Cameron Advertising and Displays complemented its screen printing business by purchasing an Agfa :M-Press. It does their short-run print jobs. (Photo courtesy of Cameron Advertising and Displays.)

As signage and printing shops are looking to expand their capabilities, many are adding flatbed printers, which can produce high-quality images on a wide variety of substrates. By offering a well-rounded service line, shops can serve more customers and stand apart from competitors in today’s tough market. Flatbed technology has advanced greatly in the past few years, and that has some shops considering exchanging their current printers or screen presses. But for many shops, flatbed printers are not replacing their current printing machines as much as they are becoming a solid complement to the equipment they already have, opening new markets and increasing existing capabilities. 

 

FLATBEDS FOR SHORT RUNS

For more than 60 years, Cameron Advertising Displays, Toronto, has operated as a screen printing firm, largely for the retail market. As a Canadian printer, 25 percent of jobs require a French translation, estimates Reid Mason, vice president of Cameron Advertising. Making screens for such low-run orders often took longer than printing the job, but as the quality and speed of flatbed printing advanced, Cameron Advertising began researching equipment.

 

Cameron Advertising entered the flatbed printing market five years ago, but many of the support programs for its first machine were eliminated, Mason says. After much research, Cameron Advertising became interested in the Agfa :M-Press.

 

Before Cameron Advertising decided on the Agfa :M-Press, Mason traveled to Belgium to see the machine firsthand. Mason sent files and stock to Agfa for the demonstration, and within five hours, the Agfa :M-Press performed more than 30 print jobs. Since purchasing the flatbed, Mason has been impressed with its speed.

 

“If you had asked me two or three years ago whether we’d be doing around 180 sheets per hour, sheets that you would call high-quality, sellable work—I just wouldn’t have believed it,” Mason says.

 

Mason is also pleased with the :M-Press’ handling because its gripping capabilities operate much like a screen press, which eased the learning curve. Still, there are new features to learn, such as variable data, Mason says. With variable data, Cameron Advertising can change the text or graphics during the print cycle without stopping or slowing the machine. Fast food restaurants are a large sect of Cameron Advertising’s retail market, Mason says, and variable data can be a new driving force for those clients.

 

The Mutoh ValueJet 1608HA flatbed printer was used to create these pieces.

“Having the capability to change prices for the zones—and doing so on the fly—was one of the features we liked about the printer,” Mason says. “We’ll be trying to sell the variable data feature to our existing customers and trying to attract new clients.”

 

Though Cameron Advertising and Displays has had only a few months of operation time on its Agfa :M-Press, Mason is confident the new machine eliminates the need for short runs on the screen press, which should open the press to new business opportunities. Cameron Advertising may now have flatbed capabilities, but there is still a profitable place for screen printing.

 

“We didn’t really set out to make our work force smaller,” Mason says. “We want to keep everyone busy. If we’re taking the short runs off of our inline equipment, which are now being done with the :M-Press, we have a tremendous amount of capacity for the longer runs on the inline presses. That’s probably the biggest way it will affect the company.”

 

COMMERICAL PRINTING TURNS TO FLATBED

Before ColorXPress, Madison, Ala., bought its first flatbed printer, it focused on commercial printing for magazines and publications on a sheet-fed press. Though that is still ColorXpress’ main market, says office manager Carol O’Neal, a new opportunity opened with flatbed printing.

“There weren’t a lot of people here doing it or doing it well, and with the economy, we wanted to expand our capabilities,” O’Neal says.

 

ColorXPress first purchased a flatbed printer in 2005 but had problems with it, O’Neal recalls. Because the flatbed printer targeted a new market, it wasn’t used every day, causing the print heads to clog. The printer’s head height adjustment also was a manual process, which opened it to errors, O’Neal says.

 

Despite the problems, ColorXPress was still interested in pursuing the flatbed printing market, and in 2008, bought a Mutoh ValueJet 1608. The new machine is testament to how far flatbed technology has come in just a few years. O’Neal says ColorXPress was looking for a more user-friendly printer to combat previous issues. With the ValueJet 1608, the earlier problems were solved.   

 

The Durst Rho 800 (above), features a double-white ink process which makes it ideal for printing onto clear materials. (Photos courtesy of Astek Inc.)

“It took away the human-error factor,” O’Neal says. “We liked that it automatically adjusts the print head heights, and while we are using the printer more often now, it is more forgiving as far as not being used frequently.”

