Digitalpress buys its next NexPress

6 May 2011

Digital print innovator, Theo Pettaras, backs up after five years experience to upgrade to the latest SX3300.

Five years is a long time in digital printing and the technology has moved on a lot since Theo Pettaras bought his first NexPress from Kodak. At the time he was looking for a machine that would give him a point of difference and the capability to explore new boundaries in digital print.

Like so many pioneers he had to battle through unexpected challenges he now looks back on with an experienced eye. His recognises his enthusiasm for exploring bespoke printing came with significant costs.

“If I had to change one thing, I’d be more careful about positioning the business as a bespoke printer. We’re the people clients come to when they have really challenging work, but we’re not top of the list for everyday printing. With the new press we’ll be a lot more commercial,” he said.

Theo Pettaras is aiming high with his new NexPress SX3300 flanked by two of his 'amigos' – a towering Adrian Felmming, Kodak Australia and a delighted David Proctor, Konica Minolta.

Digitalpress’ reputation as a creative powerhouse has made Pettaras into one of Kodak’s most important developers. He has travelled to Kodak HQ in Rochester in the USA to demonstrate to the company what the NexPress is capable of producing. An award winning printing shop, the Digitalpress premises in Surry Hills, Sydney has all the feeling of a traditional craft printer, with font design and unique imaging techniques – without an offset press in sight.

Faced with the prospect of upgrading his fully spec’d SE3000 or trading it in on the latest SX model he backed the good relationship built up over the years with Kodak and its new partner Konica Minolta. The recent purchase of a Heidelberg Polar 80 guillotine as well as a Konica Minolta C8000 put him right in the sweet spot for the new supplier alliance.

“I’m very comfortable with the ‘trio amigos’. We’ve worked well together over the years. And the quality coming off the new SX with high definition ink (HD) is phenomenal. Knowing what I do now about the NexPress, I feel a lot better about making the investment this time around,” he said.