Kingston-upon-Thames-based Printstore, which was purchased by former Circle Media Group chief executive and Polestar chief operating officer Andreou in February, took delivery of the new machine at its 372sqm facility at the end of April.
Printstore commercial director Gez Clarke said: “We have many high-profile agencies and brands that we’re helping with their packaging solutions.
“Purchasing the PFi Blade B2+ allows us to utilise our in-house creative design facility and show our customers what we can achieve in a very short turnaround, and in some cases with the customer present offering a truly amazing quick turnaround of prototype packaging and design allowing faster products to market. Prior to the investment we would require a five-to-six-day turnaround.
“Internalising this process is a major time saving benefit, and we can also keep track of all our inventory and control the quality and materials more efficiently.”
He added: “The PFi Blade B2+, although a very small machine, it’s made a huge impact and we can look at expanding our product portfolio to our existing customer base, but also start targeting growth in new sectors where Printstore has never had a presence.”
Requiring no physical dies, the PFi Blade B2+ can handle a wide range of materials up to 6mm thick and has an auto feeder for sheets from A4 to 800x600mm. Its top cutting speed of 1,200mm per second equates to around 12-45 seconds per SRA3 sheet, depending on complexity.
Clarke said that while Printstore had also considered a number of other devices on the market “we’ve always been a fan of Duplo, and working with them has been really great”.
He added: “They are very supportive and have been looking after our operators as the learning curve on these machines is quite steep. Since purchasing the machine, we’ve been able to integrate it into our current production process and to accelerate the creative process.”
Printstore was established in 1988. The business produces a wide range of products and runs B3 and B2 litho presses, small-format digital printing with a Xerox Versant, and large-format digital with HP Latex, as well as an array of other finishing kit including a Duplo DBM-350 digital bookletmaker. It also offers a design service.