 

Since acquiring the ValueJet 1608, ColorXPress has built up that side of its business and now offers signs, banners and artistic reproductions. Sometimes artistic reproductions are tricky, O’Neal says, as the artists are usually particular when it comes to certain printing elements, such as color matching. Still, flatbed printing offers the high quality needed for artistic reproductions, O’Neal says.  

 

Over the past two years, O’Neal estimates sales have increased 8 to 10 percent because of the ValueJet 1608’s capabilities, and she expects the machine to play a role in attracting future customers.

 

“I think it’s going to be a good enhancement, as far as being a more full-service shop for our customers,” O’Neal says. “Customers prefer to do as much as they can in one location.”

 

FLATBED PRINTING GOES TO HOLLYWOOD

Astek Inc., Van Nuys, Calif., recently purchased the Durst Rho 800 Presto flatbed printer to expand its machinery line. President Aaron Kirsch says Astek was functioning at full capacity with its Durst Rho 600 and Durst Rho 320R. Astek needed the Rho 800 to increase production and accept more applications, Kirsch says.

 

With the new Rho 800, Astek now has the ability to print using a double-white process, production manager Brian Preble says. The double-white process first sprays white ink onto the substrate and then prints colored inks on top. A final white ink layer is then layered over the colored ink.

Kirsch is especially pleased with the colors the double-white process produces and finds it serves the entertainment industry well.

 

“Having this new Rho 800 with the double-white process really helps,” Kirsch says. “We’re getting some nice colors and printing on all sorts of crazy materials for the Hollywood sector.”

For instance, Astek created marbled walls for the upcoming movie “Green Hornet.” To create the scenery, Astek took high-resolution digital photos of marbled walls and printed the images onto 4' x 8' sheets of GatorBoard using the Rho 800.

 

“The Rho 800 gave really life-like images,” Kirsch says. “We’re able to give a lot back to Hollywood, where painters used to have to go in to create a scene. We’re coming up with really great solutions.”

 

Astek also recently printed marbled flooring on half-inch MDF boards for producer David Kelley’s new fall TV show, “Harry’s Law” as well as producer Ron Howard’s movie, “Angels and Demons.”

For shops looking to go green, Kirsch recommends the Rho 800 because it produces no solvents or VOCs. Many of Astek’s clients are looking for eco-friendly printing solutions, Kirsch says, and the Rho 800’s green features are attractive to that market.

 

Though Astek has owned the Rho 800 for only a few months, it already runs 24 hours a day. The new flatbed offers different technology that Astek’s other printers can’t, which Kirsch attributes to his shop’s busy workload.

 

“We’ve done Plexiglas, tempered glass, galvanized steel, aluminum,” Kirsch says. “Even in a down economy, we’re succeeding. I can’t wait to see how it will be when the economy turns around.”

 

EXPLORING THE FLATBED MARKET

Starting as a screen printing shop, Omni Promotional, Louisville, Colo., became interested in buying a flatbed printer because of customer demand, says general manager Dave Skiffich. Though the demand had always been there, Omni Promotional outsourced flatbed printing jobs. However, by October 2009, the demand had increased to the point where Omni Promotional decided to purchase a VUTEk QS 3200 flatbed printer from reseller Global Imaging. 

 

The QS 3200 is a hybrid machine, which can print on both rigid and roll-to-roll substrates. Omni Promotional found this feature particularly appealing, Skiffich says. With the dual capabilities, Omni Promotional can offer greater flexibility and keep up with customers’ demands. 

 

“If we couldn’t do roll to roll, and it wouldn’t have been a flatbed also, then we probably wouldn’t have purchased it,” Skiffich says. 

 

Reliability and print quality were important features for Omni Promotional, Skiffich says. To judge these features, Omni Promotional visited Global Imaging to see various machines in action. By doing so, Skiffich had a better idea of what he wanted in a flatbed printer. 

 

“It helped us going down there and actually seeing the models,” Skiffich says. “We watched it work, and when we saw it could do the flatbed and roll to roll, we got pretty excited about it.”

 

Though Omni Promotional was new to the flatbed market, learning to operate the QS 3200 took little time, Skiffich says. After using the QS 3200 for three or four months, Skiffich estimates, the Omni Promotional production team was up to speed. 

 

Since Omni Promotional installed the QS 3200, output has increased and become more efficient. Of course, by keeping digital printing in-house, Omni Promotional has seen a positive impact on its bottom line, Skiffich says.