NO PROBLEM

‘Can do’ printer meets ‘can do’ CTP

York’s Fulprint has been offering a professional print service since 1985. The company has always had a ‘can do’ approach and offers a wide range of print services to an even wider customer base. “We have about 600 customers – and our biggest customer accounts for only about 10% of turnover. Our work profile is very varied,” says Director Frankie Curran.

Investment in finishing has provided much of the added value on offer. For instance, Fulprint has recently been producing bespoke packaging products, notably for a local chocolate company. At the other end of the production process in the pre-press department, the emphasis is less about variety and more about consistency, and to this end the company upgraded to a new Cron CTP system in 2017.

“Our first experience with CTP was using a DPX machine with polyester plates, which was fine, but after it had reached the end of its life, our next CTP experience wasn’t a good one. We had regular breakdowns and print quality went downhill,” says Mr Curran. “Thankfully once we installed the Cron machine in 2017 everything changed, and we haven’t looked back. We now get the quality and reliability we need.”

With a five colour 52cm Ryobi machine as its principal litho press, the company exclusively uses B3 plates and was able to specify a dedicated B3 machine with built-in autoloader – the compact Cron 26H model, with inline de-interleaving and punching. Mr Curran and his team chose to include a processor unit and run UV plates.

“We use Blackwood UV plates which we think is a better option than plates which process on-press. We can immediately see the image on the plates as they come out of the Cron, and they are durable and reliable throughout the run, up to and beyond 50,000,” he says. “Not only that, the quality is great and the costs are substantially lower than the alternatives.”

The Cron 26H has seamlessly integrated with Fulprint’s design department, and requires very little attention according to Mr Curran. “Apart from the occasional service and processor clean-up, we don’t need to think about our Cron CTP. It works, and it has been a good investment for us.”

Fulprint has been in its current location since 2002. In 2011 the company installed 50 solar panels on its roof, one of several initiatives which underline a commitment to the environment. It has 6 staff and a turnover of around £1/2m.