In times of great change, local print business GENR8 Printing, which operates in Wallsend NSW, has harnessed the latest technology from HP to offer a whole new range of creative printing solutions to its customers.
GENR8 Printing was established by Yianni Moratidis in 2018 to complement his marketing, events and entertainment agency, GENR8. As digital print specialists, Moratidis and his business partner Bernie Ayrton offer a range of customised print services that produce signage, posters, menus, and business stationary on a range of substrates.
Between two staff, Moratidis and Ayrton, the young digital print house had a vision to reduce its reliance on a single industry and cater to a broad base of small businesses.
“The entertainment side of the business operates largely in the pubs and clubs space but also does parties, weddings engagements and other special events. When I started GENR8 Printing, my intent was for it to complement our entertainment agency. I quickly realised the demand for customised print services beyond the entertainment sector and decided to support the printing side of our business independently.”
To support this growth, Moratidis began exploring the printing needs of small businesses around town and visited printing trade shows to hear from industry experts on the latest print capabilities and technologies in the market. It was here that GENR8 Printing discovered HP.
“Our work with HP began back when I was setting up the GENR8 Printing business. At the time, I had deployed a printer from another supplier, but I needed a technology partner who could help us look beyond the path of wide format with mesh and vinyl banners,” Moratidis said.
A partnership that began with one HP Latex 365 roll-to roll printer has since expanded to include a newly installed HP Latex R1000 that offered easy, automatic printing for high-value rigid jobs, meaning GENR8 could quickly expand its offerings.
The HP Latex R1000 proved a reliable and efficient addition that helped GENR8 Printing rise above the recent downturn while still offering high-quality product. At the onset of the COVID-19 lockdown, GENR8 Printing printed over 50 metres of complementary floor stickers to assist small businesses.
Like many in the industry, GENR8 Printing experienced slowing demand for many of its traditional printing jobs in entertainment, including menus, signs, and banners. Noticing that many pubs and clubs were taking advantage of this time to renovate its premises, the HP Latex R1000 allowed GENR8 Printing to deliver a direct-to-substrate product and introduce new and creative ways to reach customers when they needed quick, reliable and high-quality printing most. The HP Latex R1000 made it possible to print on gloss and matte substrates, foiling and cello glazing, vinyl banners and stickers, corflute and foam boards, PhotoTex, even gym mats. GENR8 Printing is now able to offer anything from small to wide format.
“Thanks in large part to our work with HP, GENR8 Printing has started branching out into interior décor in addition to the traditional offerings of posters, business cards, flyers and menus. In the acrylic market, we are now opening ourselves up to a new service with wedding invitations,” Moratidis said.
On 20 August, GENR8 Printing and HP will host a webinar on ‘Pivots in print: How one local print business changed the game during COVID-19’. Sign up to hear more from GENR8 Printing on their journey through this pandemic and the creative applications they have introduced in the midst of COVID-19.
Craig Hardman, HP ANZ Country Manager for Large Format Printing, and GENR8 Printing Managing Director Yianni Moratidis will also discuss the challenges Australia’s print industry has faced in 2020, what businesses can do to succeed now and beyond the pandemic, and the latest in large format print technology helping businesses like GENR8 Printing offer entirely new, creative printing solutions for customers when they need it most.
Register for the Webinar now!
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