Slough-based large format specialist The Big Display Company has installed an HP Latex R2000 Plus hybrid printer supplied by Papergraphics in order to tackle new markets.

A long-term HP Latex user, The Big Display Company installed the hybrid printer after discussions about current technology options with Papergraphics.

‘We are big supporters of latex ink; we’ve seen the quality, ease of operation and the high production output it is capable of achieving, so we were keen to see what was possible with the R2000 Plus,’ explained marketing director Jack Murphy. ‘From seeing samples, we were amazed at the versatility and quality that could be achieved on direct-to-board printing, and the density of the white looked like it would open a lot of doors for us.’

Mr Murphy said that the R2000 Plus has already had a ‘massive impact’ on production, and has ‘completely changed’ how the business operates, so that it is now planning expansion into new and profitable markets.

‘The print speed, quality and consistency that comes with the R2000 Plus means we have taken on high volume Foamex and Correx jobs that we wouldn’t have been able to before,’ he said. ‘A job that would previously have taken a couple of weeks to do, now takes the R2000 Plus a few days without any overtime, alongside printing other jobs. We’ve been able to say yes to jobs that in the past we just wouldn’t have been able to get near, while meeting the tightest of deadlines.

‘We now have the opportunity to move into a number of different areas of the market, such as direct-to-board on multiple substrates, bespoke short- to mid-run packaging and high-quality interior applications such as acrylic and window graphics with white ink.’

The white ink option will be particularly useful when moving into other areas, and the company has already experienced a significant uptake of it. ‘We were expecting to print white ink maybe once a week, but we are already printing jobs with white ink daily – sometimes with rolls printing overnight,’ Mr Murphy said.

‘The white ink has also supported us working with higher end materials such as acrylic; in combination with our Zünd cutter, new flame polisher and line bender, we can produce work of the very highest quality.’