Inkjet & Digital Printing

Esson makes verdict on digital after five year search

Tuesday 12. May 2015 - Esson Print is making its debut in digital printing with a Linoprint CV, a 90 pages per minute press. This follows a thorough review of the market and a verdict from director Dan Esson that: "The Linoprint CV provides the quality that our customers expect. It is top of the range and yet it is better value for money than other models we reviewed."

The company which is situated between Royston and Cambridge started out over 30 years ago with a couple of GTOs and has been a convinced Heidelberg customer since. The new digital press will replace a four-colour Speedmaster PM52-4 although a PM 52-5 five-colour press is retained.
“This press will reduce our outwork. We already attributed 12-15% of our turnover to digital printing but by June 2016, a year after we have the Linoprint press up and running, that could be as high as 35-40%,” says Dan Esson, who runs the business with his father Barry.
Esson Print undertook extensive testing in Heidelberg’s Brentford showroom with some of its most challenging work, including solids and a mix of black and colour images. The press not only had to stack up against other digital models, it had to be comparable with the litho quality Esson Print produces. The company was convinced that it was a close match and it is confident that it will even be able to produce some high class invitations featuring solids and a tinted crest for the University of Cambridge. Tests will start once the press is installed. Certainly many of the sub 1,000 run booklets it produces would be switched to digital.
The ability to print A4 landscape with the unusual 330mmx700mm format was another convincing factor in the buying decision.
“Most buyers want a product printed and have a run length in mind but few would get involved in the choice of technology. They want a good quality result. For many it will come down to price; if they get a good enough quality that costs them less it will appeal,” says Dan Esson.
The digital press will initially be run on flexible day shifts but could be extended at a plant which operates daily from 6am to 10pm.