Business - Applications

Malcolm Lant, Signs Express franchisee for the Gateshead area, has been shortlisted as a semi finalist in the BFA HSBC Franchisee of the year Awards.

The annual British Franchise Association Franchisee of the Year Awards recognises excellence in the franchising sector and the commitment of those franchisees who ‘set the standard’ for best practice in the industry.

Divided into 5 regions, Malcolm Lant has been named as a semi-finalist for the North region. If successful in reaching the finals on 11th July he will be judged against franchisees from all of the UK with the overall winners announced at a gala dinner on 29th September.

Commenting on the nomination Malcolm said, “I am absolutely delighted to be through to the next stage in the awards.  Through hard work and determination my team and I have been able to rise through the recession and build a very successful business; providing high quality products and exceptional customer service which results in high levels of repeat business and referrals. Fingers crossed I will be named as a finalist.”

Signs Express is a signs and graphics provider established over 20 years ago and with over 75 franchisees across the UK & Ireland. Malcolm Lant joined the Signs Express franchise in 2005 and has substantially grown his business to become one of the most successful franchisees in the network.

Signs Express franchisor, Managing Director Craig Brown said, “We are delighted Malcolm has been shortlisted for such a prestigious award. He is a real credit to the network and his dedication to providing excellent quality products and supreme customer service represents the Signs Express ethos extremely well. Our franchisees have been recognised three years in a row in the awards, up against stiff competition such as McDonalds and O2 so it’s a great achievement to be named once again.”

The national awards are supported by Express Newspapers and winners will receive cash prizes from HSBC with the overall Gold winner receiving £5000.

Signs Express provides a wide range of signs and graphics products including interior and exterior signs, vehicle graphics, banners, exhibition displays and window graphics.

Sample Print, the website for Canon large format print samples, has added UK artist Piers Bourke’s unique cityscape images to its website to provide a greater choice for fine art users.

Bourke, based in London, specialises in producing cityscapes and 3D images from all around the world. Two of his images appear on the Sample Print website: ‘Van at Night’ and ‘Saigon at Dusk’.  A director for Sample Print, Rob Andrews, said "We are very pleased to add Piers’ work to Sample Print and chose these images as they reflect a wonderful example for fine art applications. Photography is already well represented on the site but we wanted artists and fine art users to have a better choice of what could be achieve with the Canon large format printers."

Sample Print specialises in offering samples to potential Canon customers, all of which have been produced by photographers and artist using Canon EOS camera and outputted on Canon imagePROGRAF printers. The site currently displays work from fashion and portrait photographer Drew Gardner, contemporary landscape artist David Anthony Hall and industrial and architectural specialist Keith Cooper. "The samples we offer are all from photographers and artists working every day in their chosen field and the images are all from real commercial applications," said Andrews.  "We think this is important and something that differentiates Sample Print as it highlights the printers ability in a way potential customers can relate to." 

Bourke’s own Canon iPF6300 printer was purchased with the help of the Sample Print website. After spending too much money and losing creative control on outsourcing, he made the decision to buy. Bourke said "After receiving a print from Sample Print and visiting the Canon Pro Photo Solutions show last year, I realised I could achieve a finish that I’d previously thought was only available through professional print rooms. I now have total creative control and don’t have to compromise anymore. I can now satisfy my artistic direction every time I print."

BAF Graphics has been bought on board again by the glamorous London landmark, Selfridges Ltd, to effectively promote the department store's “Project Ocean” campaign.

‘Project Ocean’ is the result of a collaboration between Selfridges and environmental organisations including The Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the Marine Conservation Society and Greenpeace, to engage people in marine conservation. Through a five-week programme of events taking place during May and June in Oxford Street’s Ultralounge, Selfridges is aiming to increase awareness on eating more sustainably and supporting marine protected areas. The stylish department store has also launched a fund raising initiative in order to set up the Selfridges Marine Protected Area as part of ZSL’s chain of protected reefs in The Philippines.

“Adhering to Selfridges environmental vision, we decided to embark on this awareness project and convey its key message through window displays and creative graphics printed onto environmental friendly materials,” comments Abi Shapiro, Production Manager at Selfridges Ltd.

