Ensuring long-term survivability and profitability in today's printing industry requires a blend of attributes that embrace solid business acumen, an ability to fulfill customer needs and continued investment in the latest digital printing technology. One company that can genuinely lay claim to having successfully harnessed all three is Nottingham (UK) based exhibition and display graphics company, John E Wright & Co. Ltd.
 
From modest beginnings dating back to 1900, the fourth generation company is now a flourishing enterprise with a £6 million annual turnover. Today, it is the leading supplier of services and supplies to the CAD and graphic design communities throughout the Midlands region.
 
According to John E Wright's managing director, Tony Barnett, its arsenal of HP large format printers is instrumental to the company's success, securing repeat business and winning new customers. The most recent acquisition is the HP Designjet Z6200 Photo Printer, which features aqueous-based HP Vivid Photo Inks, delivering high-quality output and the highest speeds of large format printers in its price class.
 
"Despite only being installed during the summer, the HP Designjet Z6200 was integrated instantly into our print operations," explained Barnett. "We were familiar with the print quality and speed of HP's Designjet technology having already installed a fleet of HP Designjet Z6100 Printers and were up and running with the Z6200 within an hour. Since its installation, we have mainly used it for running heavy-weight coated and HP Instant Dry Media, as well as for specialty media like canvas, water-color, pop-up and roll up banners."
 
UK's largest curated photography festival in the frame
The HP Designjet Z6200 proved pivotal to the company's role behind this year's Brighton Photo Biennial. Now in its fourth year, the Brighton Photo Biennial comprises of nine exhibitions presenting the work of international artists from a range of cultural backgrounds, premiering recent work and exhibiting historical work in new contexts.
 
"We were tasked with printing the work of renowned Dutch photographer, Wout Berger, one of those whose photographs were featured," explained Alan Edwards, technical director, John E Wright. "It was naturally critical to ensure the true reproduction of the photographs and we were especially mindful of the need to accurately maintain the vivid black and white tones."
 
To produce Berger's exhibit, John E Wright also used HP Inks, HP Media, an HP DreamColor Monitor and DreamColor Advanced Profiling Solution. This complete HP workflow enabled the company to print professional photo quality color, black and white prints.
 
Increased quality and efficiency with HP Vivid Photo Inks
The Z6200 uses new HP Vivid Photo Inks for improved scratch resistance. Its eight-ink printing system features HP Chromatic Red ink, enabling coverage of up to 95 percent PANTONE Colours, and greater ink efficiency with the ability to print the same output using up to 44 percent less ink than preceding HP technologies.
 
Increased speed of proven Z-Series technology enhances company offering
Barnett emphasized the collective benefits delivered by the HP Designjet Z6200. As well as ease-of-use, these include print speeds of up to 140m2 per hour (1500 ft2/hour).
 
"HP's Z-series technology had already proven its worth in delivering to our customers' demanding expectations," explained Barnet. "As a result, we knew that we could depend upon the Z6200 to deliver on its claims, and believe me it does. Compared to its predecessor, the Z6200 significantly enhances our service capability by affording us an increase in speed of around fifty-percent. This greatly improves our workflow and gives us the capability to meet increasingly tight deadlines."
 
Barnett's objective is to implement additional Z6200's as a successor to John E Wright's fleet of HP Designjet Z6100s installed in the company's eight branches across England. "When it comes to exhibition and display applications, it's only logical that the Z6200 will eventually become the workhorse of our entire operation," said Barnett. "It boasts the high productivity and outstanding quality benefits that are pre-requisites for printing roll-ups, pop-ups, print/mount/seal graphics and anything else needed in this particular sector."
 
Varied hardware portfolio includes move to Latex technology
By rolling out the Z6200 across its multi-site operation, John E Wright will be bolstering its existing portfolio featuring the latest HP large format printers. "We undertake an array of different graphic arts projects, and as well as focusing on exhibition and display work, our other specialty covers retail/point-of-sale (POS) graphics," Barnett explained. "Alongside our HP Designjets, we use HP Scitex flatbed UV curable technology, enabling us to provide high-quality, cost-effective POS materials for retail customers spanning fashion to DIY and everything in between."
 
John E Wright has recently installed HP's Latex technology, an HP Designjet L25500 Printer, to meet increasing customer demands for the utilization of technologies that help reduce the impact on the environment.
 
"An added benefit of installing HP's Latex technology is that we have now managed to qualify for the stringent ISO 14001 environmental accreditation as a direct result of the benefits Latex technology brings to the business," said Barnett.
 
Looking ahead, with HP as his primary supplier, Barnett expressed confidence that his business is equipped to meet the needs of its customers. "Companies like HP are constantly developing new technologies, and while we're not privy to what's going on R&D wise, I'm confident that they're already looking to the future. As someone at the helm of a 110-year old company, this in itself gives me immense assurance that HP's technology will ensure our continued growth and position at the forefront of our market for many years to come."