中文Cotswold Labels has signed for a new Konica Minolta AccurioLabel 400 digital label press at The Print Show 2026, marking a fresh investment in the Gloucestershire converter’s continued push into high-quality, short- to medium-run and fast-turnaround label production. The order extends a relationship that already spans two earlier Konica Minolta installs.
Established in 2010 following the acquisition of Malmesbury Labels and based in Cirencester, Cotswold Labels supplies a wide range of bespoke and specialist label products to customers in food and drink, artisan manufacturing, retail and industrial applications. As demand for shorter runs, faster delivery times and high print quality keeps climbing, the business identified the AccurioLabel 400 as the next logical step in its digital transformation. The company had previously installed a Konica Minolta AccurioLabel 230 and an AccurioLabel 190 press and had been happy with the results and the service — a track record that plainly shaped the new purchase.
The AccurioLabel 400 brings advanced productivity, automation and colour consistency to support the company’s growing label operations. With speeds of up to 39.9m/min, enhanced white-toner performance and improved media handling, the press enables Cotswold Labels to deliver more complex and diverse work. Its ease of use and reduced setup times also support the company’s focus on rapid turnaround and responsive customer service — attributes that matter enormously when a client needs labels tomorrow rather than next week.
Howard Burr, managing director at Cotswold Labels, framed the decision as straightforward. “Investing in the AccurioLabel 400 was an easy decision for us,” he said. “Our customers expect exceptional quality, flexibility and fast delivery, and this press gives us the capability to continue meeting those expectations. The reliability, speed and colour performance stood out immediately, along with our previous experience of Konica Minolta’s support.” That emphasis on support is telling: for a regional converter, a press is only as good as the partner standing behind it when something goes wrong at 5pm on a Friday.
Steve Maslen, major account manager at Konica Minolta Business Solutions UK, welcomed the deal. “The AccurioLabel 400 is designed for ambitious label businesses like Cotswold Labels who want to increase capacity, improve efficiency and utilize the highly eye-catching effects of white toner to expand into exciting new applications,” he said. “We’re delighted to support Howard and his team as they continue to grow, and we look forward to seeing the new opportunities this investment will unlock for their customers.”
The white-toner capability is a key draw. Decorative and premium labels increasingly rely on opaque white as a foundation layer for vivid colour on transparent or metallic substrates, and the ability to produce that in-house, on demand, opens applications Cotswold could previously only outsource. Combined with faster media handling, the 400 lets the converter say yes to a wider band of jobs without re-tooling.
For Cotswold, the investment is as much about resilience as capacity. A third digital press diversifies its production base, smoothing the impact if one machine needs service and giving the team scheduling headroom during peak retail and artisan seasons. It also deepens the company’s digital credentials at a moment when brand owners are consolidating supplier lists around partners who can handle the full range of run lengths.
The Print Show 2026 setting for the signing is apt: a UK event built around the practical needs of print businesses, where capital decisions are often made after a live demonstration rather than a remote quote. Cotswold’s repeat choice of Konica Minolta suggests the brand’s mid-range digital label line has earned real loyalty among regional converters who value a steady, supported upgrade path over chasing the newest headline spec.
The AccurioLabel 400 also signals how digital label presses have migrated from niche proofing tools to core production assets for regional converters. For a business serving food, artisan and industrial customers, turning small orders around quickly without plate costs is now table stakes rather than a differentiator, and Cotswold’s repeat investment with Konica Minolta suggests both the technology and the relationship cleared real-world tests on earlier installs. There is also a resilience argument. A third digital press diversifies the production base, smoothing the impact if one machine needs service and giving the team scheduling headroom during peak retail and artisan seasons. It deepens the company’s digital credentials just as brand owners consolidate supplier lists around partners who can handle the full range of run lengths. At The Print Show 2026, a UK event built around practical print-business needs, the live demonstration clearly did its job, turning a considered upgrade into a signed order rather than a remote quote. The white-toner capability deserves emphasis too, because opaque white unlocks premium decorative labels on transparent and metallic substrates that Cotswold previously had to outsource. In a market where speed and flexibility win accounts, keeping that work in-house protects both margin and lead time.
