Pureprint’s HP Indigo digital facility in Uckfield, East Sussex, has taken delivery of two heavy-duty punching systems – a Renz P500 ES and an AP360 – as well as a Renz AB 500 HS high-speed automated wire-binder.
The punching machines handle all types of book and calendar punching production with ring wire, coil and plastic comb options and incorporate two-part split dies for book and calendar work.
The AB 500 HS binding machine can handle a wide range of paper formats to produce calendars, book and skip binding. It provides touchscreen setup, horizontal paper feeding, automatic closure table and automatic product delivery on a shingle conveyor.
Pureprint business development director, Aaron Archer, said the firm already had comprehensive in-house binding capabilities but the additional capacity would enable it to grow its on-demand production support for the global web-to-print business.
At the same time, the corporate, retail and fine art printing house also ordered two Belgian-made Argos machines – an Argos L 380 Cold UV Coater and an Argos L 380 MGFE feeder – distributed exclusively in the UK by Renz.
The coater’s cold-curing technology negates the risk of burning any substrates and releases zero ozone emissions, according to Renz, an important factor in meeting Pureprint’s high environmental standards. Energy consumption is cut by half through a special function that puts the UV lamp in sleep mode.
Archer said the company did look at other suppliers but was swayed by the “ease of operation, build quality and service mentality of the team at Renz”.
“We also wanted a UV coating line and to buy them all together at the same time made sense,” he said.
Pureprint employs around 250 people at its digital and litho sites in Uckfield, as well as 130 at recently acquired Imprint Group in Newcastle and a few more based at local offices. Turnover topped £65m last year.
The company recently said that it would soon be investing £1m in new kit for Imprint, though details of this are yet to emerge. This, the new Renz machines and the opening of an office in New York last month, have all been supported by a £5.3m investment from the Business Growth Fund (BGF).
