A lockdown investment in three Canon digital presses has doubled digital print capacity at Ruddocks in Lincoln.
The renewal of the digital print department follows on recent spending on new cutting capacity and a StitchLiner. Now it is returning to its digital roots. “We had a Canon digital production printer 20 year ago,” says sales director Tristan Palser. “We have come full circle. Over the last 15 years we have moved away from Canon. But this time around when we were doing the due diligence in the early part of last year, Canon came out on top.”
The three machines include the flagship C10000VP and mono press. The company looked at the inkjet option, but decided against it. “It is too big a step for our type of work at the moment,” says Palser.
The investment sits nicely alongside the Speedmaster XL75 litho press “and there is no discernible colour difference between them, which was not the case 20 years ago”.
The installations midway through the summer was extremely timely, as Palser explains that the digital department had faced “unprecedented demand” since the start of the pandemic and lockdowns. He continues: “Future proofing and investment are key to make sure we remain competitive and continue to be able to offer the very best to our clients. At this particular point in time it is more critical than ever as we look ahead to the immediate future and further down the line. Our market looks quite a bit different now; the focus and objectives of many of our clients have markedly shifted from the start of the year.”
The effect of the installations is to double digital capacity and to halve turnaround times. There is also less wastage, more efficient workflows. It gains in flexibility too. The Canons will print a longer sheet and will take on the runs that have had to be produced (inefficiently) on the litho press.
Ruddocks also runs a Ricoh C7100X with the extra toner station for white and clear toner for spot varnish effects.
Thanks to the earlier investments, Palser says that it has sufficient capacity in finishing with a Horizon perfect binder, Morgana kit to handle business cards and simple products, supported by a small laminator. Ruddocks can therefore cover most types of work inhouse, only PUR and special styles of binding need to go to the trade, along with longer run lamination.
