NP Design and Print is delivering all print with a seal that includes a proven anti microbial compound.
The Wallingford, Oxon, company began looking for a suitable additive when the Covid-19 crisis broke and, says Jon Nye, business development director, found it after search though the internet. “We added it into our current aqueous seal and it is being used on all our print. I took the opportunity to speak to a few of the doctors that created it in Germany and now we are happy to offer it to all our clients.” There is no additional cost to them.
A number of anti microbial seals were developed for print a decade ago, but most have been discontinued for lack of demand. Outside of specialist jobs for healthcare there has been no need to protect print despite tests showing how infections can build up on inflight magazines and material in public spaces. One job that NP Design & Print produces has always been encapsulated to offer this sort of protection through a wipe clean surface.
This sparked Nye‘s quest to end an alternative to encapsulation that would protect the reader against unwanted diseases. While there is no explicit protection against Covid-19 because of its newness, the coating has been thoroughly tested and shown to remove bacteria and other infectious agents, e-coli included. A laboratory test involving samples through the print run can be organised for £250. “Some customers may want this for their own benefit,” he adds. “the option is there.
“We are totally transparent about what we are doing and are absolutely open if people want to ask us questions.”
The coating was being applied last week to a 60,000 run direct mail piece about health care products and provides an extra level of reassurance to householders receiving the communication. Other clients cover marketing collateral across the board printed on its B2 Speedmaster, digital or large format printers,
The product that NP Design & Print is using comes in concentrated form and has to be combined as instructed with the standard coating that the company applies on press. This requires some facemask protection at the point of mixing with full guidance provided by the Germany supplier.
“Nobody asked us to do this,” says Nye. “It was something that we felt would be useful to clients.”
And at the same time Nottingham print chemicals specialist NCS is to start producing an anti microbial coating in quantity. It has been producing anti bacterial hand wash, soap and surface cleaner and in recent weeks has been receiving inquiries about an anti microbial coating from its UK and overseas dealer network.
This is now on the point of availability and those dealers have been told that the product is available. “It takes a bot of time to get ready and we have been working on it,” says a spokesman for the company.
NP Design & Print has found an antimicrobial compound that it is adding to the aqueous seal that it applied to all jobs as reassurance that it is not possible to contract infections or viruses from handling print.
