LFP - Large-Format-Printing

HP Scitex FB7500 Industrial Press with Hostert Automatic Loader set a new pace

Monday 13. August 2012 - When you're one of the largest digital printing companies in Northern Europe, being able to meet changing customer demands is especially important. GigantPrint AB, of Norrköping, Sweden, has as its customers, national, regional and international brand customers who expect top quality print and service, and are also on the leading edge of marketing trends.

The combination of digital large-format printing technology and uncertain economic conditions has resulted in today’s short, sharp, focused campaigns, rather than the long sustained campaigns previously deployed.
Already a strong HP customer with more than a dozen printers, GigantPrint invested in an HP Scitex FB7500 Industrial Press in 2011 to increase its throughput and to be able to handle a wide range of rigid and flexible substrates.
“Our main products include signs, displays of various formats and constructions, signs on buses, and seasonal signage like displays for Christmas and Easter,” says Fredrik Ridstrom, sales manager, GigantPrint. “These materials are for both indoor and outdoor applications, including shopping centers, stores and events.”
The HP Scitex FB7500 Industrial Press brought a powerful new tool to GigantPrint, enabling increased versatility and a wider range of products using a broad array of substrates.
“We typically use plastic, down to 0.5mm, Forex of 3, 5 and 10mm, Forex SmartTM 10mm, ‘channel’ plastic of 3 and 10mm, board of 500, 800, 1100 and 1600g/m2 as well as plastic films, magnetic signs, paper and metal,” Ridstrom explains.
The press uses UV-curable inks and the unique X2 printhead, which offers the benefits of low maintenance, corrosion resistance, accurate drop delivery and easy printhead replacement. The piezoelectric printheads deliver six colors at speeds up to 95 full-size sheets per hour(1.
Increasing the automation
While the acquisition of the HP Scitex FB7500 Industrial Press was a major move for GigantPrint, it was only part of the solution. As part of a strategy to automate workflow as much as possible, GigantPrint installed an Automatic Loader from Hostert Pro GmbH to deliver a pallet-to-pallet workflow that dramatically reduces manual material handling and increases throughput.
“This combination of an HP Scitex FB7500 Industrial Press with a Hostert Automatic Loader is the first of its kind in the world,” says Ridstrom. “The loader is capable of handling rigid and flexible materials and will handle materials up to 25mm thick weighing up to 20kgs(2.
“All the operator has to do is load the substrate onto the loader’s lift table, set the program, and the rest is done automatically,” Ridstrom explains.
The Hostert Automatic Loader, patent pending, developed for HP may be used on both HP Scitex FB7500 and FB7600 Industrial Presses. Used together, the press and the loader deliver a fully automated solution with the ability to handle less usual and difficult media as well as standard substrates.
“Loading is carried out smoothly with the vacuum feeder shaking lighter substrates to prevent double-feeding, and the six-section vacuum table holds the materials firmly while printing,” Ridstrom says. “We generally use a wide variety of heavy and light substrates, though light substrates are in the majority. The lightest we currently print is 0.35mm plastics for hanging shop signage. This is a good material for this application, not only because it is light, but if humidity in shops is high or changing, board materials may curl, so plastic is a good choice.”
The digital advantage
GigantPrint was established in 2000 and is co-owned by its partners and co-founder JMS Media System AB. JMS is a diversified print group, one of the largest in Sweden with 300 employees, and GigantPrint, with 62 employees, is its large- format arm. GigantPrint operates from a 6,000m2 facility in Norrköping with offices in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Linköping, Malmö and Oslo.
GigantPrint’s printers are predominantly from HP with a total of 14 of its larger HP printers running in the company’s three-shift operation.
“The pressure we feel is the continual shortening of lead times,” says Ridstrom. “This is where the FB7500 press and the Hostert Auto Loader give us a significant advantage.”
Ridstrom also sees fast-turnaround digital printing as a competitive advantage to the rise of flat-screen advertising.
“These screens compete with conventional signs and displays, with big areas on the walls and no substrates, but I don’t think people will accept shops being overcrowded with screens everywhere,” Ridstrom explains. “Signs are easier to accept and are not as intrusive or pushy as messages on screens, especially as signs don’t talk or scream.”
The use of signage with frequently changing messages enabled by virtually on-demand digital printing offers brands, retailers and commercial enterprises a cost-effective method of presenting their messages.
Adding value
“Our FB7500 press replaced three older flat-bed printers and our productivity has risen by four to six times over previous levels,” says Ridstrom. “The quick and easy changeover of jobs has made short runs more efficient. Another benefit is that while the printer is doing one job, the next one is being created in the print queue.
“There are also other benefits to printing digitally, like the ability to produce variations on a job for specific locations, and the ability to create the spot gloss effect in the same pass as the main printing. This is a unique HP feature that saves time and adds value.”
With a total capacity of 25,000m2 per day (269,000ft2 per day), equipment reliability is an important consideration.
“From the beginning, we have had a very close and good relationship with Schneidlers, the Swedish HP reseller,” says Ridstrom. “Thanks to them, we feel safe, and the service agreements really work. HP is a big company with big resources which ensures that things happen fast.”