The Borehamwood-based digital printer took delivery of the machine, which replaced a DigiFold Pro, last week.
Director Matt Weir said: “It was a straightforward decision for us to upgrade to the latest version. We have been a Morgana user for 20-years-plus, and most of our post-press equipment comes from them, so there was no need to look elsewhere. Morgana equipment is solidly built and has served us very well over that time.”
The DigiFold Pro XL is equipped with the latest version of the patented DynaCrease creasing system, which enables the creasing blades to be easily changed without the use of tools.
The heavy-duty automatic creasing and folding system incorporates a suction feeder that handles stock sizes from 210mm to 1.3m in length. The kit can fold up to 6,000 A4 sheets per hour, and in crease-only mode it can produce up to 7,500sph. The unit has a maximum pile capacity of 200mm and a stock range of 80 to 400gsm.
“The cross-perforation capability was the major attraction. We had been sending that kind of work out, so this machine will put control back in our hands, save production time, and save us money,” said Weir.
“The ability of the machine to handle long sheets came a close second as far as features. We run a Xerox iGen and an Iridesse [installed in December 2019], so the fact that we can handle 660mm long sheets is important, or up to 1,200mm for special products. It’s another feature for us to sell and for our in-house design team to promote.”
Kellmatt also offers large-format production, runs monochrome printers for variable data printing, and has a graphic design studio. The company started out in print in 1991 by producing self-adhesive labels before moving into reprographics, producing Cromalin proofs for high-end graphics customers. It subsequently became an early adopter of digital print.
When the coronavirus pandemic started, Weir said he realised “just how many of our customers were in the hospitality sector, and how much work that sector generated”.
The business reacted by quickly diversifying into the production and supply of PPE products.
Weir added: “We also do a lot of work in the charity sector and, as things started to settle down, it became apparent that the services they supply still needed funding, so they were having to ramp up their communications, including print requirements, to make sure people realised that they were still there, and that they still needed the support of the general public.
“One charity, for example, focus on sick children in hospital. Their normal avenues of entertaining the children were closed off because of safe distancing, so they decided that colouring books would be a safe yet engaging alternative.
“Thankfully we have a very loyal customer base, and we are beginning to see orders gradually increase back towards where they were.”
