The Manchester signage firm, which specialises in volume 1.6m-wide prints, chose the Colorado specifically for its pace of production. It was installed in November.

Josh Ainsley, Ainsley Signs’ commercial director and grandson of founder Nelson Ainsley, said: “We do lots of banner work using 50m and 100m rolls and we chose the Canon Colorado 1650 purely for its speed. 

“We can literally print a 50m banner in 30 minutes now, it’s absolutely phenomenal.”

The faster print speed has allowed the Ainsley Signs team to reclaim some of the morning – and regular weekends on the job have now become a rarity, as the Colorado prints large volumes unattended. 

The team, already familiar with the Onyx RIP, found training with supplier CMYUK a breeze, Ainsley added.

“The guys in our studio were absolutely fine with the printer, getting cracking on it after a day’s training,” he said.

“Since we’ve installed it, we’ve just run it day in, day out with no problems whatsoever.”

Ainsley decided to return to CMYUK after buying a Kongsberg X44 digital cutting table from the firm in the summer of 2022.

He said: “Jason McNulty [CMYUK’s digital sales consultant] has been a big part of why we’ve decided to make the equipment investments with them over the past year.

“We’re really impressed with everything he’s done and how he’s gone about supporting us as a company.”

The Colorado’s arrival prompted a rearrangement of the firm’s production facilities, which are spread over two neighbouring sites in Middleton, just outside of Manchester.

Adding a mezzanine to the old print room, Ainsley Signs managed to effectively double its capacity and house its stable of Colorado, three solvent printers, and flatbed.

The Kongsberg, which originally was installed in the second unit, has been moved into the print room, saving the team time and energy.

Ainsley said: “We print, cut on the Kongsberg and then this goes next door for manufacturing. It’s a really efficient production line now.”