NEW PROFIT CENTRE

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: SINGLE PASS CONTINUOUS PACKAGING PRINTER! LOOKING TO SELL YOUR SURPLUS TONER?

Wizzprint.com is an Oxfordshire based family business, with owner Mark Robson running production and his wife Chloe taking charge of the creative elements of the branded print and embroidery clothing business.

In-house personalised artwork services enable Wizzprint.com to create and supply business cards, flyers, banners, and various types of signage. Moreover, the business’ branded stickers and labels provide customers with a one stop source for any print and embroidering requirements, from high quality workwear to events and sportswear clothing.

The Robsons first got involved in the printing business when encouraged by their friends who had retired from their embroidery businesses. After attending an introductory garment decorating course at digital printing solutions provider, Roland DG’s UK headquarters, they purchased a VersaSTUDIO BN-20 print and cut desktop printer/ cutter for high quality print and cut output, from stickers and labels to heat transfer garments.

“As a small business, we needed a printer with a small footprint, alongside high print quality. The BN-20 is a reliable workhorse and produces exceptional output from its specified printhead. It is competitively priced and desktop sized for like minded entrepreneurs to accommodate in almost any room”, he says.

MORE THAN JUST PRINT MACHINERY: AFFORDABLE, EASY TO USE, AND VERSATILE

Due to its compact nature and multi-functionality, Roland DG’s VersaSTUDIO BN-20 is an uncontested choice for the business.

The desktop inkjet printer not only produces a premium quality product but is also reliable and simple to use. The machine’s integrated printing and contour cutting function is perfect for creating personalised T-shirt graphics, poster prints, stickers, and decals – all from the comfort of one’s home.

‘You can turn out a quick and professional finish, in high or low volume, which means you capture many different types of opportunities” comments Mark. ‘We are really pleased to maintain a high customer retention rate due to the machine’s versatility. Once our clientele finds out that we also do business cards, flyers, stickers, and many other things, they join the dots and understand that they can have an end to end supplier for everything they need under one roof’.

Roland DG’s support services have been instrumental in the company’s growth, providing Wizzprint.com with a solid foundation of assistance, from machine to software interfaces, empowering start-ups to build a profitable business and turn their imagination into reality.

‘You quickly get to know the people you are talking to, and it feels relaxed and friendly yet very professional,’ explains Mark

POWERFUL, PROFIT PRODUCING PRINT DEVICES

The BN-20 demonstrates how these solutions can give anyone the tools to create a range of value added items that start-ups want to pay for and own. But now that the business has come out of the launch phase, Mark has transitioned to larger width models within Roland DG’s offering to meet higher production requirements and increase printing speed.

‘The BN-20 is the perfect business launching device at an affordable price, but as the business grows, finding good printing partners is essential, and when you do, you tend to stick with them, and they with you, which is why Roland DG’s upgrades and additions are on the cards,’ explains Mark. www.rolanddg.eu

Turn your old copier machines into cash! Trade Copiers will purchase your used photocopiers, collecting from all over the UK, every week using their own fleet of vehicles. Trade Copiers are one of the UK’s leading suppliers of OEM leading brand toners and consumables to the trade all over the UK. 01768 210800 • sales@tradecopiers.co.uk www.tradecopiers.co.uk

Continuous single pass inkjet packaging and cardboard printer. RSR would like your feedback, it’s a new emerging market with massive potential for Quick Print Pros. Proofing and sample shorter runs that before now were not achievable. Join the fastest growing print sector with this cutting edge technology. Print widths from 215mm up to 1290mm. Dye or Pigment inks. Expected launch pricing from £39,950 +VAT. Contact RSR to receive pre- launch info. 01268 784999 • sales@repro-sales.co.uk www.Repro-Sales.co.uk

PERFORATED PRINT — IDEAL FOR A LATE SUMMER

With summer hanging on, your customers are still preparing print for a range of events, festivals, fayres and early autumn promotions. Maybe they’re creating tickets for entry to an event or possibly crafting tokens and vouchers for bars and food stalls, either way, a professional perforated line makes tearing their print much simpler.

Available on Route 1 Print flyers and leaflets, discover how perforation can help make your customers’ lives easy!

Perforated Flyers: Perfect for everything from tickets to tearaway forms, the flat perforated print range is easily torn off, keeping the important print intact.

Perforated Folded Leaflets: For customers looking for RSVPs or vouchers and tokens, recommend the folded perforation range as it provides a tear-off final panel on both C and Z fold leaflets.

Free next-day delivery • Free 30-point artwork check • Trade customers only • White-label packaging 0114 294 5026 • sales@route1print.co.uk • www.route1print.co.uk

West Herts College choose Epson SureColor SC-F501 to enhance students’ understanding of textile production

Dye sublimation printing enables on-demand product development that helps prevent the need for international freight shipping and empowers professionals with greater control of their textile design.

The impacts this can have on fashion design and creativity, and how that will shape future production, is a key consideration for the fashion and textile department at West Herts College following its investment in an Epson SureColor SC-F501 dye-sublimation printer.

