The spend represents part of a wider investment, which will see it spend a further £100,000 in Q1 of next year, probably on a new digital press and finishing kit.
A mezzanine was added to Tristar’s 330sqm-Blackburn premises in September to house the new printer and cutter, which were both installed in mid October and signed off in early November.
The printer and cutter cost around £100,000 each and the rest was spent on the 170sqm-extension. Tristar has taken on a new member of staff since the spend and is looking at recruiting in the new year.
Managing director Abu Ahmed said the range and weight of substrates the new Canon takes had enabled the eight-staff printer to pick up work it previously wouldn’t have taken on, including a number of jobs using acrylic.
Ahmed said: “We looked at Sign & Digital and went to Fespa but there weren’t that many machines around, but a lot of people use Canon and the references we got back from fellow users were quite good.
“We had a different printer up against it but we thought it didn’t meet our requirements so in the end it was the all-round possibilities and quality of prints with the Canon, and the automated head-cleaning device as well.
“There are faster machines out on the market but this was the fastest we could get in its class without spending two or three times the amount and it didn’t warrant that. We aren’t using it for an all-out war on price – it’s not about competition, it’s about adding value to products.”
The six-colour (CMYK plus light cyan and light magenta) Arizona, launched as part of the 1200 series in January, features Océ VariaDot grayscale print quality.
It prints at a maximum speed of 35sqm/hr in express mode and takes media at a maximum size of 1.2x2.5m.
The cutter, a Dyss X7-1624C, has been paired with the Arizona to assist with the influx of new work, and Ahmed said Dyss had provided “fantastic service”.
Traditionally an all-litho printer, when recession hit the £500,000-turnover outfit in 2012, Tristar expanded its offering and purchased a Konica Minolta bizhub Pro C7000, a Horizon stitchliner and brought Wire-O binding in-house.
On the litho side, it runs a five-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 52 and five-colour B2 Mitsubishi Diamond 1000.
