Service Graphics Creative Production, the former Tods business in central London has completed a three-part investment, the first since its acquisition by Service Graphics at the end of last year.
It has replaced one of its two HP Indigos with a Xerox Iridesse, able to print clear, white toners or silver and gold metallics. It has also acquired a DuSense, Duplo’s digital embellishment device, and added a Fujifilm Acuity large format printer to run alongside its SwissQPrint Nyala flatbed press.
It is a big vote of confidence by Service Graphics in the Creative Production business, which, as its core business is the London creative agency and marketing sector, has been severely hit by the pandemic.
Paragon, owner of Service Graphics, stepped in to transform its fortunes, says managing director Andy Davis. “We have enjoyed 30 years of trading and that was core to the acquisition,” he says. Paragon had plans for expansion into the creative digital print sector and faced a substantial investment bill and then the need to establish a business. Tods offered a direct route to this target.
“We do a lot of pitch work which ties in with Service Graphics,” Davis says. The Service Graphics network has strong ties to the construction industry, supporting it with all manner of functional print from plan printing to manuals and hoardings. With this step it can offer the sort of high quality creative material used to sell the concept at the start of a project and to attract buyers at its end.
Davis hopes that the network of 22 Service Graphics outlets across the country will direct at least some of their outsourced spend towards the Farringdon Road business. “We will be able to brings some of the external spend in-house,” he adds. “Most roads can lead to Farringdon.”
The new investments fit the strategy. The Iridesse delivers both metallic silver and gold printing and can print a 1200x340mm sheet which extends print formats beyond the capability of the Indigo. The DuSense was originally installed at Kingswood iOptus before that because part of Paragon. Creative Production is a more appropriate location. Davis says it can embellish on textured materials and with the application of lamination on top of the raised DuSense image and then foiling over the lamination, can produce effects that would otherwise would require Scodix finishing.
The company will be able to print and then wrap around board for ultra short run packaging and boxes for product pitches and shoots. The combination will also be useful for high end printed property brochures which are proving to be more effective than digital channels.
“One developer of this sort of property held off its digital campaign because the print gave them the greater response,” says Davis, further evidence of the power of print.
