Slough-based large-format printing specialist The Big Display Company has set its sights on expansion into new markets following the purchase of an HP Latex R2000 Plus production printer, saying the device has completely changed the way the business operates.
Registered as Bullseye Awards and Garments but operating as The Big Display Company, the business took on the new HP Latex R2000 Plus in March 2021 having purchased the machine from Papergraphics, an HP approved UK reseller.
As a long-term HP Latex advocate, The Big Display Company was keen to explore the latest technology available to the market, and after speaking with the team at Papergraphics, opted for the HP Latex R2000 Plus.
"We are big supporters of latex ink; we've seen the quality, ease of operation and the high production output it is capable of achieving, so we were keen to see what was possible with the R2000 Plus," The Big Display Company's Marketing Director Jack Murphy said.
"From seeing samples, we were amazed at the versatility and quality that could be achieved on direct-to-board printing, and the density of the white looked like it would open a lot of doors for us."
Despite having only been running since early March, Jack Murphy said the HP Latex R2000 Plus has had a massive impact on production, explaining the printer has completely changed how the business operates - to the point where it is already planning expansion into new and profitable markets.
"The print speed, quality and consistency that comes with the R2000 Plus means we have taken on high volume Foamex and Correx jobs that we wouldn't have been able to before," Jack Murphy said.
"A job that would previously have taken a couple of weeks to do, now takes the R2000 Plus a few days without any overtime, alongside printing other jobs. We've been able to say yes to jobs that in the past we just wouldn't have been able to get near, while meeting the tightest of deadlines.
"We now have the opportunity to move into a number of different areas of the market, such as direct-to-board on multiple substrates, bespoke short- to mid-run packaging and high-quality interior applications such as acrylic and window graphics with white ink."
Jack Murphy said that the white ink option will be particularly useful when moving into other areas, explaining the company has experienced a huge uptake in printing white ink since it started running the R2000 Plus.
"We were expecting to print white ink maybe once a week, but we are already printing jobs with white ink daily - sometimes with rolls printing overnight," Jack Murphy said.
"The white ink has also supported us working with higher end materials such as acrylic; in combination with our Zünd cutter, new flame polisher and line bender, we can produce work of the very highest quality."