Steve Jackson (left) and business partner Ian Fitzgerald with the Durst P5 at the Digipress premises.

Didcot, Oxfordshire, UK – Innovative and forward-thinking company Digipress has revolutionized its business after an investment in an expanded technology P5 350 hybrid platform from Durst, manufacturer of innovative digital printing systems and software solutions. The all-in-one hybrid solution for flexible roll and board printing has been a godsend, according to partner Steve Jackson who says they are now ‘making money while they sleep’ thanks to unattended overnight printing.

“Since the machine arrived, we have an unbelievable amount of orders that we would not have been able to fulfil without the Durst P5,” said Steve. “It’s a machine that is extremely versatile and we are running it at very high speed with great quality and productivity. The opportunities have come in thick and fast because everybody wants fast turnarounds.

“Quite frankly, I didn’t think there was a better machine out there than what we had before, but that meant 4-pass printing to achieve the required quality. However, the Durst has proved me wrong and does the jobs in a single pass at even better quality at super-fast speeds. We have known Durst for a long time and thought it may be out of our price range, but when we saw what it could produce we just said, ‘we’ve got to have one, no questions’. We’re glad we made the investment.”

As an example of one of the many orders won on the strength of having the Durst P5 350, Steve says that they won a significant contract to print on to clear roofing sheets for use as table dividers in restaurants. When upwards of 1,000 sheets may be needed in a matter of days, only the Durst P5 can deliver the volumes required, particularly when some jobs can be printed overnight. “Unattended printing has been a huge thing for our business,” said Steve. “We can leave the machine printing overnight. It’s making us money while we sleep! This machine has been a godsend and a revolution for our business. It just eats up the materials.”

The software and high levels of automation has also been an important additional benefit, particularly while some of Digipress’s 23-strong staff were furloughed during the pandemic. “We can set it up and somebody who is not a trained print operator can run the P5,” said Steve. “I could teach somebody to run this machine within around 20 minutes.”

Digipress is run by Steve and business partner Ian Fitzgerald, who set it up 15 years ago. The company offers a complete range of print and design services from its base in Didcot, Oxfordshire. They say the versatility and flexibility of the hybrid digital production machine opens doors to new opportunities. “At Digipress, we are always ready for a challenge, no matter how big or small,” said Steve. “I feel good about the future, particularly now we have the Durst P5.”

Peter Bray, Managing Director of Durst UK and Ireland, said: “It’s great to hear that innovative and forward-thinking companies like Digipress have transformed their business and seen a surge in work after investing in our technology. And this is despite these troubled times when we know it’s been hard for so many people. Driven by the mantra of innovation, we offer complete solutions from pixel to output. Durst continue its transformation into a highly integrated process service provider, which includes continuously expanding our software solutions.”