Quick Print Pro, February 2021

Expand your business offering

FEBRUARY 2021

QUICKPRINTPRO.CO.UK £4/€5

There’s never been a better time to enter the market to provide personalised and customised apparel and gifts using Epson SureColor SC-F Series printers.

Read the full story on page 20.

Quick Print Pro: The print trade journal for news and views, new products and suppliers information since 1998 Sharing Best Practice in Print with Digital Printers, Copy shops, On-Street Quick Printers and In-House Print Rooms, online and on your desk

Our new Trade Portal is packed with useful product information and marketing materials to help you capitalise on our fantastic range.

Register now and we’ll send you a

TREAT | REWARD | CELEBRATE

WELCOME QUICK PRINT PRO• WELCOME

Quick Print Pro Quick Print Pro CONTACT Quick Print Pro, Colourfast Group Ltd 36 Cheltenham Place, Brighton. BN1 4AB Tel: 01273 674321 Email: editor@quickprintpro.co.uk Web: www.quickprintpro.co.uk

CONTENTS

EDITORIAL Marina Peirce

4 NEWS FRONT

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Nyree Groome

Hot news in print for quick print pros

EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Maureen Foulkes

8 NEW PRODUCTS

CONTRIBUTORS Lara Groome, Andrew Foulkes, Rebecca Leach and Dan Tester.

14 DIGITAL IMAGERY

What’s new to print and finish with?

Martin Christie – pixel prophet

FEATURES Peter Foulkes DIGITAL IMAGING & PHOTOGRAPHY Martin Christie MAGAZINE PRODUCTION Dean Cook www.magazineproduction.com DISTRIBUTION Subscriptions printed at Colourfast plus PYO (Print Your Own) file distribution and eZine available on Issuu

36 years in print: 1984-2020

Quick Print Pro (QPP) — ISSN: 2050-5140 — is published monthly by Colourfast Group Limited, 36 Cheltenham Place, Brighton. BN1 4AB. A company registered in England Number: 2517164. Entire contents within this publication Copyright © 2021 Colourfast Group Limited. Quick Print Pro is an independent publication and not affiliated with any manufacturers or suppliers. QPP Quick Print Pro celebrates 24 years in publishing the professional print trade’s favourite magazine, formerly known as CSN Copy Shop News. Sharing best practice through both print and digital media, QPP magazine is in front of 36,000 quick print pros each month.

Each day the live web version is updated with the hottest stories in frontline printing, including news, views, new products and suppliers information. Avid readers include Digital Printers, Commercial Printers, Copy Shops, On-Street Instant Printers, In-House Print Room Managers, FM and Conventional printers specialising in On-Demand, Short Run, Variable Printing, CRDs (Corporate Reprographic Departments), PSPs (Print Service Providers), Graphic Arts Businesses, Sign Suppliers and CAD Bureaus. QPP is available online and on your desk. www.QuickPrintPro.co.uk

16 PIP PEOPLE IN PRINT

COMMENT

Top movers and shakers

The good times are on the way back

Do you remember when you could go out and let your hair down, watch live football, talk to real customers face to face?

Well stand by your beds, we have a new horizon, lockdown will be done with and print will once again lead businesses into an upturn.

It’s not just your existing clients that will now need a relaunch; there will be thousands of new start-up businesses requiring your professional print advice.

On your marks…

Peter, The Only Way Is Up, Foulkes

18 OUR SURVEY SAYS Q and As shared

20 EPSON COVER STORY Expand Your Business Offering

24 SHOWTIME

Print Trade Expo – Open 24/7 365

26 GREEN ISSUES

Practice responsibility in print

28 NEW PROFIT CENTRE Best practice shared

32 FINDA PRODUCT / SUPPLIER

QPP preferred suppliers in print

34 READERS SCRIBES These jokes are on you

35 PRINTERSXCHANGE Re-cycle your pre-loved kit

SUBSCRIBE

Sign-up for free to our newsletter and discover all the latest news in print, upcoming events, special offers, new product launches and innovative trade and end-user campaigns. Just visit: www.quickprintpro.co.uk

The law on workplace pensions has changed and every employer in the UK must put certain staff into a pension scheme and contribute towards it.

This is called ‘automatic enrolment’.

It’s important that you understand what you need to do — and when you need to do it. This will depend on your circumstances and those of your employees. To work out what you need to do and when you need to do it contact our auto enrolment scheme advisers on:

0800 132100 or email alan.hudson@meridan.co.uk

Help is on hand from the Printing Industry Pension Scheme which has been running since 1986.

Meridan Financial LLP is the appointed advisers for the Printing Industry Pension Scheme (PIPS) and are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Not all Auto Enrolment services are regulated by the FCA.

QUICK PRINT PRO • FEBRUARY 2021

3

NEWS

GRAFX CUTS FINISHING TIMES WITH SUMMA F SERIES The installation of a Summa F Series flatbed cutting system has cut turnaround times dramatically for graphics company Grafx, including reducing some hours long processes down to just a few minutes.

Based in Clitheroe, Grafx is a family business with roots in motorsport. It evolved around twelve years ago from a car prep company into solely a graphics producer, and in 2019 moved to larger new premises that could accommodate more work and bigger vehicles like lorries. It has also grown its workforce exponentially, to seven members of staff.

“We have expanded but we’re still a small team so we’re always looking to improve efficiency,” says Grafx Director Andrew Potts, who owns the business with his son Charlie. “We have a good reputation, and our lead times were already fast, but we wanted to speed things up even more, so bought the Summa F Series as an extra piece of equipment last summer.

“It’s an extremely useful labour saving device. We often do batches of small signage — A4 or A3 — and used to cut them to size and then print. Now we can print the whole lot on Foamex or Dibond on our HP Latex printer and then cut them all out at once. Similarly, we can cut lots of small stickers on the Summa’s throughcut function. It’s significantly quicker than our previous manual processes.”

The new Summa has had a notable impact on the production of banners: “Producing a standard order of twelve 2m banners would take five to six hours to trim manually,” says Andrew. “It now takes us ten minutes on the Summa.”

Available in five sizes and with numerous integrated functions and optional

add-ons, the professional F series flatbed cutting table from Summa is designed for the fast and efficient finishing of signage, displays, packaging and other applications.

As a business offering practically every type of signage, as well as a substantial amount of vehicle graphics, Grafx and the Summa F Series are an ideal partnership.

The Summa F Series and Grafx’s second HP Latex printer were installed by ADAPT’s Reading based team, who also provide maintenance and repairs — which Andrew calls ‘absolutely amazing’.

With an extensive range of roll to roll and flatbed printers, cutters, laminators, and RIP software amongst its offering, ADAPT provides end to end digital printing solutions and has safety continued to run business as normal throughout the COVID pandemic.

The access to such reliable support is especially important during difficult trading conditions. Andrew explains that Grafx’s work was essentially on hold for the first five or six weeks of the first lockdown last year, but soon sprang into action producing around 2,500 screens for the healthcare and beauty sectors.

The ongoing lockdowns have kept the team busy as they adapt to the changing demands of customers in a unique period.

“The first few months after the first lockdown we were busier than ever making signage,” Andrew says. “We’ve developed with slightly larger customers, for example those ordering fleet graphics, and we were actually booked up until Christmas. Despite the challenges to come I’m very positive for the future.” www.artsystems.co.uk

COLT PRESS ENHANCES WITH HORIZON CRF-362 Colt Press has streamlined workflow and enhanced the efficiency of its digital print department following investment in a Horizon CRF-362 Creaser Folder from IFS. The Essex business was established in the 1980s and the essence of its operation is its can-do attitude for every job and every client. It manages a wide range of general commercial print on a Heidelberg Speedmaster XL75 with Inpress Control colour management system and a Ricoh Pro C9100.

Managing Director Paul Haddow explains the decision to invest in the Horizon CRF-362 Creaser Folder: “We had an older creaser but we wanted something to fold and crease more responsively alongside our digital press. Now we don’t have to move work to the main bindery area and we don’t have to interrupt production on the bigger folder. It helps us to manage short run jobs more effectively and enables us to work more efficiently while adhering to social distancing guidelines.”

Mr Haddow did consider other options before making his choice. He said: “The Horizon CRF-362 Creaser Folder is more suited to the type of work that we do and can complete the multiple creases we needed. It is able to crease up and down folds and handle a longer sheet as well. It provides us with much greater production flexibility.”

4

The Horizon CRF-362 creases and folds in one pass a wide range of light and heavy weight stocks, coated or uncoated. Capable of up to ten crease lines on a sheet, it uses an impact scoring technology that eliminates or minimises cracking of the stock or printed image.

Set-up and changeovers – including fold pattern, creasing number, and up/down crease selection – are completed on the high resolution intuitive colour touch screen.

“It has been up and running from day one,” he adds. “We were using it a couple hours after training. It has proven to be very robust and reliable. Everyone seems to be very happy using it.” www.ifsl.uk.com

PROFILE OF THE MONTH:

NCR PADS

Contact NCR Pads for sound advice and a trade printing service that is reliable and fast on everything NCR; invoices, delivery notes, receipts, sets, books, restaurant order pads, loose sets, continuous forms and much more. When your customers need a multilayer printed set, think NCR Pads Ltd. 0330 111 5040 • www.ncrpads.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2021 • QUICK PRINT PRO

NEWS

DURST’S REINTERPRETATION OF PICASSO’S GUERNICA A world famous painting reworked by celebrated Spanish photographer and artist José Manuel Ballester and printed by Durst is the star attraction at a special exhibition. For the first time, a modified Guernica — originally painted by artist Pablo Picasso — has been printed full-size using advanced digital printing and production technologies from Durst.

Mr. Ballester has achieved international recognition for his special art of interpreting famous paintings by eliminating humans and animals.

Guernica is a 1937 oil painting on canvas recognised as one of the best known works of Picasso, who died in 1973. It is regarded by many art critics as one of the most moving and powerful anti-war paintings in history.

Mr. Ballester’s work, “Around Guernica, 2009/2020”, is an emptied version of Picasso’s painting that conveys an updated look at the historical event and human tragedy. It is now a centre piece at the exhibition, “2020/03/15 José Manuel Ballester”, in the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, showing Bilbao city during the lockdown.

The exhibition, which also includes a selection of large-format photographs that reflect Bilbao’s deserted streets and spaces, is open until 21 February 2021.

With “Around Guernica”, Ballester adds a new artwork to the project that began more than 10 years ago, when he decided to investigate the architectural and natural spaces that surround the stories of some of the most important works in history, such as “The Meninas” or “The Garden of Earthly Delights”. During the lockdown last spring, the artist received special permission to move around the deserted city of Bilbao and capture incredible landscapes and images never seen before.

These images were the first step of a project in collaboration with Estudios Durero and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, which culminated in a photographic exhibition, publication of a book, and the first reproduction and exhibition of “Around

Guernica” to the public. In this way, Ballester adds an artwork to the Hidden Spaces project, which includes some of the transcendental and universal themes for the human being. Along with his proposal “May 3, 2008”, “Around Guernica, 2009/2020” addresses the nonsense of human violence and wars, but on this occasion, Ballester maintains a “living” element: the flower that was already shown in the original painting, and it symbolises hope, also for these difficult times that we have had to live.

In this context, The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao approached long standing Durst customer Estudios Durero, a company that “imagines, creates and develops new forms of graphic production”, to print the reworked Picasso on a unique, hand woven linen material with special white coating supplied by the museum, especially for the assignment. It had a total dimension of 3.5 x 7.8 metres.

Estudios Durero and Mr. Ballester spent a day

in the Customer Experience Centre at the Durst headquarters in Brixen, Italy, with the goal to print the Picasso Guernica interpretation on a Durst Rho 512 six-colour machine. And they only had one chance – the available material was sufficient for only one print run, which meant no test print on the final material was possible.

“It has been a true honour for us and for Durst to develop this special project together with José Manuel Ballester and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao,” said the owner of Estudios Durero, Ander Soriano. “No other company could have done it. In Picasso’s original work and in Ballester’s reinterpretation, the painting only uses a very wide range of greys and a very high resolution in all its shades, so the print quality must be exceptionally high to offer a true value to its reproduction. And that would have been impossible without the Durst Rho 512 6 C.” www.durst-group.com

EMMERSON PRESS STREAMLINES WITH HORIZON CRF-362 Emmerson Press has invested in a Horizon CRF-362 Creaser Folder from IFS to streamline its digital print production and support increased flexibility.

Jamie Emmerson, Director, of the Kenilworth general commercial printer, explains: “We visited Horizon in Germany three years ago to see the Horizon StitchLiner but while we were there the folder creaser caught our eye. We liked its ability to fold inline which saves time.”

Emmerson had an old B2 creaser but it wasn’t keeping the product square so Jamie later visited Flexpress to see the system in operation: “When I got there the machine needed calibrating because it had hit the million mark. It was impressive that they had produced so much work without it needing any attention. It showed me just how reliable it was.”

He continues: “It was well built and could run all day. The results were very

QUICK PRINT PRO • FEBRUARY 2021

neat, good quality and completed very quickly. We also liked how easy it was to use. We could see that if we needed to jump on it to produce 100 cards we could do so easily.”

The Horizon CRF-362 creases and folds in one pass a wide range of light and heavy weight stocks, coated or uncoated. Capable of up to ten crease lines on a sheet, it uses an impact scoring technology that eliminates or minimises cracking of the stock or printed image. Set-up and changeovers – including fold pattern, creasing number, and up/down crease selection – are completed on the high resolution intuitive colour touch screen.

