Say What? A quick word with Simon Cooper

How can Solopress charge such low prices that others cannot match?

We can make money from a £15 order because we can automate the flow of work to the press and combine it with other £15 orders to fill a sheet. Human intervention is zero. So a lot of £15 orders is really good for us and it is very difficult to do that effectively in a normal print business.

When the first inkjet press installed, Solopress intended to buy a second. What happened?

The plan was to have two inkjet web presses next to each other. But the Advantage 2200 is wider than the T250 and would not fit without extensive building alterations. Then came Covid. We considered moving to a new site, and also questioned that original decision. Which is why we opted for B1 litho.

Has having inkjet changed the way you work?

We needed to buy a reel handling attachment for a forklift truck and two Hunkeler lines for finishing. It means we do not have to run them at full speed and risk paper jams. Bar codes identify the job described on the job ticket and scanning the codes prints out a label for delivery. We are still learning about inkjet and which jobs are best suited to it. Certain product types do not suit.

How do you meet potential customers?

We were at the Print Show this year and met 300 new contacts. It is not just about printed products for us any longer, we are delivering lanyards and other promotional merchandise and other new products that are not necessarily produced by us. For these customers Solopress is more than simply leaflets and flyers. It positions us as more of a one-stop shop for their marketing materials.

Then there are customers that find us through Google. We can be dealing with around 200 new customers a day through the online portal.