The company considered other alternatives, but for John the Versant 4100, the improved version of the 2100/3100 models, could not be beaten.

‘The new 4100 included all the favourites that made the 2100 a winner for us, multiple feeding, inline GBC punching, full capacity stacker and complete booklet making with fore edge trimming and document finishing,’ said Brailsford. ‘Along with the latest high speed Fiery control centre coupled with our automated workflow, improved print image and long sheet capability, the 4100 ticked every box.’

Andrew Crane, sales specialist from Graphic Communications Operations at Xerox UK did not have to try too hard to sell his machine to JBP. ‘John already had his mind made up, the 2100 had been an excellent production machine for this extremely busy printshop. Brailsford Printers have been Xerox customers for almost 20 years and installed a new Iridesse Press back in 2021 with enormous success in producing a huge range of speciality print with embellishments and continues to increase volumes every month, the Versant 4100 Production Press works very well alongside the Iridesse. His employees were up and running with the 4100 the very next day after installation. The set up at Brailsford Printers is the future of print shops, they are super-efficient with minimal touch points, using the most advanced technology and experienced employees that take pride and care in every job printed. John is a great ambassador for our product range.’

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Founded in 1848, Dornans offers services including small format digital printing, litho printing, direct mail, and CNC routing, while its digital wide-format department services the retail, education, and exhibitions market sectors.

In the company’s previous set-up, an InkTec Jetrix flatbed was used for wide-format printing. With the evolution of the business, the senior team chose to upgrade to the Mimaki JFX200-2513 EX. This decision was driven by the printer’s perceived qualities; fast and simultaneous white ink printing, ‘excellent’ print quality, ‘impressive’ speeds, and cost-effectiveness.

Steven Shalmani, Dornans’ client services director described the installation as a ‘robust leap forward’ with the printer being capable of handling white ink for window vinyls for its national retail customers. Mr Shalmani also described the machine’s ‘relatively compact footprint’ as a ‘big bonus,’ allowing the company to have a ‘physical closeness between printing and finishing’ as the JFX200-2513 EX sits next to its new digital cutting table.

The machine features a new print head configuration that is said to double output speeds when printing with white in all print modes. Other benefits include its ability to print onto a range of materials including acrylics, glass, metal, polyester, wood, stone.

The Mimaki uses variable dot technology that enables it to print with three different dot sizes, small, medium, and large. These tri-sized drops mean high resolution graphics can be produced smoothly, without a grainy appearance, at high speeds and in low resolution mode.

Mr Shalmani concluded, ‘With this strategic investment in Mimaki technology, we’re not just ready for the future but are actively shaping it, ensuring unparalleled service and quality for our customers.’

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A solar array with 1276 photovoltaic panels was connected to the electricity grid in February 2024. It was installed on the roof of SwissQprint’s main production hall and according to the company, will produce approximately 613,000kWh of electricity a year. This corresponds to more than half of the electricity demand at the Schützenwiese business park.

The installation will also power eight newly constructed charging stations for electric vehicles. Reto Eicher, co-owner of SwissQprint and project coordinator explained the benefits of the installation commenting, ‘The solar project brings us a big step forward in terms of sustainability and self-sufficiency.’

When the business park was built in 2013/14, the construction clients including SwissQprint emphasised the importance of sustainability. Tasks such as building services were dependent on fossil fuels, interiors were heated and cooled by groundwater, plus there was need for electric pumps to drive the heat exchange system. This will now be powered by the solar panels.

The Schützenwiese business park is described as exceeding the standard for industrial buildings. An objective throughout the business park was optimised temperature management. The insulation R-value of the building envelope and windows, as well as automatic sun blinds is key to achieving this.

Other factors aimed at achieving more sustainability within the entire building complex is the use of energy-saving LED lighting. Furthermore, both SwissQprint production halls have saw-tooth roofs that admit ample natural light into the building interior. As a result, artificial lighting becomes more unnecessary and further reduces electricity consumption.

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The introduction of the EFI Pro 30f was important for a ‘speed boost’ to increase the company’s production capacity. John Paragian, owner and president of American Image said, ‘We were looking for a printer that would fit in our space-constrained facility and give us the speed boost we were looking for. The EFI Pro 30f ticked all the boxes. It has allowed us to print items we were not able to print before in terms of size, and it has also allowed us to consolidate our print production, putting multiple jobs on the printer at one time, adding to our ability to meet tight time-to-market requirements.’

The value of the printer to the company became more prominent with its ability to give users the power to print on clear and coloured media, as well as speciality and heavy media like wood, metal or glass with a total weight of 181 kilograms, backlit double-sided applications, and spot white to increase image vibrancy.

