Print Solutions
A Jetrix LXi7 LED-UV printer is settling into its new home at Astley Signs in Kettering and is promising to take the business into the realms of more unusual and sustainable printing.
Brand protection and consistency meant the company needed to be assured that the chosen printer would fulfil its strict requirements for precise Pantone printing. This need was exacerbated by its old printer being over 10 years old and struggling to keep up with capacity. The company already had a Jetrix, based at its head office in Gateshead, and so was familiar with both the brand and its build qualities. Therefore, when researching the market options, the company was already keen to look at having another. In addition, Astley Signs was in the process of switching its graphical user interface to PrintFactory across the business and the Jetrix would automatically come with this installed.
Rob Reid, creative account manager at Astley Signs, said: ‘There were a multitude of reasons why we went for the Jetrix. The main one being speed. It was clear from the demonstrations that it could easily deliver on its promise of being at least double the speed of our current printer. The result of which would mean we could complete jobs quicker and potentially be even more competitive on quotes. Plus, its ability to print on media thicknesses of up to 100 mm was extremely appealing. We saw this as giving us the opportunity to take on jobs on more unusual media that we may previously have had to turn away.’
The LXi7 is a direct to substrates flatbed printer, which easily stands up to heavy production requirements. The size of the 2.5 x 3.0 metre flatbed also means that significant pieces of print and signage can be produced – ideal for many of the retail and office enhancement environments that Astley supply for.
Rob continued, ‘Increasingly (particularly within the retail and grocery sector), we are being asked to produce supermarket and point of sale signage on sustainable materials such as card. Therefore, the powerful vacuum system of the flatbed was critical to make sure these media remain accurately in place during the printing process. It is highly likely that these demands will in fact only increase! So, we were keen to have a printer that could evolve with us, as more customers actively request more environmentally sustainable and recyclable materials for their signage.
‘Moving forwards, we are excited to look at the many other aspects that the Jetrix will bring. This includes broadening our scope of what can be printed on and exploring what can be achieved with varnish and primer layer printing.’
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