Simple pre-press improvement saved us $100,000: Styleprint

The Melbourne large-format printer slashed the time spent processing files after installing the customised system in mid-2012, said operations manager Andrew Woodhouse.

"It's basically allowed us not to have to have more staff doing what we call mundane tasks," he told ProPrint.

"It has saved us having to put on at least a couple of staff as the business has grown in the past year, so I would say it has saved us in the vicinity of $100,000," added Woodhouse.

Clients typically send multiple files per campaign. Those files used to be handled manually, but now Switchbox automatically checks for things such as image size, resolution and spot colours.

It also generates the approval sheets that are sent to customers and creates thumbnail images that are used for Styleprint's online ordering system.

A campaign that may previously have demanded an hour of manual processing is now done automatically in seconds, said Woodhouse.

[Feature: Online pre-press tools can boost margins]

"We were blown away by what it could do and how simple it was…If we had known about it earlier, we would have had it years and years ago," he said.

"It's made us look better to our customers, because it's allowed us to be much more responsive. It's kept them wanting to use Styleprint rather than anyone else."

Woodhouse said one of the best things about Switchbox was that it could be customised by the distributor and solution architect, Colour Process.

Colour Process director Yves Roussange told ProPrint that SwitchBox could be connected to any existing technologies, such as MIS and web-to-print systems.

He said SwitchBox would help printers make their pre-press 'brains' more efficient so they could generate greater productivity from their machinery 'legs'.

Colour Process has made about 20 SwitchBox installations since 2008, he added.

The workflow overhaul is just one of several investments at Styleprint over the past 12 months.

The 85-staff firm installed a third Agfa M-Press Tiger in mid-2012 and a 3.2m-wide purpose-built Schneider guillotine in November 2012, said Woodhouse.

[LinkedIn: Do you charge extra for file-fixing?]

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