Gary Wallace, managing director of Kent-based Wallace Print, has hailed his Agfa Anapurna H3200i LED wide-format printer, installed in December of 2019, for helping ‘change the model’ of his business.
The company invested in the Agfa as it needed a faster roll-to-roll machine to meet demand for its products, though almost as soon as it had arrived, the pandemic stuck. Mr Wallace explained. ‘It was initially a very concerning time, having to rapidly assess the effect that the pandemic would have on the business. But ironically Covid presented us with an opportunity to print a ridiculous amount of floor graphics through the Anapurna, as we realised early on that every business had to display the correct social distancing messages. We became insanely busy by mid-2020 and this resulted in new client wins in new sectors. We continue to grow at an alarming rate and our new client wins are at an all-time high.
‘There is no doubt that the Agfa Anapurna played its part in this growth by the sheer volume of output due to the speed of the dual-roll feature and in helping us to create new and exciting products that some of our competitors struggle to produce, largely around the white ink capability on this large format machine.’
The 3.2m printer, marketed as ‘perfect for printers that want to combine board and roll-to-roll jobs,’ comes with a white ink function that allows for printing on transparent material for backlit applications or for printing white as a spot colour. It is also fitted with air-cooled UV LED lights that save energy, costs and time and are ideal for heat-sensitive materials.
Mr Wallace added that investing in new print technology is something his company is always prepared to do and he will be keeping ‘a watchful eye’ on technical developments in order to stay ahead of the competition. ‘I need to say a big thank you to our existing and loyal employees who helped us through the 2020 tortuous year,’ he concluded. ‘They enabled us to rebuild Wallaceprint.com to be very efficient, even with our exponential growth, with of course, the professional assistance of the Agfa team.’