As for return on investment he says: “It only needs to save us an hour a day to justify the machine and it is already doing that,” he adds. “We are very happy with it.” www.ifsl.uk.com

5

NEWS

ABBOT PRINT STREAMLINES PRODUCTION WITH HORIZON Abbot Print Ltd is meeting demand for fast turnaround business cards with a self contained production department featuring its new Horizon APC-610 guillotine from IFS. The guillotine will work alongside a raft of digital presses to complete the high volume of business cards the Luton operation manages.

Celebrating its 100th year anniversary this year, Abbot Print’s core business is duplicate and triplicate books and pads, as well as continuous forms, register sets and specimen bags. Abbot operates Drent, Edelmann, Heidelberg and Ryobi and Timson presses.

Managing Director Alasdair Browne explains more about its latest investment: “We had two business card cutters but they were not always able to handle the volumes we needed. At times we were having to get the work completed by a guillotine in our main bindery. So, we decided to look around for an alternative. We needed something that could complete the volumes.”

He continues: “We liked the Horizon APC-61.

It goes to a minimum cut of 25mm and has a compact footprint so it can run near the digital press producing the cards. It is so easy to set up, anyone

can use it, and we are able to keep guillotining with the digital staff rather than occupy a dedicated guillotine operator.”

The Horizon APC-610 Programmable Paper Cutter features a maximum cutting width of 610mm and a maximum lift height of 100mm. It has easy to use touchscreen controls enabling advanced setup automation through a user friendly icon based touchscreen. Its highly polished, chrome plated

work table virtually eliminates paper marking and provides a smooth, friction free surface for lift travel while its servo-motor driven back gauge assures accurate positioning and repeatability for consistent quality production.

Browne concludes: “We know and trust Horizon and IFS. The guillotine has been running constantly since it went in. It is doing what we need it to.” www.ifsl.uk.com

LEYTON CHOOSES KEAYKOLOUR FOR ITS STUDIO BOOK For the latest publication from boutique production house Leyton of London Books & Prints, owner, and photographer, Jake Green, chose six colours from the Keaykolour range of creative papers from Antalis, each one to form part of a series of limited edition covers.

The Bookmaker’s Studio – 5th Anniversary Edition features the work of world class illustrators and is a follow up to a visual project into the creative processes of children’s book illustrators that Jake originally carried out in 2015. He was looking for a solid coloured paper that would be the perfect vehicle for his typographic cover design and would also provide a contrast to the colour photography.

Jake opted for Keaykolour 300gsm after being impressed by its quality, texture and thickness as well as the wide colour choice. The fact that Keaykolour papers are made in Scotland, and the whole range is carbon offset by Antalis in partnership with the World Land Trust, was also a hugely positive component for Jake.

To help make the decision Jake received a sample of each of the 48 colours. These were tested on a vintage letterpress with a series of different inks to see which colour combinations worked best. Jake opted for Keaykolour 300gsm in pumpkin, Indian yellow, Caribbean blue, lipstick pink, pastel green and pastel pink – each was printed with three different inks: black, blue and red to produce 18 different cover options in total,

6

allowing customers to choose and purchase their favourite cover.

The A4 format cover was hand letterpressed

by Hooksmith Press using a vintage Vandercook letterpress before being creased, folded and three hole hand sewn bound.

Keaykolour’s uncoated virgin pulp papers and high rigidity boards offer a palette of 48 colours

in nine harmonised families, to complement their refined, natural texture. Included are five 100% recycled stocks and a range of natural and geometric embossed patterns which further widen the options for premium print and packaging.

To learn more, visit www.antalis.com and follow on LinkedIN, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or YouTube for their latest news.

FEBRUARY 2021 • QUICK PRINT PRO

CARBONLESS

GLOSS & SILK

Premium Products

Navigator

WHITEPAPERS

Gloss & Silk

Mondi Color Copy

COLOURS

White Papers

ADHESIVE

Carbonless

Kraftpak

BOXBOARD

PACKAGING

Envelopes

PCL White Labels

NO MINIMUM ORDERS

STANDARD DELIVERY 24-48 HRS

WWW.CALCOPAPER.CO.UK SALES@CALCOPAPER.CO.UK

SALE

NEW PRODUCTS

XEROX REVEALS PRODUCTION PRINT INNOVATIONS At a virtual event attended by partners and clients around the world, Xerox unveiled the following innovations: a Color Accelerator module for Baltoro, expanding inkjet applications and adding ink-saving automation; addition of fluorescent pink to the Iridesse Production Press, enhancing its metallics, white and clear colour palette; three new printers capable of higher volumes, more media and extended colour options in the VersaLink and Versant family; two Xerox Nuvera print speed upgrades that best competition; AI-enabled media manager software that enables high quality images with minimal set-up and staff time; and automated workflow updates to seamlessly print embellishments with FreeFlow Core 6.0 Xerox is committed to helping customers expand their business, enhance productivity with new technology and protect their existing investments with new tools and features.

Digital print enhancements increase profitability, delivering higher margins and allowing print customers to expand into new areas. According to Keypoint Intelligence, digital print enhancement is expected to generate $25 billion a year and can increase a printers’ profit by 50 to 400 percent.

By making it easier, customisable and faster to produce these pages, Xerox technology provides multiple entry options for customers to expand their business and increase profit.

XEROX COLOR ACCELERATOR FOR BALTORO: The Xerox Baltoro™ High Fusion Inkjet Press platform, No.1 in the B3 cut-sheet inkjet market, now has a field upgradable module that expands its range. The Xerox Color Accelerator for Xerox Baltoro HF Inkjet Press enables increased print quality, expanded media options and automation to make inkjet printing viable for lucrative applications such as direct mail, postcards and catalogues. With

intelligent automation, Baltoro uses 50% less ink than competitor presses to purge inkjet heads, increasing uptime and productivity while delivering consistent, reliable quality.

Introduced last year, Baltoro is redefining the inkjet market. At a fraction of the size, weight and power consumption of competitor presses, Baltoro offers a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) while being the only scalable, customisable platform in its class.

FLUORESCENT PINK FOR IRIDESSE: Xerox has the broadest colour capability and Beyond CMYK offerings across any portfolio. No one offers the range of colours, embellishments, mixed metallics, extended gamut, media options and single-pass digital enhancement technology as Xerox.

The Xerox Iridesse® Production Press is adding fluorescent pink specialty dry ink option to its existing Beyond CMYK palette of gold, silver, white and clear. These embellishments allow print providers to differentiate and offer their clients eye popping designs and enhancements.

NEW VERSALINK GRAPHIC ARTS PRINTER: The newest addition to the VersaLink family is the Xerox VersaLink® C8000W, the most affordable entry point into the embellishment market. Using white toner as a base on dark and coloured stocks, its cyan, magenta and yellow toners make images pop for applications such as menus, envelopes,

window clings, decals and labels. A small footprint device, the C8000W offers clarity and quality that stands out over the typical four colour print.

TWO NEW VERSANTS: Xerox is expanding its Versant family of presses with two new machines that support wider media options and add automation features that reduce staffing needs and set-up time.

The Xerox Versant® 280 Press, a mid-production press, provides added value with thicker stock media options (400 GSM) for applications such as business cards. With the All Stocks at Rated Speed (ASRS) option, the Versant 280 is faster than any competitor in printing heavy stocks. Customers can print a million specialty colours using an Adaptive CMYK+ kit that leverages white, gold, silver, clear and fluorescents, unique to Xerox in this class of products.

The Xerox Versant 4100 Press, handles higher volumes and heavier production loads than the Versant 280, bringing more jobs in-house by reducing set-up time and printing on more media types than any competitor press. The 4100 also handles thicker paper stocks, up to 400 GSM. Automated stock management saves time and reduces human error.

FASTER XEROX NUVERAS: The Xerox Nuvera® family is built for high production environments with customers making more than 35 billion prints last year. The Xerox Nuvera 157 MX Production System and Xerox Nuvera MX Perfecting Production System monochrome production presses have upgraded the magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) print speeds to exceed any competitive press. MICR, the line of numbers that allows certain computers to read and process information, is key for processing bank, payroll and government cheques with tested and trusted Xerox Nuvera security. www.xerox.com

ESKO LAUNCHES ESSENTIAL TOOLKIT Esko has announced it is responding to the latest retailing trends by launching the ‘Essential Toolkit for Retailers: from Consumer Insights to Product Launches’, a free online resource that outlines how retailers can improve packaging and marketing asset management to target consumers through an integrated omni-channel marketing strategy.

Esko, which provides a collaborative content creation platform for packaging, labels and marketing collateral, has recognised the trend for buying early in-store to avoid disappointment and acknowledges that ‘e-sales will explode’, putting retailers’ online strategies to the test, according to Forbes.

Retail Toolkit “What we’re taking from these trends is that retailers, and the brands that supply them, need to act with supreme agility to cater to evolving consumerism. The need for reactivity is not going away any time soon. This will be a theme into Spring 2021, and perhaps beyond. Adopting

8

effective technology will not only plug the gaps now but it will also future proof the packaging, label and marketing collateral creation process against this level of disruption for future retail generations,” says Matthew Haws, Global Marketing Director at Esko Brand Solutions.

The Esko e-book explores retail challenges and trends and offers solutions on how to meet them head on with the right digital tools. Time consuming design approvals, laborious manual processes

and missing assets shouldn’t slow down speed to market, according to Esko.

“A centralised location for team projects, approvals, artwork and collateral, gives the whole team greater visibility, improving accuracy to keep costs down and reducing the risk of missed deadlines,” continues Haws.

Further to this, having the whole project to hand via solutions such as web-based collaborative workflow management system, WebCenter and accompanying digital asset management system, MediaBeacon, helps brand marketers to deliver joined up omni-channel messaging with ease.

As the upsurge in e-commerce continues, digital collaboration through effective technology assists retail marketing teams to traverse the in-store and online marketing challenge to communicate clear messaging in a time when disinformation and conflicting messaging runs rife. www.esko.com/brands • www.esko.com

FEBRUARY 2021 • QUICK PRINT PRO

NEW PRODUCTS

NEW MORGANA DIGIFOLD PRO FOR SCREENTEC Screentec Flexible Print Solutions, Ferndale, South Wales, has announced details of the installation of a DigiFold Pro creasing and folding machine from Morgana Systems.

The new purchase replaces an eight year old Morgana DigiFold. Jonathan Hainsworth, Small Format Digital Manager at Screentec, comments: “It has been the perfect workhorse for all of that time. The unit handles the finishing of some 75 to 80% of our work so reliably – it’s been an incredible machine! We’ve had to replace one circuit board in that time, and that was due to a power surge at our previous factory, which took out several of our machines at one time.

“Other than that, there have been a few minor things – worn parts, for example, that we were able to order from Morgana and fit ourselves – which is a big plus. With other manufacturers’ equipment you need to put in a service call for a technician to fit just about everything, and that can mean as much as two or even three days lost production at busy times. That is far from ideal for today’s fast turnaround print demands. However, with some critical parts now beginning to show signs of wear, the time was right for the new machine.”

Morgana’s DigiFold Pro is an automated creasing / folding machine designed specifically for the professional digital or litho printer who has a need to crease and fold digitally printed, heavy weight

or cross-grained stock. The unit can produce up to 6,000 sheets per hour and can handle substrates of up to 700mm x 385mm, or 900mm x 385mm with the optional “long sheet” extension table.

Perforation is also a standard feature of the DigiFold Pro with up to five perforation wheels able to be used across the sheet.

The DigiFold Pro has the new Morgana PosiFeed feeding system. The drum stops as the vacuum pulls the sheet down before the drum begins to feed. This significant change will enable the feeder to be piled higher and feed the most difficult of stocks.

DigiFold Pro uses Morgana’s patented flying knife technology which was developed to prevent the scuffing and marking on digital stocks that can be caused by folding using conventional methods.

This dispenses entirely with buckle plates and conventional knives, using instead an electronically controlled contoured flying knife around extra large diameter rollers moving at the same speed as the material passing through the machine.

Rather than the solid deflector used in most folders, the DigiFold Pro uses another patented device in the form of a dynamic sheet deflector that only comes in contact with the leading edge of the sheet. This allows single or multiple folds to be performed without risk of scratching or marking.

The innovative seven inch SmartScreen control panel is one of the newer features of the Pro range of Morgana products that Jonathan is particularly pleased with: “It makes the machine that much easier to set-up and run. What might have been a five step check and repeat process on the older unit has become a three step and go process on the new machine. It really is very easy and fast to switch between jobs.”

Screentec handles a wide range of general commercial print including leaflets, brochures, and booklets, as well as ring binders, box files, signs, labels, and posters from its South Wales factory. www.morgana.co.uk

MINUTEMAN PRESS LIGHTS UP NEW COVID-19 TESTING

Minuteman Press Bath has just completed a multi-site graphics project, using Drytac’s Viziprint Illuminate product to install Covid-19 tests signage at two retail locations.

The client, leading CBD supplier Goodbody Botanicals, required Minuteman Press to print and install a range of graphics at its stores to promote its new, private Covid-19 testing service, which it is now offering at its locations in Bristol and Bath.

