NEWS IN PRINT

Northern Collating has future proofed its service offering with a Horizon BQ-270V single clamp perfect binder from IFS. Established in 1998, the Greater Manchester operation has 20 years’ experience in print finishing including Wire-o and coil binding, collating, shrink wrapping, guillotining and drilling. After moving into perfect binding with an entry level system it decided the time was right to enhance its capabilities.

Neil Sanderson, Managing Director, explains: “We dipped our toe into the perfect binding market a couple of years ago. Then we got to the stage where we wanted to have a faster, better quality, system.”

He continues: “We liked the Horizon solution and we had heard a lot of good things about it. It is highly automated and easy to set up. Operators can jump quickly on and off it. Before we had to pre-score covers but now that is completed inline which saves time. It also seemed like parts were easy to get hold of if we ever needed to.”

Northern Collating’s 500cph Horizon BQ-270V single clamp perfect binder offers high quality perfect binding and on-demand production of variable thickness books.

It includes an automated, sensor activated digital caliper system which consistently measures book block thickness and automatically transfers this data to the binder for quick, automated set-up for books of different thicknesses. It features a large 10.4″ intelligent colour touchscreen, job programming, and a compact configuration.

It has been running well and Neil adds: “We are very pleased with it. It has helped us future proof the business. Perfect binding was not something we had pushed before but now we can. It also allows us to manage a variety of run lengths. We got a job in today that was 10 books and the customer could easily come back with 500. We can be prepared for that. We can also now confidently promote the service to customers and present ourselves as more of a one stop shop.” www.ifsl.uk.com

ENERGY BILL RELIEF SCHEME – HOW IT WORKS

Jacob Rees-Mogg has unveiled an Energy Bill Relief Scheme that will slash businesses’ energy bills in half. The Business Secretary confirmed that the Government will cap bills at 21.1p per kilowatt hour for electricity and 7.5p per KWh for gas – less than half the expected cost this winter – to allay fears that thousands of small businesses could go bust without state help.

The Government will pay providers to make up the difference.

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme only applies to the wholesale costs. Businesses pay other charges on top but these are relatively small.

This comes two weeks after the Government stepped in to cap household energy bills at £2,500 per year for two years from October. By comparison, the household energy price cap was set at 34p/kWh for electricity and 10.3p/kWh for gas.

The measures, which will be applied directly to bills, will begin in October – when most small businesses renew fixed-term contracts — and will last for six months.

Schools, charities, hospitals and other nondomestic organisations will also be covered by the Energy Bill Relief Scheme.

A parallel scheme will be established in Northern Ireland, while the Government said it will provide equivalent support to non-domestic consumers who use heating oil or alternative fuels instead of gas. But energy suppliers fear they will be unable to get the Government support delivered to business customers until November, meaning bills under the Energy Bill Relief Scheme will need to be backdated to October 1.

Businesses typically have bespoke contracts with their energy suppliers and agreements can vary greatly by industry.

Many businesses on fixed term deals have to renegotiate their agreements in time for October 1: traditionally a key anniversary for contracts in the corporate market.

Prime Minister Liz Truss said: “I understand the huge pressure businesses are facing with their energy bills, which is why we are taking immediate action to support them over the winter and protect jobs and livelihoods. As we are doing for consumers, our new scheme will keep their energy bills down from October, providing certainty and peace of mind.”

Investec analyst Martin Young told the Daily Telegraph that the Energy Bill Relief Scheme could cost £25bn or more, with other experts putting the price tag at £40bn. www.smallbusiness.co.uk • Tim Adler

Diversified print and sign-making business Effective Imaging has said its investment in a second HP Latex 335 printer has helped speed up production and allowed it to move into a number of new markets, all while enhancing its environmental credentials.

Based in the seaside town of Great Yarmouth, Effective Imaging was founded six years ago by Jonathan Ling, a stalwart of the print industry with more than 30 years of market experience. The business has evolved into a multi-service print provider, offering everything from signage and vehicle livery to garment printing and engraving.

This diversified service offering has led to Effective Imaging working with a wide range of customers in a variety of sectors, which in turn has meant it has had to upgrade its equipment to meet increased demand.

Effective Imaging had initially been running a single HP Latex 335 printer, purchased from approved HP reseller Granthams, alongside two solvent machines from another manufacturer. However, this set-up was not enough to keep up with the level of demand, which led to Effective Imaging returning to Granthams to purchase a second HP Latex 335 Printer.

