Available in the USA as the Xerox IJP900, or through Ricoh and Kyocera as the Kyocera TASKafla Pro1500C, it would be easy for buyers to get a bit confused about whom should supply their new cut sheet colour inkjet printer. Fortunately for me, neither Xerox nor Ricoh currently […]

Not everyone take time to produce good images before sendig them to print. I appreciate this may surprise you… Why is optimising PDF files even important? The simple answer is that many applications create crummy PDF files that don’t fit well into production requirements. This becomes obvious if […]

You can now extend the potential of your RICOH ProC9500 digital press to enable new markets:- Bespoke luxury packaging High value gift and access cards Eye-catching Point of Purchase Vibrant freestanding media Compostable food cartons Premium thick media brochures Elegantly crafted games High impact direct mail inserts Sustainable […]

What’s the difference between Multichannel Marketing and Omnichannel Marketing Anyway? Hint: It’s all about the Customer Experience XMPie uses a few phrases to explain what you can do with our software.  You’ll see the terms Cross Media or Multichannel, and Omnichannel in various articles and resources.  These reflect […]

This is not an industrial printer…it is very simply a commercial label printer, with, or without, white. The OKI PLAVI can output directly back to the roll, or through a ‘weeding’ system to remove excess substrate and then, back onto roll. Want to know more? Get in touch.. […]

The Xerox PrimeLink C9265/C9275/C9281 include features that enable more flexibility and customization, adapting to the needs of both production environments and offices.These colour printers use a new toner formulation similar to the Xerox Iridesse Production Press. Custom media profiles also provide optimal settings for the widest array of […]

The Konica Minolta AccurioShine 3600 will offer your customers spot-coating of digital and offset prints, highlighting of individually defined areas, and the addition of 3D effects – in other words, vivid and tactile print products that just cannot be passed by. Want to more know? Get in touch, […]

Water-based ink, roll to roll, single pass with auto splicer unwinder and rewinder. Want to know more? Get in touch… paul.stead@digitalprint.org.uk or call 07518 604611

Our project has taken on a life of its’ own and we now have a number of print service providers across England, ready to open their doors to young people on 23rd October. If you would like to encourage young minds to think about a role in the […]

‘The sustainable inkjet printer with a new vision of the production printing market.’ The TASKalfa Pro 15000c is the result of Kyocera’s many years of experience and expertise in the production printing industry. This machine has a unique printhead and ink technology on board. This allows you to […]

Toner presses tend to use a lot more power than their inkjet rivals. The main OEMs produce devices that run on 16amp or 32amp power supplies. The Kyocera doesn’t! Would it surprise you to know that the Kyocera C15000 cut sheet colour inkjet printer uses far less electricity […]

It can be, if that’s all your market needs, and there is nothing wrong with that! But what about cross channel communications? What about personalised marketing videos? What about ‘targeting specific markets and dynamics’ with messaging that is relevant to them on an individual basis across all media? […]

Ricoh has launched a new product, the Ricoh Auto Colour Adjuster and I think it is a belter! In summary, this system simplifies visual colour matching across a range of digital devices, not just Ricoh. If you have multiple digital printers and would like to ensure some consistency, […]

The new production print engines from Ricoh, ProC9500 and ProC7500 are due for launch in the next two months. ASL has secured access to the Ricoh showroom on October 5th and October 12th from 9:00a.m. to 16:30p.m. Would you like to attend? We will be supported by Vpress […]

It’s an initiative put together by a few enthusiastic print industry people who firmly believe that UK Print has reasons to be proud of what we do. Our events are often created off the cuff and ‘making it up as we go along’ is an acceptable accusation. But […]

I recently sent out a mailer on the Kyocera TASKalfa C15000 because I think it is a beauty. Sadly, my email address in that mailer is wrong and it should read paul.stead@asl-group.co.uk Schoolboy error or just plain dumb? You decide! The importance of getting your data right is […]

