Prepress
Sholing Press gets cleaner and greener with Fujifilm
Tuesday 23. November 2010 - Southampton print service provider benefits from 80% chemistry reduction with Fujifilm Brillia HD PRO-V plate
Family-owned managed print service provider, Sholing Press, founded in 1976 by present owner John Paynter, has been based in Sholing, Southampton for the past 34 years and has a team of 17 staff. Originally a commercial and business forms printer, the company acquired a sign and vehicle graphic printing business in 2002 followed by a printers and stationers in 2006 to widen its service offering. It has an annual turnover of around £800K and is proud to have a number of well-known brands, including Marks & Spencer, Coopervision, Amey Construction and Barclays Bank on its customer list.
Sholings production department boasts a range of Heidelberg presses, including a two-colour Speedmaster, two GTO 46s and two original Platens. It is complemented by a wide format, digital and finishing department, which includes a thermography device, and uses a management system to streamline its production processes.
With an extensive environmental policy in place, all staff are encouraged to walk or cycle to work, diesel delivery vehicles are used and delivery routes are carefully planned to minimise wasteful journeys. This principle also applies to all printing jobs, which are planned thoroughly in order to minimise wastage, while recycled or paper from sustainable sources is used whenever possible. Plates and ink tubs are recycled and collected by registered waste collectors.
Out with the old, in with the new
With such a strong environmental ethos, it was hardly surprising that when it was time to review the plate solution being used, the company was keen to replace it. Nick Paynter, director of Sholing Press, comments: “Our previous plate system was extremely dirty and messy, and used a large amount of chemistry. Keeping in line with our environmental policy, as well as looking to minimise unnecessary expenditure, we decided to investigate low-chemistry options on the market.”
SOS Loughton, a Fujifilm distributor, provided Sholing with Fujifilms Brillia HD PRO-V plates for a trial run. “After listening to our needs and reviewing our previous system, SOS Loughton suggested we try Fujifilms low-chemistry violet plate option, so we decided to give it a go,” he continues. “The plates require virtually no chemistry and much less water and the immediate results from the trial were fantastic.”
After this successful trial period, Sholing switched its entire plate line to Fujifilms Brillia HD PRO-V in March 2010., And, due to the compatibility of PRO-V with Sholings existing platesetter, the company was able to take advantage of the latest environmental plate technology, without having to invest in a new platesetter.
Nick says hes been nothing but impressed with the savings hes seen: “Since the installation, were using 80% less chemistry – a remarkable reduction – as well as considerably less ink and water. This is a massive step towards greater sustainability and significantly reduces our environmental impact. PRO-V has also proved to be more stable than our previous plates, which, with quicker turnaround times becoming a standard request, is a crucial factor for us.”
Brillia HD PRO-V is one of Fujifilms latest plates designed to simplify the pre-press process. It uses less chemistry, requires less maintenance of the finishing unit and produces less waste than its processed alternatives. In addition, the replenisher normally required to control the pH or conductivity of the bath is no longer needed. Thanks to Fujifilm’s ‘high sensitivity polymerisation’ technology, Brillia HD PRO-V also brings unmatched quality, consistency and productivity to plate production, being capable of 1-99% resolutions (with a Fujifilm ‘HD capable’ platesetter), and able to print FM screens.
“We are confident we made the best possible decision when we chose Fujifilms low-chemistry plates,” concludes Nick. “Our plate system is now a no mess, no fuss part of the production process, and allows us to continue to take pride in our ability to offer our customers high quality print jobs at a competitive price. The chemistry and water savings we are seeing are fantastic, and prove that, with Fujifilms help, a simple change can make a massive difference.”