Elizabeth Taylor Graphics started out producing digitally printed signs for the real estate industry. It was a business that did well for the company, but after two years Elizabeth and Tim were looking for something that would take it to the next level. They had been asked a number of times if they could provide window cards and flyers in support of the photo signs. The colour photocopier they started with quickly became overwhelmed by the volume of business, and so it was decided to go with a Fuji Xerox digital printing press.
“We decided to bite the bullet and invest in the DocuColor 2060. It was a big decision because the cost of the machine was more than our entire turnover from the previous year, and so having made the decision we had to get off our bums and get new business.”
Calling, phoning and database marketing has driven this niche business to over a million dollar turnover in the past year, with up to 1,000,000 marketing cards being produced in a month.
Today, the Wellington-based business boasts customers throughout the country, from Auckland to Dunedin and operates from a 1000 sq/m building boasting a 300 sq/m showroom, right on State Highway One. And they have just invested in a DocuColor 6060 from Fuji Xerox, the latest in the line of powerful and high performance print engines from the company.
The real estate market still provides a large amount of business for the company, but there has been some diversification since the move into the new showroom. The increased visibility has pulled in considerable amounts of new custom, Beere says. In the five months since it shifted from the living room, Elizabeth Taylor Graphics’ turnover has gone up 40 per cent, at a time when the overheated real estate market is demanding less promotional material than 12 months ago.
This new age of ‘print on demand’ worldwide shows substantial growth, but waiting for business to come in the door is not the way to share in that. Identify your potential customers, and then get out and ask for their business. Don’t accept no for an answer, Beere says.
“One customer turned me down three times before they finally started doing business with us, and now they spend over $40,000 a year. Price is not the main concern these days; in fact it’s about 4th on the list. Speed, quality and the ability to deliver rate higher, and Fuji Xerox digital print delivers,” Beere says.
“We noticed an immediate improvement in quality. Initially, we had a few teething problems, but Fuji Xerox have bent over backwards to make sure we stay in production.”
The decision to step up from the 2060 to the 6060 was based on the new machine’s higher productivity and particularly its higher speed in printing on card: “A lot of our work is on 210gsm,” Beere says. Apart from the increased speed, he says there is an “increased vibrancy to the colours. They’re noticeably better.” The company also prints on full weight, 300gsm card.
Having seen growth of almost 50 per cent last year, Beere fully expects to see above 40 per cent again this year: “We are making extremely high value products. If you hunt business for these machines, you can build margins quite quickly.”
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