A decision on the investment in the EFI Pro 30f was made easy after seeing the printer in action and having interacted with the EFI team. Mr Paragian said, ‘If you are going to invest in a piece of equipment, getting to know the team that is responsible for it is a big plus.’ An investment which has paid off for Mr Paragian as he concluded, ‘If I had the room,’ he said, ‘I would acquire another one in a heartbeat.’

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This has seen a Scodix Ultra 6000 SHD press installed at its facility in Dublin. It is located alongside a Landa S10 nanographic printing press and Highcon Beam 2 digital cutting and creasing system.

McGowans serves the European market with a full range of digital large format and small format products. With over 26 machines, the company offers a large range of printed products to its clients. This latest investment is set to deliver ‘high-quality B1 format products’, with improved production efficiency, economic and sustainable benefits also claimed.

McGowans’ growing print volumes have encouraged an expansion of its B1 digital workflow.

According to Mal McGowan, CEO of McGowans, key to the company’s decision to invest in another Scodix press were the data-driven sustainability benefits and economic advantages. He commented, ‘As soon as we saw the Scodix Ultra 6000 SHD press in action, it became a must-have and we knew the added value it would bring to our business. Our customers are used to the ‘wow factor’ they can get from Scodix product decoration, and now with our Ultra 6000, we can offer them even more choices for designs with fine detailing. The quality and versatility of what we can do on the Scodix opens more unique possibilities for our company, while supporting in cutting our production costs and raise our sustainability benchmarks.’

Franz Repp, president of Scodix EMEA, said, ‘McGowans is a first-class provider that insists on nothing less than the finest print products for its customers while finding solutions to increase production efficiency and economics in their production line. We are thrilled they have chosen to add another Scodix press to enhance its proficient workflow.’

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BR Printers’ first HP press installation was an HP T230 at its site in San Jose, California. Since then, its digital capacity has significantly grown with the addition of three HP T240 presses.

David Gall, vice president of BR West and chief strategy officer of BR Printers, said that the goal for these installations ‘was to create a unified, connected solution that complements offset facilities, expedites production and delivers high quality prints. Since purchasing our new HP digital presses, we’ve been able to exceed these priorities.’

Speaking about the latest additions, Adam DeMaestri, CEO and president of BR Printers stated, ‘The continued investment into HP PageWide web presses is creating new possibilities for our clients through high-volume and high-quality digital printing, resulting in greater ROI for their print projects. Our digital print portfolio has been significantly strengthened with the addition of these presses, demonstrating our dedication to making infrastructure investments in the latest technologies. Our diverse customer base will reap the benefits of these investments, as they enable BR to provide cutting-edge digital solutions to meet our client’s growing needs.’

Greg Fredwest, plant manager, at BR Printers, commented, ‘With these digital print additions, we’ve had the opportunity to be more nimble, more innovative, and more resilient in this fast-paced, competitive environment.’ These installations will support sustainability efforts at BR; the T240 HD comes equipped with energy-efficient features such as automatic shut-off, power-saving modes and uses water-based inks.

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HMDS’s current Xeikon 9800, located in Jacksonville, will be joined by a new Xeikon SX30000, and a second Xeikon SX30000 will be installed in HMDS’ Pittsburgh facility. ‘We’ve used Xeikon digital presses with exceptional results for more than a decade. As our business steadily grows, it was an easy decision to upgrade our current Xeikon presses to their top-of-the-line Xeikon SX30000,’ commented Ihar Liashko, director of strategic operations, at HM Document Solutions.

The fast and efficient Xeikon SX30000 can deliver as many as 2545 colour 4/4 printed B2 sheets an hour (equivalent to 428ppm A4), and is claimed to have lower setup costs than conventional technologies. Offering a wide range of substrate choice, it can print on uncoated papers, digital coated papers in silk, gloss or matte, and standard offset papers up to 350gsm and synthetic media. The Xeikon SX30000 uses the new Sirius toner, which is produced in a plant powered by 100% green energy. The print is fully de-inkable in existing waste streams.

‘We are happy to play a part in HM Document Solutions’ continued success,’ said Donna Covannon, director of marketing at Xeikon America. ‘A growing number of commercial print providers are acquiring the Xeikon SX30000, attracted by its many unique features.’   

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‘The level of investment that the management has allowed, shows the confidence they have in the new direction and strategy that the University is going through,’ commented Ollie Renshaw, business and systems manager, print and mail service, University of Leeds. ‘Underneath every decision that they make, the University has always put the experience of the students at the very top. With the new digital strategy taking hold, we are bringing our print production facilities in line with all the multi-functional devices (MFDs) in each department. We at print and mail want to be the best at what we can do, the University has a three-year plan for us, and the director of campus innovation is excited to see all our new developments.’

Mr Renshaw continued, ‘From Konica Minolta, we purchased the AccurioPress C12000 – the first in our sector in the UK – the AccurioPress C7100 and two AccurioPress 6120s. All are powered by Konica Minolta’s print controllers with AccurioPro Flux Ultimate workflow. The setup gives us flexibility as well as the capacity to keep up with extremely heavy periods of work.’

