Hybrid Agfa device gives Dale Studios the needed boost

Ben Millard of Dale Studios and Emma Plant of i-Sub Digital with the new Agfa Anapurna 3.2m LED UV printer.

The addition of a new Agfa Anapurna hybrid flatbed/roll-to-roll printer is delivering ‘huge benefits’ at Leicester-based design and print supplier Dale Studios.

The company has experienced significant growth over the last five years, since it invested in its first UV flatbed device from large format reseller i-Sub Digital, and in trying to maintain its ethos of never missing a customer’s deadline, it needed to increase its production capacity.

Having worked with i-Sub for more than 10 years, it went back to the reseller for the next solution, initially in the hunt for a 3.2m UV roll-to-roll machine. However, once it saw the hybrid Anapurna H3200i LED UV-curable printer, the benefits were obvious. The Agfa system was installed in September 2018 and was quickly up and running, fulfilling orders.

‘For a relatively low-cost premium… we have the flexibility to print onto a range of rigid media as well as fast roll-to-roll printing and dual-roll facility,’ said Ben Millard, creative director for Dale Studios.

A number of specific benefits have been realised. Running the hybrid machine through Dale Studios’ Caldera RIP delivers high quality graphics and colours with less ink usage, the company claims. ‘This is delivering significant cost savings, as well as ensuring we are meeting the demands of our customers,’ said Mr Millard.

It also broadens the range of applications that the company can meet in-house, such as a growing market for large scale fabric back-lit banners, allowing more of its clients’ requirements to be met, and enhancing its own reputation and turnover.

‘Quite simply, the printer gives us the quality, speed and capacity to produce even more jobs, at pace, whilst still maintaining the quality and attention to detail.,’ Mr Millard continued. ‘Thanks to our latest investment, we know that we can continue to get better, meeting even more of the “unrealistic” deadlines and delivering even more amazing projects.’