The Printed Gift House has installed the Mimaki UCJV300-160 UV LED roll-to-roll printer from CMYUK.
The investment is to help the company, situated in Newcastle-under-Lyme, UK, extend its services to a B2B customer base through its new brand, Printing X. It has plans to move into a new business park premises soon.
The company is a personalised on-demand B-to-C gift business which was set-up seven years ago by Ravi and his wife, Achala Wannipuge. Initially working from home, they produced phone cases and cushion covers using sublimation printing and a small heat press. Two years later in order to expand its product portfolio, the business invested in its first printer – a MimakiUJF-3042FX flatbed.
The printer is a highly versatile piece of equipment that integrates both print and cut functions. Its seven-colour inkset builds up to five layers while a high-quality resolution of up to 1200dpi makes it ideal for numerous applications including banners, flags, wallpaper, swing POP, and outdoor signage.
Ravi De Silva Lindamoulage, company co-owner, said, ‘The new Mimaki printer will help us to target businesses with large format banners, Sign boards, canvasses, wall murals, and stickers. We offer a very wide range of services such as promotional gifts, engraving, T-shirt printing, workwear, and embroidery. Whatever our customers want we can provide it.
‘The UV inks on the new printer will propel us into the promo and gifting markets. It can print onto any materials and the 5-layer printing will allow us to present really unique creative finishes. When compared to the Roland wide format printers we had, it beats them hands down. We’ll be offering a whole range of services that target the small business community from banners to posters, sign boards, decals, stickers, and promotional items such engraved pins. We’ve also started T-shirt printing, workwear, and embroidery, there’s not that many places that can offer the versatility of services that we can, which also includes in-house design. We really have such a large range so it’s really a case of you name it, we can print it.’
The Printed Gift has a physical shop as well as a production space fulfilling its online ordering, which accounts for 95% of the business. The company has three full time online staff as well as three full time staff working in the store. Seasonal part time staff are also employed over the busy periods that are traditionally Christmas, Valentines, Mothers’, and Fathers’ Days. In addition, the business operates another brand called Ellipse that is dedicated to personal items and engraved jewellery.
