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About Us

Who We Are

In 2022 SOS celebrated 50 years of partnership and service to the UK printing industry. We offer a huge range of day-to-day offset supplies and an impressive portfolio of capital equipment with some unique and market-leading products.

These include the Cron range of CTP systems which are rapidly becoming a global best-seller, with options including thermal, UV and flexo – plus a wide choice of plates and associated software.  We are also suppliers of various wide format printers from Roland DG, Fuji, Epson and Yotta, and we also supply production digital presses from Kodak, Konica and Fuji.

We provide an unbroken chain of services and products from prepress, workflow solutions and colour accurate proofs all the way to FOGRA certifications on press.

It’s not just about our great products –  we’re proud of our people and we have a great service team looking after all our customers, large and small.

2012 has seen SOS maintain its position as the number one reseller of Fujifilm graphic arts consumables in the UK. Recent sales volumes have shown that Fuji’s processless Pro-T3 plate has really taken off and this is now one of our most popular products.

SOS supplies Kodak Nexfinity digital presses and Achieve CTP systems, and is is a long-established supplier of Kodak consumables in the UK for the print industry. We have a strong relationship with Kodak and as a result, have enjoyed the benefits of working very closely together – benefits which ultimately we are able to pass on to our customers.

Flint Group is acknowledged as one of the leading printing ink manufacturers, supplying services and solutions across the majority of the printing markets.  SOS is proud to be able to offer our customers such a high quality of ink and printing solutions.

SOS has a long-established dealership with Screen and is one of their premier dealers. Screen’s reputation for producing quality CtP engines is second to none – their build quality and robustness are well known. Screen’s kit coupled with the SOS range of CtP plates and service has proved to be a very successful partnership for our customers.

Epson provides the industry standard for printers in wide-format digital proofing and more recently signage and POS. SOS has been an approved reseller of Epson equipment and consumables for a number of years. Contact us to enquire about proofing or wide-format solutions.

SOS has successfully introduced a wide range of high-quality, own brand, inkjet media called T4Jet. Our range includes high quality Fogra approved media to low cost postioned proofing paper and various other MATT, GLOSS and SILK finish papers. In doing this, SOS is now one of the leading suppliers of inkjet media in the South-East.

EFI researches, invent and deliver next-generation digital RIP technology and wide format printers. By partnering with EFI, the customers of SOS benefit from a product portfolio that increases their profits, cuts costs, improves productivity and optimizes their performance on every job from creation to print.

Roland DG provides high-performance wide format products for professionals in the sign, POS, packaging and label industries. Together with Roland, SOS can provide you with the whole package, from the hardware right through to the media.

Fogra is an internationally renowned Graphic Research Association which helps businesses achieve quality standards. Technicians in pre-press and on the print shop floor need to understand process control in order to ensure a failsafe production. Similarly, the manufacturing processes must be executed reliably. SOS will help you obtain Fogra Certification and in doing so, you will benefit from the opportunity to gain Process Standard Offset (PSO) and Process Standard Digital (PSD) certification based on ISO 12647. Externally, this certificate provides proof of the quality of which a printing or media company is capable and internally it ensures smooth production that helps to avoid complaints. Fogra Certification is done in two stages; proofing (pre-press) and then on the press. SOS has held Fogra certification since 2006.

Policrom Screens is part of a worldwide organization providing graphic art supplies. SOS offers their range of stripping and varnishing blankets along with a comprehensive range of wash cloths.

Laserpoint II is a thermal ablative film for use on Flexo CtP engines. SOS is the official distributor for LaserPoint II Film in the UK.

Konica Minolta’s product portfolio comprises versatile product series covering all areas of digital imaging. The high-speed bizhub PRO and bizhub PRESS production printing systems perform at top speeds in colour and/or black & white, while the wide range of black & white and colour digital printers answer every imaginable printing need.

The H series is the first in a line of automatic 3-in-1 integrated imaging systems designed by CRON. The H-series system combines fully automated plate loading with de-leafing and precision punching, providing a low cost, easy-to-use compact CTP device which is easy to maintain. With a total footprint just 60% the size of comparable units. This system offers high performance alongside improved convenience and cost efficiency. The exposing engine, based on CRON’s market-leading magnetic linear drive platform, provides fault-free imaging across a wide choice of resolutions with registration accuracy up to 0.01 mm and a tonal range of 1-99%, in either conventional or stochastic screening. Consistent drum pressure control, and integrated in-line punching for up to 3 punching heads, enables precise registration for a wide range of formats.

Blackwood UV plates combine the qualities of a first-class aluminium base, with fine graining for even dampener distribution, together with a coating which has a high sensitivity, excellent plate adhesion and robust performance.

The net result provides excellent dot reproduction, perfect ink/water balance and long run lengths for both commercial and newspaper applications.

Key Points:

  • Quality and FM screening capability
  • Runs at 100% of CtP engine speed

Sun Chemical is a big name among  ink manufacturers, with a huge range of inks available to suit all applications.  SOS is proud to be able to offer our customers such a high quality of ink and printing solutions.

Lüscher is one of the world’s foremost manufacturers of large format platesetting equipment with a range of printing applications including offset, flexo, screen printing (rotary and flat), textiles, stamping & embossing, security, pad and film.