The story so far … Nick Pond, Print21 journalist, travelled to Adelaide to meet and learn from the printing professionals how to region was going. Last time he delved into digital print, this time he meets some more traditional players. Now read on…
When I left Print Junction, I headed across town to the team at Academy Photography are transitioning almost all their work to digital, and opening up exciting new products and opportunities in the process.
- 'The South Australian printing industry is thriving despite tough times,' Nick Pond.; Nick Pond
One of Australia’s leading school photography providers, this family-owned business of 30 years employs around 170 people around the country and services an average of 50 schools every week.
With such a hectic schedule and with all of the national network’s print work channelled through the its busy Adelaide hub, there’s a lot riding on the technology. Academy’s national print manager, John Bastoni, reveals that when it came to updating their equipment a few years back, the choice ended up being pretty straight-forward.
“We did in-depth analysis of what was available at the time, and for its speed and pure print quality we went with the NexPress 2500. It’s picking up work off chemical photographic processing, so the fact that it can match that quality was hugely important. It’s backed up by two Konica Minolta C8000s here which look after our year-book production that goes hand-in-hand with school photography,” he explains.
According to Bastoni and Academy’s operations manager, Stewart Alexander, since the Konicas landed the company’s year-book work has shot up tenfold and shows no signs of stopping. The digital technology has single-handedly transformed the business offering, with personalisation unlocking new products, adding value and opening up total package solutions that have become vital in these uncertain times.
“Going back 20 years the products in this space have stayed the same. Digital has allowed us to innovate, branch out into new areas and stay ahead of the competition,” says Bastoni.
Holding up a digitally printed and bound year-book fresh off a C8000 he explains, “This process took us from producing this offline essentially. We used to have to print it, then fold it, then bind it. This is coming off as a finished product. Because of the way the market has grown, if we were doing it the old way it would be completely uneconomical and we simply would not be able to keep up with demand.”
From school photos to TAFEshop to top-shelf print servicing the Australian market coast-to-coast, the digital revolution has driven businesses forward. The South Australian printing industry is thriving despite tough times, and the latest processes and technology are there to help cement its prosperous future.
Quality that’s worth bottling
While digital keeps on clicking along, the great southern state’s famous world-famous wine label market is still firmly rooted in traditional processes. David McCloud, director of Label Partners, agrees that the traditional process of flexographic printing is the way to go.
Running a Gallus ECS-340 with cold foil and embossing, McCloud remains staunch in his commitment to a quality product, and with gold PICAs in the bag two years running it appears to be paying off.
“Gallus just delivers a quality of print, a quality of build and of back-up that you can’t go past. We’ve worked really hard over the years to keep on top of the label market, we’ve done it smart and the results are showing. Competition is fiercer than ever, and the business is growing,” says McCloud.
No mean feat when, according to McCloud, the number of bottles being labelled locally has as much as halved in the past five years. With more and more converters packing into a thinning marketplace, business is getting even more cut-throat, and the latest kit is always going to be one of the best weapons. As far as McCloud is concerned, Gallus delivers a product that holds its own in a tough market, and he has no plans to make the switch to digital any time soon.
“We’re prioritising quality work on job numbers that suit the business size, and adding value with high-end finishing. The equipment we have delivers on all fronts and makes us competitive.”