Impress Printing
Leading Dublin-based printer saves time and increases productivity, without any compromise to quality, with the help of Brillia HD PRO-T plates from Fujifilm.
Established in Dublin 1990, Impress Printing Works was founded specifically for the production of quality multicolour and process printing. Initially comprising three working directors in one business unit, the business has grown over the past few years to employ twenty-two staff working out of three units, with an annual turnover of €2.5 million.
With an ever increasing workload and a readily expanding customer base, Impress wanted to increase efficiency throughout the organisation. As Jack Lunney, production manager and director at Impress, explains: "We wanted to simplify our prepress operation and maximise our plate output, to not only meet but also exceed customer demands."
As part of the efficiency drive, working in conjunction with Litho Supplies Dublin, Impress took the decision to switch to using Fuji's Brillia HD PRO-T processless plates. Jack continues: "Imaging processless plates provides one less variable in the pre-press process. Obviously, we no longer need a processor so we've saved valuable space and that also means there's one less piece of equipment we have to worry about maintaining and servicing."
Aside from saving valuable space by relinquishing its processor, by switching to PRO-T plates, Impress has seen a reduction in its environmental footprint. As Jack explains: "We no longer have to purchase, store and use the chemicals that were required for plate processing. Therefore, waste disposal isn't required, saving us money and also helping us to reduce our environmental footprint. The lack of chemicals on-site also means that we now have a cleaner working atmosphere for all of our employees."
As well as switching to Fuji PRO-T plates, Impress completed the overhaul of its pre-press department by installing a CTP system from Screen and a SAL automatic plate loader. Jack comments: "Since we've made these changes, we've doubled the number of plates we produce and cut production times by 65 per cent. The plate making process is so much less labour intensive and quicker than before.
"Because we've increased our efficiency so much, we've been able to free-up some of our pre-press staff to provide support to other areas of the business. Whereas before we were considering taking on new staff to cope with demand, our new system means that this is no longer the case - we can place existing staff where they're needed most, in line with the priorities of the day."
Jack concludes: "We're delighted with how our pre-press process is working. Not only are we more time and cost efficient, we're more environmentally friendly; we've provided a cleaner working environment for our staff; we're benefiting from more space, and we have one less piece of equipment to worry about. We've revolutionised our pre-press operation and, within a relatively short time frame, have seen a fantastic return on investment."