Understanding the digital print production process and how it can influence design and execution will allow the students to reframe their designs, test their ideas and bring their final creations to life.

Rehana Khan, Lecturer at West Herts College, explains: “We wanted to be able to give students an opportunity to see for themselves how digital print can be used in fashion. Now technology has become easier to use, and more affordable, the time was right for us to make that investment. Having access to the latest technology is essential in making students aware of what is possible.”

The students will use the dye-sublimation printer to create womenswear and menswear and even upcycle textiles. The college will also use it as a tool to help explain the ethical and environmental factors surrounding the design and production of fashion and how reshoring using dye-sublimation technology can make a positive impact.

“This knowledge will help them be better prepared for their next steps after college,” says Rehana. “It will enable them to be further ahead in the game. Not only will they understand the process and how that can affect design but also how it can shape ordering, respond to demand, and address questions around sustainability.”

She continues: “They will be able to see the key role digital print plays in garment production. Students can create their designs and immediately hold their end-product. They can also consider a different approach to garment creation — whether that is with the production process, or the textiles used. It will be the first time they will have used the technology to bring their designs to life.”

“The 24-inch dye-sublimation printer with fluorescent yellow and pink ink was picked for a number of reasons,” explains Rehana. “We had a heat press and so wanted a dye-sublimation printer that was easy to use, had a narrow width, could manage pattern pieces and was compatible with the programmes we were already running. We also liked its ability to offer vibrant colour.”

The new addition will be central to learning from September 2022 onwards. First year students will understand the process and create their own digital designs. Second year students will develop their own textile print as part of a major project. It will include the option to produce meterage.

It will also support the students as they explore ways dye-sublimation technology can help the clothing and textile industry respond to key pressures. The European Parliament says it is responsible for producing 20% of global wastewater each year while the Australian Circular Textile Association (ACTA) says 30% of clothing is never sold. Dye sublimation does not use water and it enables the on-demand production of garments. It can also drive local production capabilities to reduce carbon emissions and miles travelled. www.epson.co.uk

SOS SUPPLY FLATBED SOLUTION FOR PDQ

PDQ Printing Services of Morley, Leeds has installed a Gibson GT-F3020 LED-UV flatbed printer, supplied by SOS (Service Offset Supplies). Proprietor Alison Blyth says the new machine has primarily been purchased in order to meet a growing demand for the production of outdoor signs - especially for fairground clients — which the Gibson will print directly to Correx board.

“We were outsourcing this work, but the volumes became such that we saw the logic of bringing production in-house,” she says. “We underwent a major reorganisation and some structural changes to the building to accommodate the machine, but it’s already proving worthwhile, not just in meeting existing demand but in attracting new orders.”

“We knew we wanted to produce 10ft by 6ft sheets, whereas most flatbeds run 8ft by 4ft,” says Alison. “We approached some major suppliers for info, but were disappointed with the response. It was a huge contrast with SOS, who we have known for many years as our litho plate supplier. When we asked them if they sold flatbeds they immediately gave us a quote, some samples and all the information we needed. This helped us to be confident about the support we will get from them, which is important especially if you’re going for a new market.”

The Gibson machine has a maximum print area of 3.1m x 2m, Ricoh Gen6 print heads and uses LED-UV curing. The ink train runs on a magnetic linear motor for reduced friction and maintenance. “It’s fast, it’s accurate and it’s easy to use. We estimate we can produce as many as 200 boards every day.”

Alison Blyth has owned and run PDQ throughout its 30 year history. Its roots are in litho, and the company still runs a four colour SRA2 and a two colour B3 press, but also offers a full range of services including digital and wide format. “We do everything from labels and variable data through to high quality promotional work, and our customers are local, national and even international. We just got our first order from Latvia! Our new business is by word of mouth, we work hard and always focus on personal service.”

It’s a winning philosophy – PDQ has recently taken on new staff and has doubled output compared to pre-pandemic levels.

PDQ has longstanding connections to the funfair industry as a result of family connections, says Alison Blyth. “My father was an engineer with a passion for restoring antique fairground rides, most famously the ‘Moon Rocket’ which was revolutionary when first built in the 1930s and is now working at The Dingles Fairground Museum in Devon.” www.serviceoffsetsupplies.co.uk • www.pdqprinters.co.uk

The NEW Morgana DigiFold Pro XL Fast. Accurate. Flexible. Productive.

CREASE FOLD PERFORATE

The NEW Morgana DigiFold Pro XL, with its cost efficient vacuum top feeder, is an easy to use automatic paper creasing and folding system that eliminates unsightly cracking on digital stock.

Built with our unique, open design, the suction feeder handles stock sizes from 210 – 1300mm in length, useful for applications, such as covers for landscape booklets, book covers for oversized perfect bound books, multi-panel brochures and many other applications made from these long sheets. An additional static crease option can be installed to enable the full range of crease and perforation options.

Running efficiently to fold up to 6,000 A4 sheets per hours and in crease only mode up to 7,500 sheets per hour, making this is our most productive creaser/ folder to date.