Jon Hiscock, head of production and industrial print at Konica Minolta UK said, ‘The package provided to the print and mail centre at the University of Leeds represents the latest in Konica Minolta production print technology, automation tools and workflow integration. We are pleased to work in partnership with Duplo UK to deliver the University a future proof solution that once optimised will enable it to meet its strategic goals and deliver a best-in-class student experience.’

For Duplo, this includes the UK’s first installation of the DC-648 multi-finisher, the flagship iSaddle 5.0, the PFi Blade B2 and the DuBinder DPB-500 binder.

‘The Duplo machines are just fabulous. My operators think the automation and ease of use on the DC-648 is second to none. Normal jobs are all set up and the print is just fed through, taking the stress and hours upon hours of manual work away. We have so many different jobs coming through that this machine is a lifesaver. The iSaddle 5.0 was a much more in-depth learning experience, it gives us so much more options to give to the students and staff, and it’s easy to set up and run. Students can buy a coffee and the job is usually ready before they’re finished!’ Mr Renshaw continued, ‘I’m really excited about the PFi Blade though. That is definitely something we want to expand upon. It allows us to make print sexy again when Covid decimated our volumes. Duplo has sent us their sample jobs and we’ve been playing around with the machine. It allows our event products to be much more exciting.’

Wendy Hogg, regional sales manager for Duplo UK said, ‘The combination of Konica Minolta’s high-speed presses along with Duplo’s offline finishing means that print and mail can produce more jobs, much faster, more sustainably with minimal waste, and much cheaper than ever before. The University has a very strong corporate strategy and it’s amazing to see that the student experience is still 100% at the core of everything they do. It allows print and mail to make coming to the University of Leeds as special as it can be. When you look at the production facility, it’s clean, it’s hi-tech and there are screens everywhere. It really impresses students when they see it, and it challenges their expectations of what print can be.’

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The addition of AccurioPress C7090, AccurioPress 6120 and AccurioPress C12000 (including the IQ-501 Intelligent Quality Care unit) models, plus an additional Duplo 350 booklet maker, has increased Hickling & Squires’ capacity, along with rapid response support and servicing to match its growing sales and evolving customer needs.

The output quality, increased uptime, and speedy service response from Konica Minolta is said to have improved job turnaround time and helped protect customer trust. The technical benefits include auto-duplexing of long sheets of up to 900mm on the AccurioPress C7090, productivity of up to 7900 A4 pages per hour on the AccurioPress 6120, and automation for image position, registration, and colour control from the AccurioPress C12000 and IQ-501 combination.

Jamie Gilbert, production director at Hickling & Squires commented, ‘Being able to process larger sheets has been a massive benefit to us. Also, the provision of duplex (before we had always had to produce single-sided) means the register is perfect and is ideal for producing high-quality A4 booklets.’

‘The main use for these new solutions is print, fold, and stitch products and we supply a lot of work for the gaming sector, along with education sector customers such as universities and colleges,’ commented Mr Gilbert. ‘We ship across the country and aim to have a 24-hour turnaround in our digital print room, so these presses are well placed to support us in fulfilling these jobs to meet expectations. The service has been fantastic. If we need any help the Konica Minolta service team are with us in two to three hours, and we are very happy with the support we now get.’

Looking to the future, Hickling & Squires is turning its attention to further expansion possibilities. ‘We have invested in our litho for years but currently don’t have the physical capacity to expand it further; however the digital side of operations is typically a smaller footprint, so we are always looking to invest in that area to bring it forward and up to speed.’

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‘The Agfa had got to the point where it needed a lot of maintenance, and the desired quality output was hard to achieve. We decided we needed to upgrade to a modern, state-of-the-art machine and when we looked at the market, the Gibson machine from RSR stood out,’ Mr Chaplin commented. ‘The Gibson had very similar specs and features to machines offered by more well-known manufacturers, but at around half the price. It seemed too good to be true, but we did some tests with RSR and were convinced.’

The company has strong ties to the leisure industry and lists a number of theatres as regular clients, though Urban Print’s sign work comes from a wide range of customers. ‘The Gibson needs to be versatile,’ said Mr Chaplin. ‘Correx, foam, Foamex, solid plastic board, acrylic, banners, posters, roller banners are the usual jobs, but it will print on almost anything up to 40mm thick. This machine increases the maximum output size from 2m to 3.2m, which expands our product range.’

The Gibson 3200 uses LED UV inks suitable for indoor and outdoor applications and uses Ricoh Gen 6 printheads. Urban’s machine has a CMYK plus white configuration. ‘Now we have a truly modern machine with the latest technology, we can produce great work more reliably, and much faster. The bottom line is, we can quote more competitively, and it has definitely attracted new work for us,’ added Mr Chaplin.

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