packaging printer with a fine pedigree of well-known brands in its roster of customers.
When the company celebrated one of its recent milestones, Koenig & Bauer contributed to the festivities with the installation of a new Rapida 105 six-color UV press at Direct Edge’s new 26,000 sq ft Anaheim facility.
Left to right: Gary Reyes (Litho Division Manager at Direct Edge) and Jurgen Gruber (sales manager for Koenig & Bauer).
“Our Rapida has increased our output of commercial work by contributing to our litho growth by 45% year over year and 2023 is showing the same promising pattern,” says Jay Sheffield, director of operations for Direct Edge. “We have also been able to accommodate our client’s needs by the press’s ability to print on a variety of substrates including synthetic stocks.”
Its fastest-growing segment, however, has been the folding carton market, in which Direct Edge has distinguished itself by producing packaging for the cannabis, vape, and beverage industries and gain new business producing medical device packaging and high-end luxury due to the Rapida’s features.
Having the Rapida press equipped with UV capabilities has been another important dimension to its success. With customers looking for impactful finishing techniques that are cost effective, Direct Edge is able to put the Rapida’s UV capability to use, increasing additional specialty coatings for its clients. They are now able to offer flood gloss and dull UV, spot gloss and spot dull UV, strike thru UV, reticulating UV, and textures such as sandpaper. The Rapida is giving Direct Edge an advantage over its competitors and meeting the growing demands of its customers in order to ensure the highest value and ultimate customer satisfaction.
