Installed in April, the Nexus has sped up production several times over and expanded Digiprint’s product list significantly.
Where the firm was cutting manually or ordering in pre-cut boards, it now cuts the substrates in-house for use with its pair of 1.6m HP Latex printers, an R1000 flatbed installed in February and an 800W roll-to-roll bought in September 2022.
The purchase of the two printers was part of Digiprint’s environmental strategy, which involved it moving its production facility in December 2022 into a new ‘A’-rated energy efficient site, become ‘climate positive’ in 2019, and establish plans to install a solar array and drop PVC substrates entirely in 2023.
The firm’s use of recycled board and plastics with its Latex R1000 partially inspired the choice to go with the Nexus, according to managing director Ben Gregory.
He told Printweek: “We’re supplying a lot of panels that are recyclable and recycled, and being able to cut them directly with the Veloblade has made a massive difference.”
While other machines from Summa and Kongsberg were considered, Digiprint had previous good experience with Vivid.
Gregory said: “We’ve worked with them for years, and we trust them as a company. They’re British, too, so that was quite important.
“Vivid was quite economical, too – and the services and support has been great.”
The company, founded as Digiprint in 1987, partnered with print and design network Nettl in 2015, and now has two studios open to the public in Bath and Chippenham alongside its production facility.
Now the green production partner for Nettl’s more than 200 UK studios, Digiprint has also secured a number of local government contracts from its eco-friendly credentials.
Gregory said: “Hopefully our biggest customer will be the network of Nettl studios in the UK, providing them with eco-friendly trade printing to sell on to their customers.
“We’re also getting a lot more business from government bodies, and universities are looking to hit their targets, which have become a necessity. They have to buy eco-friendly print, on PVC-free material.”
