Print DNA is investing in a Fuji Xerox Versant 3100 press, with the regional printer installing it three weeks before the SA Fuji Xerox head office gets one.
Print DNA is based in the regional SA town of Renmark, located some 234km from Adelaide.
Started by Ian and Mary-Ann Andrews in 2006, since Print DNA has grown to a regional powerhouse with capabilities across offset, sheetfed, narrow-web adhesive, and wide format.
Ian Andrews says, “The Xerox is the first 3100 machine in Adelaide, and we got ours three weeks before the Xerox centre in Adelaide.
“It is a full-production press. From digital files through to a fully printed, stapled, collated, trimmed book, ready to go to the customer. It prints envelopes, docket books. It takes our manual offline work away, and speeds up our processes from order to completion.
“We have a definite increase in job production, as it prints at an insane speed, paper or heavy-card, that has been a bonus. Jobs that would take us two hours are now done in 10 minutes. The reduction in offline finishing has gained a lot of time. In the short-term I have the opportunity to work on my business, as opposed to just in the business. Now I can work with clients, do marketing, social media, and things I haven’t been able to.
“There are five of us here. As Print DNA we have been going for 11 years, previously we had another business, doing personalised wedding stationery. We started from literally nothing. Marianne has been in printing all her life, through another family business. I wanted to play on this new thing called the internet, and bought a $50 bubble printer. Someone asked for a christening invitation, then two more people asked for wedding stationary, and from there we started a full time business.
“From a spare room, to car-port, to a shop-front in the main street. We then bought next door to expand into.
“Now we are running sheetfed, automated, narrow web self adhesive, wide-format, and expanded our product range. Which you need in country areas, you need to be diversified to capture a market share to make a living.
“I have ideas on how we can expand our product range with the equipment and technology that we have. There is always the opportunity in variable data and personalisation, particularly in self-adhesive market. There is a hole in the very small run market. We have microbrews, small gourmet producers that need 500 as opposed to 50,000 labels. We can give them a high-end professional presentation for their product, comparable to multinationals, but still within an affordable price range.
“A lot of our clients will head to farmers markets, fairs, shows on weekends, selling direct to public. They do not have the ability to produce larger amounts, so would never need the large volume runs. We run digital, so we do not need to spend money on consumables. We encourage customers to get six months worth a time. We work individually with customers to suit their needs, and get the best bang for their buck, which we get a lot of positive feedback from.
“From Xerox’s point of view, we are reliable. They previously did a case study on the Xerox 700 on our floor, which was the first production machine put in an isolated regional area of Australia. They have followed through with their trust and faith in us, bigger equipment despite our remote location.”
Print DNA’s Chloe Rudd has taken out the SA LIA Graduate of the Year Award, and will compete at the national awards later this year.
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