CONCENTRATED
The Print Factory go for maximum technology, at minimum size

The Print Factory is one of a new breed of printing company exploiting the advantages of digital technology to offer a quick-response, high quality, short-run service. While this alone is in no way unique, The Print Factory is different: despite the image its name conjures up, the company is literally a cottage industry run by Owner Christopher Lunnon and his family from their home in Baldock, Hertfordshire.

In an 8m x 4m space, Mr Lunnon has assembled an impressive array of equipment including two digital presses and a bookletmaking line with a collator and stitch fold trim, plus a large 54-inch printer/cutter and assorted computer equipment. The company’s print room has been completed with the installation of a Challenge Titan 200 guillotine from TCS (Terry Cooper Services).

“We’re competing on the same terms as other A3 commercial printers, and like anyone else we need our equipment to be productive and capable of meeting high quality standards,” says Mr Lunnon, “but as you can imagine, space-saving is very much a priority, and the Titan guillotine is a good example of how you can put a lot of technology into a small, compact machine.”

He continues: “There isn’t much a big guillotine can do which the small format Titan can’t -  features such as the light barrier and programming make it safe and productive, plus of course the accuracy is spot on. Another factor for us is ease of use. Learning how to operate it took next to no time, and it doesn’t need a specialist. All in all, it’s a vast improvement on the old machine it replaced, on both short and long run work. TCS have been very responsive to any issues we have raised, so we also have confidence they will support us through the full lifespan of the machine.”

Since making the switch from litho to digital four years ago, Mr Lunnon says that company turnover has increased by 50% to its current level of £100,000 per year. “That’s not the end of it,” he says, “ now we have installed more up to date finishing equipment, we are expecting another 50% rise in the coming year or so.”

While the majority of The Print Factory’s work comes from the local area, it has clients spread over the country. “A lot of artwork is sent to us via the internet and the finished job is dispatched by courier as soon as possible. If there’s a common factor, it’s that everything is required yesterday!”