Imagination Graphics hosts VIP Open House event (+ photo gallery)

(l-r) Imagination Graphics' Colleen and Emmanuel “Budgie” Buhagiar, and Konica Minolta's Yohei Konaka

Following the grind of PacPrint Day 1, Imagination Graphics director Emmanuel “Budgie” Buhagiar invited the industry to the company’s premises, where they got the chance to see the Konica Minolta AccurioJet KM-1 in action.

Attendees experienced the power of Konica Minolta’s digital inkjet press, and saw first-hand how the technology is redefining print quality, efficiency, and versatility.

“Konica Minolta has been in production print for a very long time, and some of you are long-term customers of ours. But the exciting thing about industrial print processes is new revenue streams to your business – and that’s us helping you grow your business,” Konica Minolta chief sales officer Dean Hosking said.

“That’s exactly what Budgie and his wife Colleen have done with their business. They took on a bit of a leap of faith in the industrial print side of things, and are growing different revenue streams in their business.”

Konica Minolta’s Wade Marriner and the KM-1

The KM-1 sheet fed B2 UV colour digital inkjet combines the speed and flexibility of offset presses with the digital benefits of variable data printing with zero make‑ready.

The KM-1 can print on a variety of substrates at varying thicknesses hitting speeds of up to 3,000 sheets per hour simplex or 1,500 sheets per hour duplex.

Its unique design marries Konica Minolta’s UV ink, high-speed inkjet head technology and image processing system, with its expertise in stable sheet path control and two-sided printing with superb registration accuracy.

“This investment was a big step for Imagination Graphics; however, it was the right one. We did our due diligence and had faith that the KM-1 and Konica Minolta, as a trusted partner for more than 15 years, would deliver,” Buhagiar said.

“Imagination Graphics chose the KM-1 due to its ability to print on a wide variety of stocks, which gives us great versatility in the types of work we can take on, as well as the colour and quality reproduction and ability to match Pantone colours.

“The KM-1 opened up a whole new market and client base for Imagination Graphics. It will gives us more speed, faster turnaround, the ability to bring work in-house that we previously had to outsource, and the opportunity to take on short-run projects, which will make us more competitive.”

(l-r) Hero Print’s Wade Brown and Alex Coulson having a look at Imagination Graphics’ KM-1

Buhagiar added the AccurioJet KM-1 to Imagination’s printing stable after finalising the deal with Konica Minolta at PrintEx19. There was a launch ceremony in November 2019, which also celebrated Buhagiar’s long-standing relationship with Konica Minolta.

However, within a short few months, Buhagiar’s premises was hit by a flood in February 2020, where all of his printing equipment, including the then newly installed Konica Minolta AccurioJet KM-1, were destroyed when two feet of floodwater swept through the factory.

This was followed by insurance approvals for Buhagiar, but as it happened during the thick of COVID, he only managed to get the replacement machine in August 2020 – that too by navigating several challenges.

After an evening of print innovation, attendees unwinded with the Konica Minolta and Imagination Graphics teams at The Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre.

Here are some photos from the event: