Ware-based commercial print business, Black Dog, has installed its second Xeikon digital print engine in order to expand its production capacity.
Steve Winn, managing director of the business, said, ‘A second unit really does take us up a division in the digital production league. It gives us significantly more flexibility and provides further production capability alongside the original machine. Two presses mean less frequent media changes, as well as the obvious advantage of being able to focus on one longer-run job whilst the second press handles the more immediate short-run tasks
‘Whilst our Xeikon has been very consistent and highly reliable, it is also true to say that a good number of print buyers in large organisations prefer to entertain a supplier with more than one output unit – for some, two machines are essential!’
The company focuses heavily on print format as well as quality and service as its key differentiators. ‘We train our staff to appreciate that every single job that we handle is critical to the customer, and should be treated as such. We take pride in every step of production, to the point where we actually video the work in progress and mail those images to the client – some companies might tell the customer that the work is on the press – we go that one step further and actually show the job in production!’
With regard to the format aspect of its approach, Mr Winn added, ‘Xeikon does give us a real edge with regard to the size of job that we can run on the press – anything up to B2 poster sized work can be printed on our presses, as well as substrates of virtually any length.’
One of the UK pioneers in digitally printed wallpaper because of this production capability, Black Dog now carries the licence for printing ] Dr Who themed wall coverings from the BBC. The business also has strong connections with a number of designers who specialise in bespoke and designer wallpaper product.
Mr Winn believes that this product is still in its infancy, ‘As a business we saw the potential in this area very early in our digital life, and have certainly received significant interest in production of both bespoke murals as well as the Dr Who themed wall coverings. However, it really is still very much undiscovered. We are convinced there is a lot more potential in the sector, and we are keen to further exploit the potential of the Xeikon technology in this market.’
As another typical example of its focus on format and the unusual, the company offers a sizeable brochure produced for male fashion outlet Foxhall of London, ‘This product really gets noticed! It is a 30-page A5 size concertina fold brochure that we now produce on a regular basis. It makes recipients stop and look simply because of its highly unusual format.’
Run length currently only runs into a few hundred copies, making digital the only reasonable print method, but the Xeikon print engine, in combination with a Morgana AutoCreaser Pro50, make this challenging production format a relatively simple one for the company to produce.
