Page 67 - Print 21 Magazine Nov-Dec 2018

Scodix shines in versatility
With more than 300 installations around the world, Scodix digital embellishment units such as the flagship Ultra platform are a trusted name
in digital finishing. Distributed in Australia by Currie Group, Scodix kit is employed by companies running the gamut from small boutique finishers to multinationals.
As a digital finishing platform, says Gil Cortes, product specialist at
Currie Group, Scodix kit cuts out the tooling and setup time of conventional embellishment units – and it has an advantage over its digital competitors as well. “Unlike any other digital finishing technology, the Ultra platform is able to process a wide range of substrates from uncoated paper to synthetics, metallised or black paper, or even canvas.
“Therefore, Scodix is the only digital technology that is able to match the versatile media demands of traditional offset and the wide range of media from HP Indigo,” he said.
Coming next year, the new Scodix E106 will offer all the versatility of the Ultra series plus the ability to handle B1 media at a speed of 4000 sheets per hour. “The focus market will be the folding-carton mainstream printing segment, but the platform will be just as effective for the general commercial printing segment,” said Cortes.
According to Cortes, Currie Group and Scodix are a natural fit. “Currie Group paired with Scodix, being the leading technology in the digital finishing market, and Scodix selected Currie Group to represent its technology in Australia and New Zealand backed by our outstanding reputation in service and engineering,” he said.
“As with any other technology that we offer at the Currie Group, Scodix
is backed by our experienced support team led by our Currie Care Centre and our Scodix certified engineers.”
which means it is suited for those looking to get in on the ground floor. “The technology has been around for a long time at a high price point. The DDC- 810 opens up the market for smaller players to get into spot UV,” he said.
Not only is the DDC-810 affordable, it
is also accessible, says Nguyen – its ease
of use means expensive additional staff members are not required. “You don’t need an experienced operator, which means running costs are also lower,” he said.
Printing in a single pass at 600dpi, the DDC-810 is a digital machine, meaning it is well suited for short runs and on- demand finishing. “It can turn around short or long-run jobs – if a customer needs 1000, 200, or even a single sheet, that’s simple to do. Make-ready time is low, so you can turn around short-run work quickly,” said Nguyen, adding it can print directly onto print from both dry toner and liquid toner printers.
Print Finishing
“It is suitable for book covers, high-end brochures, promotional and even packaging work,” he said. “This type of product really complements short-run packaging, which is a growth sector in our industry – examples of typical applications are whiskey boxes, labels for wines, and health and beauty.”
One MGI user is Revolution Print in Ballarat, which purchased a JetVarnish
3DS with an iFoil embellishing machine from Konica Minolta. The unit arrived in September, and Leon Wilson, director, is already pleased with the output. “The quality it is producing has been impressive,” he said.
Revolution’s new JetVarnish unit is capable of producing 2D and 3D spot varnishing plus foiling, and enables the printing house to take full control over the embellishment process. “Due to the number of jobs we produce on a day to day basis,
the ability to control the job from start to finish made perfect sense to us,” said Wilson. “Small quantity embellishing is now also not only an option but a cost-effective option.”
Wilson says he and fellow director
John Schreenan are pleased with the MGI purchase. “We pride ourselves on being a quality printer and this adds a feather to our cap, allowing us to do some detailed embellishing,” he said. “It also means we can create amazing concepts and present them to our clients, so they can touch and feel how their projects could actually work.”
The new machine hasn’t taken over all of Revolution’s embellishing needs – trade services still come in handy, says Wilson.
Seamless embellishing
A company purchasing its own equipment and still outsourcing work is not an uncommon occurrence, according to Darren Delaney, general manager of trade finisher Allkotes. “Some companies have installed their own equipment, which took business away from us, but we also believe that this opens opportunity where these companies are selling what we do. That can only be a positive for us.
“As a trade finisher, there can be a sense that a customer buying their own kit hinders your relationship. We don’t see it that way
– we want to provide all of our staff with
a future, so we are there to support our customers,” he said.
Allkotes provides more than 50 products in its range of coatings, laminations, and special effects. These include its 3D product 3D Optix, the Mirra film range of holographics and metallised films, heavy-duty Tough Matte, and its Soft Metal range for print from digital devices including Ricoh and HP Indigo. “We are proud of the fact that all of our products are made in-house,” said Delaney.
Delaney believes that purchasing new equipment is often just the beginning for printers, as it opens up new business areas that will require a trade finisher’s expertise. “They’re going after work they previously wouldn’t have considered, and the overflow of that work can end up at Allkotes. The key is wanting to maintain our relationships with these companies,” he said.
The embellishment requirements of Allkotes customers can change as often as the seasons, says Delaney, but their demand for experienced trade finishers remains constant.
“We find that they gravitate to us because they like to deal with people who know what they’re doing, the experts in their field,” he said. “A lot of our customer requirements are time critical, and making sure it’s done right is crucial to any business – crucial to your reputation and repeat work.
“Getting it done professionally and done once makes the whole process seamless.” 21
Images top of page left to right:
Samples of embellishing from Scodix.
An example of Kurz foiling.
Print21 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 67