As well as providing information about the tests Goodbody Botanicals can offer, the signage also promotes the key steps customers can take to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, including wearing a face mask, sanitising their hands, keeping a safe distance from other people and using the government’s track and trace app. In addition, smaller graphics remind people of the three main symptoms of Covid-19 and encourage them to take a test to give them ‘total peace of mind’.

Kieran Blacknall, large-format manager at Minuteman Press Bath, said Drytac’s Viziprint Illuminate product was perfect for the project as it was ‘really easy to work with and install’.

The 100µ (4mil) translucent matte PET film has been developed for brilliant backlit window graphics and vibrant backlit display applications. It has a bright white base colour and is able to diffuse light, creating vivid window graphics, displays, decals, stickers - and more - with a wider colour gamut. It is reverse printable, allowing window advertisements to be viewed during the day in

10

direct sunlight and at night when illuminated by store lighting.

“The client was looking for a solution to convey the new testing service at their clinics. We looked at various options, including lightboxes, but all proved to be very costly in comparison to the Viziprint Illuminate media by Drytac,” says Blacknall.

He continues: “Goodbody Botanicals has spotlights positioned behind every window, so we decided a media with backlit properties would perform best and have the biggest impact, particularly during the winter months.

“Viziprint Illuminate is great; really easy to work with and install. We’re always impressed with Drytac products and the advice and service we receive from the company.”

Minuteman Press Bath provides a range of digital print, large format, and design products and services to customers around the country. The wider Minuteman Press network has locations across the UK providing similar products and services. www.drytac.com

FEBRUARY 2021 • QUICK PRINT PRO

NO MINIMUM SPEND BARRIERS. WE’RE HERE FOR ALL TRADE BUYERS.

FREE NEXT DAY DELIVERY FREE 30-POINT ARTWORK CHECK TRADE CUSTOMERS ONLY WHITE LABEL PACKAGING 1000+ ORDERS A DAY DEDICATED ACCOUNT MANAGERS

0114 294 5026 sales@route1print.co.uk route1print.co.uk Reviews 2,019 • Excellent

Correct as of 19/11/20

NEW PRODUCTS

PANTONE REVEALS COLOUR OF THE YEAR 2021

Pantone, the global colour authority and provider of professional colour language standards and digital solutions for the design community, has announced PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray and PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating, as the Pantone® Color of the Year selection for 2021, two independent colours that come together to create an aspirational colour pairing, conjoining deeper feelings of thoughtfulness with the optimistic promise of a sunshine filled day.

As people look for ways to fortify themselves with energy, clarity and hope to overcome the continuing uncertainty, spirited and emboldening shades satisfy our quest for vitality. Illuminating is a bright and cheerful yellow sparkling with vivacity, a warming yellow shade imbued with solar power. Ultimate Gray is emblematic of solid and dependable elements which are everlasting and provide a firm foundation. The colours of pebbles on the beach and natural elements whose weathered appearance highlights an ability to stand the test of time, Ultimate Gray quietly assures, encouraging feelings of composure, steadiness and resilience.

“The selection of two independent colours highlight how different elements come together to express a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting, conveying the idea that it’s not about one colour or one person, it’s about more than one. The union of an enduring

Ultimate Gray with the vibrant yellow Illuminating expresses a message of positivity supported by fortitude,” said Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute. “Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, this is a colour combination that gives us resilience and hope. We need to feel encouraged and uplifted, this is essential to the human spirit.”

Usage — A marriage of strength and optimism, Ultimate Gray and Illuminating do not have to be used in equal proportions, either colour can take precedence whether for apparel, beauty, home furnishings, product design or packaging.

Ultimate Gray and Illuminating Packaging and Multi-Media Design — Pairing Illuminating, the colour of highest visibility and reflectivity with resilient Ultimate Gray produces a visually noticeable message no matter where it appears.

The coupling of friendly Illuminating with quietly assuring Ultimate Gray infuses a message of vitality into a firm foundation of reliability, wisdom and experience for packaging and multi-media design.

Design with Ultimate Gray and Illuminating — Ultimate Gray and Illuminating are paired with versatile hues in a series of five palettes, available to designers as inspiration to incorporate into designs via the Pantone Connect digital colour platform.

Pantone Connect is available on mobile app and web, and as an extension app for Adobe® Creative Cloud® to make capturing, curating, and designing with Pantone Color easy and accessible. A featured Color of the Year page has all relevant colour information for using Ultimate Gray and Illuminating across various physical and digital design media.

Visit Pantone.com/connect. www.pantone.com

TOUCHSHIELD™ ANTI-MICROBIAL FILM NOW AVAILABLE FROM PREMIER

Premier has announced the addition of Touchshield™, an innovative antimicrobial film, to their portfolio of products. Produced by UK based media manufacturer G-Tec Paper and Film, Touchshield™ is a range of protective, anti-microbial, self-adhesive film products that have been designed to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses.

Primarily comprised of a clear, watermarked film, Touchshield™ has a specially developed germ fighting top coating that utilises silver ion technology and offers up to 99% protection against bacteria (certified to ISO

12

22196) and 93.41% against viruses (certified to ISO 21702). Touchshield™ can be easily installed, bubble free, to everyday items such as hand rails, work stations and desks; to create safe, clean and Covid secure surfaces and environments.

Touchshield™ is available throughout the UK from Premier’s network of branches, delivered on their own fleet of vehicles by their own trained staff.

Find out more about Touchshield™ contact your local branch or email touchshield@paper.co.uk or alternatively you can visit www.paper.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2021 • QUICK PRINT PRO

PIXEL PROPHET

PIXEL PROPHET

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

It used to be said that a week was a long time in politics, reflecting the temporary nature of policy and personality.

Well in the last twelve months we have come to expect that not a week, but even 24 hours is a lifetime.

Martin Christie scribes…

H

opefully in the next few months we will begin to see the gradual ending of this ongoing nightmare, but much like some castaway drifting slowly towards an unknown shore, what can we expect when we finally stretch our legs again? It won’t be the same familiar environment that’s for sure. Whatever the old normal was, it has been swept away and left with a vacuum, not only for printers but anyone who used to deal with customers directly over the counter. We have all had to adapt in the last year, and will have to adapt further in the next.

The simple prediction that more people will work from home ignores the tenuous nature of internet connections, particularly on mobile devices, and the reality that it is by no means a perfect means of communication. The fact that during the closure of schools and colleges, a large proportion of students were attempting to do their course work on their phones highlights a flaw that we have become all too aware of in dealings with customers since the devices became almost universal. The assumption of instant communication and, more importantly, understanding is a fatal mistake. A small screen ideal for simple tweets and snaps is hardly suitable for reviewing large documents and complex artwork. Inevitably errors are overlooked, and the responsibility is put back on the receiver to second-guess whether information is actually correct.

Way back in the last century when I did my first on the job training as a journalist, there were no user aids to back up spelling, grammar and common sense. I was drilled to read what I had written as if being read by someone else. It is all too easy to suppose the reader understands because you know what you meant. In the days of manual typewriters and Tippex, there was time for a second look. Now the temptation of quickly pressing the send button is all too great. And when it’s gone, it’s gone. Does anyone ever scroll through the daisy chain of messages to see if they all make joined up thinking? Not many customers in my experience.

In fact, it’s often a surprise when they do make sense. Don’t you love it when you reply to a print enquiry whether they want it in colour or black and white and you get the retort “yes please”!

Of course with regular customers, like any shop, you would tend to know what they wanted, or usually had. When working at a distance that relationship is more difficult, and while being a mind reader is a useful talent in the service industry, it’s not infallible or always rightly rewarded.

On a purely human level, the personal contact is an essential part of two-way communication; we are just wired up that way. But it is also so much more efficient because preferences and problems are so much more easily sorted one to one than batting back and forth over the airways. On a practical level, as printers, we have to produce hard copy that is real and permanent, so we need the sort of definites that printing machines demand. Once set in motion, they 14

don’t have a delete button, only a waste bin.

The very fragile and temporary nature of purely digital information ensures that the often predicted demise of paper is still a very distant prospect, and the versatility of modern printers opens opportunities to produce much more than simple colour copy. Almost all print shops will have expanded their range of products substantially to service customer demand, particularly with the flexibility of current inkjet and dyesublimation printers which have been chronicled in these pages over the years. There is no likelihood that these products will suddenly lose popularity. In fact, it is much more likely that personalisation possibilities will expand. (See our cover story on pages 20-21 and New Profit Centre on page 28).

While it’s all too easy to spot the decline of outlets in the high street which had begun some time before Covid, there is also an alternative promotion to shop local, and further to reduce waste by cutting down on extended deliveries of non-essential goods.

Online shopping has encouraged over production of items at the lowest possible cost, a real cost hidden under the illusion of ‘free’ delivery, and a massive pile of wastage and unwanted goods. A reaction against this tide could be the growing trend to produce just what you want, when you want it, and as close to home as possible.

The challenge for the print shop is going to be to grasp this demand, explore its potential and be prepared to promote its part in it, rather than sit back and hope for the best. But as well as the products in the virtual shop window, it’s the specialist knowledge that goes into their production that also needs to be promoted. This is not to baffle the customer with science, but flag up that their order will get personal professional attention not just another number in the production line.

This does rather fly in the face of the popular trend to make things easier to purchase on the internet, but a fair number of people will have had as many bad experiences as good, especially with anything more complicated than basic products. While we are well aware that every customer equipped with a mobile device has suddenly become a photographer, designer and artist overnight, that’s not to say that we can’t indulge these creative juices profitably. It’s partly a matter of being aware of their limitations and being able to compensate, rather than condemn and reject them for them.

COLOUR SPACE – A CAUSE OF ISSUES

In recent columns, if regular readers can think back that far, I’ve looked at the colour differences between the visual space of the RGB rainbow, against the more limited range of printed CMYK. Modern printers, especially multi-cartridge inkjets, are able to reach many more colour tones than previously possible, but ultimately there is a limit.

You can catch up with QPP issues online if you want to fill in the details, although it’s by no means an in depth analysis rather than it is sufficient to make the reader aware of the important points. And, as I always try in these columns, I present them in a way in which you could also explain to a customer if need be. So having covered some of the limitations of output — due to the finite colour range of ink — there is one other great visual mystery which is why there is no such thing as the proper colour despite the fact that most customers think there is.

The colours we see are only what our eyes and senses determine them to be. In the same way, the colours on any screen are only what the device has translated the digital information fed to it. And, just as any human eye shows variances, so does any monitor, which is why matching what we see with what we print is such a black art.

The human eye can pick out a huge range of colours in changing light conditions through evolution from a time it was important to spot the difference between a zebra and a tiger in the long grass.

The digital lens, whether phone, camera or scanner has similar red, green and blue receptors, but it’s processing capacity at the moment, has a limited colour range in FEBRUARY 2021 • QUICK PRINT PRO

PIXEL PROPHET

comparison. The range within which a digital device displays this range is called its colour space, and is determined at creation, or in post processing output. In early digital days — some two decades ago — it was realised there needed to be some industry standard for colour space to have any hope of consistency in reproduction, device to device. So Adobe introduced its 1998 RGB which is still the profile most widely used for professional editing for print.

But although we talk about monitor screens being RGB, many monitors and certainly mobile phones and internet browsers cannot display even the colour range Adobe RGB has, so they have a lesser standard, sRGB. It’s actually the same three colours but they work within a narrower range. They miss out on the subtle tones so the gradient between the hue of one pixel and another is steeper. The colour transition in Adobe RGB is more gradual which makes both editing and more

QUICK PRINT PRO • FEBRUARY 2021

accurate printing easier. It’s not an issue if items are only viewed online because only the experienced eye will be able to spot much colour difference between one browser and another.

However, when it comes to the print stage, the printer has to decide when one colour becomes another, but will struggle if there is no information in the file itself, even if it looks like there is on the screen. The artificially enhanced modern mobile viewers are designed to show life-like movies and games more than the deeper, saturated tones needed for printing.

Most phones now do some form of colour adjustment of display admittedly, but this is more to do with viewing rather than accurate colour management. In any case, does anyone use anything other than the default settings, including those on the camera? And as camera phones have got better, users inevitably wield them at the extremes of their capabilities, in low light or at night for example. However good the capture, the image will have been translated into sRGB for output, as will anything uploaded to social media and transferred on.

This might look good on Instagram, Customers tend to but if I’d used the original Adboe RGB file, it would have looked very flat and assume files are all desaturated. If I send this sRGB to print, the same, but they it won’t have the same dynamic colour are not. as the original photo. Colour space is the Most proper cause of a lot of issues. digital cameras are able to shoot in Adobe RGB, and on better ones there is an even wider gamut Pro Photo RGB available. But again, how many owners would know how to select the correct settings, let alone edit and upload without corrupting the colour space? Not that many even amongst those who call themselves photographers in my experience. A lot of the time the customer will be happy as long as the sky is blue and the grass is sort of green. But then there are the times the customer is not happy, and though they may be fewer, tend to take more time in the workplace.

The customer default setting is that they are right and you are wrong, but sometimes you need to do a bit of a reboot of the options without making out they are a complete idiot.

This is where tact and diplomacy are also in a salesperson’s CV, but you need to be armed with the sort of the facts I’m detailing here.

We have, I’m sure, often had to reject a print file on the basis of size, in that there are just not enough pixels to stretch to a print. This is the only criteria available to online printers for quality control, and where the intervention of an experienced human eye can make the difference if it is carefully promoted.

In the great scheme of things the personal touch is going to be a unique selling point when people have had enough of keeping their distance from each other.