It’s easy to cast your nets far and wide and hope for a few bites. It doesn’t take much skill to bang out an email campaign. But, what about the business you are missing close to home? How do you find it? How do you manage it? This […]

The most common sight in Embroidery suppliers are rows and rows of ‘sewing devices, running multiple threads to each device outputting high quality colours. Each ‘sewing machine’ requires regular replacement of threads to ensure colour accuracy of the sewn garment. Thread replacement can be labour intensive. But what […]

In our rush for higher quality colour output, it is easy to forget that monochrome applications still provide a huge potential for revenue. Monochrome engines are available from many OEM’s, but the Xerox Nuvera remains my favourite. In my role as monochrome marketing manager for Xerox, I made […]

We have an interesting and surprising line-up of equipment and software solutions at The Print Show this year. In keeping with our message that ‘The Choice is Yours’, ASL will be sharing ideas from all of our OEM partners, to bring you something a bit ‘special’ The layout […]

Simple things work. In this case, the KM C7100 shares feed trays with the C12000 and C14000 that can feed, 900mm x 330mm up to 400gsm from THREE vacuum fed input points. This sheet size can be duplexed, making EIGHT-UP A4 work a possibility. Output quality from Konica […]

One of the printers to be shown on our stand this year, will be the formidable Ricoh ProC9200 For a brief introduction from Stephen Hawkins-Flavell, Business Development, Indirect Channels, Ricoh UK., follow this link:- Stephen Hawkins-Flavell introduces the Ricoh ProC9200 full colour press.. – YouTube This printer is […]

Going hither and thither?To collect and deliver!Darren Cox is quite vocal.You need to spend local.! If the ballooning cost of fuel isn’t enough to make you want to reduce your road-time, I really don’t know what is. Are you concerned about the money being spent in your area […]

If the production of short run labels is taking up some of your time, relax, the answer is close to hand. The OKI 1040 and 1050 desktop reel to sheet or reel to reel printer, could be just what you need. The OKI 1040 is CMYK only whilst […]

Seems strange to me that some organisations still struggle with producing “personalised print”, although the truth is that a lot more do it under the heading of “variable data printing”. At a basic level, variable data printing is the use of databases and desktop publishing software to combine […]

Remember this guy? Well, if you can, then you are almost as old as me. Buzby, the BT bird whose challenge it was to get us all talking. Of course, that was before E-mail was invented and talking to each other was the only quick way. In my […]

Maybe, you are a printing company, creating amazing marketing messages for your clients, driving their business to new levels? Maybe, you are a salesman, peddling your various wares from printing devices or printed output that helps to deliver the above? (This is ME BTW) Either way, we all […]

The newly launched Canon imagePRESS V1000 is a beauty. Good to look at and fiercely productive. Substrate ranges are ‘as expected’ in a product these days, namely 52-400gsm with auto duplex on all weights. BUT… did you ever think that you could auto duplex a sheet of 300gsm […]

We are experiencing a huge demand in supplying equipment; software and hardware for the greetings cards market right now. Online greetings have reached incredible levels, to support a very wide range of gifts, some personalised, others not. Whatever you are buying for your loved ones, it usually deserves […]

It’s easy to blame the merchants, or maybe the delivery drivers, or maybe Brexit, or maybe the guy with the axe who is taking far too long to cut down the trees. The reality is that there are many reasons why paper price increases are currently out of […]

If you work in the print industry and you send e-mail greeting to the people you care about, aren’t you missing the point? Greetings cards take your message directly into the hands and eyes of the intended recipient. Whether it’s a valentine card, Christmas card or just a […]

The PK automatic intelligent cutting system adopts a fully automatic vacuum table with automatic lifting and feeding platform. Equipped with multiple tools it can quickly and precisely handle your cutting, creasing and marking requirements. The PK is suitable for sample making and short run customised products as well […]

