Proudly Printed in Leicester: Why Local Manufacturing Matters

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Proudly Printed in Leicester: Why Local Manufacturing Matters

When you order labels or printing equipment, you’re not just buying products or machinery. You’re buying reliability, compliance, and peace of mind. Today, global supply chains are becoming increasingly stretched, and there are huge economic shifts happening constantly. This means that what businesses you choose to partner with matters more than ever.

For us, the answer has always been local. Operating from our long-time site in Whetstone, Leicester, we’ve built our reputation on the agility and support that a UK-based manufacturer can provide.

Our story didn't start yesterday, or in the last decade, in fact. Soabar’s journey began over a century ago in the 1910s when garment manufacturers in the USA decided to "Sew-A-Bar" of five stitches on soldiers uniforms. This simple concept not only inspired our name, it inspired our continual involvement in the textile industry to this day.

While our roots are in the USA, the UK quickly became central to our global growth. We established our UK presence in 1974 in Ibstock before settling into our current Leicester headquarters in 1978. For over four decades, this Leicestershire site has been the beating heart of our operation. We've evolved from a specialised textile marking supplier into a state-of-the-art digital and flexographic label manufacturer, proudly producing millions of labels for the chemical, food, automotive, and retail sectors right here in the East Midlands.

The East Midlands Advantage

We didn't just set up shop in Leicestershire by accident; In the 1970s, Leicester was a powerhouse of British manufacturing, particularly in textiles and apparel. This made it the perfect incubator for a growing label company. The city was world-renowned for its booming hosiery and garment industries, with massive factories producing clothing for major high-street brands. The local infrastructure was so strong that global giants like Levi's established significant warehouse and distribution operations in the area- and Soabar proudly used to print the leather patches that are still sewn onto the back of their instantly recognisable jeans today. For a business rooted in textile marking, setting up shop amidst this dense concentration of apparel manufacturers simply made sense.

Fast forward 40 years to today, the East Midlands, specifically Leicestershire, is the logistical hub of the UK. When you partner with a centralized, UK-based supplier, you gain significant operational edges. Think shorter lead times because we can process, print and ship your labels rapidly. You have supply chain security because you bypass international freight and customs friction, and we have the agility to react if you need an urgent production run. And that's not to mention the fact that we have local compliance expertise, because we operate in the exact same regulatory environments that you do.

On the Road and On Your Side

Perhaps the greatest benefit of our central location is what it allows our team to do. Printing custom labels is only half of our business; the other half is empowering our customers to print their own with high-quality desktop printers, software, and consumables.

Because we are based in Leicester, our Technical and Sales teams are perfectly positioned to get on the road and reach almost any part of the country quickly and easily. We don't just troubleshoot over the phone (unless of course this is what you choose to do!)- you can speak to a skilled, knowledgeable team member about your printing dilemmas in person, at your premises. Our central hub means we can:

Visit Your Workplace: Our specialists travel nationwide to evaluate your specific production environment, understand your workflows, and recommend the exact desktop printer and materials you need.
Provide On-Site Technical Support: If a printer goes down or software needs integrating, our dedicated field service engineers are readily available to get you back up and running.
Build Genuine Partnerships: We believe in consultative problem-solving. Being geographically accessible allows us to build the face-to-face, 40-plus-year relationships we are so proud of.

Why Supporting UK Manufacturing Matters Right Now

The UK business landscape has faced unprecedented challenges over the last few years. From fluctuating import costs and shifting trade regulations to the push for more sustainable corporate practices, companies are completely rethinking how they source goods. Choosing a domestic supplier isn't just a feel-good marketing line anymore — it is a smart, strategic decision that strengthens the UK economy from the ground up.

When you choose to source your labels and hardware from a UK manufacturer, the benefits ripple outward:

Keeping Skills and Jobs Alive: Every order placed with a local manufacturer directly secures jobs for British press operators, technicians, and engineers, keeping invaluable technical skills thriving within our communities.
A Drastic Cut in Carbon Footprints: Sourcing materials that are manufactured and distributed within the UK eliminates thousands of air or sea miles. It is one of the easiest ways for your business to hit its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) targets.
Circulating the Local Pound: Money spent with UK businesses stays in the UK. It supports local supply chains, contributes to public services, and fosters regional growth right here in the East Midlands and across the country.

Your Local Labelling Partner

Whether we are printing specialised hazard labels on our digital presses in Whetstone, or our engineers are traveling out to install a thermal transfer printer on your factory floor, our commitment remains the same: delivering practical, innovative solutions with local reliability.

Get in touch today to find out how choosing Soabar, and therefore choosing Label Printers UK, can benefit your business- saving you time, money and stress.

What do the lines mean that are going through the print on my label?

If the line is in a diagonal direction, it is likely that the foil is creasing. Simply adjust the tension bar or clutch.

If the lines are vertical, then the printhead could either be dirty, or there could be dots or pixels on the printhead. If the latter is the case, you might need a new printhead. Contact us for us to diagnose the problem before ordering new parts.

Horizontal lines often indicate that the machine has stopped to make a cut. Usually, the machine will automatically try and blend this line out. Trying to alter the design of your label could help to solve the problem, however if there is a cut in the roller then it might need replacing. Contact our Technical Team if you think that this might be the case.

I’ve got a warning notification on my printer. What should I do?

You will likely be seeing something along the lines of ‘No Gap Found / Media Error’, which could mean several things. The labels might be threaded up incorrectly, which will mean that they’re not going through the sensor. Take the roll of labels off and thread them up again, being sure to consult the diagram to make sure you’re doing this in the correct way for your machine. The sensor might not be in the correct position, so try adjusting it slightly to see whether it picks up on the labels coming through. Alternatively, the sensor might need re-calibrating. Either find the button on your machine that will do this for you or contact us for a little more assistance.

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