Freestyle Designs in Bath has become the first UK customer of the new Agfa Anapurna Ciervo H3200 print engine, unveiled earlier this year.
Their ‘early adopter’ investment secures them as an Agfa Beta site, receiving additional technical support that will help rigorously test the flexibility and commercial benefits of this powerful new machine.
The new Anapurna Ciervo H3200 is a versatile hybrid wide-format inkjet printer. It is designed with a 3.2m print width to handle a wide range of rigid and roll media for indoor and outdoor applications. Its productivity is enhanced through efficient continuous board feeding and the ability to print on multiple boards, up to 4 simultaneously. The printer's borderless printing reduces the need for post-finishing, and it can achieve pre-white, sandwich white, and post-white in one run. Its UV LED technology brings great ecological benefits too. Powered by the Asanti workflow software, the printer features 16 ink jet heads and uses 'Thin Ink Layer Technology' to help minimise ink consumption. Its dual roll ability also allows for printing two-up as required and, with improved tension, expands the range of media choices for the print operative.
Freestyle Designs was established in 2008 by Jayson Godridge, who entered the print industry after finishing school. He had worked for several print businesses, but when the last one folded due to the recession at the time, he decided to take the plunge and start his own business by investing in a plotter and installing it at home. Within a few months, he rented a small unit in Bath and began to build a team of staff to help him grow and establish the business. The current 6,500 sq ft site on Locksbrook Road Trading Estate in Bath, is his third premises, where and he and his team of 10 operate. The business offers a wide range of print-related services, including signage, hoardings, shop fascias, wall graphics, office interiors, and vehicle wraps. The diversity of work they produce makes Freestyle Designs a practical testing ground for Agfa Graphics' new engine, as it will be tested on a wide variety of jobs.
Jayson first saw the new Anapurna Ciervo machine under a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) in late 2023. Impressed by its proposed new features, he decided to wait for its launch before investing in the machine. In January, his team revisited Antwerp to see the machine in its Alpha form. Following a few virtual meetings, they placed their order for the machine in March, and it was installed on their premises in April of this year.
Jayson said: “In 2021, we bought our first Agfa hybrid printer to replace an old flatbed Mimaki machine that we had outgrown. At the time, we chose the smaller 2.5m Agfa Anapurna model due to space limitations in our old location. This new printer was a game changer for us, offering robust performance and significantly increased capacity compared to the old press, without any sacrifice in quality.
When we relocated to our current larger premises 18 months ago, we brought the 2.5m Anapurna with us. However, as our business expanded, we needed a printer that could handle larger materials and improve our print speeds. One area we focused on was single piece wallcoverings, so we began to look into machines that could handle up to 3m to avoid seams in the material. After conducting thorough research and considering various options, we narrowed our choices down to EFI and Agfa. Ultimately, we went with the new Agfa Anapurna Ciervo because it was faster, used less ink, and we were already familiar with the Agfa system. We were also impressed by the quality, perfect for some of our detailed POS work, which could still be produced at speed.”
James Argent at Agfa adds: “As this was the first installation of an Anapurna Ciervo in the UK, we decided to relocate their old Anapurna to a different area of the production unit while keeping it operational to provide our customer with peace of mind and to ensure no downtime for their business. We then installed the new, larger engine in its place. The installation went smoothly, requiring minimal training as the new Anapurna Ciervo essentially works the same as their old engine; it is powered by the Asanti workflow and has the same Graphic User Interface (GUI) making the transition for the print operatives easy. In reality since the install the old Anapurna has been mostly unused, and we are now preparing to take it away for resale.”
Freestyle Designs made a total investment of £200k in the latest Agfa engine, and Jayson has confirmed that the investment has greatly improved their operations. The quality has improved at higher speeds, productivity has increased, and they are now able to handle work in-house that they couldn't do before. Jayson also mentioned that they have developed a strong relationship with Agfa over the past 3 years. He praised Agfa for providing reliable machines and experienced technical support, stating that it all makes for an enjoyable supplier relationship.