15

PEOPLE IN PRINT

ANTALIS PACKAGING APPOINTS JAKE WOOLMER Finding packaging machinery solutions to alleviate the pressures of everyday distribution and packaging is often challenging and complex.

Antalis Packaging has solutions that are ready for these difficult challenges and that can keep products moving in the most efficient and costeffective way possible.

To support this role Antalis has appointed Jake Woolmer to the role of Machinery Sales Manager.

Jake will help customers in the South of the UK with recommendations and advice on a range of machinery including Lantech and Masterline machines. He will also assist customers with support for the wide range of Antalis Packaging consumables.

Jake’s focus will be to advise new and established businesses on the many advantages’ machines can bring to automating packaging. He’ll be able to analyse clients packaging use, review operations

and distribution set up, and give recommendations and solutions to help them make improvements

to their packaging operation. By adding the right machinery or automation businesses can speed up packaging times, improve efficiencies and save on materials by the introduction of, for example, pallet wrappers, case erectors and strapping equipment.

Mick Carless, Machinery & Systems Operations Manager for the Antalis Packaging Machinery Division said; “Jake will be supporting clients through this challenging time as we adapt to the ‘new normal’ and increased demand for distribution and packaging. At Antalis we’re building on our existing experienced team and Jake will be a great addition to offer support to companies in the South, providing local support and knowledge.”

Antalis Packaging has a complete range of packaging products, machinery and services. It can help with forecasting, making recommendations and even design new packaging. www.antalispackagingsolutions.co.uk

BPIF APPOINTS NEW PRESIDENT The British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF) has appointed current Vice President, Ian Wilton as President at their 12th Annual General Meeting, and bid farewell to outgoing President, Darren Coxon, following a four year tenure.

Charles Jarrold, British Printing Industries Federation CEO, comments: “I’d like to thank Darren for all the support, advice and challenge that he’s given as President. He steps down from the role of President with the BPIF a strong organisation, able to support the sector now and in future, and that’s a credit to his leadership of the Board. The sector as a whole owes a debt of gratitude to the support he’s given. I’m looking forward to the next stage of development under Ian’s Presidency, where we’ll benefit both from his huge industry experience, and knowledge of the BPIF and the role it can play.”

Ian Wilton is currently Operations Director at CDS, a communications

agency who have core service areas of Insight, Content, Digital, Print and Technology.

Having been involved in the print and communications industry all his life, Ian left school and undertook an apprenticeship as a printer in a local company – this is where his passion for the sector started. He’s held various management positions throughout his career – for the last 10 years at director level.

During his first President’s address, Ian commented: “I am delighted to be able to accept the position of President, and I believe the role of the BPIF is very important to the industry that has been able to provide such great support to the businesses that I’ve worked with over the years, and I now have the opportunity to give something back, and to ensure it continues to develop its support and services for the industries future. I, alongside the nonexecutive directors will continue to challenge the executive team to ensure the members are at the foremost of all the decisions we make. I will be there for Charles the CEO, to support him during my time as President to ensure the strategic direction of the BPIF continues to enhance and add value to its members.” www.britishprint.com

NEW MANAGEMENT ANNOUNCED AT ENFOCUS Enfocus, a leader in PDF quality control, advanced PDF editing and workflow automation for the graphic arts industry announces changes in management at several key roles. After three years of service as General Manager of Enfocus, Wim Fransen has accepted a new challenge at their parent company, Esko. The company is very grateful for Wim’s contributions to the development and growth of Enfocus. He is sure to be a success in his new role at Esko. Effective immediately, Tomas Van Rossom will succeed Wim as General Manager of Enfocus. Tomas Van Rossom has been with Enfocus since 2016. He started his career at Enfocus as Sales Operations manager and has been the Enfocus Sales Director, leading the global sales team covering OEM sales, channel sales and e-commerce since 2017.

16

I am excited to take on the role of General Manager and I am looking forward to continuing the success of Enfocus. We have great people and products in the pipeline, and I am confident that, together with our partners, we will continue to deliver winning print services to print service providers around the world.” — Tomas Van Rossom Wim Fransen adds: “It has been an enormous privilege to lead this wonderful organisation. I’ve enjoyed my time at Enfocus and I’m very grateful for the opportunities I have had to work with an extraordinary team. I’m leaving Enfocus with peace of mind, knowing that the organisation is strong and in good hands with Tomas and his leadership team. I look forward to seeing all of you continue to flourish in a very exciting future.” www.enfocus.com

FEBRUARY 2021 • QUICK PRINT PRO

Visit us at Print Trade Expo

Open 24/7 365

Can inkjet trigger a fusion reaction?

Signature image quality on in-demand media. That’s the beauty of the new Xerox® Baltoro™ HF Inkjet Press. With a powerhouse combination of High Fusion print engines and ink, plus 100% Xerox-developed, Xeroxmanufactured print heads, you can spark a reaction like no other.

xerox.co.uk/baltoroHF

© 2019 Xerox Corporation. All rights reserved. Xerox®, “Baltoro” and “Made To Think” are trademarks of Xerox Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

SURVEY

THE 2020 GREAT BRITISH PRINT SURVEY

OUR SURVEY SAYS…

Thanks to all of the participants in The Great British Print Survey, who invested their time to help shape our industry as we spring into 2021. The survey results have measured an overwhelming air of confidence which will encourage investment.

Darren Haine, Unity Printworks, Frome Flyers, Somerset.

Five packs of Fedrigoni’s Sirio White White.Ideal for ideal for packaging, covers, business cards, invites, and coordinated graphic materials: Tori, Signs Express, Bromsgrove.

Four boxes HP Paper International Paper: Richard Porter, Chapel Press, Stockport. https://greatbritishprintsurvey.com

SURVEY Q&AS

1 How do you feel about the future for your business?

T

hanks to all of the participants in The Great British Print Survey, who invested their time to help shape our industry as we spring into 2021. The survey results have measured an overwhelming air of confidence which will encourage investment.

Pooled experience from fellow quick print pros is published here to share the benefit across the whole of the UK’s frontline print industry.

A huge thank you goes out to our favourite suppliers who donated prizes to our completed survey contributors. Mind you we are all winners by checking the temperature of our part of the print industry from this group feedback.

THE 2020 GREAT BRITISH PRINT SURVEY PRIZE WINNERS

Epson EcoTank ET-2750. Ideal for working from home or small offices. 3-in-1 cartridgefree printer with LCD screen. The included ink is equivalent to 72 cartridges (RRP £349.99): Christopher Smith at Vibrant Colour, Huntington.

Pantone Gifts: (x4 recipients): Andrew Wilson, Time 2 Display, Fordingbridge, Hampshire; Kevin Smith, Harmony Creative Print, Minstead, Lyndhurst; John Stevenson, Glasgow Creative Design & Print, Glasgow; and C Bircumshaw, SynchroPrint, Northwich.

Antalis, £200 of digital print paper stock: Phil Earle, Swiftprint, Huddersfield.

Graphic Warehouse, £200 credit voucher: Iain Whittles, Pixel 2, Hull.

HP Sprocket Portable Photo Printer.

Instantly prints ZINK 2x3” sticky backed photos from your iOS and Android device:

18

4. With these current challenges due to COVID-19, will your business diversify into new sectors such as signage, labels, packaging, workwear etc?

Well, the yeahs win this one with 66.67%.

5. If yes, which ones would you consider to be more likely?

Interestingly signage, labels and workwear share 80% of the yes expansion vote followed by packaging.

6. Are you planning to invest in plant and equipment over the next 12 months?

The ‘very positive’ response increased over the future from 11.3% at three months to 24.39% over the next two years. With ‘quite positive’ recording a rise of 34.09% to 48.78% over the same forecast.

On a sliding scale for this question only 2.44% registered a ‘very negative’ response over the next two years.

2. Are you likely to or have you made changes to staffing numbers?

By a tight margin, more print businesses will be spending more rather than standing still.

7. Are you planning to reduce your services and focus on profitable areas of your core business?

A big no to this as only 26.67% are reducing their print product range and concentrating on their regular business.

Great to see that staff requirements returned a Pre-Covid result of 47.62% staying the same level.

An increase forecast of 9.52%, remain the same at 38.1% and finally plans to reduce the number of staff at only 4.76%

8. Select all of the threats you currently see to your business

3. Have you used the UK Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (Furlough)?

Surprisingly only 56.1% of survey responses have taken advantage of the furlough support, maybe more print businesses have been open with critical printing of Covid warning signage than we first thought?

No surprises with the biggest threat being Covid, then cash flow. The results indicate the need to market your business more in a downturn.

FEBRUARY 2021 • QUICK PRINT PRO

SURVEY 9. Which business category best applies to your business?

Our survey reports that the recipients business types are 35.56% best described as Quick Printers/ Print Service suppliers. Commercial Printers register 22.22%. The others are made up of other printers, Graphic Designers and signage companies. Amusingly no one owns up to being a FM site, a term obviously now sent to room 101.

Maybe the original description of in-plants will make a resurgence?

10. How do you promote your business to gain new customers?

is no surprise that 47% do not operate their own LFP with a further 25% printing up to 42”, 11% up to 1370mm wide and 16% up to 1600mm. On a grander scale print is reported to be sold and the trade work farmed out.

14. How often do you sub-contract Large Format Printing?

13.33%, Roller Banners 44.44%, Pop Ups 24.44% Window Stickers 24.44%, Labels 31.11%, Flags 22.22%, Wallpaper 8.89%, Estate Agency Boards 8.89%, A Boards 13.33%, Strut Cards 4.44%, Table Cloths 17.78%, Canvas 13.33%, Sneeze Guards 20.00%, Sanitising Stations 13.33%, Face Shields 15.56%, Packaging 17.78% 17. Which of these products could you sell to existing customers to increase your turnover and customer loyalty? Please tick all that apply.

Sub-contract LFP is often seasonal to match regular customers requirements, shows, open days etc. This is borne out by 36% of out work produced just a few times a year, with 27% as more regular including weekly.

15. Approximately how much does your company spend on large format graphics and signage each year?

Our survey says: 40% digital marketing and 25% referrals and networking. Direct mail and local press make up another 10%. As for the rest, well it is the same old story with our nation’s print shops too busy promoting their customers with the power of print to be doing much for themselves. If you have more time now, you know what to do.

11. How important is offsetting your print carbon footprint to your business?

As in the last downturn printers corporate responsibility statements are less looked at by surviving customers as they seek to buy to price if you will let them. New start businesses will look to stand out with their own green credentials and appoint suppliers to match, so you will need to improve your carbon footprint and offsetting is a valid option.

The graphics show the variance when compared to the previous question that may well confirm your areas of interest.

This question delivered a mixed bag of results as you can’t sell what you don’t offer. 22% of our part of the print industry does not buy in trade LFP as they either don’t offer this service or produce what they sell in-house. The next 56% spend up to £10,000, which leaves the higher 18% buying between £10000 -£ 50,000 and 4% above that.

16. Thinking over the last year which of the following types of large format graphics and signage have you ordered? Please tick all that apply.

18. Which trade magazines and websites do you read?

A clear winner! Which is of course why you choose to follow these QPP pages and initiatives.

19. Do you promote your print services and buy trade products using any of the following?

12. Do you sell large format print?

With 60% of printers offering large format, I wonder about the other 40%. To retain customers with an assortment of requirements, by saying no to posters, banners etc can put your cut sheet volumes at risk? Maybe traditional book and bound report printers will be bullet proof but for first point of contact instant printers we are perceived to do everything. If you don’t have room in house look for a trade partner.

13. Do you have large format printing in-house?

Considering the replies to the question above it

QUICK PRINT PRO • FEBRUARY 2021

If you are looking for inspiration to increase your print product range for 2021 then consider this breakdown of opportunities. You may want to join in with a popular line or go for something different.

Don’t worry that these do not add up to 100% as most responses offer more than one and so should you. Foamex Boards 60.00%, Correx Board 44.44%, Di-Bond Boards 40.00%, PVC Banners 60.00%, Mesh Banners 33.33%, Signage 35.56%, Posters 40.00%, Floor Vinyls 28.89%, Wall Vinyls

Proof that multi-media marketing activity is the goal. Facebook 62%, Twitter 24%, Instagram 23%, LinkedIn 29%, Email 84%, By telephone 44%. By post 29%, By video call 5%

20. Is your digital press running at less than 5p per print?

Time to upgrade as we are in a forever increasing circle of service charges rising on existing and older print presses. Often buying new at a good service click saving will return a lower production cost if volumes permit. Don’t put off doing the sum as an increase in quality, speed and finishing options may ignite your marketing to new customers.

19

COVER STORY

EPSON

EXPAND YOUR BUSINESS OFFERING

There has never been a better time to enter the market for producing personalised apparel and customised gifts such as sportswear, cushions, mugs, phone cases and coasters. Martin Christie

I

n another world QPP would have been to several exhibitions in the last twelve months and any number of product launches. Instead we have had to be satisfied

20

with virtual meetings, and distant product views, when we would prefer to be hands on with the real kit, and talking directly to the experts. Well at least this month we

got a chance to chat one to one — even at a distance — to Epson’s Pro Graphics guru, Phil McMullin, about current products and prospects.

It’s actually a very timely follow through from an online product launch from December when it still looked like product demonstrations, and even scheduled trade shows, might be possible in the new year only to have the pause button pressed once more.

