Port Printing transforms with digital tech

Perth trade printer Port Printing Works is aiming to grow its digital business, currently 20 per cent of its output, to half its turnover. The 30-staff family printer installed Australia’s first Scodix S74 Pro in 2013, seeing an opportunity to set itself apart with the machine’s embellishing capabilities. Tom Wagenaar, director of Port Printing, says the company entered both wide format and short run packaging in the past year to become a full service firm, led by the Scodix and an HP Indigo 5500. Wagenaar says the Scodix made 3D gloss UV printing economical and opened possibilities for new markets and customised products.  

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Post Printing: powering forward

He says, “The products you can create with it are unique because raised embellishment cannot be done with conventional UV. “There are not many of these around so it is not a service most printers can provide, it really sets us apart.” One of the most successful products the Scodix makes possible is business cards that use gloss UV to raise text or logos above the surface of the paper, giving them texture and notability. Since then, Port Printing has used the technology on book covers, postcards, presentation folders, packaging and even printing braille. He says, “You always have to be adding something different to your business and 3D UV has a tactile feel to it, you can run your fingers over it and feel the definition. “We are always thinking of ways to use it, or new products we can create with the technology.” He says the company’s national client base gave him the confidence to be able to recoup the value of such a big investment in new technology. The company also offers bespoke and outside the box creations, with the digital technology facilitating one-off jobs and prototypes. He says, “Clients come to us for something really different and we work with them to create something new. “We are now able to think outside the square. If you have the means you are not just an order taker, you always have to be looking for new opportunities and opening new markets.” A web-to-print system integrated into the factory workflow manages the full-service production and makes the process lean without needing to have sales reps out on the road. “We have changed to offer a complete solution, because it is not just about printing anymore, it is about communication.”

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