The Sydney CBD business installed a semi-automated Graphic Whizard FM-100 in June. It can perforate 10,000 sheets per hour and is more than 10 times faster than the hand-fed machine it replaced, said owner Neilson Peng.

“Now I can use my Lanier C751 to print NCR at 60gsm in full colour, collated, and then I put the finished printout into the FM-100 for perforating,” he told ProPrint.

“I can do full-colour NCR in super-fast speed with the capacity to add variable data – numbers, letters or even barcodes.

[Feature: The digital finishing dilemma]

“I’ve tried to produce 5 x A4 duplicate invoice books in full colour; it took less than 60 minutes from start to finish. I don’t think anyone else in the market can offer such a speed and quality.”

Peng said Sirius’ digital capability gave it a “high competitive advantage” over offset rivals that can’t offer variable data or such economical short runs.

The three-staff firm invested $7,500 in the Graphic Whizard, which it received at a discount because it was a demo model, he said.

Peng acquired the business in 2011. He told ProPrint he had doubled sales in the 2012-13 financial year, but had only managed to break even. Using the perforator for trade work is expected to boost profitability, he said.

Herben Numbering Systems is Graphic Whizard’s local distributor.

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