Based in Bath, Minuteman Press has specialised in supplying high-quality printed products to customers for 24 years. As a customer-centric business, Minuteman Press prides itself on its creativity and the value offered to customers with a passionate team dedicated to delivering the very best quality and standards throughout the print and finishing stages.
Bringing laser work in house
Minuteman Press prides itself on delivering the best possible results to customers in the shortest lead times. The team used a wide selection of different technologies, including a range of printers and a flatbed cutter with a camera system. These technologies allowed Minuteman Press to offer a comprehensive service, however, some work had to be outsourced or bought in from other suppliers. The cost was not significant, but meant that lower margins were made on projects and lead times could be affected, something the team were keen to improve on.
The Minuteman Press team first discussed investing in their own laser cutter in 2019. The topic was revisited a handful of times in the following years, and in 2022 the decision to bring laser production in-house was made.
The Sign and Digital exhibition proved to be the perfect venue for Minuteman Press to explore laser production, with four manufacturers present at the show, including Trotec Laser. It was on Trotec's stand that David Ghent, Managing Director, and Kieran Blacknall, Visual Communications Manager, saw the Q500 dual source laser cutter in action, talking with one of Trotec's experts at length, he was impressed with the knowledge and advice that was shared with him about laser processing.
Kieran booked a demonstration the following week at Trotec's Showroom near Bristol. During the demonstration, Kieran tested a range of different materials on the Q500. Impressed with the versatility of processing coupled with the machine build quality, Minuteman Press invested in a dual source Q500 laser cutter which was installed in June 2022.
A new string to the production bow
Since installation, the Q500 has added a new dimension to Minuteman’s processing, adding new ways to bring customer projects to life, with all products now being created in-house by the team.
To complete the range of laser services, Minuteman Press Bath purchased the add-on Trotec Vision Print & Cut camera system. The Vision system enables printed materials with registration marks to be processed accurately, providing an efficient workflow and negating the need for manual alignment of jobs. Trotec’s laser software has also been praised for its intuitive workflow, allowing team members to efficiently work with the laser.
Kieran and the team credit Trotec for helping them choose the optimal machine for their needs. The addition of the Q500 laser cutter means the team are now able to have complete control over project timings and quality control, with all work now produced in-house.
Minuteman Press have used the Q500 to process a range of materials, including creating signage with Trotec’s TroLase laminates and incorporating LaserLeather into projects, with textiles being a completely new venture for the team.
