15
SPONSORED BY
VISUAL PRINT & DESIGN
AROUND THE UK
PRINT LONDON KENTEC Mail & Courier Service BANNER BOX
April & May 2020 Printweek
BAKER LABELS
PJ PRINT ABBEY LABELS
General commercial printer PJ Print has taken on a Horizon
BQ-270V single-clamp perfect binder to update its binding
capabilities. Supplied by Intelligent Finishing Systems (IFS),
the device replaced an ageing Horizon binder at the Ipswich
firm. Managing director Ben Perkins said:
“It was time to replace the system we had.
The choice was straight forward as we are
very used to Horizon systems. There was
no need to look at what else was on the
market.” The kit will handle litho print
from PJ Print’s four-colour Komori
Lithrone S429 H-UV press and digital print
from a Ricoh Pro C7200.
Abbey Labels has become the first company in the world to
integrate an AB Graphic high-speed die-cutting module onto
an MPS EFS 340 flexo press in a bid to increase efficiencies.
Installed in February, the system was the result of a three-year
collaboration between Bury St Edmunds-based Abbey and MPS Systems.
The project was intended to develop a diecutting
system that makes use of a Fast Track
Die module to reach speeds of up to 150m/
min. The new composite system represents
the second stage in a three-step, 18-month,
£1.1m investment drive that began last July
with the arrival of Abbey’s third AB Graphic
Digicon Series 3 digital finisher.
Baker Labels has now officially launched its new flexible
packaging arm, BakPac, at a ceremonial ribbon-cutting
attended by the company’s founder. Marian Baker, who
established the Brentwood label firm with her husband Roy in
1973, cut the ribbon on the new division at an event on 12 February, which
was also attended by the deputy mayor and former mayor of Brentwood
and representatives from a variety of
charities sponsored by Baker Labels. The
launch of BakPac signifies a £2.5m
investment by the firm, now headed by
managing director Steve Baker, which
involved a factory expansion and the
installation of three new machines.
Banner Box has taken on a Mimaki
TS55-1800 dye-sub transfer inkjet
printer. The Chesterfield-based
outfit’s machine is fitted with a mini
jumbo roll feed and a 10kg bulk ink supply
upgrade to reduce downtime. Supplied by
CMYUK, 1.9m-wide, eight-colour printer is the
fourth Mimaki machine onsite and its time will
be divided between soft signage applications,
such as high-end flags, and sportswear
printing, and supporting the company’s
subsidiary Young Guns Sports. Director Ryan
Shelton said: “We’d like to be the number one
supplier of dye-sub flags and sports clothing in
the UK, and if we can get close to that, then
happy days.”
Kentec Mail & Courier Service has
speeded up production with a new
Mailmaster envelope inserter, the
company’s third KAS. The Tunbridge
Wells firm has installed a KAS 465HS for
handling C4, C5 and DL insertion. The new
system replaces a 14-year-old Mailmaster 465,
and is twice as fast on C4 jobs. Kentec was
established in 2006. It works with a wide range
of clients including printers, manufacturers,
publishers, retailers, and financial and legal
services. The company employs 10 in usual
circumstances, but staffing has been reduced
during the virus crisis to allow the business to
keep running while adhering to distance
requirements.
Print London has launched an
accessible self-service web-to-print
platform for businesses to order
personalised print with the help of
its parent company Rapidity. Based out of
Clerkenwell, central London, the subsidiary
company launched its website with the help of
director Peter Robinson, who is an account
director at Rapidity and has worked for his new
venture’s parent since 2012. The Print London
service offers eco-friendly, quality printing of a
wide range of materials spanning from
stationery to publication-related products. “By
actively using as little print ‘jargon’ as possible
throughout the customer experience, we try to
make the world of print less mysterious,” he said.
Despite the current restrictions on many businesses, Visual
Print & Design has secured a two-year local authority deal
during the lockdown. The contract with an unnamed North
London council covers standard print, branded promotional
products, specialist printing along with creative services for digital and
print. It was signed on 15 April. It’s a lead supplier deal, with the Visual
team producing the work in-house or
managing the outsourcing through its
supplier network. The Lincolnheadquartered
business, which has
an office in Scotland, continues to
fulfil design, print and distribution
projects through the lockdown.
PRINCES PRESS CROWN LABELS TRANSCEND PACKAGING
Transcend Packaging has launched
the world’s first sustainable gift card
using paperboard provided by
Iggesund. Green Gift Cards is the
brand name for the new product from the
Caerphilly-based packaging manufacturer,
developed with support from marketing agency
Jellyfish Livewire. The cards are printed on FSCcertified
Invercote paperboard from Iggesund,
using Transcend’s HP Indigo 30000 digital press.
Transcend selected the material to have a more
premium feel than plastic alternatives, while
offering increased personalisation and shorter
runs made possible on the digital system.
Established in 2017, 12-staff Transcend Packaging
is a relatively new entrant into the UK market.
Crown Labels has installed a Domino
N610i inkjet label press as a sign-off
to a three-year period of growth in
demand for its digitally-printed
labels. Sheffield-based Crown took delivery of
the 70m/min device at the end of 2019, and its
UV curable inks are being used in a variety of
work ranging from personal care to chemical
and high-end consumer products. It is helping
to address trade customers with improved lead
times and print quality. Domino’s N610i system
is a flexible system suited to short and medium
print runs with a production speed of 70m/min
It joins technology at Crown’s base including
digital inkjet printing from Epson, as well as
flexo production and hot foiling.
Princes Press has taken on a VAC-
1000A collator and ST-40 stacker
from Horizon to double its capacity.
The 10-station VAC-1000A’s
programming and user-friendly operation will
allow Kenilworth-based family business to
increase the efficiency of the bindery capabilities
of its general commercial print output. Supplied
by Intelligent Finishing Systems, it takes sheet
sizes up to 350x500mm at processing speeds of
9,900 sets/hr. The ST-40 takes the same
maximum sheet size and processes at speeds
up to 8,000 sets/hr straight-stacked. The
machines will support output coming from
Princes’ five-colour B2 Heidelberg Speedmaster
and its two Konica Minolta digital presses.
➔