Nutan Printers is a friendly, family-run commercial litho printing business based in the heart of Leicester. The company has 30 years experience delivering a range of printed material and promotional items to customers ranging from small local businesses to large, multinational corporations. Nutan also provides services for local trade printers as well as working with marketing departments and graphic designers throughout the UK and has developed a deep and commercial understanding of how print fits into the overall marketing communications mix.
Jatin Rathod of Nutan Printers, comments, “A number of elements need to combine to ensure the delivery of high quality commercial printing solutions: skilled craftsmen, sophisticated technology, effective quality control and strong project management. Nutan has invested heavily in all of these areas. We have the latest Heidelberg presses, which utilise state-of-the-art technology to ensure colour continuity across the entire range of our customers’ printed collateral, from business cards and letterheads, to corporate brochures, mailing packs and promotional leaflets. We aim to produce jobs in-house, streamlining them from start to finish to meet tight deadlines.”
Over such a long time, Nutan Printers has been through the ups and downs of the market and has seen plenty of change in its industry. “The market has become very competitive because there are so many more printers out there striving for the same business. We have always focused on delivering quality so our growth has mainly been through word of mouth. We are currently looking to expand our web-based business in order to generate more revenue across a broader geographic region. We also have a team of sales people who are visiting businesses across the local and broader UK to generate new business.” explains Jatin.
Another way that Nutan has looked to increase business has been by introducing large format inkjet printing into its business workflow. Jatin says, “Several years ago, to provide digital proofs for our new plate imaging system, we purchased an Epson Stylus Pro 10600. We soon found that this printer could also deliver posters and point of sale displays quickly and easily and this became a new revenue stream for us. Having stepped into this area of the market, our sales team found that customers were asking more and more from us that was outside our traditional printing services.”
He continues, “Customers were asking us for a broader range of applications, including PVC banners, roller banners and window graphics that the 10600 couldn’t do and we were having to either turn this down or outsource it to third parties. Outsourcing made usless competitive in terms of price and we preferred to have complete control of the job anyway. Similarly, having to say to customers that we can’t do something means they will go somewhere else and that puts existing business in jeopardy. Our initial foray into inkjet soon led us to return to the market to find a suitable printer that would meet the growing demand for display graphics.”
The type of work they were being asked to do meant that Nutan needed tofind a solvent-based inkjet printer. “We looked at all the leading machines on the market, but felt there was either a lack of quality in the final output or a lack of capability when it came to support,” says Jatin, adding, “We had purchased an EFI RIP to help us streamline production with the 10600, from Random Choice Solutions and were pleased with their knowledge and service, so we talked to them again about a solvent-based printer. They showed us the Epson GS6000 and it was immediately clear that this printer was a different class.”
The Epson Stylus Pro GS6000 is a 64” wide, roll-to-roll printer, suitable for a wide range of applications. The printer delivers the very highest print quality with vibrant colours and lifelike tones using 8-colour Epson UltraChrome™ GS solvent inks. This mild eco-solvent inks allow users to achieve exceptional image reproduction for all graphic display requirements, especially when printing on to vinyl or canvas. These inks produce vivid colours that other cmyk machines cannot achieve thanks to its orange and green inks. The GS6000 is easy on its users and the environment with solvent inks that are nickel-free, virtually odourless anddon't spread harmful volatile organic compounds (VOC’s). This means the printer can be used safely in environments where special ventilation is not possible.
“Print quality was our main criteria, but the lack of smell was also important as it meant we didn’t need to have a specially ventilated area to house the printer,” says Jatin.
The GS6000 was installed in September 2010 and it was put to work immediately. “Pretty much all the work the 10600 was doing has been moved to the GS6000. It simply does it better, faster and more cost-effectively, which mean we are more competitive and win more business,” he says.
In addition to the printer, Nutan also purchased the Caldera RIP. “Caldera is an excellent product that really gets the most out of the printer,” says Jatin. “It has a function which measures the cost of materials and ink usage for each print, which allows to be spot on with our pricing and our competitive quoting. If someone rings up asking for a banner and he says he has been quoted a price elsewhere, Caldera helps us to see very quickly whether or not it is worth us quoting for that business. It is all very well winning business, but it needs to make money and by having a very accurate picture of the cost ofeach print allows us to be smarter and more profitable. ”
Hardi Rathod, Business Development Associate at Nutan Printers, adds, “The GS6000 very much complements our litho business and has extended our reach and capabilities for the market. We are now able to provide new services, such as window graphics and are looking at the possibility of wallpaper coverings. This is all business that we could not deliver before and means we can be a trueone-stop-shop for our clients’ printing requirements.”
In terms of support, Jatin has been more than happy with the service received from Random Choice and Colourgen. “Both companies have been very supportive in terms of installation and training and answering any questions we have had on the RIP. But in terms of the printer, support hasn’t really been an issue because we haven’t had any problems with it,” he says.
Overall Jatin is delighted with the Epson GS6000 and the Caldera RIP. “I definitely think we made the right choice. The printer is very easy to use and very reliable and the quality of the output is far above anything else we saw from other solvent printers. The feedback we get from our customers is always highly appreciative of the print quality and this is the most important element for us. It is an excellent print solution that has increased business for us and made us better able to support the broader printing requirements of ourcustomers.”