She adds, “We have been working with BAF Graphics for many years and can count on them as a reliable supplier because of their knowledge and proactive approach. BAF Graphics was able to accommodate all of our requests and perfectly meet our tight deadlines without compromising on quality. Once again, it has exceeded our expectations.”

BAF Graphics was commissioned by Selfridges to produce an extensive range of graphics, including a preview and teaser campaign based on digitally printed window films featuring oceans of swimming fishes and forks, together with images of the sea. For this opening promotion BAF chose a PVC free, eco friendly film to wrap the windows, which was removed from the display after five days. When ‘Project Ocean’ was actually launched, the windows revealed seaside, ocean scenes and backdrops showing the marine theme.

“Following the brief given by the visual merchandising team at Selfridges, we researched the best eco-friendly materials which matched excellent performance with sustainable features,” comments Dan Chang, Account Director at BAF Graphics. “We decided to use the 100% recyclable Dufaylite and Forex Smart substrates, which fall within our environmental range of products. Dufaylite is a lightweight rigid composite board bonded to a recycled paper honeycomb core sourced from sustainable forests, while Forex Smart is a lightweight and strong rigid non PVC board. We printed directly onto these substrates using our Durst Rho 600 and the brand-new Oce’ Arizona XT550 UV inks based digital printing equipment”.

BAF Graphics also produced the graphics for some interactive windows which integrated print with digital signage. Finally BAF’s team created a “Whale Rodeo” area within the store, fitting out a wall made of MDF which had been covered with a backdrop showing unusual “Whale Rodeo” themed graphics.

Dan concludes, “We have devised an eco-friendly solution which perfectly dovetails with the Project Ocean awareness campaign Selfridges was eager to run. BAF Graphics is committed to offering its clients alternative solutions for products and processes that have a less harmful impact to the planet. As a result, we are pleased to work with Selfridges as it gives us the opportunity to reinforce our commitment to the preservation of the environment.”

HP and John E Wright have launched the first HP Print Station in the UK in Nottingham at an event which the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Nottingham attended. The HP Print Station will ensure that the small-to-medium sized business (SMB) community has a reliable, professional and convenient one-stop printing shop to enhance any business or marketing materials.

HP Print Stations are HP co-branded stores focusing on quality, service and convenience that will primarily address the needs of small and medium size businesses through a wide range of printing applications. The HP Print Station will be operated by John E Wright to address a broad range of customer segments and demands.

“We’re delighted to have the opportunity to partner with HP in the UK for the launch of this innovative new print solution for the SMB, educational and student market,” said Tony Barnett, Managing Director, John E Wright & Company. “HP’s print and IT technology, web tools and marketing collateral combined with John E Wright’s 111 years of experience serving the SMB print and copy market will provide customers with a low cost, high quality, high service one-stop shop for all their marketing needs.”

"The HP Print Station is being rolled out in the UK to address specific customer needs based on customer feedback. With the HP Print Station we’re addressing the needs of small businesses, including making high quality printing accessible and quick; simplifying and speeding up the process of getting great quality printouts, and providing equipment for special printing applications" says Phil Oakley, UK&I Country Manager, Designjet – HP Graphic Solutions Business.

The Print Station programme - which has already been rolled out across nine European countries since 2008 - delivers a one-stop-shop service for high-value print and design jobs for small-and-medium-sized business.

HP Print Stations are more than a print shop; they’re an end-to-end print experience. They enable small businesses to communicate their ideas and values more effectively and make a world-class impression on their customers.

"The printing market in Europe is growing at a rapid rate. There are now 50 HP Print Stations in nine countries,¨ said Paolo Dal Santo, HP Print Station EMEA Sales Manager. ¨The HP Print Station concept addresses specific customer needs, for instance, quick, quality printing and accessibility for the modern small and medium sized business.¨

Service, quality and convenience factors are what make the HP Print Station unique, as they offer a complete portfolio of printing services, including:

• Brochures
• Business cards
• Datasheets
• Flyers & advertisements
• Letterheads & envelopes
• Menus
• Newsletters
• Postcards
• Posters
• Graphic Consulting

