South Australian regional printer, Print City, has taken a significant step in combining regional manufacturing capability with modern online accessibility, with the launch of its fully integrated online ordering and design platform.
In development for nearly two years, the new platform will help Print City scale operations to better support customers locally and across Australia, all while continuing to keep all production in-house at its Murray Bridge facility.
“As a regional printer, our customer base has traditionally been limited to the local demographic,” Ryan Hansen, managing director of Print City, told Print21.
“Since taking over in early 2018, one of my goals has been expanding our reach, and the development of our new ‘Express’ platform has been a major part of that strategy.”
A key driver, according to Hansen, was reducing the heavy reliance on front-of-house interactions.
“Fewer walk-ins allow us to streamline workflows, lower costs, and speed up turnaround times, which is vital in the current climate where customers expect everything faster,” he said.
“The platform also empowers customers to design their own products. Not everyone has the budget for professional graphic design, and we don’t think that should be a barrier.
“With our online design studio, customers can create their artwork, approve their proof during checkout, and we receive a print-ready file that goes straight into production. It’s efficient, accessible, and puts more control in the hands of the customer.”
The platform has technically been live for close to two years, working as an optional add-on while the company experimented with different approaches and working out what it really needed in the platform.
The latest iteration of Print City Express, now at version three, has only been live for over a month now, and Hansen says the response has been overwhelmingly positive so far.
“We trialled a range of systems – WordPress, then Shopify – with basic file uploads and plug-in based design tools, but they were clunky, conflicted with each other, and didn’t provide the seamless experience we were chasing,” explained Hansen.
“Eventually, we came across OnPrintShop, which offered an out-of-the-box solution that aligned with almost everything on our wish list. From there, we customised and refined it to suit the needs of our business and customers.
“As with any launch, there have been a few teething issues, but overall customers are loving the streamlined, faster process, and the added control they have over their orders. It’s already proving to be a valuable shift for both our workflow and customer experience.”
Print City has been operating since 2002, with Hansen taking over the business in January 2018. At that time, it functioned as a traditional regional print shop, running a two-colour Heidelberg SM52, a GTO, and a Konica Minolta 1070.
Since then, the company has expanded significantly to become a full-service provider for commercial print, signage, apparel, packaging, and promotional products.
Today, it operates across offset and digital print, has a complete signage department as a 3M Gold Select Partner, in-house embroidery and garment decoration and graphic design capabilities, along with a growing promotional division.
“We currently work with a broad client base – from parents ordering invitations through our Express platform, to corporate and government organisations needing large-scale print and signage solutions. And our goal has always been simplicity for the customer,” said Hansen.
“If we already have their logo and design assets, they should be able to order business cards, uniforms and a vehicle wrap using the same contact point. It reduces admin for them and supports our mission to create more skilled regional jobs.”
Print City’s core team consists of seven staff, including Hansen.
The company’s equipment lineup includes two Ricoh digital presses with fifth-station capability (clear, gold and silver), HP Latex and Mimaki UV wide-format printers, plus a full range of finishing equipment.