In today’s fast-paced, short-run, short-lead world, Allprint Graphics has made an art form of keeping one step ahead of the industry. With the installation of a swissQprint Impala into its Rydalmere premises, this point-of-sales specialist will have no trouble outrunning the competition.
Originally a screen printing operation, since its adoption of wide format in 2007 with an Océ/Canon Arizona GT 250, Allprint’s workload has steadily risen to the point where demand can no longer be met by its existing equipment. Chris Wright, chief operations officer and company stalwart since 1999, explains Allprint’s decision to invest in the swissQprint Impala.
“It’s the leader at the moment. It has more features and benefits than any other machine in its price category and probably more features than some of the more expensive printers out there,” he says.
According to Wright, despite being a step-up in cost, the value of the machine is well worth it. The Impala’s combination of precision and flexibility is a winning mix, he says, and it was its breadth of offering that sealed the deal. For the close-knit team at the family-run print shop, the Impala struck that elusive balance of speed, quality, cost and ease of use that can make or break a business.
“It’s very flexible and easy to adapt to do what we want. From the operator’s point of view it is a very easy machine to operate. You can install it in a certain configuration and upgrade it later on with more features like extra inkjet channels and oversize bed options,” he adds.
Founded in 1960 by Grant Cunningham’s father, Allprint Graphics has a convincing track record of flexibility, responding to changing pressures in the industry and readily adapting to offer increasingly diverse and agile solutions. In 1972 it added litho printing to its traditional screen printing, then in 2005 added wide format digital equipment.
“Initially the digital equipment was to dip our toe in the water,” says Cunningham. “We had little demand in the early days. Our wide-format printer would have only been running for a couple of hours a week. It was just to get a feeling for it at first.”
That feeling has gone on to form the major part of the business. And with the arrival of the Impala, that toe in the paddling pool has transformed into a gulf stream that’s fuelling Allprint’s rapidly expanding portfolio.
Peerless print precision
When it became clear that demand was outpacing the existing equipment, the Allprint boys kitted up and set off on a safari to drupa 2012 to secure the next crucial piece in the production puzzle. For Cunningham and Wright, the Impala leapt out from the pack, with its stepless-adjustable vacuum bed, peerless print precision for fine lines and smooth gradations, and CMYK colour with up to five additional channels for spot colours, primer or varnish.
On top of that, the high-end UV flatbed boasts top speeds of 134m2/h, up to 2160 dpi visual print resolution with variable droplet technology, and its unique ‘board option’ which allows the Allprint team to automatically index oversized sheets up to 2.5 metres wide by 4 metres long without a conveyor belt or hybrid system.
“Everything we saw kept pointing back to the Impala,” recalls Wright.
Once they had the scent, it was down to the team at Positive Camtec, exclusive distributor for swissQprint in Australia and New Zealand, to tie off the loose ends. Wright praises the level of support throughout what can often be a trying time of transition.
For Adriano Gut, sales and marketing manager at Positive Camtec, the Allprint story is as much about this attention to detail in support and service as it is about the Impala’s print speed and output quality.
“After looking at a range of machines available in the market, we were no doubt delighted that a well respected company like All Print Graphics saw the benefits of the swissQprint system. We are proud to be able to offer a top of line product and a very high level of product support,” he says.
Wright agrees, saying that service has been first class all the way, despite having had no prior dealings with the local distributor.
“We had an instance when we needed support. We contacted them at around 8am; a technician was sent onsite and by 8.45am we were up and running. He stayed onsite to make sure we were completely satisfied and in production. All in all, the service and support has been fantastic,” he says.
The new beast is already proving its worth. With business on the rise, the Impala is enjoying a solid run-in, meeting and exceeding all expectations. Ever-ready for change, for new challenges to rise to, the team at Allprint Graphics are back out on safari, and now they’re hunting the big game in extra sales.