PRESSTEK 34DI PROVIDES DYNAMIC RESULTS FOR PRINT START-UP DIGURU

Presstek, Inc., a leading supplier of digital offset printing solutions to the printing and communications industries, today announced that the UK company Diguru has installed a Presstek 34DI press.  Partners Richard Harwood and Alex Marszal established the Chandlers Ford operation in February 2010. The venture has been so successful that they are considering adding additional shifts on the 7,000-sheet-per-hour Presstek 34DI to handle the increased volume of work it has brought in.

Harwood, a digital printing industry veteran, says, “I had been with my previous company, which specialized in digital print, for 23 years. When Alex and I set up this company, our original plan was to replicate that model, using HP Indigo 5000s, but the market was very saturated and prices were coming down.  Although neither of us had experience with offset printing, we looked closely at what the Presstek DI presses could offer. We thought a the 34DI would perfectly address the sector between longer run litho and shorter run digital, as most of our customers would look towards the middle run area of 2,000 to 5,000. We saw this as an underserved sector and decided it was the market space for us with the DI, in combination with a digital toner press, providing a more productive solution, wider substrate capability, faster production speeds and lower capital investment cost.”

Identifying a growth market was not the only reason the Diguru team chose the 34DI. Diguru was founded with a cornerstone of environmental responsibility and chose equipment based on reduced environmental impact, an important issue for a growing base of the firm’s clients.  Diguru is also pursuing various certifications to bolster its position, including ISO14001, FSC and PEFC. “These certifications and our investments in equipment such as the Presstek 34DI demonstrate our commitment to a better working practice,” adds Harwood. “We see these steps as essential to our success.”

In making the DI purchase decision, Harwood was particularly impressed with the compelling combination of waterless printing technology, chemistry-free platemaking and substantially reduced waste. The 34DI images chemistry-free plates on the press eliminating the need for off line platemaking. This reduces VOC emissions as well as the need for acquisition, management, storage and disposal of noxious chemicals. Harwood found other benefits to the 34DI as well, including:

• Set up with just a few sheets, 25 as compared to 250 on a litho press, or 90 percent less, reducing paper costs significantly. Harwood points out that paper costs represent 22 percent of any print project.
• Waterless printing process that eliminates the need to constantly manage ink/water balance and enables the press to come up to colour faster and maintain better consistency throughout the run. 
• 300 lpi quality or FM screening as well as lower dot gain.
• Ink densities an average of 20% higher than conventional printing.
• High level of automation which makes the press easy to use.

Diguru’s design agency customers appreciate the extensive choice of substrate options, from onion skin to heavy card stock, 0.06mm to 0.5mm, and the press’s compatibility with standard recycled paper stocks, that provide an array of creative possibilities.  Diguru is using its Presstek 34DI to produce everything from high quality business cards to corporate brochures producing both four-colour process and spot colour work. Says Harwood, “We have been asked to do more and more spot colour work, especially for letterheads. Customers are very impressed with what the DI can do in this regard.”


Diguru also operates a Xerox 700 digital colour press and an HP DesignJet L25500 wide format Latex inkjet printer. Its varied customer based includes P&O, NHS, Barratt Homes, design agencies and local authorities. There are seven employees. “We have a young, creative and dedicated team that is very focused on ways we can help add value for our clients,” adds Harwood.