While many of us have had to make some big changes at the shop counter, reacting to consumer behaviour, Epson has maintained a full staff rota during the lockdown to support its end users. While some direct sales have obviously been hit, other demands like signage and display have been at a premium.

Epson has been a leading force in ink and print for twenty years initially dominant in photography, fine art and commercial proofing.

Gradually their machine range has expanded into display, signage and textiles to name a few. The aim has always been to have a perfect FEBRUARY 2021 • QUICK PRINT PRO

COVER STORY solution for all uses, and in large format there is no one-stop fix. As a result the choices available to the end user may look a little confusing. So it’s probably best to spell out which device does what best.

The most familiar inkjet printers for general use will be those covering photography, graphics and plan printing, being the Sure Colour T (for Technical) and P (for photography) series using water-based pigment inks, with anything from four- to twelve-colour options relating to speed and quality. These can also do indoor signage if needed, but anything more durable and waterproof will need additional lamination or encapsulation.

For longer lasting outdoor use on banners and the like, you need a tougher solution which traditionally has been solvents which contain a releasing agent to bond the inks to various surfaces, notably PVC or other similar material.

Developments have made these agents more environmentally-friendly resulting in so-called eco-solvent printers which have a more mild biodegradable solution, but do require more heat to cure them, and are generally not as long lasting.

More recently a water-based ink solution, referred to as Latex, was introduced to solve these issues. Epson had already been using this technology on their industrial label machines, but introduced their first large format printer with it, under the title of resin, at the end of last year.

While some might suggest they had come late to the party, Epson would insist they had given time to consider what the end user really needed, and what would best serve the large format demands. This included reducing the carbon footprint with a three stage lower temperature feeder, and replacing plastic cartridges with foil pouches. But there are many other details to increase the overall efficiency.

Epson offers both Eco-solvent and Resin printers in its line up for the reason that each does a similar job, but slightly differently, although the differences are narrowing.

Generally solvent inks produce more vibrant colours, but need venting and time to cure. Eco solvent inks are also prone to scratching and may need to be laminated. Resin prints will be ready to handle straight out of the machine, and because they don’t give off any odours or fumes will be suitable for sensitive locations like hospitals and schools. Solvent inks on the other hand are better for flexible usage like vehicle wraps. It needs a careful comparison of the pros and cons to decide which is best for a particular user.

While both can print on materials other than PVC, however, the most vibrant colours and absolute longevity come from dye-sublimation printers which Epson also have in their range and which are likely to be the most popular and profitable to the print on demand outlet.

Dye Sublimation is nothing new, and most printers will have even a small printer and QUICK PRINT PRO • FEBRUARY 2021

press for novelty items. Many of these printers will in fact be standard Epson inkjet printers converted to sublimation inks and serviced by specialist dealers.

But Epson has always wanted to provide end users with the full joined-up service, so as well as new printers, comes the heat press, the media and the back-up you would expect from a major player.

In sublimation the inks penetrate the surface of the item, ideally polyester, or polymer coated, and are fused into it with heat so colour is permanent and does not fade or scratch, and this works on a wide range of things.’ Hard items include specially coated plaques, signs, placemats, coasters, tiles, mugs, metal and keyrings. Soft items include polyester fabric, canvas, t-shirts, cushions, car sun screens, pillowcases and more!

While it’s possible to print and press on to natural material like cotton, the result won’t be fade-free however.

As long as the base material is suitable, however, the uses are as wide as a customer’s imagination, with the option of a little bit of trial and error which has always been the trade mark of the traditional copy shop. That’s something you can’t get on line.

We know from experience at the counter

that customers often don’t know exactly what they are looking for if it’s a novelty item, or something more unusual that doesn’t come offthe-peg. So a flexible print system is a perfect option.

Epson have two new Dye-sub printers, the 24inch SC F500, and the A4 F100 suitable for the print-on-demand market, competitively priced and with full manufacturer support with media, inks and accessories. Even if you have a dye sub machine already, it is often tucked in the corner out of the limelight, and forgotten about until somebody wants a mug.

This is an opportunity to think again of the possibilities that may arise in the brave new world we are all going into. Certainly worth a fresh look.

You can see Phil in his colourful shirt presenting the new printer here: https://fb.watch/37P3Rf86dq/

21

OLTA

­

NE

us

­

­

­ ­

SHOWTIME

PRINT TRADE EXPO

STAND WALKABOUT Join us for the 2021 grand tour and navigate a trail to include what stand has cake, who has show offers with £1000 vouchers and find out what time the bar opens.

T

o justify your time being well spent of course there are an array of stands with new product launches, live demonstrations, software to play with and training in the seminar arena.

No need to battle the elements as you can set off from your office desk or home armchair. www.PrintTradeExpo.co.uk I sort of miss the cold wind wake up of the NEC car park, but not the early start.

HAVE A PLAN OR FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCTS

First up is the Morgana stand as I have been tasked by our own shop to look for a new digital print finisher. Enjoy your own personal demonstrations of kit including the Power Square 160 and 224. Then onto the Morgana BM5000 booklet maker. There is so much choice on this well laid out stand, with brochures to pick up and quotes available.

Adjacent is the…

ITEC stand [https://printtradeexpo.co.uk/detailed-stand-intec] where you must click on the ‘Show Special 1’ link to transport directly into an amazing live showroom. Each piece of kit, print, crease, fold, cut out or foil is ready to show off print benefits in real time. Not only a great showroom experience but a proper profit in print wake up call.

Now I want to go to see Renz, a giant leap by foot, but a mere click and virtually in seconds here we are: Renz [https://printtradeexpo.co.uk/ detailed-stand/renz] where we find an array of recognisable finishing equipment, as we have most in our own print shop in Brighton. Check out the finishing quality on Renz punching, binding and laminating systems.

If you need advice or can’t find what you are looking for click onto their website and enquiry email.

This is so much better than just guessing website addresses or looking them up on a search engine that could take you off on a wild goose chase and jeopardy with unapproved vendors.

You can break from the show at any time, to talk to your team, your customers, your partner, kids, animals, whatever; because you are not on an away day and out of touch from your business, family and the outside world. Virtual prospecting may become the new normal, especially as even when real tactile travel to shows are back, you may be restricted to a no contact experience. For your product brochures, pre-purchase investigation and special show deals, regularly visit www.PrintTradeExpo.co.uk Now onto The Magic Touch [https://printtradeexpo.co.uk/complex24

stand/the-magic-touch] to discuss their workwear opportunity. By picking out your top customers and sending real samples, personalised of course, to them. If you pick the product to be useful in their business, they will want more rather than pick a favourite for the freebie. Anything weatherproof for the present weather will work well.

Graphic Warehouse [https://printtradeexpo.co.uk/detailed-stand/ graphic-warehouse] I need to thank these guys for their help and support in our recent survey, see page 18. If you want to offer products too big to produce inhouse get to know the Graphic Warehouse. We tell customers that anything not on show is produced at our security litho and large format factory. Happy days.

Graphityp [https://printtradeexpo.co.uk/grafityp-uk-limited] Discover a world of possibilities with Grafityp — Dealer of SISER HTV, Roland Large Format Printer/Cutters, GCC Laser Engravers and Vinyl Cutters Grafityp is a leading manufacturer and supplier of self-adhesive sign making vinyl, wrapping/decorating vinyl, digital printing vinyl/films and overlaminates. Show deals include special pricing on Roland and Siser kit, plus their own brand media. Click and learn.

Please do visit Premier Paper for a tree planting video and speedy link to their website and news of an innovative anti-microbial protective film, along with all the top brand media in stock. [https://printtradeexpo. co.uk/detailed-stand/premier-paper-1] As usual once my head is in my laptop, time flies by. I will have to visit Epson later as there is such a crowd on their stand, I couldn’t catch an eye.

OK this can’t really happen at your PTE virtual show as you will always have a warm welcome. So, get in… [https://printtradeexpo.co.uk/printtrade-expo-epson-uk-ltd]

SOLO PRO COMPETITION

Do you want to enter a competition while you are at Solopress [https://printtradeexpo.co.uk/detailed-stand/ solopress] Cool, here’s you chance to win a tasty eco-friendly gift box [https://tinyurl.com/PTE-Show-competition] Buying bespoke trade print work just got so much easier! With one little button, you can now manage and approve your quotes online. We’ve updated your account area so that new quotes will appear there, ready for you to approve and add to your basket like any other order. Access through the Route1 trade print stand then web link. [https://printtradeexpo.co.uk/simple-stand/route1] Enjoy the show you can visit between lockdowns, in fact at any time of day, 365 days a year. Don’t forget to pick up a bug at the QPP stand.

Pub Time: https://printtradeexpo.co.uk/detailed-stand/the-crown-pub QUADRANT ONE Q1.1 D The Crown Pub Q1.2 D Fedrigoni Q1.3 D EFI Q1.4 D GBC Q1.5 D AGFA Q1.6 D Two Sides Q1.7 D Antalis Q1.8 S Sovereign Q1.9 S Xeikon Q1.10 Canon

QUADRANT THREE Q3.1 D The Pen Warehouse Q3.2 D Graphic Warehouse Q3.3 D Premier Paper Q3.4 D The Printers Charity Q3.5 C Morgana Q3.6 D Power of Print Q3.7 D Intec Q3.8 S YES Q3.9 S Route1 Q3.10 C EPSON

QUADRANT TWO Q2.1 D Cartridge People Q2.2 C Heidelberg Q2.3 D IFS Q2.4 D Eat My logo Q2.5 D Plex Q2.6 D Wigston Paper Q2.7 D International Print Day Q2.8 D PEFC Q2.9 C Adobe Q2.10 S QPP

QUADRANT FOUR Q4.1 D UK POS Q4.2 D Solopress Q4.3 D IPIA Q4.4 S Snap Products Q4.5 C XEROX Q4.6 D Trotec Q4.7 C The Magic Touch Q4.8 D Drytac Q4.9 D Yappy.com Q4.10 S Presco

QUADRANT FIVE Q5.1 C Grafitype Q5.2 D Renz Q5.3 D Mutoh Q5.4 D The Finishing Alliance Q5.5 D CJB Printing Equipment Q5.6 C Vivid Q5.7 D Technifold Q5.8 S HP Q5.9 S Target Transfers Q5.10 D Ricoh

FEBRUARY 2021 • QUICK PRINT PRO

• Fully Automated Online Ordering System

E-

FR EE

Win New Business and Increase Your Revenue Stream!

WECOMM BS ERCE IT E

FREE E-Commerce Website

• No Merchant Bank Account Required • Invoiceless Payment System • Customisable Website with Admin Access • No Minimum Order Quantity • Royalty-Free Image Library • FREE End User Leads

Check out our demo site here: demo.no-minimum.co.uk

GREEN ISSUES

SOLOPRESS LAUNCHES A NEW ECO-FRIENDLY PRINT RANGE The environmentally friendly print products are called Solopress Green. The new range offers a choice of high quality products, printed on recycled paper stocks. What’s more, all carbon emissions are offset through investment in climate protection projects.

With options including business cards, flyers, leaflets, postcards, greetings cards and stickers, and with more products being added all the time, customers can create an impressive suite of ecofriendly stationery and promotional print from the Solopress Green range.

The Solopress Green range uses paper stocks certified by the FSC, or Forest Stewardship Council.

This ensures that all the material that goes into the paper stocks is either recycled or comes from sustainable woodland sources. Just because these recycled paper stocks are ‘green’, it doesn’t mean they’re any less white! Modern de-inking processes and production methods produce recycled paper stocks that are bright, white, opaque and smooth — often more so than paper made from virgin fibre.

In addition to responsibly sourced materials, the production and printing processes that go into the Solopress Green range are ‘carbon neutral’. With the help of international environmental consultant

ClimatePartner, the carbon emissions resulting from manufacture and print are calculated and an equivalent contribution is made to projects in both Europe and the Amazon that reduce carbon pollution. Through working with ClimatePartner, Solopress ensure its emissions are accurately calculated, that contributions are never double counted and that the entirety of their carbon

footprint is offset.

According to Solopress MD Simon Cooper: Solopress is already committed to sustainable print production, with a proud history of responsible procurement. Recycled stocks have long been part of our offering, and Solopress was one of the first UK printers to adopt environmentally friendly, vegetable based inks. This new range, however, with its focus on carbon offsetting, goes even further to minimise our impact on the planet and to allow Solopress customers to do the same.

The new range can be found at www.solopress. com/green

C

M

Y

CM

TREE-MENDOUS NEW CALENDAR SUPPORTS THE WOODLAND TRUST Premier Paper, teamed up with the renown photographer and author Archie Miles to produce a stunning tree themed calendar that directly supports the Woodland Trust.

In the mid 1990s Archie Miles set out to produce a book that provided a cultural overview of Britain’s trees and in 1999 his first book, Silva – The Tree in Britain, was published. Since then Archie has spent over twenty years travelling and exploring, discovering and writing about some of the country’s most fascinating ancient trees.

The Archie Miles — Trees calendar has been printed using Essential Silk from Premier Paper, a wood free silk, triple blade coated sheet that provides a unique uncalendered silk finish; and features some incredible examples of Archie’s tree photography including a majestic ancient sweet chestnut in Herefordshire and the tendril like roots of a beech in Ebbw Vale – there is something masterful and captivating about each picture.

