Following the purchase of the UK’s first Konica Minolta AccurioJet KM-1 B2 UV inkjet press, Colourfast Financial is targeting the personalised consumer print market with the launch of e-commerce site getitprinted.com.

The Brentwood, Essex-based financial printer is aiming for a first-year turnover of £2 million out of what is estimated to be a £1 billion UK consumer print market. The new service offers a 24-hour turnaround printing of products including perfect-bound books, bespoke packaging, large format printing, flyers, business cards and photobooks.

The UV-curing AccurioJet KM-1 enables the service provider to print on materials ranging from 60 to 600micron in thickness, including heavily textured uncoated papers and plastics, claiming the quality and look of litho printing. The machine will be operational within a month.

Colourfast has also purchased a new digital cutting table, an LED wide format printer which can print on high-value, speciality rigid and flexible materials, and has refurbished its print facility to create an additional 2000sqft of production space.

Darren Bacon, managing director of getitprinted.com said, ‘Demand for personalised print has grown exponentially in the UK in the last two years, which is why we’ve invested so heavily in creating the right infrastructure and capacity for getitprinted.com to thrive.

‘We invested in Konica Minolta’s KM-1 in particular because of its flexibility, versatility and ability to deliver high quality print jobs at speed and on demand – which are all core requirements of the highly competitive consumer market we’re pursuing. It’s also the first machine of its kind in the UK, which gives us a distinct advantage and the opportunity to pursue the bespoke packaging market – whether that’s for weddings, gifts or corporate merchandise.’

Getitprinted.com also plans to grow its team over the next 12 months. Mr Bacon added, ‘It’s not just about growing profitably; this business is also about our people who will continue to play an important part in our growth plans and future success.’

Mark Hinder, head of market development at Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe, said, ‘This is a significant step forward for Konica Minolta in the UK as we demonstrate how easy it is for our customers to migrate from our successful toner-based technology to cut-sheet UV inkjet.’