The Leamington Spa-based firm bought the machine, which was installed around two months ago, from Ashgate Automation. “We primarily bought the creaser to handle digital print, but we realised that it could also crease litho printed covers and other work,” said director Paul Young.
The company had previously been using a Heidelberg cylinder for most of its creasing jobs, which could only handle jobs up to B2 size. Following the growth in the digital side of the business, the firm decided that it needed a dedicated creaser.
“We initially considered a hand-fed machine but it would have been a short-term fix. This is a more efficient system, which gives us the speed and productivity for now and in the future,” said Young.
“We didn’t look at any other creasers because we knew Ashgate and were pleased with its training and service. It was able to provide us with a machine that suited our requirements at the right price.”
The Auto 50 can be programmed anywhere along the length of the sheet. Up to 28 creases per sheet can be programmed into the 99-job bank for regular jobs. Stock can be creased in sizes from CD to a max sheet size of 500x700mm.
"It has enabled us to do more short-run work that involves creasing. It's improved our capacity, reduced our makereadies and increased our efficiency," said assistant managing director Paul Baxter.
Warwick Printing is creasing all of its covers before passing them through its Kasfold bookletmaker, which it bought from Ashgate Automation two years ago. The firm has recently added a Kasfold trimmer to the bookletmaker.
“We produce a wide range of A4 and A5 digitally printed booklets with runs up to 500 copies. Until now they have been trimmed on a guillotine, but the fore-edge trimmer streamlines the process and improves the accuracy,” said Young.
“The big advantage is that we can turn jobs around so much faster and at a very high quality.”
Last year, the firm, which is predominantly a magazine printer with clients including The Wildlife Trust, Formation Media and Village People, became the first company in the UK to install a Heidelberg Speedmaster SX 102. The press has enabled it to cater to more commerical clients as well as publishers.
The company, which has 65 staff and a turnover of around £5.9m, a 5% growth on last year, is planning to invest in more digital kit in the near future.