Premier’s marketing director Dave Jones comments “We first worked with Archie Miles in 2016 to produce the Treescape book, over 190 pages of Archie’s photographs and commentaries about some of the UK’s most fascinating trees and woodland landscapes. There is something incredibly captivating about Archie’s photographs

26

that really draws you in and naturally we felt that this would work extremely well as a calendar; showcasing Archie’s work all year round whilst supporting the Woodland Trust.”

These excellent calendars are now on sale to the public and the Woodland Trust will receive £5 for every calendar sold.

Jones continues “Our work with the Woodland Trust has enabled our customers and their clients to demonstrate their commitment to the environment through our Carbon Capture® programme. Proceeds from the purchase of the Archie Miles — Trees calendars will help to support the work of the Woodland Trust; we look forward to teaming up with them again in 2021 to plant more trees, for all to enjoy.”

The Woodland Trust is the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity, with over 1,000 woods across the UK, from the Cornish coast to the Scottish Highlands. Premier Paper and their customers have been supporting the Woodland Trust with the Carbon Capture® programme; the industry’s leading environmental initiative that mitigates the CO2 emissions from paper purchases and creates and maintains native woodland in the UK. To date Premier and their customers, through the Carbon Capture® programme have captured over 66,700 tonnes of CO2, raised over £1.1 million for the Woodland Trust and planted 266,000 trees which is enough to stretch over 142 miles! www.paper.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2021 • QUICK PRINT PRO

MY

CY

CMY

K

NEW PROFIT CENTRE

UK PERSONALISED GIFTS MARKET TO REACH £1 BILLION The UK personalised gift market is anticipated to reach £1 billion over the next 12 months, according to the findings of a European study of 5,000+ shoppers from Roland DG. The research also found that UK shoppers are set to spend over £750 million on personalised gifts over the coming festive period, with buyers of personalised gifts expected to fork out more than £40 each on unique gifts for their loved ones.

According to the data, the average UK shopper is prepared to spend an extra seven percent on gifts that have an element of personalisation, such as adding a name, personal message or image. The most popular categories for those who anticipate purchasing personalised gifts are books (29 percent), clothing and babywear (24 percent) and calendars (also 24 percent).

The number one driving force behind purchases is how shoppers consider personalised gifts to be more thoughtful (chosen by 21 percent of respondents), closely followed by the fact that they are unique and can’t be bought straight off the shelf (chosen by 20 percent of respondents).

With many brands and consumers pivoting to eCommerce since the start of the pandemic, online retailers including Notonthehighstreet and Etsy are by far and away the most popular places to buy personalised gifts, and is the most likely place for nearly a quarter of respondents (24 percent). High street businesses with in-store personalisation offers were a likely place for nearly a tenth of respondents (eight percent).

Younger shoppers are far more willing to spend more on personalised gifts than their older counterparts. On average, 18-34 year olds will be willing to fork out an extra £30 compared to shoppers over 55 over the next 12 months.

Stephen Davis, EMEA Marketing Director at Roland DG UK, said: “These might be turbulent times, but the British public does not intend to let the pandemic interfere with their appetite for personalised gifts. Our desire to treat each other in difficult times may well be a factor in the huge projected spend over the

festive period. But make no mistake: the market for gift personalisation is vast, and only set to grow as it becomes easier and faster to source gifts with that personal touch. It represents a lucrative source of revenue for manufacturers and retailers.”

“Retailers who are willing to add customisation options to their products, diversify the options they currently offer, and integrate these services online using tools like PersBiz, are sitting on a golden opportunity. The even better news is it’s easy and inexpensive to add personalisation options, from the most simple to the most complex. There are products for every budget to tap into this burgeoning market,” Davis continued. www.rolanddg.co.uk

SNAP PRODUCTS AND THE PEN WAREHOUSE NEW TRENDZ Snap Products and The Pen Warehouse introduce trendz.® Edition II, an all in one solution to market and sell promotional merchandise. Offering print and digital catalogues, end user website and unrivalled marketing support to the trendz community of distributors.

Catalogues — A selection of printed and digital catalogues showcasing best selling promotional product ranges in one place. Available with standard, customised or bespoke covers.

Guest Suppliers — The catalogues include handpicked guest suppliers from popular product categories including umbrellas, headwear, leather goods, drink ware, crystal and toys.

Digital Marketing Support — Comprehensive in-house marketing support and membership to the trendz community, giving distributors a digital pass to exclusive webinars, personalised and ready to go marketing assets, special offers and access to digital catalogues over a range of product categories including eco-friendly, new, writing instruments, PPE and hygiene — all available personalised.

28

Bespoke End User Website — Dedicated website platform with customisable content areas for your company logo, colours, contact details and product categories.

Helen Dyl, Operations Director at The Pen Warehouse and Snap Products, commented, “We have had the most unprecedented year to date as an industry, however our plans for 2021

remains the same and we’re so excited to launch trendz edition II. She added, “Keep your eyes peeled for more information landing in your inboxes this week. trendz is very much about collaboration and support, and giving our distributors all the tools they need to sell promotional merchandise.”

For information email: marketing@pens.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2021 • QUICK PRINT PRO

RaffleTicketsDirect.co.uk

www.

We charge less so you make more

Fast FREE 7 day delivery on all orders up to 100,000 tickets 10 Day turn around on larger orders up to 1 million

Single Colour to Full Colour Easy Online ordering

0001

0001 0001

The dr aw

email: sales@raffleticketsdirect.co.uk

QUICK PRINT PRO • FEBRUARY 2021

Donat

Plus ove Cases r 70 oth er of Ch ampa Great Priz

ed by

Reid

Brothe

rs Gla

sgow)

gne, es plac Prosec inc Vouc e at Dr co an he d Re rs for Sai umoi d & Wh nsbury g Gol ite win s, Debe f Reso es nham s and rt on Tesco Saturd ay 25 th Au gust 2018

0001

0001

or call 01933 411332

Prestige Printing, Unit B, 22-24 Denington Road, Denington Industrial Estate, Wellingborough, Northants, NN8 2QH

(Kindly

will ta ke

Name :

CH RI ST

Addre ss:

Tel:

M AS RA FF LE

Ealin

g & Houn

slow

Spec

ialist

Pallia

tive

Care All cou Serv ice to be nterfo Mond return ils, mo ay 5th ed to nies and the Novem pro un ber moter sold tick 2018. by ets

CHRIS

Boro ugh thall, UB1 of Ealin 3HW g Cou . ncil.

0001

Ealin

TMAS g & Houn

slow

Registere Specialist Pallia d Char ity No. tive Care Serv 1083 ice 634

RAFFL

£300 John Le Meal wis Gift Vouc Vo hers The Cham Ha uche draw Prom oter: will tak Register pagn mpers rs Lynn Printed ed und e May, e pla e and by wwwer The Meadow ce at Gam an .raffletic Me Choc bling House Hos ad Act kets pice, ow Ho d man direct.c2005 with Uxbridg y mor olates use o.uk the Lon e Roa Hosp d, Sou don e ice on

Satur day 10

Licence No.

WK2 015289 47.

th No

vemb

er 20

E

18 at

TICK

3.15p

ETS £1

m

each

29

NEW PROFIT CENTRE

THE BIG DISPLAY COMPANY EYES INTERIOR GRAPHICS While Covid-19 caused huge disruption right across the industry, The Big Display Company took the opportunity to invest in multiple HP devices to help see it through the pandemic and build for the future.

The Slough based company was born out of Bullseye, a business founded in 1978 to supply trophies and printed garments to a range of sports clubs, local businesses and blue chip companies across the UK. Established 12 years ago, The Big Display Company is a true family operation and focuses on wide format print applications for its range of trade customers. Vince Murphy is the Managing Director and his three sons all work within the company.

The emergence of Covid-19 in the UK in early 2020 led to a sudden change in direction and demand from customers of The Big Display Company, as clients rushed to secure floor stickers to promote social distancing and one way systems in various environments.

The Big Display Company had been running HP printers for several years and had a number of HP devices in place before the pandemic, including two HP Scitex Industrial Printers and three HP Latex 570 machines. An additional HP Latex 570 was installed in June 2020 shortly after the Covid-19 crisis took off.

Jack Murphy, Marketing Director at The Big Display Company, said that demand for floor graphics skyrocketed at the time, and such was the pressure on the existing machines to produce these graphics, the business decided to invest in additional printers.

“We spoke with Papergraphics and they recommended an HP Latex 3600 that had barely been used,” Murphy said. “We did the maths and discovered that the HP Latex 3600 would give us higher output and speed with reduced running costs.”

Since installing the HP Latex 3600, The Big Display Company has taken on jobs they ‘couldn’t have imagined possible’. “When the machine was first installed, we printed over 6,000sq m in the first week for a time critical job, which just wouldn’t have been possible with our previous equipment,” says Murphy.

Aside from floor graphics, another major trend to come out of 2020 was face coverings. The Big Display Company also saw a massive increase in demand for these products and invested in another new HP machine.

DURHAM BOX’S DIGITAL PRINT EFFICIENCY

By offering a combined packaging and POS solution on their Nozomi digital press, corrugated manufacturers, Durham Box, is providing cable management company, D-Line, with cost savings of 35-40% on their packaging and display requirements.

Used by the trade and consumers to hide and protect cables, D-Line is a UK company with a global reputation for innovative cable management products. Based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and supplying its products across the UK, Europe and the US, the company has grown significantly over the last two - three years.

Durham Box first started working with D-Line in 2017, producing conventional kraft printed transit and shelf ready packaging. More recently and based on changing customer demands, D-Line needed Durham Box to create new eye catching premium primary packaging for emerging new product lines.

Following their investment in a Nozomi C-18000 single pass inkjet in May 2019, Durham Box has been able to drive capacity through the machine by providing customers with packaging and POS in one streamlined, innovative

30

Working with RA Smart, The Big Display Company purchased an HP Stitch S500 dye sublimation printer which was installed in November 2020. Murphy said the main reason for opting for HP again was the team’s familiarity with the technology.

“The Stitch has bedded in so well; it runs all day, every day,” he said. “It can operate unattended and has boosted output. It’s cost effective and straight forward to run. The investment was a no brainer for us.”

While work related to Covid-19 was the main focus for The Big Display Company in 2020, the business is keen to plan for additional work they can take on when demand for face coverings and floor stickers slows down.

“The HP Latex 3600 does double sided print unbelievably well,” continues Murphy. “Previously we were outsourcing double sided print over 1,500mm to a company in Europe. Since bringing that work in-house we have reduced turnaround times for this type of print massively. And that’s even more beneficial when you consider the potential for further delays with regards to ports, and possible issues with tax.”

As for the HP Stitch, Murphy says this will continue with much of the usual work that The Big Display Company traditionally has outside of Covid-19 times, including display products such as flags and backdrops “Installing these two pieces of HP machinery has massively increased our print capacity,” Murphy said. “We always have so many positive things to say about the HP engineers that we deal with - they consistently go above and beyond with the level of support, and practical expertise they can bring to an issue. www.thebigdisplaycompany.co.uk • www.hp.com

and efficient process. The ability to print and manufacture secondary corrugated packaging - SRPs, trays or outers - by using the same method to print POS/FSDUs, provides continuity of finish, colour and quality across all promotional opportunities. As the first UK Nozomi user with a white ink capability, Durham Box can also match a broader range of brand and Pantone colours on brown kraft corrugated board, as well as produce higher quality halftone images on that type of material.

Using this combined approach, Durham Box converted and ran D-Line’s inner primary packaging on the digital press, in addition to their display packaging, both of which resulted in a perfect finish and a cost reduction.

“There is complete flexibility in production with Durham Box, together with incredible cost savings compared to our previous supplier, said D-Line’s Leigh Bestford. “The print quality on their Nozomi is superb - I especially like the gloss that the printing process gives on the display units - it helps them stand out in store. We are confident that when we give them a project to design, they will come back with the best and most cost effective solution for our needs. Prototyping is rapid and usually only requires minor tweaks to get to the final product.”

Durham Box currently produces FSDU units ranging from 10 to 2000 units and retail packs, in two sizes, with quantities up to 30k, split over four - six print variants. www.durhambox.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2021 • QUICK PRINT PRO

WE WANT YOUR USED COPIERS

Turn your old copier machines into cash!

BOOK YOUR COLLECTION TODAY Large modern fleet of trucks and vans for any size collection Competitive rates paid Reliable, scheduled UK wide collections Hard drive data wiping service available

Call 01768 210800 | Email sales@tradecopiers.co.uk | Visit tradecopiers.co.uk

Cash for your unused, surplus toner and inks.

From single units to container loads of unused printer, photocopier or fax cartridges Great prices for your goods FREE UK Collection

SPARE INKS & TONERS STARTING TO STACK UP?

Trade Copiers Limited Unit 63, Gilwilly Road, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 9BL +44 (0)1768 210800 sales@tradecopiers.co.uk www.tradecopiers.co.uk

THE QUEEN’S AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE: INTERNATIONAL TRADE 2020

PREFERRED SUPPLIER HUB

FIND YOUR SUPPLIER WITH QUICK PRINT PRO’S

PREFERRED SUPPLIERS HUB ABBOT PRINT

T: 01442 867600 E: sales@abbotprint.com W: www.abbotprint.com Manufacturers of business stationery, books and pads.

ART SYSTEMS LTD

T: 0870 224 2612 W: www.artsystems.co.uk E: marketing@artsystems.ltd.uk Units 10-12 Glaisdale Parkway, Glaisdale, Nottingham NG8 4GP Colortac Scanners, HP Designjets, MakerBot 3D printers, Canon wide format printers.

