Essex-based Access360, a specialist exhibition, experiential marketing and interiors company, has replaced its old Mimaki solvent printer with a new HP Latex 370 from City and West End Solutions.
The company says that the HP gives it triple the production capacity of the old machine – and thanks to the booming demand for bespoke wallpapers and other interiors solutions, the business is already there to fill that capacity.
Access360’s main focus is on interior decoration for large corporates, supplying individual companies and chains across the UK and Europe.
“Our work includes window manifestations and digital wallpapers, and when our work volume in those areas started increasing week on week, we needed to invest in a new fast and reliable printer to meet that growing demand,” explained Director Dave Pimlott.
“I spoke to Graham De Kock at CWE Solutions because I’ve known him for many years and knew that I could talk to him in technical language about the print solution we were looking for – the way we wanted to print, the speed, size of output and so on.
“He asked if we had considered latex, and it was clear that the HP Latex 370 ticked all the boxes for us as regards speed and reliability – and it’s unusual to find something that really does everything that you want it to. Latex printing is a plus for environmental reasons for both us and our clients, and a lot of the old issues of material compatibilities for latex seemed to have been ironed out.
“The excellent price of the machine also allowed us to invest in a specialist Onyx Thrive RIP, giving us more control over the image output and colour. With its versatility, power and the ability to control all of its functions this RIP does everything you could conceivably want it to, but the greatest advantage for the work we do is its speed.
“With our old RIP a typical bespoke wallpaper would probably take around 20 minutes to process – with the Onyx it only takes a couple of minutes.”
The speed of Onyx RIP is backed up by the print speed and reliability of the HP Latex 370 itself, and Dave says that since the printer was installed in July, they’ve seen 100% reliability with no colour issues or spoilage.
He said: “In the past we would have issues on a daily basis such as colour inconsistencies between panels, but we’ve had no such problems with the new HP. You don’t realise how much time you’re losing even if it’s just one panel here and there, and how much that affects your bottom line, but with its improved speed and reliability the HP has triple the production capacity of our old solvent printer.
“The quality of the print is also as impressive as the speed of output. In today’s corporate world the focus is on brightening up the workplace and making it more inviting and comfortable for staff. The HP Latex 370 is perfect as it produces a top quality, robust output and is great at matching colours with incredible accuracy on pantones.
“I have to say that the HP Latex 370 is the first printer we’ve bought that lives up to the spec that’s listed – and that really is saying something!
“Wallcoverings is an area that’s keeping us exceptionally busy, and the smooth and speedy process of dealing with CWE from initial conversation and purchase to installation and training was excellent, as we could hit the ground running with no down time.”
Commercial Director at CWE Solutions, Graham De Kock added: “The 64 inch, six colour HP Latex 370 keeps running costs low, and allows for both unattended printing and the ability to change cartridges while printing.
“At up to 1200 dpi it uses water-based inks to produce sharp, consistent, repeatable image quality with high-efficiency curing, and can print onto traditional signage substrates like vinyl and banners to temporary textiles, canvas and wallpapers. The quality is maintained at high speed, and output is instantly dry, with the scratch resistance benefits of the third generation of latex inks.
“Personalisation is becoming incredibly popular in both corporate, retail and home interior design, and printers like the HP Latex range coupled with the Onyx RIP are perfectly placed to meet that demand while delivering excellent profit levels for those companies who choose to join this exciting new market.”
