Graphic Source aims for the point of difference with the install of WA’s first Xerox iGen4 Diamond Edition. Faster run times, increased sheet size and higher work volumes have powered up the Perth-based digital print and design company, opening new opportunities to grow the business.
Peter Yeoman, director of Graphic Source, was looking to regain greater control over production and push the business back to the head of the digital print pack. For Yeoman, the iGen4 Diamond Edition's added versatility and speed were major factors, but its matte dry ink capabilities were the clincher, allowing the specialty print shop to offer a smooth offset feel and look.
"It really was a no-brainer. We hit capacity on our Xerox Color Press 1000, which has been a fantastic machine for a number of years. and a lot of customers were coming to us with work we had to outsource to produce on offset. With the matte dry ink option, the iGen4 just opens up so much potential, and we’re already pulling lot of offset jobs back in-house," said Yeoman.
Speaking with Print21 Yeoman says that stressing Graphic Source's point of difference has always been a key motivator and a core business principle.
"We were the first in WA with a Xerox Color Press 1000, but there are about a dozen here now. It was doing great work but then we saw the iGen4's extended sheet size and matte dry ink capabilities and realised it will push us into areas where other digital printers won't be able to compete," he said.
- Xerox iGen4 Diamond Edition
The iGen 4 Diamond Edition runs a 364 x 660 mm sheet size at 40 sheets a minute, or 120 A4 pages a minute. The larger sheet size has opened up new applications for Graphic Source, with the business offering six-page A4 tri-fold brochures and greater efficiencies on smaller jobs. The press also offers automated, touchless workflow from web-based ordering through prepress and printing to finishing.
"We don’t want to be scrambling for the same work as every digital printer out there. With the iGen4 we can produce work that no-one else can. Just the other day we ran a school annual on the press. It’s a job that would have been done offset before we got the iGen4 on board. 35,000 XXL sheets, printed and perfect bound, we had the job turned around in two days. That’s the biggest test we’ve given it so far, and I’d say it handled the job well," said Yeoman.
He is quick to praise the team at Fuji Xerox for handling a smooth transition to new machine, with only a two-week overlap on the Color Press 1000 before the iGen4 cranked up to full production.
"This is our sixth or seventh Xerox machine, we’ve always been impressed by their professionalism and service. It’s a great product, it does what we need, but I’d say it’s the after sales service that keeps us coming back to Fuji Xerox," he said.
Peter Brogle, local account manager Fuji Xerox, said, "The Xerox iGen4 Diamond Edition offers Peter Yeoman the print quality he insists on, as well as the ability to tackle higher volume jobs, so they will be in a space of their own."
Graphic Source was set up in 2002 as prepress house, eleven years on its Jolimont site is now home to a team of ten dedicated and talented staff and the latest digital technology on offer.