BAKER LABELS

T: 01277 281900 E: sales@bakerlabels.co.uk W: www.bakerlabels.co.uk Baker Labels can handle exceptionally large or surprisingly short print runs and aim to have your order ready within four days of proof approval. The sales and customer service team can assist you in selecting the most appropriate material, adhesive and finish depending on the end use of the product.

CALF HEY DESIGN

T: 01484 542 795 W: www.calf-hey.com Unit 23, Colne Valley Business Park, Manchester Road, Linthwaite, Huddersfield, W. Yorks HD7 5QG Label manufacturer, trade-only, plain, printed, laminated, barcodes, numbering, one- to full-colour, we do it all, total label solutions at trade prices. Call for free sample pack.

CASLON LTD

T: 01727 852211 E: info@caslon.co.uk W: www.caslon.co.uk Lyon Way, Hatfield Road, St Albans Business card cutters, Digital print finishing,, Finishing products and systems, Foiling equipment, Print finishing equipment and Thermographic equipment & supplies

COLOURFAST W: STUDIO T: 01273 674321 E: becky@colourfast.co.uk

For all your website design, hosting and E: services.

CJB PRINTING EQUIPMENT T: 0116 2600777 W: www.cjbpe.co.uk E: sales@cjbpe.co.uk

CJB Printing Equipment Ltd was formed in 1994 by two directors with over 40 years of combined experience in the printing industry. We are an independent leading supplier of a large comprehensive range of print finishing equipment. The company is now a substantial two-generation family concern with an ever-growing reputation for supplying quality new and used equipment.

DURAWELD

T: 01723 584091 E: sales@duraweld.co.uk W: www.duraweld.co.uk Salter Road, Eastfield Industrial Estate, Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO11 3UP Manufacturer of presentation products to package, present and protect printed paper and multimedia.

Ring Binders, Tabbed Dividers and Indexes, Files and Folders, Wallets, Polypropylene Boxes, Multimedia Packaging, Self Adhesives and Presentation Ring Binders. Customise to your requirements through screen or litho print, pockets and accessories. Quality service, competitive prices and fast turnaround.

32

ELMSTOK

T: 01945 463434 E: sales@elmstok.co.uk W: www.elmstok.co.uk 4-6 Algores Way, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire PE13 2TQ A leading worldwide supplier in document presentation systems and finishing equipment including Binding Machines and Supplies, Manual and Electric Guillotines, Laminating Machines and Supplies, Paper Drills and Punches, Folders, Booklet Makers and Shredding Machines.

GFSMITH

T: 020 7407 6174 E: london@gfsmith.com W: www.gfsmith.com Paper and card suppliers of prestigious printing and presentation media.

IFS INTELLIGENT FINISHING SYSTEMS T: 020 8997 8053 E: info@ifsl.uk.com W: www.Ifsl.uk.com

A leading supplier of finishing equipment including the Horizon market-leading automated system range in many of the key finishing disciplines — including folding, perfect binding and saddle stitching. 35 years serving the digital and litho print industry.

LISTAWOOD PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS T: 01553 818818 E: sales@listawood.com W: www.listawood.com 24 Rollesby Road, Hardwick Industrial Estate, King’s Lynn, Norfolk. PE30 4LS UK manufacturer of promotional products including mousemats, ceramics, liquid filled products, usb Flashdrives and magnets. 100% trade only.

LISTAWOOD TRADE SUPPLIES

T: 01553 818848 E: tradesupplies@listawood.com W: www.listawood.com 24 Rollesby Road, Hardwick Industrial Estate, King’s Lynn, Norfolk. PE30 4LS A one stop shop for consumables and equipment for dye sublimation and chromablast. Authorised distributor of Hix heat presses and parts.

LUCAS FETTES

T: 020 7392 2800 E: andrew.thompson@lucasfettes.co.uk W: www.lucasfettes.co.uk 1st Floor, 13-15 Folgate Street, London. E1 6BX Insurance — CSMA premier business policy.

THE MAGAZINE PRODUCTION COMPANY T: 01273 467579 E: info@magazineproduction.com W:www.magazineproduction.com

Comprehensive cost-effective white label design, production and print solution for independent publishers. In-house company newsletters, brochures and magazines — we can send print compliant artwork back to you for printing for your customers.

METRO UK

T: 01753 884811 E: hunterslodge@onetel.net A0 Plan Copiers, Plotters and Cad Printers. Specialists in the supply of quality pre-owned Océ and Xerox plan copiers.

MORGANA SYSTEMS LTD

PDC PRESENTATION SOLUTIONS T: 020 8810 5770 E: sales@pdcuk.com W: www.pdcuk.com

PDC are the UK’s Coil/Spiral experts, we manufacture 45 coil colours in any length up to one metre, in

T: 01908 608888 Davy Avenue, Knowlhill, Milton Keynes

diameters from 6mm up to 50mm and in a range of 45

Manufacturer of a comprehensive range of finishing

PRINT ON

products and systems. Booklet makers & Trimmers, Collators, Business Card Cutters, Creasers.

NCR PADS LTD

T: 0330 111 5040 E: lets.talk@ncrpads.co.uk W: www.ncrpads.co.uk NCR Pads Ltd, 6 Waterside Gardens, Shrewsbury, SY3 9AG Bespoke printing​in the UK for trade NCR pads, sets, books and continuous forms.

NELSON PRESS

T: 01794 340100 E: sales@nelsonpress.co.uk W: www.nelsonpress.co.uk Unit 5, Home Farm Business Centre, East Tytherley Road, Lockerley, Hampshire, SO51 0JT Now part of the Whitehill Print Group, Nelson Press offers competitive trade prices on Draw tickets and

colours. Call or E: for free samples and pricing.

W: www.printonbeermats.co.uk W: www.printoncoasters.co.uk E: info@printonbeermats.co.uk New, easy entry, full colour printing system. Advertising in print has become more refined. It’s cooler, more refreshing and its smooth message lasts to the bottom of the glass.

PRINTERSXCHANGE

T: 01273 674321 E: advertising@PrintersXchange.co.uk The UK’s trading platform for the print industry

PRODUCTION PRINT

T: 0333 567 4444 W: www.productionprintuk.com Independent service and support for Konica Minolta, Oce and IKON variants. Sell and support new and used digital presses — mono and colour. Unique rental scheme — no third party lease companies — 12 month

other numbered/perforated tickets & books.

contract — ability to upgrade at any time.

OCÉ IMAGING SUPPLIES

RAFFLE TICKETS DIRECT

Wide format materials: 0800 623 623 Small format materials: 0800 212 943 Chatham Way, Brentwood, Essex CM14 4DZ Reknowned supplier of copying and printing equipment to copy shops, carries one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive range of consumables, for both small and wide format machines, from A4 white paper to display graphic materials such as backlit films.

OKI SYSTEMS (UK)

T: 01784 274300 E: ukenquiries@okieurope.co.uk W: www.oki.co.uk Blays House, Wick Road Egham, Surrey. TW20 0HJ

PEN WAREHOUSE T: 01252 400270 E: sales@pens.co.uk www.pens.co.uk Trade pen supplies.

PERFECT COLOURS

T: 01933 411332 E: sales@raffleticketsdirect.co.uk W:www.raffleticketsdirect.co.uk Lower Farm, High Street, Irchester, Northants. NN29 7AB One colour to full colour raffle tickets. Fast free express delivery. Cheapest prices in the UK at the best print quality. All tickets are glued within the stub (no metal staples used to fix books).

RENZ UK

T: 01707 270001, W: www.renz.co.uk Hatfield Park Estate, Hatfield, Herts. AL9 5PQ Renz Onepitch® ring wire system now allows binding from just a few sheets through to 350 sheets (1/4”-1 1/2” wire).

ROLAND DG (UK)

T: 01275 335540 W: www.rolanddg.com Griffin House, Windmill Road, Clevedon, North Somerset, BS21 6UJ.

T: 0845 680 9000 W: www.perfectcolours.com E: info@perfectcolours.com Unit 2 Glengall Business Centre, 43-47 Glengall Road, London, SE15 6NF

Roland aim to help customers feel comfortable and

HP Preferred Partner specialising in large and grand

T: 020 8734 2000 W: www.sharp.co.uk 4 Furzeground Way, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB11 1EZ

format printing and finishing solutions, supplying Durst, Jetix, HP, Canon and Epson LF printers. For more information or to book a free printer demonstration call or E: us.

confident when using Roland DG products, and to always be on hand to assist with the continued growth and success of customers’ businesses.

SHARP ELECTRONICS (UK)

FEBRUARY 2021 • QUICK PRINT PRO

PREFERRED SUPPLIER HUB

SA PUBLISHING

T: 07434 483777 E: info@sapublishing.co.uk W: sapublishing.co.uk 1 Lowry Close, Church Hill Street, Smethwick, West Midlands. B67 7QT

SOVEREIGN (SOV PRINT LTD) T: 01443 816414 W: www.sovprint.com Riverside House, Maple Drive, Dyffryn Business Park, Ystrad, Mynach, CF82 7UA

3D Printers ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Roland DG (UK)

Production Print .......................................................................... Production Print

B2B LED Printers.................................................................................. OKI Europe

Labels and stickers.......................................................................... Baker Labels

Beermat Printing.........................................................................................Print On

Large Format Printers..................................................................Stanford Marsh

Bespoke Envelopes..................................................................................GFSmith

Large format Printers and Cutters ������������������������������������������� Roland DG (UK)

Binder Covers (Printed).........................................................................Sovereign Binders........................................................................................................Duraweld Binding Machines & Supplies................................................................. Elmstok Binding — PVC Coils in 45 colours...............................................................PDC Binding — Thermal Strips...............................................................................Renz Binding — Wires / Plastic Combs / PVC Coils..........................................Renz Binding Wires / Combs / Fastback / Velo and more..............................Vivid Bizhub Pro Production Press.................................................. Production Print Booklet Makers ��������������������������������������������������������������������CJB Print Equipment

Screen printing as a trade service onto many materials.

Labels, binder covers, estate agent boards, point of sale, plastic business cards, fire & safety signs, vehicle promotional items, etc. For a competitive quotation call now.

Booklet Makers & Trimmers..................................................................Morgana

STANFORD MARSH

CAD Printers.............................................................................................. Metro UK

T: 01905 458000 W: www.stanfordmarsh.co.uk Haycroft Works, Buckholt Drive, Warndon Business Park, Worcs. WR4 9ND

Brochures...............................................The Magazine Production Company Business Card Cutters.............................................................................Morgana Business Card Cutters................................................................................. Caslon Busienss Card Cutters..............................................................................UMG UK Café Pads................................................................................................Abbot Print CD Packaging...........................................................................................Duraweld Canon Wide Format Printers........................................................... Art Systems Canon / HP Large Format Printers.......................................... Perfect Colours ChromaBlast Consumables and Equipment..Listawood Trade Supplies

Official dealer for all main manufacturers, allowing us to supply best fit solutions for all users. Please visit our website.

Coasters.........................................................................................................Print On

SUPREME LABELS

Colour Printing Systems........................................................... Production Print

T: 01924 402111 W: www.supremelabels.co.uk Unit 6, Valley Road Business Park, W. Yorkshire WF15 6JY Label Suppliers, Roll Labels, Laser Labels, Warning Labels, most formats available.

MAGIC TOUCH (THE)

Collators.......................................................................................................Morgana Coloured and Textured Media...............................................................GFSmith Colour Printing Systems.................................................................... OKI Europe Colour Printing Systems.........................................................Sharp Electronics Colortrac Scanners............................................................................. Art Systems Continuous Forms................................................................................Abbot Print Contnuous Forms...................................................................................NCR Pads Creasers.......................................................................................................Morgana Creasers........................................................................................................UMG UK

Large Format Printers (Dye Sub).........................Listawood Trade Supplies Large Format Scanners...............................................................Stanford Marsh Large Format MFP Solutions.....................................................Stanford Marsh Large Format Printers from HP................................................ Perfect Colours Large Format Printers from HP.................................................Stanford Marsh Laser Labels..................................................................................Supreme Labels MakerBot 3D Printers........................................................................ Art Systems Magazine Design.................................The Magazine Production Company Magazine Production.........................The Magazine Production Company Magazine Printing................................The Magazine Production Company Mouse Mats..................................................Listawood Promotional Products Mugs...............................................................Listawood Promotional Products Multifunction Devices......................................................................... OKI Europe NCR Books................................................................................................NCR Pads NCR Pads...................................................................................................NCR Pads NCR Sets....................................................................................................NCR Pads New and Used Digital Presses............................................... Production Print Newsletter Design...............................The Magazine Production Company Paper Drills & Punches.............................................................................. Elmstok Paper Supplies..................................................................Océ Imaging Supplies Pencils............................................................................................ Pen Warehouse Pens................................................................................................. Pen Warehouse Perfect Binders ��������������������������������������������������������������������CJB Print Equipment Photocopier Supplies.....................................................Océ Imaging Supplies Plan Printers............................................................................................... Metro UK Plastic Pockets and Wallets..................................................................Duraweld Plotters........................................................................................................ Metro UK Polypropylene Boxes..............................................................................Duraweld PosterJet Software...................................................................... Perfect Colours Presentation Packaging (Printed).......................................................Duraweld

Cut Sets....................................................................................................Abbot Print

Print Finishing Equipment.......................................................................... Caslon

T: 01582 671444 E: sales@themagictouch.co.uk W: www.themagictouch.co.uk Unit 4 Apex Business Centre,Boscombe Road, Dunstable, Bedfordshire LU5 4SB

DC Cutter-Creasers ������������������������������������������������������������CJB Print Equipment

Printed Carrier Bags.................................................................... Custom Printed

Design Services...............................................................Colourfast Web Studio

Printing Systems.......................................................................... Production Print

Digital Press.................................................................................. Production Print

Printing Systems................................................................................... OKI Europe

Digital Printers.............................................................................. Production Print

Printing Systems........................................................................Sharp Electronics

Supplier of transfer papers, colour laser printers and heat presses to open up exciting opportunities to print on a limitless range of products.

