Eltham Digital has grown its sign business to the point where it now accounts for 50% of company turnover from a standing start in the Covid lockdown of 2020, using Xenons hybrid UV printers supplied by distributor RSR.
Eltham Digital is a family-run commercial printer operating from a high street premises and serving a diverse client base throughout the London area. The major change in its business began with the installation of a Xenons R180 hybrid flatbed/roll-to-roll machine from RSR (Repro Sales & Repairs), installed in 2020 and subsequently replaced with the upgraded Xenons X180 model, installed in late 2022 and signed off in early February 2023.
Proprietor Terry Glasscock explained, ‘During the Covid pandemic we were being asked to produce all kinds of signage, so we could see there was demand there. RSR convinced us the Xenons hybrid was the ideal machine to take on a new market as it offered high performance and versatility for a relatively low cost. They were right.’
The new Xenons X180 has the same basic dimensions as its predecessor, with a maximum width of 1.88m, but includes numerous mechanical upgrades and uses Ricoh Gen 6 printheads. This digital LED-UV hybrid printer supports a variety of applications and will print on ACP, foam, board, flute board, glass, ceramic tiles, wood, and on a wide range of vinyl and flexible media at speeds of up to 25sqm/hr for saleable quality.
‘It will print on just about anything as long as it’s less than 35mm thick,’ said Mr Glasscock. ‘We produce something different every day, whether it’s point-of-sale boards, vinyl banners, outdoor signage or exhibition panels, the Xenons machine does it all.’
He continued, ‘The new one is faster to run and set up, and we expect it to match the performance and reliability of the machine it is replacing. For me the best thing about the X180 is ease of use; there’s very little maintenance, and to run it, we just press ‘print’ and that’s about it.’
