When large format specialist Imprint Group decided it needed a production press, it decided on a high end Xerox iGen4 supplied by Fujifilm.

It’s unusual for a company’s first move into digital presses to be a high end machine like a Xerox iGen4, but that’s the route Imprint Group in Newcastle upon Tyne took last year. Actually it was already used to high capacity digital, as it was moving into ‘small format’ work as an extension from its original large format sign and display work, where it already operated three of the big Inca Onset S20 flatbed inkjet presses and a smaller Spyder V.
Imprint was originally a litho and screen printing business, established more than 30 years ago. It grew into a large format business that today employs 72 people with a turnover of £7.5 million.

‘About 12 years ago we got to a crossroads where we had to decide how we wanted to continue developing our business,’ says Paul Newton, group operations director (pictured above, right). ‘At that point, we made the decision to focus our energy on large format digital printing. We continued widening our service offering, and in doing so acquired a large format screen printing business in 2007. We haven’t looked back since.’

Continued expansion saw a move in 2010 to a modern 7400 m2 production facility in Newcastle upon Tyne, where it operates 24/7 to achieve tight turnaround times. The company specialises in high quality point of sale print, offering stringent colour management standards, bespoke online print management solutions, creative expertise and ISO14001 environmental accreditation.

‘A large number of our clients had additional print needs for their marketing campaigns, which we as a POS service provider weren’t able to fulfil in-house at the time,’ says group IT director Graeme Wilkie (pictured above, left). ‘With run lengths shortening and a growing number of requests from marketers to include variable data in their campaigns, investing in small format digital was the natural decision to make.

‘The choice was between an HP Indigo and an iGen4. We went to Rochester for a couple of days to see Xerox and saw what it could do. It ticked all the boxes. We also looked at the Xerox Color 1000 with its varnish effects, but we decided to go for the XXL size of the iGen4. It gives us room for expansion and the ability to print six-page A4 formats. It can also print on plastic, which was a plus point for us, especially for POS work.’
Xerox introduced the ‘XXL’ size option for the iGen4 at the end of 2010. It allows it to accept sheet lengths up to 660 mm.

Imprint has also been offering variable data to customers, both on the iGen4 and increasingly for large formats. ‘We’ve employed two software developers who’ve created an online portal for small and large format work,’ Mr Wilkie says. ‘VDP means different things to different customers. Ours is based on a template that customers fill in. There is brand control with text changes. We also have XMPie for small format with graphics.
The supplier of the iGen4 was Fujifilm, which Imprint was already used to dealing with due to its ownership of Sericol Inks, one of the major manufacturers of screen process inks. Sericol was also the worldwide supplier of Inca Digital presses, a position Fujifilm continued after it bought the company in 2005.

When Imprint established its large format digital print offering, it was therefore through Fujifilm that it selected and installed two Inca Eagle and two Inca Spyder V digital flatbed devices.

These were replaced in 2010 when Imprint became the first company in the world to install three of the Onset S20 flatbeds, while keeping one of the Spyder Vs.

‘Over the years, Fujifilm has proved that it is, like us, an open, straight talking company that we can trust, and we have complete confidence in our long-term relationship with them,’ says Mr Newton.

It was this that led to Imprint’s further investment with Fujifilm when it established its small format digital department in 2011. After testing the iGen4 at Fujifilm’s Imaging Centre in Bedford and getting feedback from customers on the results, the company placed an order. This included an extensive range of Duplo finishing equipment, which Fujifilm also supplies.

‘The quality of the print we’re achieving from the iGen4 is superior to anything we’ve seen on other digital devices we tested. We’re getting a much punchier image without having to add other special effects, while the Duplo finishing equipment slots in perfectly with the device,’ says Mr Wilkie ‘In addition, the XXL sizes it prints enable us to take on a number of jobs we might not have been able to fulfil otherwise – just another added benefit of the device.’ 

Contact: www.imprintgroup.co.uk and www.fujifilm.co.uk/gs