Digital Printers..............................................................................................Xeretec

Promotional Printing..................................................................................Print On

Digital Print Finishing................................................................................... Caslon

Promotional Products................................Listawood Promotional Products

UMG UK

T: 0800 915 4263 W: www.uchida.uk.com Jasmine House, High Street, Henfield, West Sussex, BN5 9HN

VIVID LAMINATING TECHNOLOGIES

T: 01530 510946 W: www.vivid-online.com.

Matrix House, Norman Court, Ivanhoe Business Park, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, LE65 2UZ Vivid offer a wide range of innovative and exclusive Laminating Systems ranging from Desktop to Wide Format Laminators. Visit the website to view the full range which also includes Binding and Print Finishing solutions.

XERETEC

T: 02380 574100 E: info@xeretec.co.uk.

W: www.xeretec.co.uk Brickfield Trading Estate, Brickfield Lane, Chandlers Ford, Hampshire. SO53 4DR Xerox Technology, Document Consulting, Office Supplies

XEROX UK

T: 01895 251133 Bridge House, Oxford Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 1HS The Document Company supply a full range of office equipment.

QUICK PRINT PRO • FEBRUARY 2021

Display Graphics Printers...........................................................Stanford Marsh Draw Tickets.......................................................................................Nelson Press Duplicate Books & Pads.....................................................................Abbot Print Dye Sublimation Consumables & Equipment.Listawood Trade Supplies Embossing and Diecutting............................................................ Baker Labels Engravers ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Roland DG (UK) Finishing........................................................................................................UMG UK Finishing Products and Systems................................. Morgana Systems Ltd Finishing Products and Systems.............................................................. Caslon Flexible Contracts....................................................................... Production Print Foil Blocking.......................................................................................Nelson Press Foliant Vega 400..........................................IFS Intelligent Finishing Systems Foiling.................................................................................................. Baker Labels Foiling Equipment......................................................................................... Caslon Folders...........................................................................................................UMG UK Folders and Booklet Makers................................................................... Elmstok Folders & Files Plastic.............................................................................Duraweld Guillotines ������������������������������������������������������������������������������CJB Print Equipment Guillotines — Manual and Electric......................................................... Elmstok Heat Press Equipment............................................................ The Magic Touch Heat Presses.............................................................Listawood Trade Supplies Horizon AFC-566F......................................IFS Intelligent Finishing Systems Horizon BQ-480 ..........................................IFS Intelligent Finishing Systems Horizon StitchLiner Mark 111......................IFS Intelligent Finishing Systems HP Designjets...................................................................................... Art Systems HP Indigo and UV inkjet labels.................................................... Baker Labels Incentive Marketing.....................................................................................PrintOn Indexes........................................................................................................Duraweld Inkjet Consumables for LFP...................................................... Perfect Colours Insurance..............................................................................................Lucas Fettes Labels............................................................................................................Calf Hey

Puzzles...........................................................................................................Print On Raffle Tickets......................................................................................Nelson Press Raffle Tickets.........................................................................Raffle Tickets Direct Receipt Books........................................................................................Abbot Print Register Sets...........................................................................................Abbot Print Ring Binders.......................................................................................................Vivid Ring Binders..............................................................................................Duraweld Screen Printing........................................................................................Sovereign Screen Printing Labels................................................................... Baker Labels Secondhand Printers................................................................PrintersXchange Second User Finishing Ki........................................................PrintersXchange Security Labels...........................................................................................Calf Hey Self Adhesive Labels................................................................................Calf Hey Self Adhesive Labels.................................................................Supreme Labels Self Adhesive Pockets............................................................................Duraweld Sensory Coaters ������������������������������������������������������������������CJB Print Equipment Shredding Machines — Document Shredders, all types............... Elmstok Signs (Printed)..........................................................................................Sovereign Speciality Papers........................................................................................GFSmith Stickers and labels, rolls, sheets or singles............................. Baker Labels Sublimation Solutions.............................................................. The Magic Touch Thermographic Equipment and Supplied............................................ Caslon Tickets..................................................................................................Nelson Press Trade-in Equipment...................................................................PrintersXchange Transfer Paper............................................................................ The Magic Touch Transparencies..................................................................................................Vivid USB Flashdrives..........................................Listawood Promotional Products Vinyl Cutters ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Roland DG (UK) Vinyl Labels..................................................................................................Calf Hey Vinyl Labels...................................................................................Supreme Labels

Labels.............................................................................................Supreme Labels

Wedding Stationery Stock......................................................................GFSmith

Labels (Flat Sheet)...................................................................................Sovereign

Xerox Office Equipment........................................................................ Xerox UK

Laminating Machines and Supplies, all types.................................... Elmstok

Xerox Digital Press.....................................................................................Xeretec

Laminator Pouches & Supplies....................................................................Vivid

Xerox LFP......................................................................................................Xeretec

33

THE JOKE’S ON YOU

READERS’ SCRIBES

SOMETHING TO SHARE? GEAR CRASH

Policeman: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?

Salesman: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.

VIRUS

“Hey, IT officer, how did the hackers escape?”

“No idea, they just ransomware!”

MILKING THE COW

A farmer was milking his cow. He was just starting to get a good rhythm going when a bug flew into the barn and started circling his head.

Suddenly, the bug flew into the cow’s ear. The farmer didn’t think much about it until the bug squirted out into his bucket. It went in one ear and out the udder.

CLEAR THE KITCHEN TABLE

My wife asked me if I could clear the kitchen table. I had to get a running start, but I made it!

DO YOU REMEMBER STAYING IN A HOTEL? Old-world charm: No bath Options galore: Nothing is included No extra fees: No extras Nominal fee: Outrageous charge Standard: Sub-standard Deluxe: Standard Superior: One free shower cap Cosy: Small All the amenities: Two free shower caps Plush: Top and bottom sheets

YOUR CV SAYS

Interviewer: “Your resume says you take things too literally.”

Me: “When did my resume learn to talk?”

DRINK AWARE

I asked the surgeon if I could administer my own anaesthetic. He said, “Sure, knock yourself out!”

“Say, buddy, what’s a ‘Breathalyser’?’’ asked one drinker to his friend at the next bar stool.

“Well, I’d have to say it’s a bag that tells you that you’ve drunk way too much,’’ answered the equally wasted gent.”

“I’ve got one of those indoors”

HAVE YOU HEARD

A LOT OF MILEAGE

I ASKED THE SURGEON

“Did you tell the hairdresser that what you said was in strict confidence?”

“No, I didn’t want her to think it was important enough to repeat.”

WORST JOB ON EARTH

“I must have the worst job on earth.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I work at the circus as a human cannon ball and I get fired every day.”

THE WORK OF SIX SALESMEN

During an interview, the young lady interviewing for the position was surprised to hear the HR manager say he was looking for someone “to do the work of six salesmen.”

The lady replied: “That’s a shame. I was looking for a full-time job.”

A quick joke to warm you up.

Judi tried to sell her old car. She was having a lot of problems selling it because the car had 250,000 miles. One day, she told her problem to a friend she worked with at a salon. Her friend told her, “There is a possibility to make the car easier to sell, but it’s not legal.”

“That doesn’t matter,” replied Judi, “as long as I can sell the car.”

“Okay,” said Judi’s friend. “Here is the address of a friend of mine. He owns a car repair shop. Tell him I sent you and he will turn the clock in your car back to 50,000 miles. Then it should not be a problem to sell your car anymore.”

The following weekend, Judi made the trip to the mechanic. Two weeks later the friend asked Judi, “Did you sell your car?”

“No,” replied Judi, “why should I? It only has 50,000 miles on it!”

What do you call a snowman with a six pack?

BEST DIET EVER

My friend Joe recently went on the Dolly Parton diet. It made Joe lean, Joe lean, Joe lean, Joe lean!

JOB INTERVIEW

A man told the ringmaster that he was interested in joining the circus as a lion tamer. The ringmaster asked if he had any experience.

The man said, “Why, yes. My father was one of the most famous lion tamers in the world, and he taught me everything he knew.”

“Really?” said the ringmaster. “Did he teach you how to make a lion jump through a flaming hoop?”

“Yes, he did,” the man replied.

“And did he teach you how to have six lions form a pyramid?”

“Yes, he did,” the man replied.

“And have you ever stuck your head in a lion’s mouth?”

“Just once,” the man replied.

The ringmaster asked, “Why only once?”

The man said, “I was looking for my father.”

IT’S ALL IN THE DELIVERY

Three comedians are shooting the breeze in the dressing room of a nightclub after a late gig. They’ve heard one another’s material so much that they’ve reached the point where they don’t need to say the jokes anymore to amuse each other, they just need to refer to each joke by a number.

“Number 37!” cracks the first comic, and the others break up.

“Number 53!” says the second person, and they howl.

Finally, it’s the third comic’s turn. “44!” he quips. He gets nothing. Crickets.

“What?” he asks, “Isn’t 44 funny?”

“Sure, it’s usually hilarious,” they answer. “But the way you tell it…”

HIDE AND SEEK

If someone has a mid-life crisis while playing hide and seek, do they automatically lose because they can’t find themselves?

An abdominal snowman.

OK, as you were.

FELIX THE COPY CAT 34

FEBRUARY 2021 • QUICK PRINT PRO

PRINTERS’ XCHANGE

Placing your advert couldn’t be easier: www.PrintersXchange.co.uk

MTEX Large Format Dye-Sublimation Printer

Konica Minolta Biz Hub Pro

Konica Minolta Biz Hub Pro. 1060L

Canon ipf8400

Direct print to textile with an in-line sublimation unit. Capable of printing up to 1.8m, print speed 30 SQM

With multi folder, Stapler, Hole punch, Booklet maker & Trim. Fully maintained

by KM.

Multifold finisher with hole punch. Fully maintained by KM.

44 inch wide format, 12 colour photographic quality printer.

0116 232 3156 info@verydisplays.com

bolton@minutemanpress.com 01204 397434

bolton@minutemanpress.com 01204 397434

bolton@minutemanpress.com 01204 397434

Nagel Foldnak 40 Booklet Maker and trimmer

Installed 06/2020, 18 months warranty remaining. CMYK Lk Or WW. Located Cambs, UK

Very low usage and in good condition.

Complete with 12 station collating tower

bolton@minutemanpress.com 01204 397434

christopher@vibrantcolour.co.uk 01733 736936

james@micropress.co.uk 01502 725800

james@micropress.co.uk 01502 725800

£5,000

£1,300+VAT

£3,900+VAT

Mimaki CJV150-75 IRO £5,000+VAT

£4,400+VAT

Domino Bitjet £750

£1,800+VAT

Duplo DBM250T Booklet Maker £1,750

Printers Xchange is trading now ONLINE AND ON YOUR DESK

Xerox Versant 80

Roland VersaCAMM VP-540

Digital Press with Fiery, A4 Deck & Booklet Finisher. Low miles at less than 700k. Price includes delivery & installation. Full Service support available.

Second User Mimaki solvent print &cut.

2019 with gold warranty until 2022.

CMYKLmLmLkOr with Rasterlink6 RIP.

Refurbished Roland eco-solvent print & cut. 2007. CMYK with Versaworks RIP.

0800 011 2858 interface@scriptumds.co.uk

0191 256 6889 info@yourprintspecialists.co.uk

0191 256 6889 info@yourprintspecialists.co.uk

HP LATEX 3100

Ex-demo UV-cure flatbed printer, 600x900mm print area, 150mm print depth, CMYK W & V. Includes stand and RIP software. 12 months warranty.

Install & training available.

£4,295 + VAT

Mimaki CJV150-75 £5995+VAT

£3995+VAT

SINGLE MACHINE ADVERT ONLY £25 DEALER BLOCK ADS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST. The deadline for the next printed copy is 5pm, Wed. 18th February. www.printersxchange.co.uk

Apache GH6090 Evo

HP-managed contract at extra cost.

3.2m print width. Used printer.

£ POA

www.PerfectColours.com 0845 680 9000

Epson SureColour SC-3400 240V

£23,000

www.axzyra.com • 01954 267999

Epson P10000

24” Brand New • Warranty: 1 Year RRP £1,595.00

44” Ex Demo • Warranty: 90 Days RRP £5,185.00

www.PerfectColours.com 0845 680 9000

www.PerfectColours.com 0845 680 9000

NOW £1,299.00

QUICK PRINT PRO • FEBRUARY 2021

NOW £2,995.00

35

FINISHINGSTARTSHERE Visit us at Print Trade Expo

Open 24/7 365

START STRONG, FINISH STRONGER AUTOMATION AT YOUR FINGERTIPS ifsl.uk.com invest@ifsl.uk.com 020 8997 8053