Case study from i-Sub Digital

Sign Architects has reported 100 per cent growth each year since it was established four years ago - and intends to continue the trend with help from a new printer investment from expert wide format system supplier i-Sub Digital.

Predominantly a sign maker specialising in 3D built-up letter signs for SMEs - but offering a wide variety of signage products - Sign Architects has plans to reach a broader range of customers to expand its business into the new decade. "To do that we need the right kind of equipment: the right CNC machines and the right printers," explains Yusuf Rab, Managing Director, Sign Architects. Furthermore, Yusuf and his team - based in Barking, Essex - have noticed a growing demand for flatbed printing. "Printing directly to substrates is the direction our customers are heading in," says the Managing Director. "It's the new big thing and we saw a gap in the market that we could fill." Considering a flatbed replacement for an existing wide format printer to meet this demand, Yusuf Rab received a word-of-mouth recommendation for i-Sub Digital. As a specialist supplier of wide format print and finishing systems, i-Sub Digital is known for the long-term support it provides its customers. Sign Architects headed to the Sign and Digital UK exhibition in Birmingham in April 2019 to meet i-Sub Digital and explore its range of Agfa Anapurna flatbed printers. Impressed by what he saw, Yusuf then went to i-Sub Digital's showroom in Kettering for further research. In June 2019 the Barking sign maker took delivery of an Agfa Anapurna H1650i LED, a hybrid UV LED inkjet printer with integrated roll-to-roll system for indoor and outdoor applications. It is the ideal solution for printing directly to aluminium composite and acrylic, and therefore the perfect investment for Sign Architects. The 1.6m wide-format hybrid Agfa Anapurna 1650i LED printer combines rigid board and roll-to-roll printing with a maximum media thickness of 45mm and a print width of 1650mm, making it a hugely versatile and productive solution for Sign Architects. Agfa Asanti RIP software drives the printer and offers excellent colour control, functionality and workflow capabilities. Along with Agfa's UV ink technology, the Asanti RIP software achieves an extremely low ink usage, reducing Sign Architects' production costs dramatically. Emma Plant, Sales Director at i-Sub, comments: "We were delighted that Sign Architects were recommended to i-Sub as this demonstrates that our commitment to provide the best service and market-leading systems is rewarded with happy customers. Sign Architects were a typical customer who had invested in other wide format systems a number of years previously. Whilst such systems were at the forefront of technology at the time, issues relating to print quality, speed, reliability and ease of use become apparent as time and technology moves on. When new technologies such as the Agfa Anapurna are developed these issues are eliminated and this enables businesses to move into new areas along with increasing profitability. "We look forward to continuing our relationship and assisting Sign Architects with their future requirements as their business grows." "Since its installation the Agfa Anapurna has been getting busier and busier," says Yusuf. "We - and our customers - love the vibrancy of the colours, the UV element and the speed of production. It offers a different service to our clients and also makes our jobs easier, as it removes the numerous vinyl application steps in the print room which in turn improves our ability to produce jobs faster for our clients and increases our profitability. "In 2020 we will pursue different avenues of business and to grow further, and our new Agfa from i-Sub will help us achieve that."