Ace Grading - Epson ColorWorks C6000 Colour Label Printer

Ace Grading Ltd, which was founded in 2021, offers a trading card grading service and specialises in providing modern, consistent and transparent card grading for hobbyists and collectors. The company is based in Oxfordshire, employs 20 members of staff and operates online via its website: https://acegrading.com/

Trading card grading is the process in which collectors send cards they believe to be rare or well-preserved to an external company to be evaluated and graded. Cards are graded to maximise transparency when it comes to buying, trading and selling. Ace Grading also sonically seals trading cards in a plastic casing to provide protection to the cards and retain their value. As part of the service provided by Ace Grading, which specialises in Pokémon card grading, the company will authenticate and evaluate the condition of cards submitted by its customers, including assessing the surface, corners and edges for any visual defects such as scratches, tears or discoloration. Once a grade (a score between one and 10) has been determined, Ace Grading will print one of three types of labels, Standard, Colour Match or Ace Level. The card and its accompanying label are then sealed in a shatter-proof plastic casing to enable collectors to preserve their cards and protect them from damage.

Challenge

Prior to contacting AM Labels, Ace Grading was using a printer purchased from another supplier to create and print trading card grading labels for its customers. The type of label that was being used by the company at the time was leading to issues with inconsistency, due to the fact that a number of additional processes were required to create the finished labels. This process was also consuming a significant amount of the company’s time and resources, in addition to leading to a considerable amount of excess waste. Furthermore, Ace Grading was experiencing multiple issues with the ink capabilities of the printer it was using at the time, leading the company to look for an alternative solution that could streamline and improve its label production processes, while creating labels with a more premium appearance.

Ace Grading offers a selection of labels for its customers to choose from, featuring a range of creative, colourful designs, as well as offering colour matching on certain ranges within its label offering. To guarantee security and authenticity for its customers, labels created by Ace Grading are also embossed with a foil logo, QR code and anti-counterfeiting technology. As a result, the company required a printer that could not only match its existing standard label style, it also needed to enable Ace Grading to manage numerous pre-print and post-production modifications to the labels in-house.

Thomas Broomhall, Director, Ace Grading Ltd explains: “To enable us to create labels with a more premium finish, as well as to ensure we are supplying our customers with grading labels of a consistently high quality, we made the decision to upgrade our label printing solution. In terms of our criteria, we were looking for a printer that would facilitate the application of multiple processes onto a pre-printed label to create completely unique, vibrant and high quality labels for our customers that will ensure their collection stands out.”

Solution

Upon making the decision to upgrade its labelling solution, Ace Grading began researching suppliers online. Tom explains: “Due to the nature of our business, we were looking for a company that could support us in finding a solution to enable us to apply several different, often complicated processes to a single label. We reached out to various companies and discussed our needs and requirements with each one, however we were extremely impressed by AM Labels’ willingness to take on a complicated challenge. We were excited by the passion and enthusiasm shown by the AM Labels team and decided this was the company we wanted to work with to find a solution for our business.”

Ace Grading visited AM Labels’ newly opened, state-of-the-art Technical Experience Centre in Northamptonshire, where they discussed the issues they were experiencing with their existing solution with the AM Labels team, as well as their needs and requirements for a new solution. AM Labels conducted several trials with the Epson ColorWorks C6000 colour label printer, including using a range of Ace Grading’s existing artwork to create high quality, vibrant labels with a professional finish. The AM Labels team utilised its technical knowledge and expertise to advise on a range of materials and designs for Ace Grading, while performing several tests until a solution was found that the company was happy with.

Ace Grading was impressed with the performance of the Epson C6000 printer, as well as with the vibrant finish of the labels that were produced throughout the testing stage. As a result, the company made the decision to invest in this model from AM Labels, as well as purchasing the accompanying label material from AM Labels too.

Outcome and benefits

Since installing the Epson C6000 colour label printer, Ace Grading has significantly increased its operations, meaning it is now able to fulfil a much greater number of orders, while reducing turnaround times for its customers. Tom continues: “We are now able to print a huge number of labels per day, meaning we no longer experience shortages or delays.”

When compared to the printer Ace Grading was using previously, the Epson C6000 offers improved quality and is more suited to short run label printing. The company is also saving a substantial amount of time when it comes to the label production and printing process, as well as the amount of time its staff spend on quality assurance. Overall, multiple hours are now being saved per member of staff thanks to the Epson C6000 printer, and this solution has also offered cost saving benefits too.

As Tom explains: “Due to the fact that we are now able to fulfil more orders in less time, our profits have increased and this, combined with the much lower cost per label that this model offers, means that we are experiencing savings across numerous areas of our business. As an added benefit, our new solution has also enabled us to implement multiple styles of the same label which, despite not being part of our original brief or requirements, means we have been able to successfully increase our offering for our customers.”

In addition to being highly versatile, the Epson C6000 colour label printer offers excellent print quality and ease of use. Combining a 1200 dpi resolution with print speeds of up to 119 mm per second, this model enables users to produce high quality, full-colour labels, on-demand. Furthermore, the printer produces durable labels that are resistant to water and many chemicals, and it can also virtually eliminate the need for pre-printed labels, saving time, storage space and resources, while maximising efficiency. Instead, plain labels can be loaded easily, creating high quality results with vibrant colours and a matt or glossy finish. This model also has ability to print on a range of media widths from 25.4 mm to 108 mm, providing unrivalled levels of flexibility.

AM Labels provided the installation of the Epson ColorWorks C6000 colour label printer at Ace Grading’s Oxfordshire-based premises, followed by extensive training. AM Labels utilised its knowledge and experience to help Ace Grading find a complete solution that would successfully improve its operations. Since the installation of the printer, AM Labels has also provided support and general maintenance to Ace Grading to maximise the productivity and efficiency of the company’s new solution.

Tom summarises: “Working with AM Labels on this project was an extremely positive experience, and the company was always enthusiastic about solving problems, while also sharing comprehensive knowledge about the procedures being implemented. We received amazing customer support and feedback throughout the entire process, from the specification of our new solution right through to installation and aftercare, and the AM Labels team was always keen to share insights and solutions to help support and improve our business.”

Investing in the Epson ColorWorks C6000 colour label printer has enabled Ace Grading to improve its trading card grading labelling operations with increased speed, efficiency and cost effectiveness, while also supporting the company in creating more consistent, professional looking labels for its customers and reducing turnaround times.

What can AM Labels do for you?

We are committed to finding the right solution for each customer’s individual needs. We understand that one size does not always fit all and, as a result, we will work to understand your company’s requirements to offer the most suitable solution, be it labelling, barcoding, scanning, RFID, asset tracking etc.

Regardless of the industry that your business operates in, our friendly and knowledgeable team can use its wealth of labelling industry experience to identify the best products and solutions to meet your business’s needs. We offer unrivalled product knowledge, an experienced and helpful sales department that’s on hand to offer support and advice and an expert technical team that can oversee the installation, implementation and training on your new system.

For more information on how AM Labels can help find the right solution for your business, please call the sales team on 01536 414 222 or email: [email protected]