Sydney large format printer Next Printing has lots to celebrate this week: It just installed a new fabric printer, became the only Australian company shortlisted for next month’s FESPA Awards, and commemorated its 10th anniversary.
Long-time friends managing director Tom Tjanaria and general manager Romeo Sanuri, and their 40 staff, decided to throw a Mexican-themed party on Monday night for friends and clients to launch their ‘fabric revolution’ and show off the new $500,000 Durst Rhotex 322 fabric printer – the first installed in the Asia-Pacific region.
“With this printer, we want to challenge the status quo and offer the best service, lead time and quality,” Sanuri says.
“We now have industry-leading print speed, the capacity to do more unattended printing, a wider colour gamut and smooth images – and with our Oce ProCut 1600 computerised fabric cutter, we have increased our capacity tremendously.”
He says as the Rhotex 322, which is the largest fabric printer in Australia, can take a jumbo roll of fabric, it can run unattended for long periods, including overnight.
[Related: More Next Printing news]
According to Durst’s local distributor, it also has an automated media loading system to accelerate media changes, an automated cleaning system to reduce downtime and a closed drier system to minimise energy consumption.
Sanuri says Next Printing now has a combined capacity of almost 100,000 sqm a month, making it the largest fabric production house in Australia.
“Fabrics is still a difficult market to get in to, so if you've gained the experience you might as well accelerate before the market catches up with you,” he says.
Next Printing is shortlisted for the 2014 FESPA Awards, to be presented at the digital-focused trade show in Munich next month, in the ‘in-store project’ category, for its display design for Toshiba’s new Kira laptop.
The display encased a fully custom 6mm black Perspex box with 16mm re-board (the same material used to make Next Printing’s boardroom table) to create a Zen garden under a counter top. All the re-board edges were hidden to give a premium finish.
LED lights were then added using special LED joiners which do not prevent the unit from being flat-packed.
A dark woodgrain pattern was printed onto the outside with a HP FB7600 printer with textured laminate, using Avery Chrome Mirror and MACtac PERMAfun brush metal laminate to create the premium metallic look.
The Zen garden on top of Perspex box incorporated sand, stone and wooden rake and a bonsai plant, weighing about 26kg all up.
The units were used to display up to four laptops during the product launch, with one large unit placed as a permanent fixture in Toshiba Australia headquarters reception and six small units throughout Sydney in prominent locations to target specific market segments.
[Related: More FESPA news]
Sanuri says Next Printing has always been a company looking for what’s next. It began in 2004 after he and Tjanaria realised their 17-year photo printing business Photo King was going to be overtaken by the digital camera revolution.
Tjanaria invested $1m into starting Next Printing at its present site in St Peters with one flatbed printer and two employees. By 2008 the 18-staff firm had thrown out its two solvent printers and invested in UV technology.
In 2010 it became the second wide format company in the Asia Pacific to invest in a 500sqm flatbed printer, and diversified into fabric in 2011.
Sanuri says: “By the start of 2012, we had three direct to fabric capable wide format digital printers, to go after the soft signage industry. Not bad for a six month lead in.”
“We had a fabric banner printer, a flag printer and a UV Backlit printer. Now we have 12 wide format printers, including four direct-to-fabric,” he says.
[Related: Next Printing feature]
The company has a range of clients – mostly in point-of-sale and signage for retailers, expos and events – but 10 per cent of its work comes from television productions for clients like Shine TV, producers of Masterchef, The Voice and The Biggest Loser; and the ABC.
Sanuri says Next Printing produces all the backdrops, reveal covers, flags and other printed material for Shine’s slate of reality shows, Sunday Night’s backdrop graphics, and various work for ABC productions like the 7.30 Report, ABC News 24, Gruen Planet and the broadcaster’s election and New Year’s Eve coverage.
“It gives us a great sense of achievement to see it on screen. It usually takes a while to see it, but it looks amazing, so much better than we could ever imagine,” he says.
Comment below to have your say on this story.
If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.
Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter