An alternative to direct to object printing is transfer printing. Surefire Print and Design has used OKI’s innovative C711WT with white toner to diversify into new markets.

It’s not often that something as straightforward as a printing system changes the course of a business, but an OKI device has certainly opened up new horizons for Surrey-based Surefire Print and Design. Although the company remains a popular one-stop shop for local businesses needing anything from business cards to banners, thanks to the OKI C711WT it now also lists film crews, fashion models and motor-racing companies among its clientele. 

There are many reasons for this new direction – the skills and experience of the team for one. But on the technical side, it is all down to one main factor – the ability of the device to print with white toner. Surefire’s founder and managing director Simon Garrett is certain of the impact of this advance. ‘We have made the decision to stay small, but for any company aiming to expand, I think this printer could help increase turnover by at least 20%,’ he said.

 

It started with a mug

Mr Garrett founded Surefire in 2008 with a focus on the quality of its work and on providing the best possible customer service. The business began by focusing on large format printing – posters, banners and the like. Then, a few years ago, one of Surefire’s customers asked if it could produce printed mugs and iPhone cases. ‘We went down the dye sublimation route originally – and we still do a lot of this,’ explained Mr Garrett. ‘However, we then began to consider mugs with a matt finish.’

He saw an advertisement in a printing magazine for OKI specialist partner, TheMagicTouch, which specialises in image transfer paper and applications. The team there suggested the OKI C711WT – an LED printer that, for the first time, includes white toner in the CMY colour process. This enables the decoration of dark coloured substrates such as mugs, diaries and phone covers.

 

More ideas

Surefire does not print mugs at all any longer, butit did spark off more ideas. The company realised it could print and bond onto almost anything using the transfer paper supplied by TheMagicTouch and the OKI printer.

‘Everybody does T-shirts, but we’ve been more ambitious. We’ve particularly worked hard on perfecting our work on leather. We’ve found a way to get the print to sink into the leather and this has meant printing, not just on iPhone and iPad cases and bags, but also on leather jackets.’

In fact, Surefire’s customised leather jackets have become very popular. Customers approach it to print one-off jackets to see what the design looks like, before they go into mass production, using silkscreen printing. Sometimes it is just a single jacket for a TV programme or fashion shoot. 

‘Most people assume that you can only print on flat items,’ said Mr Garrett. ‘But if you know what you are doing, you can print on virtually anything. In my opinion, the OKI printer gives you that freedom – and it’s enabling us to differentiate ourselves as a business. I’ve been in the industry for 30 years and in my opinion there isn’t another machine on the market that would do what we wanted it to in this way.’ 

He stressed that the printed jackets are not a huge part of Surefire’s overall business, as they are usually single orders. ‘But they get our name out there and enable us to offer other things that traditional printers would never consider,’ he said.

He believes very strongly that these days, printers need to diversify in this way to compensate for changes in the industry due to the increasing use of electronic marketing materials and communications. Printing systems such as the C711WT offer a tremendous opportunity, he said.

There are two keys to success, to Mr Garrett’s mind: the first is to put the work in upfront to get new methods right; the second is to have your own ideas. While not wanting to give away how Surefire achieves what it does, he believes that with the OKI printer and the help of TheMagicTouch companies have the potential to innovate in a parallel way themselves. 

‘It’s a case of using your imagination – and then you can do almost anything,’ he concluded.