Print Solutions Green Solutions
A recent investment in Fujifilm's Superia ZD plate has enabled Greenhouse Graphics to save time and money and boost its already impressive environmental credentials
Founded in 1993, Hampshire based Greenhouse Graphics started out as a conventional litho printer and has grown since then to cover H-UV litho, sheet fed digital and large format inkjet machines. Across all those devices it prints everything from beer mats and posters to magazines, business cards, wall coverings and vehicles wraps.
Production director Darren Bennett is proud of the reputation the business has built for itself: ‘All our customers expect high quality at a competitive price, and we deliver that, but our real value add is in our responsiveness to customer requests. Talking about quality and price is important, but our delivery time is the key thing that sets us apart. We are very quick to respond to our customers and they feel the benefit of that. Doing all our work in-house means we are in complete control: the quality, the colours and the delivery dates – everything is spot on.’
A recent investment in Fujifilm Superia ZD plates has improved that offering still further.
‘The thing that really appealed to us about Superia ZD plates was their durability,’ Darren continued. ‘Time we would have spent in changing the plates mid-run can now be used to get on with printing the job, resulting in a substantial boost in our overall production speed.
‘Our plates go onto a Komori H-UV, UV curing litho press. We bought it two and a half years ago, and as it has both conventional and low energy UV curing capabilities, the chemistry is variable and that posed some unique challenges for the plates.
‘We found that on this press our existing plates were losing quality and needed replacing after around 6000 prints. Now, with the Superia ZD plates, we are running up to 40,000 prints without any downturn in quality – a massive improvement on before. The longevity of the plates is astonishing and we are achieving a much sharper dot and sharper images throughout every run.
‘We are often asked to print jobs around the 10,000 mark, so previously we would have had to factor in two lots of plates for a job of that size. Now with Superia ZD, we just set up once and run. Our cost savings have been massive and the quality of the dot and the lifespan of the plate means we can keep the machine running and deliver consistently high quality work on time.
‘Aside from all the cost saving aspects, the environmental benefits were also an extremely important consideration in making the investment. Any new investment we make is analysed carefully as it needs to fit in with our environmental mantra. The Superia ZD plates are fully recyclable, and the added benefits we have seen in having less down time, and less wastage in terms of paper and ink, means we are staying efficient and green.
‘Without a doubt the Superia investment will help us address current trends in the market. Our H-UV press is just one of many in the country, but with Superia plates on it, we can take it to another level of quality and efficiency that our competitors will struggle to match.
‘Installations of H-UV presses are on the up – it is the press that is taking over the litho market at the moment. With Superia plates, we are confident we can adapt to any future demands the market may throw at us due to its versatility, durability and quality. Superia plates work exceptionally well in an H-UV environment.
‘I would definitely recommend both the Superia ZD plate and working with Fujifilm. The company came in and helped with the installation, got everything up and running and have supported us since day one. It is very, very good at what it does and the technical knowledge and support it has supplied has been outstanding.’
