When the chemistry is right – Bambra Press Event

From the outset Bambra Press set the tone for its “A little chemistry goes a long way” event held last Thursday. The tantalising invitation came inserted in a test tube and was hand delivered, promising an “enlightening evening of chemical reaction and print revelation…for enquiring minds”. Alison Stieven-Taylor reports.

Everyone likes a little mystery so it wasn’t surprising that around 200 invited guests, many customers of Bambra Press, descended on the company’s Port Melbourne headquarters on a balmy Thursday evening to discover what “certain things behind closed doors” Bambra Press had been up to, as the invitation teased.

Managing Director John Wanless, resplendent in a suit that made me think he and former PM Paul Keating might have the same tailor, kept the formalities to a minimum. Addressing the guests who were gathered in the company’s main printroom – one of the cleanest manufacturing environments you can imagine – he revealed the company’s latest acquisition, the most highly spec’d Heidelberg XL75-12 colour press in the country.

Knowing the majority of his guests weren’t that interested in how the press worked, and were keen to get back to enjoying the fantastic catering and lively conversation, Wanless spoke briefly about the importance of the company’s tripartite approach where printer, customer and supplier partner together; a chemical reaction that is clearly working for Bambra Press.

Pictured: John Wanless with his new baby, the XL75-12


Of course it would not be a press launch if the machine didn’t run. The massive XL75-12-P-F kicked into life and purred like a kitten, its hum a faint backdrop to the crackle of a crowd enjoying itself. The XL75 printed two really cool double-sided posters of street graffiti photographed that morning in the city, the colours vibrant and details sharp, doing justice to the unique artistry of Melbourne’s laneways.

With Bambra’s arsenal of offset and digital production capabilities, it looks like it will be a very Happy New Year for Wanless and his team.