Aura Print has selected Ricoh UK to be its new digital printing and press supplier and will be installing a Ricoh Pro C7200X in its Huddersfield commercial printer in September 2022.

Looking to bolster its digital print capabilities and get a head-start on familiarising itself with the Ricoh technology, while awaiting delivery of the Pro C7200X, the company purchased a second-hand Ricoh printer – a Pro C9200 – from a company in Devon closing its doors.

According to the company, the C9200 engine offers great productivity as a workhorse print system capable of printing up to 135 full colour pages per minute, as well as a wide range of media options. However, Aura Print’s decision to invest in Ricoh’s Pro C7200X system was because of its fifth colour station enabling white neons, metallic toners, and UV security inks to be laid down as well as CMYK. Aura Print will be applying this capability across its product range, which includes flyers, tags, wedding stationery and commercial print products such as brochures, posters and corporate stationery.

Tanya Howe, sales director at Ricoh, said, ‘We pride ourselves on finding the most sustainable solutions for our customers, both new and existing. It’s really important to us that we build relationships with our customers – whether buying new or refurbished – and go that extra mile to provide best in class support and advice.’

Liam Smith, director of Aura Print, added, ‘From a sustainability point of view, we really like the fact that we’ve been able to purchase a well-maintained second-hand machine with almost all the parts are recycled. The press has had an immediate impact on our ability to meet SLAs of clients.’

Aura Print recently conducted research into attitudes towards buying business cards and says this revealed 56% of buyers are happy to upgrade to a more luxurious, premium finish from the industry-standard 350gsm paper stock, when given the option. Aura Print’s own sales figures show this trend is taking place, with a 22% year-on-year increase in customers choosing enhanced creative treatments for their business cards. For example, a quarter of all the business cards it produces include a metallic foil finish, with more than half of customers surveyed agreeing that this kind of standout will make the card more likely to be kept by the recipient.

Ms Howe added, ‘The future of our partnership with Aura Print is very exciting. The company is in the middle of bold growth plans, having successfully expanded into the US and Canada.’