Installed in November last year, such has been the impact of the second HP Latex 335 printer that Effective Imaging has been able to phase out the two solvent machines, meaning it is now able to deliver high quality and planet friendly printed work to customers, courtesy of the Latex printer’s water based inks.

Not only this but Managing Director Jonathan Ling said that the additional printing firepower has meant that the company has been able to move into new markets, singling out signage and marketing materials in the events sector as a key growth area.

“One area we have moved into is events, where signage and marketing materials can be overlooked and become last minute collateral. Thanks to the HP Latex printers, we can work to tight deadlines and always deliver on time. The HP Latex printers have helped to speed up production. By eliminating the need to gas off before lamination we are able to turn around printed work much more efficiently. Also, having multiple machines means we can run multiple projects at any one time.”

Jonathan added that the use of water based inks has opened up some markets in which there are strict rules on the use of hazardous chemicals. HP Latex printers run using water-based, non-harmful inks, and this has allowed Effective Imaging to capture niche work.

“We have particularly tried to push into work within education, care homes and the NHS,” Jonathan said. “As HP Latex inks are eco-friendly, we felt this was something to explore and promote locally.

“No matter which direction our business takes, we are confident that the HP Latex 335 printers will support us as we grow and expand. By buying printers that tick all the boxes, we will always be able to meet the needs of our customers.” www.hp.com

DR MARTENS STORE WEARS SUSTAINABLE SUBSTRATES

The interactive new Dr Martens test and learn concept store on Carnaby Street, London, exemplifies impactful, sustainable retail display, showcasing impressive POS imagery and interior branding using a range of Antalis’ large format environmental substrates.

The store design and fit out is the result of a collaboration between Leeds based specialists in wide format printing and signage, Imageco, and their client, Syn Retail. Imageco has recently become a certified Carbon Neutral Printer, helping Dr Martens meet the sustainable brief set out for the store.

The brief from Dr Martens incorporated the creation of a range of sustainable POS and interior decoration which moved away from traditional PVC-based products. Dr Martens had a clear vision for the design and sought expertise in specifying suitably sustainable materials. Antalis is committed to continuously expanding its portfolio of eco-friendly materials, and with the expert consultation support from its Specification Consultant, the selection of suitable materials for this brief was made easy.

Several products were selected from the Antalis Visual Communications range, each being more environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional materials without compromising quality for interior decoration and signage. Katz Display Board was used for internal displays as a wood pulp, fully recyclable instore solution. Katz is manufactured using a sustainable production process that delivers quality as well as being dimensionally stable.

For the store interior, Xanita Print panels were used. Available in both Xanita Print and Xanita Kraft, the reusable and recyclable product is a lightweight, customisable, high strength fibre board which can be used for a vast array of applications, from POS and basic signage, to three dimensional structures, shop fittings, exhibitions and furniture.

The expert choice of materials means that when the store interior is updated — typically every six weeks or so — instead of being sent to landfill or for incineration, the POS and other display items can be reused or disposed of in paper recycling streams. www.antalis.co.uk • contact@antalis.co.uk • 0370 607 9014

PROFILE OF THE MONTH: PDC PERFECT DOCUMENT CREATION

PDC provide perfect solutions for the presentation of your customers documents. Choose from a vast range of equipment and book an on-site demonstration. PDC offer complete technical and after sales support with a full range of competitively priced consumables, design and print services.

PDC provide full on-site training; technical support and maintenance to help you achieve perfect documents, every time.

Visit the document binding blog and resource centre for useful advice, articles, news and opinions. www.pdcuk.com • 020 8810 5770 sales@pdcuk.com

Streamlined workflow efficiency and productivity, combined with operational transparency and reportability, will be demonstrated at the IFS finish+bind 360 event. Horizon’s latest highly automated solutions, complete with Horizon iCE LiNK, will showcase fast, connected, and responsive job completion on Wednesday October 12 and Thursday October 13 at IFS’s Hemel Hempstead showroom.

The new Horizon BQ-500 iCE Binder will run in-line with the new Horizon HT-300 iCE Trimmer. They will run alongside the new Horizon AFV-566FKT iCE Folder.

Live applications will include the dynamic and flexible creation of folded signatures and the binding and inline trimming of perfect bound books and PUR books.