With the increasing demand for printed A4 landscape output, comes an increased demand is ‘somewhere to put it’. Not a lot of point printing a lovely brochure if it the gets damaged. This video shows a cutting table printing a simple design that is subsequently folded by hand […]

The method of printing is just the same…load it into your paper cassettes, tell the print engine what the stock is and press ‘print’.. very simple. The output possibilities go beyond simple. Synthetic substrates are:- Tearproof…useful for items that many people may touch Waterproof…useful for menus where spillages […]

New Ricoh showroom at Telford – YouTube Not quite finished when I visited last week, but nearly there. A great line-up of the expected hardware, but perhaps much more importantly, you can pick up many examples of printed applications that make YOU money. More can be found at […]

This depends on what you want to achieve, the range of stocks that you use and whether or not 5th/6th colours are required. At entry and mid-production levels, there ARE differences in output image quality, registration and substrate capabilities. At the high-production end of the scale, these functions […]

A few months ago, before things went a bit wobbly, I went to a Konica Minolta showroom to look at the new C14000 colour printer. required speed?…. check nice flat image?…… check smooth even tints?….. check inline quality controls to ensure that page 1000 looks the same as […]

Those of us who have been in the industry for a while will remember how involved it used to be to develop and source print. From design, the production of physical artwork through to repro and the need for large print volumes for economies of scale, sourcing print […]

Gallagher recently released its annual ‘State of the Sector’ survey on what’s trending in internal comms (IC) and employee engagement. It understandably reported that 2020 had been a year like no other and chose to position its findings more as a guide to navigating holistic communication challenges. We’ve […]

TORONTO, June 3, 2021 – Joanne Gore Communications Inc., (JGC) a virtual B2B marketing agency that helps software, hardware, manufacturing and print companies stretch their marketing dollars, announced the launch of JGC’s Social Selling Solutions to help professionals dip their toes in new waters and grow their personal brand, network, content and engagement. […]

In the last year BC (Before Covid), JIT and lean manufacturing were working very well indeed. Fine tuned assembly lines and highly organised delivery processes meant that manufacturers could efficiently control stocks of equipment and supplies, keeping inventory to a manageable level. Toner stocks arrived Just In Time. […]

We are in a time where being responsible to the environment is important to all of us. For some people, ‘printing’ is perceived as bad for the environment, possibly because paper comes from wood. The following video presents some interesting data that might change your mind. Be responsible, […]

Sorting through old folders at home, I came across a number of items that look like large photo negatives of various sizes, the largest being 12 x 10 inches. They are images of work created by my late father-in-law Fred Burnley who passed away in the early 80s. […]

The Covid period has seen a dramatic increase in direct mail output and whilst a large part is full colour promotional material, we have also seen a huge leap in monochrome transactional print. True monochrome printing costs are much lower than full colour, and usually a lot less […]

There have been a few issues for digital print users recently, namely:- Lack of drums Toners bursting Lack of toner Parts availability Engineer availability Delivery delays for almost everything.. I could go on…. Maybe there is one lesson to learn from this and that is DON’T PUT ALL […]

Management, coaching, and consultancy practice providing a range of services for small to medium-sized print shops MONTRÉAL, September 23rd, 2021 – Print industry influencer Warren Werbitt announces the launch of The Print Whisperer (https://theprintwhisperer.com), a business management, executive coaching, and network facilitation consultancy. To most people in the […]

Konica Minolta reported on the explosion and fire in its Japanese toner factory on 6 July, giving regular updates on the progress of the investigation. The latest notice regarding the fire at Konica Minolta Supplies Manufacturing’s Tatsuno Factory announced that the company has identified the cause for the […]

In the world of print, so many people are still focussed on the equipment that they own, even going as far as listing it on their website. Classic ‘My Dad is Bigger than your Dad’ behaviour. Who has the biggest sheet size? Who has the fastest print engine? […]

I heard about this initiative early into the pandemic period and have shared what they do with a number of clients. One has just told me that her business has had “the best August in the last five years, primarily due to an increase in local work”. I […]

