Offset Printing
The latest colour Oscar goes to Hamptons Printing
Monday 27. April 2015 - Hampton Printing says that Heidelberg's ISO 12647-2 certification system and membership of the Heidelberg Colour Club has been surprisingly helpful in securing new contracts and maintaining confidence with its existing customers.
The Bristol company, recently a popular venue for film and TV crews, was the first UK company to undertake the Heidelberg certification scheme. Now it renewing for a third year, having passed its print tests in Germany once again.
“We didn’t appreciate when we first took on Heidelberg’s colour certification the impact it would have on our business. It has proved to be a really critical tool is selling colour quality printing,” says Chris Cooper, chairman of Hampton Printing.
The company handles colour critical work for a range of markets including the automotive sector, where colour match is not just highly prized but a deal breaker. Last year the company, traditionally a B1 house, made its debut in B2 with a highly specified Speedmaster XL 75-5+L, a five-colour press with coater, Inpress Control, Instant Gate, Colour Assistant Pro and InkStar meaning colour that colour is controllable and adjustable on the fly.
“The colour certification applies across our B1 and B2 pressroom because our customers need to know that no matter what format or extent a printing job is, it will be handled in a very controlled and consistent manner,” says Mr Cooper.
“Heidelberg’s colour team are critical to us achieving and maintaining the highest quality standards from our equipment and our staff. They keep us on our toes.”
Last year Heidelberg re-organised into regional teams and Hamptons is well served by Mark Barrett and Mark Harris.
Hamptons will now be part of the recently launched Colour Club Star system. Members of the Colour Club who renew their ISO 12647-2 after two years will receive stars on their logo which they can use for promotional purposes. Because Hamptons is entering their third year their certificate will feature three stars. IThis system will allow print buyers to see how entrenched the company’s colour control methodology is and to rest assured they will get the results they expect.
“We like this system and are proud to put our name alongside Heidelberg on the certification which we do hang in reception for visitors to see,” says Mr Cooper.
The cleanliness of the pressroom (you could eat a meal off it) has made it a popular media venue. Recently it has been used for a scene for a new Tim Burton directed film Big Eyes, for a NatWest advert and for a local BBC broadcast on book manufacturing.