All three systems will demonstrate the capabilities of the Horizon iCE LiNK cloud based workflow management system. It optimises production to create a new work environment with increased efficiency and productivity.

Visitors will enjoy a full explanation of the benefits and advantages of Horizon iCE LiNK. They will see how it connects via the cloud to an intuitive easy to use dashboard that reports real time production analysis for improved efficiency and profitability, remote update capabilities and scheduled maintenance resulting in less downtime. Data can be accessed via smartphone, tablet or desktop PC and the software is designed for integration with many leading MIS systems.

As part of the workflow for the finish+bind 360 event, attendees will see live demonstrations of the Foliant Taurus 530NG B2 Laminator laminating book covers for binding, too.

Eric Keane, IFS Managing Director, explains: “finish+bind 360 will focus on the benefits and efficiencies of automation in print finishing and binding now further enhanced by Horizon’s iCE LiNK cloud based workflow management system. They will discover more about how it enables a modern and efficient bindery to deliver the most responsive print finishing production. Attendees and existing IFS and Horizon customers’ will also benefit from offers on the Horizon iCE LiNK IoT Basic, Automated and Enterprise subscription models.”

Two demonstration sessions will be held per day. The first will run from 10:00am until 1:00pm and the second from 1:00pm until 4pm. Lunch will be provided between 12 noon and 2pm each day. To pre-register please email: info@ifsl.uk.com or call 020 8997 8053. www.ifsl.uk.com

FIRST UK INSTALL OF SWISSQPRINT’S KARIBU

swissQprint’s roll to roll printer, the Karibu, is proving a game changer for Muraspec Wallcoverings, the UK based leader in bespoke and commercial wallcoverings. The UK’s first swissQprint Karibu roll to roll printer was installed at Muraspec Wallcoverings in late 2021. Since then, the Muraspec team has found it to be the perfect addition to its wallcoverings print fleet, as the Karibu’s flexibility and productivity enables the development of new and enhanced products and services for clients.

Muraspec has a heritage dating back to the 1850s and from its UK facility in Kent, designs and manufactures a wide range of wallcoverings using both traditional gravure and large format digital inkjet printing. The business provides a range of leading clients and brands across the hospitality, healthcare, retail, commercial and residential sectors around the world.

While digital print has been an integral part of Muraspec’s 24-hour production for years, the business immediately saw the opportunity that the launch of the Karibu offered. The ability to produce high impact print on a roll to roll machine at up to 3.4 metres wide, combined with swissQprint’s name for quality and reliability made the decision an easy one.

“swissQprint is well known for the build quality of its flatbed printers,” said John Langfield, Muraspec’s Design Process and Digital Manager. “Therefore, as soon as the Karibu was introduced, I knew that if it was as good as its flatbed cousins, I wouldn’t be disappointed.”

As an international leader in the luxury bespoke contract and residential wallcoverings industry, Muraspec is constantly exploring the use of new embellishments that can be applied to pre-printed stock patterns. The Karibu’s nine colour channels can be configured with a wide range of speciality inks including bright orange, neon yellow and pink, white and varnish, creating opportunities for a host of new effects and outcomes.

The ability to handle and over print pre-printed stock patterns with properties and textures is also helping the company win new contracts, as its designers look at new ways of creating more visual impact. In addition, with its X-Control movable beam, the print bed acts like a small flat bed for producing the latest samples or test prints, quickly and easily.

Print product samples are now a breeze with as many 30 samples sent out every day, quickly, efficiently and to the highest print standards.

“Being able to cut a full width piece of material and place it straight onto the print bed, without having to feed a roll, and print off a sample in under a minute was an instant winner. The time saving is incredible!” said John.

With the ability to print up to 212 m2/h, an extended range of colours and the ability to process virtually any roll material quickly and reliably, the 3.4 m wide Karibu has already become the productivity flagship of Muraspec’s print fleet.

Commenting on the install, swissQprint’s managing director, Erskine Stewart, said: “We are delighted that Muraspec Wallcoverings has become the first UK business to experience the benefits that our Karibu roll to roll printer delivers. From its nine colour channels through to its high productivity, the combination of the reliability and quality is making it the roll to roll wide format inkjet press of choice.”

John added: “From enhanced capabilities and ease of operation to greater productivity and reliability, there are no areas of our business that the Karibu doesn’t impact on positively. It is clear that swissQprint understands our industry in a way that few, if any, other brands do.” www.swissqprint.co.uk