How can you improve your hit rate? How can you retain more customers? How can you get your existing customers to spend more money? ….Create a personalised video that’s how! We have a few options available, including InVideo from Blue Rush or video via XMPie. For more information, […]

There are a few options in the web2print space right now, many of which are hosted and developed outside of the UK, leading to slow responses when things go wrong. Not all systems are the same and not all approaches to managing them are the same. Right now, […]

At long last, it looks as though we can get ready to host and attend live events. Great news, unless like me, you’ve forgotten all the important things around ‘planning and running’. As with most aspects of life, my knowledge is limited, BUT thankfully, I know someone clever! […]

Very interesting article in Digital Printer magazine about the issues of literacy in the UK today. Nutshell Creative (Formidable marketing agency in Milton Keynes) has launched an initiative called Topic Heroes. Read the article…it really is a beauty. Magazine | Digital Printer (digitalprintermag.co.uk)

What a great way to look at the world of digital print. I’d like to say that I thought of this, but sadly, I’m not that clever. Kudos to Jean Lloyd of JLConsulting Look her up on LinkedIn… clever stuff. I have a copy of her brochure and […]

packed with innovative technologies that will give you the power to grow your business INTELLIGENT AUTOMATIONBy instantly detecting the precise stock you’re using, the Intelligent Media Sensor IM-101* significantly reduces production time.With real-time quality and VDP inspection, the IQ-501 Intelligent Quality Optimizer* also ensures perfectly consistent colour reproduction […]

It is easy to see how more automation might replace people with robots, but is that right for society? Shouldn’t automation work as much WITH us and it does FOR us? A typology has been developed for Operator 4.0, which aims at expanding the capabilities of the industry […]

Scale your print infrastructure to your needs. With ASL Flex we evaluate your print needs and create a contract that provides you with a level of flexibility to ensure you are not locked into a fleet of devices as your business changes Within the agreed parameters you can […]

If there is one thing we should all have learned through lockdown, it is that an online print business is a busy print business. Want to engage with more clients? Want to engage with your existing clients more? Want to create personalised greeting cards? Want to change brochure […]

People are suffering from e-mail marketing overload The sheer volume of e-mail can seem overwhelming for both marketing staff and prospects. According to research group Radicati, over 2.8 billion e-mails are sent every day. In order to keep our inboxes manageable, most people delete a lot of e-mail […]

Current trends call for us to reuse things, rather than throwing them away. Great concept, but tricky to apply to a printed piece of paper, or is it? What if you could recycle then reuse the paper in your own premises? The Epson Paperlab turns used office paper […]

..sometimes we use a bit too much jargon, which can damage the simplicity of the message we are trying to send. Personalisation is such an area. Even the word ‘personalisation’ can have multiple meanings to the reader. This short video, from Xerox shows just how easy the message […]

What are YOU waiting for?… let’s make a list! That darn boat has really messed things up! The list of ‘restrained stock items’, as result of this is growing by the day. Equipment:- “sorry, stuck in the canal!” Toner:- “sorry, stuck in the canal!” Drums:- “sorry, stuck in […]

Buying equipment is not easy. How many times has a supplier asked you to share the proposal from his/her competitor, promising to beat/match it? The problem with this, is that it does not get you the best possible deal…it just get’s to the best ‘half-chance deal’. Some buyers […]

I know what you are thinking. ”We have a good working relationship with a digital print company and we send our cut-sheet work to them”. Nothing wrong with a little collaboration and long may it continue for those who work it well, BUT, you might be missing the […]

In Easter 2020, working with our ‘Print With Pride’ partners, we produced some very simple personalised Easter Egg boxes. The process was simple:- print a design onto box board using a Ricoh ProC9200, soft touch laminate, over-print in mono text the parts that we wanted to personalise, pass […]

