In the manufacturing industry, one of the greatest gifts one generation can leave to the next is a successful company. At Impression Label, that legacy is not only a story of business continuity, it\u2019s also one of innovation, grit, and family. Founded in 1986 in Colorado and purchased by Luly Solis and Spencer Brown in 2008, this woman-founded, 100% Hispanic-owned company has grown from a single press in a garage to a formidable force in the US label industry.<\/p>\n
Today, Impression Label is led by Luly and Spencer\u2019s sons Christian and Marco De La Vega, who are building on their mother\u2019s vision by blending deep technical expertise with relentless adaptability. As Christian puts it, \u201cAlone, we\u2019re beatable. But together, we\u2019re unstoppable.\u201d <\/p>\n
Most recently, the duo invested in a Mark Andy Digital Series iQ (DSiQ), the company\u2019s first inkjet-powered hybrid press, to alleviate mounting pressure on their flexo assets and meet explosive customer demand for shorter lead times and mid-volume production.<\/p>\n
Impression Label currently operates five traditional flexo presses ranging from seven to 17 inches wide, along with two Mark Andy Digital Pro toner-based digital assets. In recent years, the company has seen a sharp increase in order volume and complexity, driven by both existing customer growth and new business wins. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re buried,\u201d says Marco. \u201cThis new Mark Andy press will give us the ability to get back to our roots: fastest turnarounds, highest quality, and best pricing. It will also open up capacity on our flexo assets, which are currently running massive volumes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The company\u2019s largest account was a significant catalyst behind the DSiQ investment, with unpredictable ordering patterns that range from 1,600 labels to 1.6 million, all for the same product. Marco explains, \u201cI received an email from them recently asking for a quarter of a million labels in two weeks\u2019 time. They ordered 20 rolls only a month ago, it\u2019s just the nature of their business and their demand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Impression Label has strategically aligned its production capabilities with specific run sizes. Short\u2011run work is managed on the company\u2019s two Mark Andy Digital Pro toner\u2011based systems, while long\u2011run jobs move through its fleet of flexographic presses. The new Digital Series\u202fiQ now fills a vital gap in between, handling the 10,000\u2011 to 100,000\u2011label volume range with precision and speed.<\/p>\n
Christian\u202fDe\u202fLa\u202fVega describes the addition as follows. \u201cThis is a natural evolution of how we serve our customers. The DSiQ delivers the one\u2011pass efficiency, white\u2011ink capability, and hybrid flexibility we need to support higher throughput while still being able to maintain rapid turnaround times. By taking mid\u2011range work off of our flexo assets, the new press frees up both capacity and personnel for complex, high\u2011volume production.\u201d<\/p>\n
The configuration of the new press \u2013 four flexo stations (two before and two after the inkjet engine), lamination, turn bars, and full rotary die cutting \u2013 gives the company extensive flexibility. Marco\u202fDe\u202fLa\u202fVega explains, \u201cThis new press enables us to lay down primer, add a spot color like a custom metallic, print opaque white and CMYK digitally, and then finish entirely inline. The result is a more streamlined, end\u2011to\u2011end process that reduces setup times and waste.\u201d<\/p>\n
Impression Label\u2019s relationship with Mark\u202fAndy dates back to 2008, when the family acquired the company and installed its first 2200\u202fpress. Over the years, the De\u202fLa\u202fVega brothers have standardized their operation around Mark\u202fAndy technology, investing in Performance\u202fSeries\u202fP3 and\u202fP7 flexo\u202fplatforms to expand both efficiency and capability.<\/p>\n
Marco believes that choosing Mark\u202fAndy has been integral to their success: \u201cWe\u2019ve had other brands in the past, but Mark\u202fAndy has always delivered the reliability and partnership we count on.\u201d Impression Label\u2019s original 7\u2011inch\u202f2200\u202fremains in daily use, a testament to its enduring performance. Marco adds, \u201cDespite our attempts to retire it, the 2200 consistently fills up with new work, proof that some machines just refuse to quit.\u201d<\/p>\n
With 33\u202femployees and annual sales of more than $11\u202fmillion, Impression\u202fLabel operates with the agility of a mid\u2011sized company and the technical rigor of an engineering firm. The business is recognized for its ability to execute highly complex jobs, such as 96\u2011page pharmaceutical booklets, unsupported film constructions, and intricate industrial or consumer applications.<\/p>\n
Marco estimates that roughly 40% of their work involves challenging or unconventional formats. Rather than avoid those projects, the company embraces them as opportunities to innovate. The brothers attribute this to a collaborative, \u201cno\u2011fear\u201d culture where employees are encouraged to think critically and share ownership of outcomes.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur operators know we\u2019ll be right there beside them if a job needs troubleshooting,\u201d Christian adds. \u201cThat mindset builds confidence, and the results speak for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Digital\u202fSeries\u202fiQ will inevitably reshape production planning at Impression\u202fLabel, providing the flexibility to handle fluctuating order volumes and tighter customer timelines without straining existing resources. The De La Vega brothers view the new machine purchase as a stabilizing force: a tool that supports sustainable growth rather than reactive expansion.<\/p>\n
The company is already planning for the next phase, exploring both the addition of a second\u202fDSiQ as well as making targeted acquisitions. \u201cWe\u2019re not looking to exit,\u201d they both emphasize. \u201cWe\u2019re focused on scaling thoughtfully, growing our capabilities while staying true to our mother\u2019s values that built this company.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the manufacturing industry, one of the greatest gifts one generation can leave to the next is a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":324607,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4,450,451,3,452,453],"class_list":{"0":"post-324606","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-breaking-news","8":"tag-breaking-news","9":"tag-breakingnews","10":"tag-headlines","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-top-stories","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=324606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324606\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/324607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=324606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=324606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=324606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}