More than half of the work put through on Readyprint’s new WS6800 is for its growing amount of trade customers (Photo copyright Whitmar Publications)
Although one digital label printing press may appear much the same as the next one, what you get out of the technology varies greatly. Owners are often highly individual printing professionals, as Neel Madsen found out when she visited Readyprint last month to meet Syd and Lynda Reading. The company is one of the first handful that have invested in the new HP Indigo WS6800.
‘They told me that this couldn’t be done on an HP Indigo, but we can do it,’ said an enthusiastic Syd Reading, holding up a long banner of continuous print with a repeat pattern that shows no visible joins. With a background in engineering, this managing director is not one to be told ‘no’ when it comes to the capabilities of his printing presses, be they digital or conventional, and he sees any obstacle as a challenge.
But this is just one of many ‘can’t be done’ jobs that Syd and Lynda Reading have turned into ‘well we can’ jobs. As Mr Reading shows me job after job that has been produced on two consecutive Indigos, it quickly becomes apparent that the machines in this Kidderminster facility are pushed to their boundaries, and that the Reading family – which includes son Stewart who is an integral part of the team – have a burning passion for printing.
Installed in May this year to replace a WS4600, the HP Indigo WS6800 is very much part of Readyprint’s active expansion strategy, and more sales people will be added to the staff in order to continue to build on the achievements already made.
The variety of applications and quality of labels that emanate from Readyprint proves that digital printing involves more than simply pressing a few buttons, and that with the right attitude and determination the impossible is often possible. Many trade customers turn to Mr Reading for his problem-solving skills and knowledge when they are presented with difficult jobs.
‘We like a challenge and will try to do jobs out of the ordinary to really push the boundaries,’ said Mrs Reading. ‘Coming from an engineering background, Syd has always had a can-do attitude when it comes to printing. If a customer asks ‘Can you do this?’ he will figure out a way of doing it, and that philosophy has carried over into digital.’
(L-R) Syd Reading at the official handover of the new WS6800 with Paul Childs and Steve Lakin from HP, son Stewart Reading, and Lee Coltro, HP Financial Services
Read more about the unique jobs Readyprint has produced in the September issue of Digital Labels & Packaging
(C) Story copyright Whitmar Publications