As HP ventures into the digital publishing ecosystem, HP Print Stations are the next step in enhancing HP’s ability to deliver printing services securely where consumers want them. HP Print Stations offer customers the best of both worlds: a physical HP Print Station and a professional online print solution www.johnewright.com/hpprintstation

For more information contact HP Print Station at:

John E. Wright & Co Ltd / HP Print Station
Blue Print House
115 Huntingdon Street
Nottingham
NG1 3NF
hpprintstation@johnewright.com

Whether you’re staging an event or planning a road closure, good traffic management is key. AA Signs (www.theaa.com/aasigns) is the leading provider of temporary road signs to the event industry, and install in excess of 60,000 signs per year. Following the introduction of digital print technology and their in-house developed sign software, the company has significantly improved the quality and consistency of the temporary event signs they supply.

Their recent investment in a Mimaki CJV30-130 integrated printer / cutter forms part of a change of production process at their Belfast depot, enabling the company to produce an increased number of signs but with fewer resources. Previously the depot had used self adhesive lettering to make the signs – which is a very labour intensive process. The new printer has now allowed them to convert all of their production away from that process by digitally printing in-position lettering and symbols onto a single clear sheet.

Once printed, the sheet is laminated to an existing yellow background sign through a squeeze roller. The signs are used for short term, temporary use (typically around five days), so when the sign returns to the depot, the clear sheet is simply stripped off and the yellow background put back into stock. This has significantly reduced their production time, resulting in tangible labour and material savings.

Additionally, it has helped with the life expectancy of the rigid element of the sign as the clear sheet acts as a protection against dirt and damage when installed. On top of this, it also makes the base easier to clean when returned. Apart from the benefits to the production process, the faster, digital workflow has also enabled AA Signs to respond quickly to any emergency requests.

The Mimaki CJV30-130 is the 1.3m variant of Mimaki’s award winning integrated printer / cutter. Available in four sizes, the CJV30 combines an outdoor durable print with powerful cutting functionality. Mimaki’s exclusive UK and Irish distributor is Hybrid Services Ltd and AA Signs invested in their Mimaki through one of Hybrid’s authorised resellers; Belfast based Dennis D Evans (www.devans.co.uk).

AA Signs general manager, Andrew Banyard commented on their purchase, “It was important for us when deciding on suitable equipment to have a Belfast based company who could support us in all aspects of advice, set up and future customer support. In Dennis Evans we have found a perfect partner who has been fantastic in their initial advice and support since the equipment has been installed – and continue to impress us with their customer service and support. The team at Belfast have nothing but good words to say about the company and a measure of the success is how smooth the transition in process has been for us.”

Their future plans for the printer include being able to service some of the coloured symbols required by other depots on the mainland through utilisation of the new-found down time at their Belfast operation.

Hampshire Flag Company was in the limelight when BAFTA selected them to produce flags for the Philips British Academy Television and Television Craft Awards Nominees Party.

The party was held at Coutts & Co on the Strand in anticipation of the Awards. Juliet Stevenson, Anna Maxwell Martin, Rob Brydon and cast members from Downtown Abbey and The Only Way is Essex (who took the You Tube Audience Award home on Sunday) were amongst the guests in attendance.

Natalie Moss, Partnerships Manager and Event Producer at BAFTA said, “Hampshire Flag pulled out all the stops to produce BAFTA branded flags which looked incredible in-situ and had the head-turning effect we wanted.”

Managing Director of the Waterlooville firm, Graham Wilkinson, said, “It is wonderful to have manufactured flags for BAFTA and to have them flying on the Strand. The projects we undertake are often varied, diverse and exciting and this was no exception!”

Hampshire Flag’s team of 22 produces hand-sewn national and international flags and digitally printed banners. It also offers a bespoke flag design service, PVC banners, marine flags, bunting, table flags, exhibition graphics and event systems in addition to the supply and installation an extensive range of flagpoles. 
      
Its prestigious portfolio of clients includes Selfridges, the BBC, Channel 4, Portsmouth Football Club, IBM and British Airways. The multi-award winning firm provides on-going support for various charities and expeditions including Action for Kids, Samaritans and for swimmer and environmentalist Lewis Pugh’s on-going feats.