Kelvinside has launched its digital printing group C3 Imaging as a national brand and bought Pace Digital in Bristol.


The acquisition of Pace brings the chain up to five branches, which it plans to expand rapidly.


It is our intention to expand the C3 Imaging division across the whole of the UK and Ireland, said Kelvinside managing director Fred Rangolan.


The immediate plan is to add another six or seven companies over the next 18 months. We have already identified three of the locations and anticipate that they will be up and running within the next few months, he said.


C3 is also in the process of linking its five sites in Liverpool, Manchester, London, Newcastle and Bristol via a data transfer network.


Pace managing director Nigel Davies said: We are delighted to have joined C3. Both firms were moving in the same direction there are absolutely no negatives.


Pace owns an IBM Infocolor 70 digital press and Epson 9000 large-format ink-jet printer. It has been involved in digital print for three years. Weve been through the learning curve and now digital printing is beginning to pay off for us, said Davies.


The company is poised to invest in new digital presses, but has yet to decide on final equipment.


Kelvinside sees the creation of C3 Imaging as the first move of the entire group away from conventional to primarily digital production.


We are currently researching a method for digital printing to take over from the flexo process we use for producing plastic wallets used in the packaging of glossy magazines, said Rangolan.


The firm recently spent 1m on Indigo presses at Drupa and has been investigating Indigos Publisher 8000 and WebStream presses for direct mail and flexible packaging work (PrintWeek, 16 June).


Story by Barney Cox