Ipswich’s PJ Print steps into H-UV technology

Print Solutions

Ipswich printer, PJ Print has stepped up to Komori H-UV drying technology and replaced a four colour Komori A2 Lithrone 426 with a B2 four colour Lithrone S429 equipped with Komori’s H-UV curing system, automated make ready systems and automated plate changing.

Ben Perkins, managing director of the £1 million annual turnover general printers, said: ‘It is a large and critical investment for a company like ours, but it is all down to staying competitive pricewise and ensuring we are geared to meet increasingly tight deadlines without taking any risks on print quality.’

He continued, ‘We took a good look at the H-UV drying process in production at a Hertfordshire printer with a similar spec’d machine and we were left in no doubt that it would enable us to speed up the whole production cycle. The press has only been in a couple of weeks and we have already seen that whatever the material type or thickness we can move printed sheets immediately through to finishing and onwards to customers faster than ever. On four colour work printed both sides, the ability to return instantly dry sheets immediately to the feeder to print the second side is especially important to us.

‘We are retaining our five colour Lithrone 526 because, although it is 15 years old, the print quality is still superb and we can now use it to concentrate on handling more bespoke jobs and work requiring special colours, instead of having to use the fifth unit to add a drying seal.’

‘To date, most of our business has been trade print or for direct clients and comprising a very wide range of work – everything from brochures, magazines, catalogues, calendars, prospectuses, annual reports, point of sale, header cards, through to greetings and postcards,’ said Ben. ‘Now, we are also going to promote H-UV drying benefits to design agencies as we believe the versatility of the process opens the door for print designers to create new ideas including the use of more unconventional substrates.’

The Komori H-UV press is part of an on-going initiative at PJ to invest in latest technologies from pre-press to finishing. This has seen the company introduce new MIS, adopt full CIP3 workflow, add new stitching and bindery equipment and also install a Konica Minolta bizhub C7000. Ben said, ‘With the combination of the bizhub and the H-UV Lithrone with its quick make ready systems, high automation levels and fast drying, we will be competitive on price and delivery times on all run lengths, from a few hundred to 100,000.’

PJ supports the World Land Trust and actively encourages customers to use carbon balanced papers. It is also a member of the Woodland Trust and complies with its Carbon Capture scheme. ‘We promote environmental initiatives to all clients and the new H-UV Lithrone adds further credentials at our side – with its lower CO2 emission levels, reduced energy usage and complete elimination of spray powder,’ concluded Ben.