Great business to be had and as always, to be appreciated. BUT…sometimes the files are just not right, are they? Are they ‘print ready’? Do they process quickly through your workflow? Do you experience font issues? Are the images, sometimes, not quite clear enough? Do you lose time […]

We have all changed the way in which we buy goods and services and it’s safe to say that an online presence has saved some businesses. A review of our customer activity through the Covid pandemic has shown that those with a good website offering customers the ability […]

I often wonder about the page sizes that most digital print devices can handle, trying to work-out of size really is an issue. For a long time, SRA3 has been the go-to sheet size and most jobs have been run that way. A few years ago, Ricoh made […]

With all those people working at home right now, print possibilities in your locality are booming. Are you getting your share? Are your google search ratings as high as they should be? Do you have videos to support your business? Are your trade references being noticed and hepling […]

Over the years I have seen a few misrepresentations in contracts that I thought had been stamped out of the industry. Recent experience suggests otherwise. I’m not saying these items are common practice, just that there are still a few suppliers out there who use them. If you […]

I’ve been analysing my sales performance recently and it is NOT what I am used to and not what my employer would expect. Hopefully, the lifting of lockdown restrictions will make life easier, and we can all get back to what we do best……except that, performance change is […]

Is that what this article is really saying? Ricoh will stop producing printers and focus their attention on the cloud and apps…… Whilst investors seem to like the idea, I’m not sure what this means for the many customers who have invested in Ricoh print technology. Beyond 2026 […]

New technology really floats my boat, particularly when it can make a difference for a client. The new Konica Minolta C14000 is poised to capture a huge market segment from Xerox iGen/Iridesse and Ricoh ProC9XXX, due to its sheer power and increased stock capability. Multiple paper trays that […]

Time to rethink how you produce short run corrugated boxes… Using Memjet heads, this versatile new printer from Konica Minolta could be just what you need if you are looking to bring packaging printing in-house. 150mm per second at 1600 x 1600 dpi, or 300mm per second at […]

Prints directly on to pens, water bottles, phone cases, flip flops, luggage tags, lighters, suitcases or anything else you can think of! With a maximum image area of 900 x 600 mm and a maximum image height of 350 mm, this compact flatbed printer will open up a […]

I’ve been asked on a few occasions recently…”Are your toners Vegan friendly?”….”Is your ink Vegan friendly?” At first I was a bit sceptical and wondered if this is just another fad and not something to take too seriously. But then, I downloaded COSH data from some of the […]

Discover how inkjet technology is transforming high-volume printing High-speed digital inkjet devices have torn up the rulebook for production printing. Inkjet production printing solutions from KYOCERA overcome volume printing cost limitations, bringing the benefits of digital technology to high-volume as well as low-volume jobs. The TASKalfa Pro 15000c brings together […]

What is the most important thing about variable data printing? This short video from NINE years ago gives a few ideas on the value of VDP (variable data printing) Variable data printing… – YouTube I’m not sure that the story has changed much, although the types of output […]

A compact system that packs a booklet maker, creaser/two-sided trimmer, and square fold trimmer into one in-line unit Production press printing at 100 ppm Print on stocks and specialty media from 52–400 gsm 2400 x 2400 dpi VCSEL ROS for sharpness, detailed shadowsand bright highlights Full Width Array […]

How can you tap into this profitable business opportunity? Here are our four critical must-haves. Intelligent Document Design Skills Develop or partner with a firm that has deep expertise in colour and transactional document design. Data That Delivers Acquire a fundamental knowledge of how to work with data […]

If you would like to reap the rewards of inkjet printing but don’t know where to start…here is our simple 4 step guide to get you moving. Become a relevant Player Evaluate production inkjet technologies. As trade book publishers embrace inventory management models, these solutions improve the economics […]

There are a lot of digital printers in the market-place and for every one, there are an even larger number of suppliers. Picking the best one for you, really should not be hard, although I do accept that the varying messages from some suppliers, can add to the […]