Holland & Crosby, a Mississauga-based expert in point of sale marketing materials, has recently extended their flatbed digital print capacity, installing an Inca Onset S20 printer to sit alongside their Inca Digital Onset S70 printer-which has also recently undergone a speed and quality upgrade. The new printer and the upgrade were sold by Fujifilm Canada Graphic Systems.

Holland & Crosby Limited was formed in 1997 with the merger of Holland & Neil Limited and J.W. Crosby Advertising-two of the most reputable names in Point of Sale marketing materials. They offer a complete service from creative and structural design through to collating, packing and inventory control as well as metal and wood fixtures. They approach the market quite differently than a traditional printer, positioning themselves as visual marketing solutions providers. As technology has changed, the company has continued to provide the most innovative solutions to retailers, manufacturers and event marketers. Their investment in the latest state-of-the-art digital printing equipment has provided even greater internal process control on projects, and more cost effective products and services. With 33,000 square feet of office and production space, Holland & Crosby delivers exceptional results for its clients who represent some of the most successful companies in the marketplace.

In 2008, Holland & Crosby invested in an Inca Digital Onset S70 flatbed digital printer - the first in North America. While their Onset has met all of their expectations, there were some challenges they hoped to resolve with their next investment. First, they wanted to print white digitally. This was important, because while they could digitally print four-color process on white substrates, they still had to screen print substrates that were colored or clear. They would screen a white undercoat, and then send the four-color job to their Onset S70 printer. Second, they wanted a press that was good for both high quantity runs as well as projects of 'ones and twos' - small, custom work. Finally, investment in the Onset S20 gave them an insurance policy if their Onset S70 needed maintenance or support.

"The Inca Onset S20 was pretty much the only product we seriously considered to work alongside our Onset S70. While we had consistently researched other digital presses, for our specific needs none other than the Onset S20 stood out or impressed us," says Scott Crosby, Holland & Crosby Equity Partner. "The decision to purchase an Onset S20 was an easy one. With the Onset S20 we have a CMYK printer that also has the ability to print white and it is reassuring to have a press that has the same platform and similar technology of the original Onset S70."

The Inca Onset S20 was very easy to install and run. We signed off on it at the end of install and immediately ran it nonstop for seven weeks before Christmas. "It was perfect timing for us. We had an enormous order that required printing white on a colored material, so it was important to get up and running quickly," remarks Richard Labiuk, Holland & Crosby Equity Partner. "We already knew that the ability to print white was key and we were doing a lot of white work already."

"Our customers are very happy with the print quality of the Onset S20. Gloss capability is enhanced on this machine and looks good in some situations, while satin in a store window looks magnificent," adds Crosby. "For the bulk of our work, speed is an issue, and we're able to deliver rush jobs on time with the Onset S20. The Onset S20 has accomplished what we anticipated it would do. For us it's not about its capacity-it's more about our overall efficiency and the ability to print with white. The Onset S20 has allowed us to finally transition away from screen printing and we became a completely digital facility as of February this year. It has also opened the door for a lot of 'store opening' jobs, which are typically personalized."

An upgrade for the Onset S70 adds greater throughput
Meanwhile, Holland & Crosby has also invested in an Inca Digital Onset S70 upgrade program, offering an increase in speed, resulting in throughput of up to 7,534 sqft/hr, equivalent to 145 full-bed sheets (or 435 60in x 40in posters) an hour. Alongside the ability to cut job turnaround times and improve production efficiency, this option also allows Holland & Crosby to print with new quality modes. The Inca Onset has always provided edge-to-edge satin and semi-gloss finish modes as standard. The Onset S20 offers extra gloss options and the Onset S70 has been changed to also include this new feature. The option now gives users an even wider range of gloss levels to provide enormous choice of print finish.

"While we have not completed a formal proving of speed to see how it will perform under an extended period of time, from our experience to date we expect the upgrade will give us an additional 15% speed. We have not had a chance to 'let 'er rip' and see what it will do, but we're excited. We're looking at 145 full beds per hour. It will provide us more efficiency and profitability. Holland & Crosby is about service and turnaround time and we have sufficient capacity around us to efficiently deliver jobs to our customers. It's not just about price and print quality. It's about our relationships with our clients, our reliability and our ability to turn around a job faster. Because we can deliver work in a day or so, to get a sign into a store over the weekend when it may be difficult for others, we provide an extra level of comfort for our customers," adds Crosby. "Gloss will certainly be nice to have, when some of our customers are seeking a 'cosmetic look', and demanding the added finish and brilliance.

Significant environmental effect
The investment in the Inca Digital printers has had another profound effect on Holland & Crosby's business. The removal of screen printing has meant that their business has become cleaner. "The whole plant is neater, cleaner and tidier, more like a high tech environment. You could put our production facility in an office building," notes Crosby. "Screen printing is a very messy, heavily chemical-based business - pouring ink, returning it to the canisters, reclaiming screens, and so on. You need rags, mops and solvents to clean up. VOCs and chemical use have been significantly reduced by going digital. Being out of it feels squeaky-clean."

"There's also the advantage of less waste," concludes Labiuk. "With screen printing, we had to print about 50 overs on a 200 sheet run to assure a good job. With digital printing, it's one sheet. In addition Inca Digital's printer maintenance technology requires very little purging of ink. This means very little loss of ink, which, of course, translates to very little waste. We couldn't be more pleased."