The UK’s first HP Indigo 100K has gone into action at Pureprint Group in Uckfield, Sussex, and has impressed CEO Mark Handford. “It is running a lot quicker than we expected,” he says.
Plans to announce the investment at Drupa were knocked sideways by the pandemic and, had the press not been installed now, with time to bed in before the seasonal peak, it would have had to be postponed until the new year.
As the press has the maximum throughput of 6,000sph (in EPM mode) it will be exceedingly useful as demand for photobooks, greetings cards and photo products increases in the run up to Christmas. The company has added print for Mixtiles, an Israeli start up that combines photo printing with a backing that sticks to a wall and can be moved at will.
Demand for photobooks, greetings cards and bespoke books has remained high this year, while other parts of the group have been buffeted by changing fortunes. On the announcement of lockdown work with its Imprint large format division was cancelled, while Pureprint was in the middle of report and accounts season. As this ended large format volumes picked up with Covid measuring and signage.
Now there is a rise in work for luxury brands, including kitchen and bathroom designers and brands with an interest in the Far East, where recovery is underway.
The new machine replaces what was originally an Indigo 10000 when installed seven years ago, which had been upgraded to 12000 level. When that first arrived it changed the balance and breakeven points between offset and litho. The new press promises to do the same. “This is a game changer,” says Handford. “It pushes the changeover point to litho much higher. This offers the right quality, is consistent and will deliver more.”
The new press is part of a wider investment at the business as it broadens its production base to service further customer requirements. This does not yet include inkjet printing for commercial printing, Handford explains. “We are constantly looking at inkjet. At some point we will be moving that way, but not yet,” he adds. “I spent a long time last year visiting the suppliers and looking at the equipment, so it’s definitely on our radar and a lot of our publishing clients would like us to go in that direction.
“The Indigo, however, is about a market and technology we know and we are adding capacity and speed to because success can be about how fast you can deliver. At this time this suits us more than investing in a new market. The Indigo 100K was a logical next step for us.”
The press is the 2020 generation of the Indigo technology that was due to be unveiled at Drupa along with new versions for flexible packaging and carton printing.
